Talk:Lateralus

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[edit] <^>v!!This album is connected!!v<^>

[edit] More Fibonacci stuff

The title track lateralus also contains the fibonacci sequence. The "verse" vocals are arranged in groups where the number of syllables in each grouping walks up and down the sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13)

Proof:
1 Black
1 Then
2 White are
3 All I see
5 In my infancy
8 Red and yellow then came to be
5 Reaching out to me
3 Lets me see

13 As below so above and beyond I imagine
8 Drawn beyond the lines of reason
5 Push the envelope
3 Watch it bend

--starwed

I think this is highly speculative at best - the first fibonacci numbers aren't uncommon numbers. --no account

  • You just blew my mind. It was right there, yet I never recognized it. As I die-hard tool fan, I'm ashamed. Timbo ( t a l k ) 03:06, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)
  • That's only one example of how Tool hides "things" in their lyrics. In some of their songs like No Quarter there are secret messages...
  • Uhhh, No Quarter is a cover. Jredwards 20:33, 8 March 2006 (UTC)
The "secret messages" are not in the lyrics but are simply hidden vocal tracks about half-way through the song, behind the drums.

[edit] Lateralus color meaning

One of the ways I took the black/white red/yellow was going from being "young and angry" to being "happy/grateful for life".

Black and White: fight issues, take sides...these colors have no life, make me feel cold, but their so exact and simple

Now, thinking of red and yellow, I thought....roses! these colors make me feel warm

red = love/affection yellow = friends/freindship

lyrics (how "I" feel)

Black then white are all I see in my infancy. (right and wrong only existed, based existence off that only, feelings of anger/frustration arise form this, male/logical)
red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me. (found love, made friends/enjoy others company, female/emotional) lets me see there is so much more
and beckons me to look through to these infinite possibilities. (if there was only right/wrong, then life is limited/sucks ... with love and friends, life is full of great feelings/good times, soak it up)

Nice to think about progression/growing up


Please, keep the fanboy talk to the forums. Your personal theories on the meaning of the album is not only unnessecary, but also tedious to read.

  • Here is a link to an interview with Maynard where he states that the colors referenced in "Lateralus" come from "aboriginal stories of creation." MJK Interview Willbyr 05:12, 17 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Sources?

Could we please get some sources? I see all these claims in the trivia section, but nothing to support them. Such as ...

""Eon Blue Apocalypse" is said to be about Adam Jones' Great Dane named Whiskers, that had cancer and died, according to an interview with Danny Carey."

"The fourth track, "Mantra", was alleged to be a slowed-down recording of someone—possibly an old woman—saying "I love you". Keenan has since stated that the song is a slowed-down recording of one of his Siamese cats being squeezed."

"The vocal on "Faaip de Oiad" is a recording of a hoax call from a 1997 conversation on Art Bell's radio program Coast to Coast AM. The caller, in a frantic tone, claimed to have been previously employed at Area 51 and stated that the true nature of aliens were that of "extra-dimensional beings" that have infiltrated the military establishment and plan to destroy the world's large population centers to more easily control the remaining humans. The caller called back during the same program to confirm the hoax. "Faaip de Oiad" is Enochian for "the voice of God." Described as Danny Carey's personal percussion piece for the album (as was "(–) Ions" on Ænima), he can be heard drumming intensely in the background along with sounds of static and various electronic debris."

"In the song "Lateralus," the line "as below so above and beyond I imagine" is a reference to astrology, specifically the Hermetic maxim - "as above so below" - the theory that the stars parallel everything in occurence on earth.""

Primarily the third one ... but all of these need sources, otherwise they're just utterly baseless claims. 203.166.251.194 12:20, 1 March 2006 (UTC)

Afaik most of the trivia originates from the tool faq at toolshed. At least the info bout mantra, eon blue apoc, faaip de oiad.. dunno about the lateralus reference though. I recall an interview with manyard where he stated that he wrote a lot of the lyrics of lateralus spontanously during the recording sessions, which doesn't contradict any deeper references but makes them unlikely. --Johnnyw 12:53, 1 March 2006 (UTC)

Another source for these claims is found at To me, Tool's Lateralus is the most amazing piece of music ever composed. which includes the original document that circulated the net about the Lateralus/Fibbonacci sequence. I'm not very wiki-savvy, so I'm not sure if this could count as an official citation. -AH

  • I don't recall the note about the "as below so above" reference being in the Tool FAQ either, but the info about EBA, Mantra, and FdO are definitely there. Willbyr 13:21, 1 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The intro

The album's nearly 5 years old now and the first bit of infomation on this page is about the early title change annoying some of the media. Is that still relevant for an album page? How would it look if the first sentence on the Sgt Pepper page was the initial reaction to the title of some radio DJ? ... a bit silly methinks. Kansaikiwi 09:14, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

You words in my ear. I think that was a good idea.. I rearranged the article a bit and expanded the systema story a bit to make it more comprehensible. Omitting the story would be a loss imho, since these rumors regarding upcoming Tool albums are quite notorious. --Johnnyw 15:03, 4 April 2006 (UTC)


[edit] HDCD?

