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Old 12-30-2002, 09:39 PM   #1
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is the album undertow underrated?

hey i just got the album undertow last week. right when i got it my friend was like "Oh, that's not as good as aenema or lateralus." I didn't know what to say. I'd heard it wasn't as good, but i thought since it was tool it had to be worth the purchase! so i gave it a listen. it's danm good! i love that cd, along with lateralus, salival, and aenema! i just want to know what you people think about undertow...whether it's underrated or if it's really a lot worse than the other albums.
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Old 12-30-2002, 09:54 PM   #2
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Re: is the album undertow underrated?

i think it is.

:)
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Old 12-30-2002, 10:05 PM   #3
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No I don't think it is. As far as I know it is rated highly. People get the impression it might be underrated when u compare it to Aenima or Lateralus. Also, I think u should be a bit more clearer in why u get the general idea it is underrated. Is it due to the reactions of people on this board or in comparison to reviews or what.

If u ask ppl on this board I'm sure they agree Undertow is a great album and not underrated but some might consider it "underrated" when compared to Aenima and Lateralus, as above.
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Old 12-30-2002, 10:07 PM   #4
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i think it is in general. not enough people appreciate it.
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Old 12-30-2002, 10:15 PM   #5
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Re: is the album undertow underrated?

Quote:
Originally posted by drum_dood
right when i got it my friend was like "Oh, that's not as good as aenema or lateralus."
Father, forgive them for they know not what they do

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Old 12-30-2002, 11:02 PM   #6
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Disgustipated FUCKING OWNS....
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Old 12-30-2002, 11:10 PM   #7
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.. This ground is not the rock I thought it to be..

Undertow is like.. the funkiest album I have ever heard. A great album, worthy of as much credit as the rest of Tool's discs. It's a lot darker, illusions and imagery run like busted rivers of crimson.
I usually get semi-addicted to a certain Tool album at a given time.., and just listen to it when necessary for about a month, and then switch to another album. Undertow holds most of the spotlight, I think. It's always the right taste. It's the sharpest rhythm, the perfect expression, and most certainly the underestimated one, of all these gifts.
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Old 12-30-2002, 11:25 PM   #8
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You said that very well, I totally agree with you but I still hold that I don't think it is totally underrated.
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Old 12-31-2002, 06:13 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally posted by Emre
Also, I think u should be a bit more clearer in why u get the general idea it is underrated. Is it due to the reactions of people on this board or in comparison to reviews or what.
Well, it's mainly due to the reactions i've gotten in person when undertow was mentioned. there are tons of tool fans here and all of them LOVE lateralus and aenema, they just don't say a damn thing about undertow. so when i finally got undertow i abruptly wondered why no one else had it...i guess that's what i was tryin to say...
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Old 12-31-2002, 06:41 AM   #10
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I think people on this board and fans generally regard Undertow very highly, perhaps you are just mixing it with the wrong "fans" or those that aren't extremely familiar with Tool.
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Old 12-31-2002, 07:13 AM   #11
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Very good album, but only one or two songs on there I don't like as much. They are all good but some I think aren't all that spectacular. I think Ænima and Lateralus are better than Undertow, but still Undertow still kicks major ass.
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Old 12-31-2002, 07:22 AM   #12
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Just like I said, Its not that Undertow is necessarily "underrated" however when compared to the likes of Aenima and Lateralus one might get the impression that its not regarded as highly when in actual fact it is regarded highly its just that Aenima and Lateraluis are on an entirely different level.
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Old 12-31-2002, 10:31 AM   #13
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DEFINETELY

