'''Ænima''' is the second full-length
studio album by the
American rock band
Tool. It was released on
October 1 1996 in CD format and in
vinyl format the week before. The album was recorded and cut at
Ocean Way,
Hollywood, California and
The Hook,
North Hollywood, California from 1995 to 1996. It was certified
triple platinum by the
RIAA on
March 4,
2003.
[1]
Overview
The title ''Ænima'' (English pronunciation "''on-ih-muh''" as revealed by guitarist
Adam Jones in a radio interview, which can be downloaded from the band's website) is a combination of the words '
anima' (Latin for 'soul' associated with deep emotionality and the force of life itself, a term often used by
psychologist Carl Jung) and '
enema' hence creating a new word for
catharsis: cleansing of the soul.
Music videos were made for "
Stinkfist" and "
Ænema".
Promotional singles were issued for "H.", "Eulogy", and "
Forty Six & 2".
[2] "Ænema" won the
Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1998.
[3]
Several of the songs are short
segues or interludes that connect to longer songs,
11 pushing the total duration of the
CD towards the maximum of around 80 minutes. These segues are "Useful Idiot", "Message to Harry Manback", "Intermission", "Die Eier Von Satan", "Cesaro Summability", and "(-) Ions".
Track information
Speculation has surrounded the song "H." The "meaning" of this song has not been detailed by the band, as they do not regularly comment on such things, but it has been stated that it is not about
heroin.
[4] Keenan introduced this song in 1996 by referring to the
shoulder angel and devil, and also said it's about a hurtful yet dependent relationship.
[5]
The segue "Die Eier von Satan" has a heavy
industrial guitar played over a reversed drum beat with an unusual, irregular
time signature (9/8 time, or possibly 9/4). The lyrical component of the song is in
German, performed by Marko Fox, a member of
ZAUM. He is backed by a sound that resembles a
hydraulic press,
12 and crowd cheering and applause that increase in volume as the lyrics are read with increasing ferocity. These combined effects make the song sound like a militant
[6] German rant
[7] or
Nazi rally.
[8]
While the sound and the word "Satan" in the title may suggest to listeners that the lyrics feature aggressive or even violent content, the speaker is merely reciting a cookie recipe,
8 possibly
hashish or Mexican cookies.
11 The song was originally translated by Gudrun Fox. According to Blair McKenzie Blake, the maintainer of the official Tool website, "Die Eier von Satan" originally were cookies that "Marko Fox's grandmother used to bake for him as a child, without using eggs as an ingredient. The substitution for eggs is a magical
incantation from the worm-eaten pages of some moldering
grimoire."
[9] This magical incantation ("sim salabim bam ba saladu saladim") is taken from the German children's song "Auf einem Baum ein Kuckuck saß".
[10] According to the lyrics, the special
ingredient besides this "incantation" is actually "a knife-tip of
Turkish hashish". The title literally translates to "The Eggs of Satan"
6 or "The Balls of Satan," due to a German
double entendre of "Eier", which means "
eggs" and also serves as a
slang word for "
testicles". The experimentation in this song has been compared to that of
Einstürzende Neubauten.
[11][12][13]
The song "Third Eye" contains samples of comedian
Bill Hicks.
[14] The title may be a reference to Hicks' saying that hallucinogenic drugs were being used to "squeegee [his] third eye clean."
[15]
Album artwork
North American pressings of the ''Ænima'' CD were packaged in a custom
lenticular jewel case (called a "Multi-Image™ CD case" in the liner notes) for the cover and interior disc tray. The cover art and other images in the liner notes can be set behind the lenticular "lens" to create an effect of sequential
animation. European pressings of the CD featured a standard case, and the insert contained the covers of fictional Tool releases. In addition, there are no lyrics in the liner notes.
The special images used for the lenticular effect are:
★
Cam de Leon's painting ''Smoke Box'',
[16] with animated smoke and encompassing eyes.
★ A touched-up version of
Cam de Leon's painting ''Ocular Orifice'',
[17] with the pupil of the eye animated to rotate completely around.
★ A photo of a nude
contortionist sitting on the floor, with Alana Cain credited for this in the liner notes.
[18] In the background is the band (left to right, Danny, Justin, Adam) seated on a couch, with a nude Maynard throwing a single rose to the ground in front of the contortionist. Another photo of the contortionist is also on the CD itself.
