Opiate (EP)
| Opiate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| EP by Tool | ||||
| Released | March 10, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | December 1991 - January 1992 | |||
| Genre | Alternative metal | |||
| Length | 26:52 | |||
| Label | Zoo Entertainment | |||
| Producer | Sylvia Massy, Steve Hansgen, Tool | |||
| Tool chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Opiate | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Kerrang! | [2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
| Piero Scaruffi | 6/10[4] |
Opiate is an EP by American rock band Tool. It was produced and engineered by Sylvia Massy and former Minor Threat bassist Steve Hansgen. Released in 1992, it was the result of some two years of the band playing together after their formation in 1990. "Opiate" preceded Tool's first full-length album, Undertow, by a year. It is named after a quote by Karl Marx: "Religion [...] is the opium of the masses".[5] The EP was certified platinum by the RIAA on April 1, 2005. As of July 7, 2010, Opiate has sold 1,155,000 Copies in the US.
Background
Opiate features six tracks, two of which are live recordings. Some versions of the EP feature a hidden seventh track titled "The Gaping Lotus Experience". The song is hidden at the end of the last track of the EP, "Opiate", and begins approximately 6 minutes and 6 seconds into the song. Vinyl copies of the EP featured a double groove on the second side; one which contained "Cold and Ugly", with the second containing "The Gaping Lotus Experience" and a small period of silence. Both grooves led into "Jerk-Off".
The song "Sweat" was featured on the Escape From L.A. soundtrack.[6]
"Cold and Ugly" and "Jerk-Off" were recorded live at the Jello Loft on New Year's Eve 1991, the band's second public show.[citation needed] These two tracks, along with "Hush" and "Part of Me", were featured on the band's debut demo recording, 72826. "Jerk-Off" and "Cold and Ugly" have never been recorded in the studio except for in this demo. All four songs were re-recorded for this EP.
In the original CD inserts of the EP, there is a collage of tiny photos of the band members as children, and also includes a picture of someone engaging in necrophilia with a well-decomposed cadaver. In reality, it is a friend of the band joking around in prop maker Stan Winston's studio.[7]
2013 reissue
On March 26, 2013 the band released a special 21st anniversary limited edition package of the album, It includes bonus features, such as new artwork. It was limited to only 5,000 copies.[8][9][10] The packaging has been done using an old fashioned Heidelberg Cylinder Press.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sweat" | 3:46 | |
| 2. | "Hush" | 2:48 | |
| 3. | "Part of Me" | 3:17 | |
| 4. | "Cold and Ugly" (live) | 4:09 | |
| 5. | "Jerk-Off" (live) | 4:23 | |
| 6. | "Opiate" | 8:29 |
- "Cold and Ugly" was recorded December 31, 1991 at the Jello Loft in Hollywood, California
- "Jerk-Off" was recorded January 1, 1992 at the Jello Loft in Hollywood, California
- "Opiate" ends at 5:20. The hidden track, "The Gaping Lotus Experience" begins at 6:09
Personnel
Notes
- ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Opiate [EP] - Tool". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 23 August 2004.
- ↑ Mörat (11 July 1992). "Tool 'Opiate'". Kerrang! 400. London, UK: EMAP.
- ↑ "Tool: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
- ↑ Scaruffi, Piero (1999). "Tool". pieroscaruffi.com. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
- ↑ Christopher W. diCarlo. "Interview with Maynard James Keenan". Cdicarlo.com. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
- ↑ "Escape de Los Ángeles (1996) - Soundtracks". IMDb.com. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
- ↑ "The Tool FAQ". Toolshed.down.net. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
- ↑ Revolver Magazine (2013-02-25). "Tool Announce 21st Anniversary Edition of Opiate with Commemorative Limited Edition Package - Heavy Metal News | Music Videos |Golden Gods Awards". revolvermag.com. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
- ↑ "Tool marks 21st anniversary of Opiate EP with limited-edition reissue". Consequence of Sound. 2013-02-26. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
- ↑ "Tool Unleashing Limited-Edition ‘Opiate’ EP Reissue". Loudwire.com. 2013-02-25. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
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