The answer is DEFINETELY yes....look how many posts there are for lateralus/aenima threads vs undertow and opiate.....opiate is only an ep and the music isn't as deep....but Undertow fucking rocks and is underrated for sure! Bottom is one of the best Tool Songs!
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Old 12-31-2002, 10:59 AM   #14
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If I had never heard Undertow and picked it up after heavy listening to AEnema and Lateralus, I would be appalled at people saying it was not as good. Any chance to hear a Tool album for the first time is amazing. Undertow is an incredible album, ESPECIALLY for the time it was released. No one else with the exception of maybe Faith No More was on the same plane as Tool at that time. I do think that to appreciate an album fully, you need to hear it at the time of its release. I could never appreciate fully Zeppelin's Runes or Kansas' Leftoverture or anything released in the 70's because I was born in 75 and did not get the chance to hear it at that time period, much less see the band perform for the supporting tour. By the same token, any teenager today can probably not appreciate 311's Music or Alice In Chains Dirt or Primus' Frizzle Fry like people my age can. You can look back and reflect on it, and see how it is so good because the albums are timeless, but when they are fresh off the presses there is something more special to those who waited in line to buy them, and see them perform.
Back to the question, I think Undertow is actually overrated. A lot of people I talk to claim Undertow as their favorite Tool album and kind of dropped off the Tool train after that. Maybe because the band took 4 years to release another one, I dont know. But to me, music is about progression of the message as much as the message itself. An analogy I could use would be the Bible's old message may not be as appropriate for us today as other ways to hear and live the same message, just worded for us as people living in the world today. The progression from Undertow to AEnema is unchartable. Unbelievably so. There is so much more depth to AEnema than Undertow could have possibly had in its state of anger and defiance. And the jump from AEnema to Lateralus, although different somehow, is still highly progressive.
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Old 01-04-2003, 06:14 PM   #15
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No doubht that Undertow is a great album, but no I don't think it's under rated. I think Aenima and Lateralus are so much more musically advanced and intellagant then Undertow that I can't even begin to tell you.
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Old 01-05-2003, 05:47 AM   #16
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Re: .. This ground is not the rock I thought it to be..

Quote:
Originally posted by SadSummerSea
Undertow is like.. the funkiest album I have ever heard. A great album, worthy of as much credit as the rest of Tool's discs. It's a lot darker, illusions and imagery run like busted rivers of crimson.
I usually get semi-addicted to a certain Tool album at a given time.., and just listen to it when necessary for about a month, and then switch to another album. Undertow holds most of the spotlight, I think. It's always the right taste. It's the sharpest rhythm, the perfect expression, and most certainly the underestimated one, of all these gifts.

i tend to do the same thing, with tool moreso than any other band...i'll put the same album on replay for 2 days straight if not more and just do everything around it...also just to slap on a good headset and fall asleep to undertow is great, just hearing all the different layers to the songs...and like you had said...the imagery to this disc is amazing...just letting your mind wander to the lyrics and sounds of the album is something i can't explain...
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Old 01-05-2003, 08:01 AM   #17
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Undertow is just as good as all the albums Tool has released.

There is this sickening, raw edge on Undertow that cannot be duplicated. So many people think that Lateralus is so complex and great but I believe that Undertow is just as complex, in its own right. Maynard has so many howling, echoing, whining effects on his voice. It's unreal. The same thing applies with Adam's guitar. There are some sounds coming from him that are nuts. Its raw guitar too. It's not all this high-tech electronic stuff (don't get me wrong, I like that stuff too but...).

One way to look at their MAJOR releases is:

Undertow = Aggression/Frustration
Aenima = Aggression/Progression
Lateralus = Absorbtion/ Reflection

I hope the next album brings back a little of that ear opening aggression that only Tool can produce.
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Old 01-05-2003, 11:51 AM   #18
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To quote A.j

"I look at all those albums as being differnet. Snapshots of the moment they were written and recorded."
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Old 01-05-2003, 05:56 PM   #19
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Re: DEFINETELY

