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Old 07-31-2003, 09:51 PM   #1
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The sound at the beginning.

If I'm not mistaken, the sound at the beginning is supposed to be an air tank (used in scuba gear) after all the oxygen is drained out. Could this sound at the beginning of the album and this song be a reference to someone (an individual or society) drowning from the undertow of self-destruction?
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Old 08-04-2003, 08:00 PM   #2
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I maybe thought it was someone actually forcing someone else underwater, or at least symbolizing that. The lyrics do show a strong dislike for someone, and that one line "I've been far too sympathetic..." sorta seems to me like the exploited person singing the song wants to end this relationship. So, in essence, the sound at the beginning could be at the end. Or, it just could be Tool playing around in the studio...
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Old 01-06-2004, 03:47 PM   #3
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

It does give me a kind of drowning feeling...
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Old 01-08-2004, 07:46 AM   #4
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

lsn't that on the FAQ of the site?
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Old 04-27-2004, 02:04 PM   #5
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

It is.

The FAQ says :
Quote:
F9. What's that sound right before "Intolerance" ?
Various ideas abound: either it is a massive bong hit, or it is a motorboat / outboard engine (the latter goes along better with the water theme of the whole album). Aaron Solomon ([email protected]) offers this explanation:
"I had the immediate and distinct impression that is was the sound of a guy drowning, specifically someone hooked up to oxygen equipment, such as a scuba diver, having their oxygen run out or cut off, and helplessly suffocating. IMHO, this is closer than a motorboat or bong hit. In fact, in this context is incredibly ominous, and makes the listener literally feel like he/she is suffocating. I think it's one of the most disturbing parts of the album."
It's probably one of my favorite parts of the Album.
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Old 04-30-2004, 05:10 PM   #6
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

Wow, this is the how manieth(yes I made that up) post on this subject. Amazing that it is still being talked about so much, go Tool for making something so simple be talked about again and again. As I have said before and thus again I will say it: I still contend that the sound at the beginning is infact a boat being stared, or attempted to anyhow. It stalls out a few times and then bam the song begins. I am also tired of people saying that it is a bong hit, has anyone ever even heard a bong being hit before, sounds nothing like that. Besides the boat fits the water theme of the whole album. Think about it people.
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Old 05-04-2004, 12:04 PM   #7
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

Drowning also fits the water senario of the album. But l'm not saying l believe it's the drowning, because l don't. l don't believe l know, or anyone else knows what it is. l think it's just some sound taken to a bored and changed until it sounded cool.
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Old 05-06-2004, 11:49 AM   #8
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

I sitll stand by my thought that it is a boat engine, you know one of those old school ones that you have to pull start.
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Old 12-08-2004, 11:18 AM   #9
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

I think you're right... I has a dry sound to it as well... like toxic boat exhaust.
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Old 03-19-2005, 10:42 PM   #10
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

Well if the song is really about the United States Air Force code, about how you will not tolerate someone who lies, cheats and steals, could this be the sound of killing someone? or "not tolerate"
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Old 03-20-2005, 01:26 PM   #11
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Undertolerance
... Besides the boat fits the water theme of the whole album. Think about it people.
I don't know where people are getting the idea that the album has a water theme. The only things on the album that are remotely connected to water are the song "Flood", the song "Undertow", and the album title. Nothing else has to do with water.

Maybe they put the sound there just because they liked it.
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Old 04-20-2005, 10:08 PM   #12
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

When I first listened to it, I thought it was the sound of a Tiger or Lion growling.. Its obviously far too long to be a growl, but thats kinda what it sounded like to me. I guess we will never know for sure. Just another whisp of audio existing soley for people like us to place a meaning behind it.
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Old 04-21-2005, 10:45 AM   #13
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 5th Eye
I don't know where people are getting the idea that the album has a water theme. The only things on the album that are remotely connected to water are the song "Flood", the song "Undertow", and the album title. Nothing else has to do with water.

Maybe they put the sound there just because they liked it.
I dont understand why you wouldnt think of it as a water theme. It is implied heavily in the title, two of the songs deal with water, and they were all on about Lachrymology at the time, the "science of progression through crying" or something. Water, water, everywhere.
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Old 04-24-2005, 02:23 PM   #14
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

Okay fine, so maybe the backgrounds on the fat lady pictures have to do with water too.
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Old 02-16-2006, 11:10 PM   #15
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

Wow its been a long time since I have posted on here and its great to see that nothing has change! People are great and love nothing more than to beat people with what they think is the truth, all while forgetting the most important thing of all...(drum roll please) ... Everyone is different and has their very own thoughts and ideas. Hard to swallow I realize, but good news its a suppositiry. Sorry for the harsh mental images but sometimes it has to be done. After pluggin my way through some other threads and reading over more and more shit slinging I am even more convinced as to why I had been avoiding posting or even visiting. Some of you people would make great lawyers or politicians, I really must say. But I will encourage you all to do something that I have said time and again on this opinion page and to my friends and people I know: "Chill the fuck out! And for the love of Pete (good old pete gets all the love what about frank or bill or john, but I digress) listen to what people have to say before you jump down their throat." Love, peace and Chicken grease.
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Old 02-17-2006, 07:20 AM   #16
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