So I heard that Lateralus was made on a special sort of CD, and I noticed an "HDCD" logo on the lower right-hand side of the back of the outer sleeve. What difference does this make? Do you have to have a special sort of CD player to harness whatever magical properties HDCDs have?

High Definition Compatible Digital Aottley 00:07, 11 May 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Lyric edit needed in article

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think that this reference to the lyrics is incorrect:

   [1] so
   [1] much
   [2] more and

It should be:

   [1] so
   [1] much
   [2] more that

-Kris

I believe he sings 'and', which was also posted at the official Tool site. –Pomte 18:38, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Citation

I don't know how to put a citation in but for the source about the Grudge being inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne: http://toolshed.down.net/faq/faq.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.162.206.170 (talk • contribs)

Does the Toolshed FAQ really count as a reliable source? --King Bee 16:05, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

Absolutely. Kabir is in contact with the band, having taken lyrics directly from Maynard to be posted as the correct lyrics.


[edit] Faaip De Oiad

This is to document that the correct spelling for track 13 is "Faaip De Oiad", as it is spelled on the back of the CD's case. The spelling of "Faaip De Oaid" on the Tool Web site is a typo. I found two different English-Enochian dictionaries that contain the "Oiad" spelling and not the "Oaid" spelling: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Thebes/5777/enochian.txt http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/enoch1.txt -- Christopher C. Parker t c 17:37, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

These two dictionaries are also listed as external links at the Enochian article. -- Christopher C. Parker t c 17:40, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
See also the discussion at http://musicbrainz.org/show/edit/?editid=7688886 -- Christopher C. Parker t c 17:50, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Another Citation

Well, I figured out how to create references. I changed the accent mark on the pronunciation for "Lateralus" and included a link to the video where Danny Carey says it. Hopefully it meets with everyone's satisfaction.

[edit] Fair use rationale for Image:Tool - Lateralus.jpg

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BetacommandBot 16:56, 3 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] WikiProject Tool workspace

Great review: http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/211444/review/5941101/lateralus Lara❤Love 02:39, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Album Name

i know there is a reference for the name of a muscle in the leg thing, but personally, i still doubt that story. i mean i wouldn't rule it out but i don't think that reference is particularly good. (that book on nu metal). i wouldn't trust it. i reckon it should be removed, anyone agree? (Jatoo (talk) 05:55, 27 February 2008 (UTC))

In an interview with Aggro Active (May 2001), Maynard stated:
"Lateralus itself is actually a muscle and although the title does have something to do with the muscle, it's more about lateral thinking and how the only way to really evolve as an artist — or as a human, I think — is to start trying to think outside of the lines and push your boundaries. Kind of take yourself where you haven't been and put yourself in different shoes; all of those cliches."
Possible options for what muscle he speaks of:
  1. The Vastus Lateralis is a muscle in the thigh. One cannot walk without this muscle.
  2. The Lateralis Nasi descends along the side of the nose. In the booklet included with the CD, there is an image on page three (the one with the circle of eyes) in which you can see the Lateralis Nasi. It is the thick, red artery directly above the nostril.
  3. The Lateral Rectus is the ocular muscle whose contraction turns the eyeball outward. In Greek it is called the Rectus Lateralis. The eyeball art included with the CD supports this option.
As for the spelling variation (Lateralus as the title vs Lateralis for the muscles), when there are more than one muscle together, the latin plural form is Lateralus.
This information was gathered from http://toolshed.down.net/faq/faq.html and http://toolnavy.com/archive/index.php/t-1533.html.
Lara❤Love 14:45, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

The latin plural form of "lateralis" is "laterales". I believe "Lateralus" is a misspelling. Nelly4 (talk) 15:26, 13 April 2008 (UTC)Nelly4 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nelly4 (talk • contribs) 15:16, 13 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Unsourced claims

  • The cover text is styled to resemble Arabic writing.
  • One month later, they revealed the real title and a completely different tracklist, much to the chagrin of several members of the media who had accepted and promoted the original title.

–Pomte 17:44, 15 April 2008 (UTC)