Quote:
Originally posted by StinkfistJEff
The answer is DEFINETELY yes....look how many posts there are for lateralus/aenima threads vs undertow and opiate.....opiate is only an ep and the music isn't as deep....but Undertow fucking rocks and is underrated for sure! Bottom is one of the best Tool Songs!
bottom fucking rocks for sure man! i also love the end of the song "undertow" when the bass, guitar, and drums are all playing in synch with each other....that's badass. i'm also a big fan of 4 degrees and sober...
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Old 01-05-2003, 07:31 PM   #20
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For what it's worth one of my coworkers who is big into all forms of music remarked one day when I brought Undertow into work one day that it is "Their bastard-child album." I don't really agree with him, though I kinda see where he is going with it. It is definately a great album and it gets an equal number of spins with all the others. And I can only think of one other album that starts as intense as Undertow does with Intolerance, Prison Sex, and Sober.

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Old 01-05-2003, 08:22 PM   #21
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great way of looking at it flipmojo, is that something u made up or did u happen to read it elsewhere?
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Old 01-06-2003, 10:03 AM   #22
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yes. its always put behind Ænima.
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Old 01-06-2003, 10:25 AM   #23
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Hey!

Killer album, I don't know how many of you guys were old enough to remember this coming out, I'm a pretty old bastard so I can tell you, that Undertow definatley stirred up a pretty good sized clan of us fans, it's the album that I got hooked on. Newer TOOL phans might view it as not up to par with say Lateralus, cause it's not as experimental, it's more straight forward, but I think it's just another step in the evolution of TOOL, and i love it!
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Old 01-06-2003, 01:24 PM   #24
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I think it depends where you live. In where I used to live, it in some ways is overrated. But of course, everyone listens to "Sober" and doesn't pay a shit of attention towards the rest of the album. But, in the area I live in now, which is a mere 50 miles away, Lateralus seems to be the most popular album, and nobody seems to give a shit about Undertow. One of my roommate's friends looked at my Undertow CD and said, "Undertow... Tool... Is that any good?" I said, "Hell, yes!" I'm amazed. Everyone I knew in the place I used to live in knew of all of the Tool album's names, even if they never listened to them all.
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Old 01-06-2003, 08:18 PM   #25
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alright man thats great but what about fuckin Opiate? its an awesome EP. everyone uses Undertow and everything later as references to Tool's art but damn, what about this band's birth man!?! anyway, i know this is an Undertow forum so i'll refrain from posting anymore non- Undertow diddies. but in either case, i know you well...you are a part of me.

adam (that is actually my real name)
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Old 01-07-2003, 09:39 AM   #26
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Opiate is the MOST underrated Tool release. Of course, I do find some sort of joy in enjoying a wonderful EP that few people know about.
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Old 01-07-2003, 11:28 AM   #27
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Salival gets my vote. Even though it has old songs and covers, it feels like a completely different album
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Old 01-07-2003, 01:48 PM   #28
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to emre: It is how I look at them. I made it up from the way the music makes me feel.

I highly recommend that all, real Tool fans, go back and listen to Undertow the same way you may listen to Lateralus. Undertow has some seriously twisted and knotted up energy in it. It comes from a time (early 90's) when expression was raw and aggressive. This was the first Tool music I ever heard and I was "struck down" by it.

Also, here is something I try sometimes when I'm laying down to rest:

Listen to songs 1, 2, 3 and 4 in sequence. Then clear your mind (grab a drink of water).

Next, listen to songs 5, 6, and 7 in sequence. Then take another break.

If you really have the time then try 8 and 9 together. (These two sink in best, for me, right before sleep).

This CD can be very dark, in different places throughout, so don't overkill it. You might lose you mind. :o)
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Old 01-07-2003, 02:52 PM   #29
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Old 04-26-2006, 10:28 AM   #30
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Re: is the album undertow underrated?

this is tools best work, hands down
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Old 04-26-2006, 10:41 AM   #31
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Re: is the album undertow underrated?

Scratch. Find that gigantic sex thread and bump it. You know the one.
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Old 04-26-2006, 10:42 AM   #32
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Re: is the album undertow underrated?

i really don't have any idea what you're talking about
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Old 04-26-2006, 10:42 AM   #33
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Re: is the album undertow underrated?