First of all, you bumped a thread which was almost a year old. Not exactly the best example of what you should use when determining whether or not "nothing have change" here at tdn.
Second, where in the hell are you seeing shit-slinging? Older threads have much higher chance of this happening, and I dont think you will see it much in thie albums section. All I see in this thread is discussion.
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Old 02-17-2006, 04:41 PM   #17
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

I wonder if Intolerance it about Maynard's time in the army.......
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Old 02-23-2006, 10:04 AM   #18
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

To me it kind of sounds like a motorboat's rudder slowly stopping.
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Old 02-23-2006, 01:50 PM   #19
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

Quote:
Originally Posted by snakeeyedhawk
To me it kind of sounds like a motorboat's rudder slowly stopping.
yep
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Old 12-12-2006, 12:53 PM   #20
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Echoghost View Post
It is.

The FAQ says :


It's probably one of my favorite parts of the Album.



The faq is usually the most correct. Whatever the sound is, it certainly goes along well with the album.

If you look at a lot of the lyrics in Undertow, and song names, like "Swamp Song" and "Flood", a lot of it has to do with "drowning." So the drowning sound in the beginning is quite appropriate for setting the scene for the entire album.
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Old 12-12-2006, 01:53 PM   #21
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

Anyone ever tried to kick start a flooded dirtbike before?
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Old 01-22-2007, 06:31 PM   #22
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

each album has a break at the beginning. sweat doesnt start right away, intolerance has this thingy, stinkfist has the cool intro (what is that intro on, wacked out guitar?someone share!) grudge has the machine sound. i dunno about 10k days, im getting it next week but i hope it keeps the trend
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Old 01-22-2007, 06:47 PM   #23
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

Sounds like an oxygen tank running out of air to me.
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Old 01-23-2007, 08:55 PM   #24
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

smoking a bong???
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Old 02-21-2007, 08:41 PM   #25
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

^
change your pic bitch. weird, my name is joe, and i live in illinois, and we have the same avatar....change it mother fucker
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Old 02-27-2007, 12:42 PM   #26
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

funny funny stuff. And it is a water tank. Dirtbikes kick back, boats have chords, a dragging sound. All this has is air escaping.
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Old 02-27-2007, 12:47 PM   #27
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

Quote:
Originally Posted by paraflux View Post
First of all, you bumped a thread which was almost a year old. Not exactly the best example of what you should use when determining whether or not "nothing have change" here at tdn.
Second, where in the hell are you seeing shit-slinging? Older threads have much higher chance of this happening, and I dont think you will see it much in thie albums section. All I see in this thread is discussion.
Oh, shit has been slung, will sling. But word to the big bird on ol' "nothing ever blah blah fucking blah." I've been creeping around here since, '00? '02? Never posted until February. There will always be nobblegobblers, but to disparage the site is, well, it's just bad form.

This thread is a living relic, sort of. If that's not cool, then... fuck that guy.
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Old 02-27-2007, 01:09 PM   #28
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

I must have been in a horrible mood that day.

Sorry.
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Old 03-04-2007, 07:00 AM   #29
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

The sound is not actually present in the UK version of the album, Intolerance kicks straight in at the start of the CD. I didn't realise this until I got an imported copy of the album from Amazon (I accidentally sat on the old one, breaking it in two).

I reckon it's actually someone puffing on a bong.
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Old 03-04-2007, 10:09 AM   #30
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

You're kidding. That's awful, almost as awful as the time they had to take the fat lady off the back/inside cover.
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Old 04-25-2007, 12:27 PM   #31
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

yea, most of the albums have a weird noise at the beginning. What's sweat? Is it just some kind of phased sample? Intolerance has that water sound. It has to be water, and the oxygen tank makes sense. I don't think it's a bong hit anymore, you could EQ a bong hit to sound like that, but you'd be EQing it specifically to sound like something else. Stinkfist has that weird ass drum machine which I wish someone would explain to me- they never use that sound live. What could they have possibly done in the studio that they can't replicate live? You could count the Timothy Leary samples at the beginning of Salival/Third Eye as continuing the trend. The Grudge has what sounds like a garbage truck or something to me (can anyone explain the significance of the sound and what it actually is?). But Vicarious kicks right off. I wonder why they didn't continue the trend.
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Old 04-25-2007, 02:40 PM   #32
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

bong
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Old 04-27-2007, 01:40 AM   #33
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

I love the wet, luscious, muddy feel of Undertow - and this is the perfect intro (i m o). Like sinking into the murkier depths where there is not enough light but a squelching underfoot.
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Old 01-14-2008, 08:20 PM   #34
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

kinda sounds like a fart under water
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Old 01-14-2008, 08:49 PM   #35
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

I'll say it again..its maynard taking a loud nasty smelly shit all over your ears. Enjoy!
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Old 01-15-2008, 01:53 PM   #36
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Re: The sound at the beginning.

The pulsing part at the end is a flooded kick start on a dirt bike. It mirrors the theme of the album perfectly. Give it too much gas and it won't run. Give in to an apathetic, indulgent lifestyle, get sucked into the undertow, and you'll end up like the fat, fetal bitch on the cover. You're worthless, and excuse the pun, you can't run.
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