★ An image of
California before and after a major
earthquake is in the jewel case tray — a nod to the lyrics of "Ænema" and the ''Arizona Bay''
Bill Hicks sketch. Additionally, a painting of Bill Hicks is in the liner notes, with the caption "Another Dead Hero".
Track listing
All songs written by Keenan/Jones/Chancellor/Carey, except where indicated. Although four songs were worked on before
Paul D'Amour had left, he is not listed in the liner notes.
[19]
# "
Stinkfist"
(Keenan/Jones/Carey/D'Amour) – 5:09
# "Eulogy"
(Keenan/Jones/Carey/D'Amour) – 8:25
# "H." – 6:07
# "Useful Idiot" – 0:38
# "
Forty-Six & 2" – 6:02
# "Message To Harry Manback" – 1:53
# "Hooker With A Penis" – 4:31
# "Intermission" – 0:56
# "jimmy" – 5:22
# "Die Eier Von Satan" – 2:16
# "Pushit"
(Keenan/Jones/Carey/D'Amour) – 9:55
# "Cesaro Summability" – 1:26
# "
Ænema"
(Keenan/Jones/Carey/D'Amour) – 6:37
# "(-) Ions" – 3:58
# "Third Eye"
(Keenan/Jones/Carey/Chancellor/Hicks) – 13:47
Personnel
★
Justin Chancellor – Bass
★
Danny Carey – Drums and Percussion
★
Adam Jones – Guitar, Producer, Art Direction
★
Maynard James Keenan – Vocals
Additional personnel
★
David Bottrill – Keyboards, Producer, Engineer, Mixing
★ Alana Cain – Model (contortionist)
★
Cam de Leon – Artwork, Computer Illustration
★ Fabrico DiSanto – Photography, Photo Assistance
★ Gudrun Fox – Translation of "Die Eier von Satan"
★ Marko Fox - Vocals on "Die Eier von Satan"
★ Jeremy Glasgow – Assistant Percussionist
★ Concetta Halstead – Producer, Design
★
Bill Hicks – Guest vocals
★
Billy Howerdel - Guitar Tech, 'Pro Tools' technician
★ Joel Larson
★ Karen Mason
★ Jeff Novack – Photography
★
Chris Pitman – Synthesizer
★ Mark Rappaport – Effects Consultant
★ Eban Schletter – Organ
★ Keith Willis – Artwork
★ Kevin Willis – Producer, Art Direction, Paintings
Trivia
★ The Inlay image of the south-western US is missing Oklahoma's panhandle. It is unknown whether or not this was intentional.
★ In early 2007, demo versions of the songs Pushit, Stinkfist, Ænema, and Eulogy appeared online. These are early versions of the songs with Paul on bass, recorded (obviously) before he left the band.
Charting
Album
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|
| 1996 | "Stinkfist" | Mainstream Rock Tracks (U.S.) | #17 |
| 1996 | "Stinkfist" | Modern Rock Tracks (U.S.) | #19 |
| 1997 | "H." | Mainstream Rock Tracks (U.S.) | #23 |
| 1997 | "Ænema" | Mainstream Rock Tracks (U.S.) | #25 |
| 1997 | "Forty Six & 2" | Mainstream Rock Tracks (U.S.) | #22 |
Notes
1.
2. The Tool FAQ, G25.
3. 40th Annual Grammy Awards - 1998
4. The Tool FAQ, G30.
5. The Tool FAQ, G31.
6. Tool: A Trip to Rock's Darker Side
7. Tool Could Use Some Retooling
8. Tool of the devil or tuneful psychonauts?
9. Tool Newsletter, September, 2005 e.v. Blair MacKenzie Blake
10. Auf einem Baum ein Kuckuck saß Frank Petersohn
11. Rough Guides Music: TOOL Craig Joyce
12. Tool's Ænima: More songs about paranoia and death David Andrews
13. Aenima: Tool
14. Pix Mix Hicks Licks
15. Matthew McConaughey Bart Blasengame
16. Smoke Box - digital composite Cam de Leon
17. Ocular Orifice - Photoshop Cam de Leon
18. The Tool FAQ G8
19. The Tool FAQ, G13.
References
★
The Tool FAQ Kabir Akhtar
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