Undertow is my favorite Tool album.
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Old 04-26-2006, 10:43 AM   #34
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Re: is the album undertow underrated?

Well, see, it was like, more than 18 pages. It mostly detailed people's attempts to get Holy Reality laid. I'm interested in seeing how it turned out.
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Old 04-26-2006, 10:46 AM   #35
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Re: is the album undertow underrated?

Moved to the right section.

As for the thread:
I'd like to say that Undertow is VERY underrated imho. I think this album is by far Tool's best. Main reason why I think that is the dark, somewhat melancholy feeling to the songs. The lyrical content of the album is something that grabs ahold of me. I just enjoy listening to this album way more than Ænima or Lateralus.
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Old 04-30-2006, 09:12 PM   #36
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Re: is the album undertow underrated?

I think that undertow may be a tad underrated. It is a fantastic album. I do enjoy Aenima and Lateralus more, but undertow rules, no doubt about it.
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Old 05-11-2006, 12:24 PM   #37
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Re: is the album undertow underrated?

To put it simply, 'Is Undertow underrated?', F*** yes. Although Aenima is better, Undertow is a strong second favorite.
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Old 05-11-2006, 02:20 PM   #38
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Re: is the album undertow underrated?

I could go on all day about Undertow, my favorite album of all time. Let's just put it this way. This website appeared in the days after Undertow, and it has been maintained and cared for more than a decade since. Case in point that alot of passionate Tool fans were born purely on the basis of the work done long before the (also unbelieveably excellent) AEnima and Lateralus.

There are certainly bands that "come of age". The Red Hot Chili Peppers come to mind. There's BloodSugarSexMagic and then there's quite a bit of questionable stuff that came before. But Tool does not fit in this category. Everything they've ever done has been unreal.

Any fan should have this album! I would submit is Maynard's best album vocally!

Some of my favorite vocal performances from the album, and if you've heard them like most, you know the raw power, unmatched by anybody:

"This GROUND is NOT the ROCK I . . . thought it to be!!"

"I'VE! COME! ROUND! Full circle..."

"It leaves me dead in-SIDE! Dead in-SIDE!"

If you haven't heard the album Undertow, just remember the line in "Stinkfist" where the ground shakes as Maynard sings "I'LL! KEEP! DIGGING!" I assure you that Undertow is FULL of those kinds of moments.
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Old 05-18-2006, 09:40 AM   #39
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Re: is the album undertow underrated?

Quote:
Originally Posted by tbrent21
I could go on all day about Undertow, my favorite album of all time. Let's just put it this way. This website appeared in the days after Undertow, and it has been maintained and cared for more than a decade since. Case in point that alot of passionate Tool fans were born purely on the basis of the work done long before the (also unbelieveably excellent) AEnima and Lateralus.

There are certainly bands that "come of age". The Red Hot Chili Peppers come to mind. There's BloodSugarSexMagic and then there's quite a bit of questionable stuff that came before. But Tool does not fit in this category. Everything they've ever done has been unreal.

Any fan should have this album! I would submit is Maynard's best album vocally!

Some of my favorite vocal performances from the album, and if you've heard them like most, you know the raw power, unmatched by anybody:

"This GROUND is NOT the ROCK I . . . thought it to be!!"

"I'VE! COME! ROUND! Full circle..."

"It leaves me dead in-SIDE! Dead in-SIDE!"

If you haven't heard the album Undertow, just remember the line in "Stinkfist" where the ground shakes as Maynard sings "I'LL! KEEP! DIGGING!" I assure you that Undertow is FULL of those kinds of moments.

Yup, best album by far..

I have always liked "EU-PHOR-RI-A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
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Old 05-19-2006, 08:27 PM   #40
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Re: is the album undertow underrated?

Did you guys notice there's a 3 year gap in between posts?
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