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Astronomer · 08-13-2009, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gotjuice

I'm not sure how useful this will be to most people, but I had this idea and decided to do it anyways. Worst case I just spent an hour doing this that I would have wasted anyways

The Beginner's Guide to Maynard James Keenan

If Maynard James Keenan has not had the greatest musical impact on my fairly young life so far, he would at the very least be in the top three. Tool is one of the few bands that I can say actually prompted me to change major things around in my life and attempt things I might not have attempted before. I can still identify with the ideas and emotions MJK put forth, from the pissed-off disillusionment of Opiate to the self-discovery of Aenima to the bitterness toward the ****ed-up world of 10,000 Days. One of the reasons I love MJK is that he seems to be able to convey whatever emotion he needs to in his vocals, so these feelings of rage and self-doubt and grief come pouring through even more powerfully. Tool seems to be one of those bands that you either love or hate, I guess it's fairly obvious which side of that fence I am on.

But Maynard's two side projects also deserve more recognition than they usually get. A Perfect Circle gets compared to Maynard's main project far too much. IMO, it should be thought of less as Tool's little brother and more of Tool's third cousin twice removed. There are glimmers of similarity, but nothing you should ever attribute to anything more than having the same frontman. APC is not Tool 2.0, but it has still produced two fine albums. Mer de Noms is a dark and depressing album, but its the selective anger that allows it to lash out in just the right places that makes it a great album IMO. Thirteenth Step is a solid album that I didn't enjoy as much as their debut, but does have a very interesting concept and some great tracks.

If APC is Tool's third cousin twice removed, then Puscifer, Maynard's most recent side project, would be like the creepy cousin that nobody wants to invite to the family reunion. Obviously it's not to be taken nearly as seriously as either of the two bands listed above, but that doesn't mean that the music isn't kickass. Maynard's had a lot of help with this group, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it takes someone seriously creative and talented to transition completely away from what he's been doing, to this.

This comp is in two parts for a few reasons. One, my Tool bitrates are higher than the others, so when I tried to make one file I found myself having to cut too much of one group for all the songs I wanted to include. Two, a lot of people have heard Tool but maybe haven't given a serious listen to either APC or Puscifer, so no sense wasting bandwidth if that's the case. So, without further ado.

The Introduction to MJK Part One
1. Tool-Part Of Me (Opiate, 1992)
2. Tool-Flood (Undertow, 1993)
3. Tool-Eulogy (Ænima, 1996)
4. Tool-Forty Six & 2 (Ænima, 1996)
5. Tool-Ænema (Ænima, 1996)
6. Tool-The Grudge (Lateralus, 2001)
7. Tool-Lateralus (Lateralus, 2001)
8. Tool-Reflection (Lateralus, 2001)
9. Tool-10,000 Days (Wings, Part 2) (10,000 Days, 2006)
10. Tool-Right In Two (10,000 Days, 2006)
Bonus track: Tool-Pu**** (Live) (Salival, 2000)
MJK Part One

The Introduction to MJK Part Two
1. A Perfect Circle-The Hollow (Mer De Noms, 2000)
2. A Perfect Circle-Judith (Mer De Noms, 2000)
3. A Perfect Circle-3 Libras (Mer De Noms, 2000)
4. A Perfect Circle-The Package (Thirteenth Step, 2003)
5. A Perfect Circle-Weak And Powerless (Thirteenth Step, 2003)
6. A Perfect Circle-Pet (Thirteenth Step, 2003)
7. A Perfect Circle-Imagine (eMOTIVe, 2004)
8. A Perfect Circle-Passive (eMOTIVe, 2004)
9. Puscifer-REV 22:20 (Don't Shoot The Messenger EP, 2007)
10. Puscifer-****ry Boner (****ry Boner single, 2007)
11. Puscifer-Queen B. ("V" Is For Vagina, 2007)
12. Puscifer-Vagina Mine ("V" Is For Vagina, 2007)
13. Puscifer-Trekka ("V" Is For Vagina, 2007)
14. Puscifer-Indigo Children (JLE Dub Mix) ("V" Is For Viagra, 2008)
15. Puscifer-Drunk With Power (Hungover And Hostile In Hannover Mix) ("V" Is For Viagra, 2008)
16. Puscifer-Queen B. (Glitched And Bent Mix) ("V" Is For Viagra, 2008)
Bonus track: Puscifer-****ry Boner (Disco Viagra Mix) ("V" Is For Viagra, 2008)
MJK Part Two

Comments welcome, like I said this was mostly just a way to kill time.

My new favourite poster

MJK is definitely THE biggest influence as far as music goes in my life. Even further than music.

Great comps with nice key tracks picked out. One problem I seem to find myself having with Maynard and his musical projects is how they often all get lumped together. I like to think of Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer as completely different musical entities - well, because they are. Especially Tool. When people think of Tool they think of Maynard and not of the other amazing musicans who make the band what it is - Adam Jones, Danny Carey, and Justin Chancellor. This is precisely what Maynard wanted to avoid and why he attempts to put himself in the shadows and create equality for all band members. Another issue with Tool compilations in particular is that I think Tool albums really have to be listened to as whole albums rather than separate songs.

But you're right in that people seem not to give A Perfect Circle and Puscifer a listen because 'they've already heard Tool.'

Nevertheless, this post makes me happy because I think MJK is just awesome and an amazing musician/artist who has definitely influenced me in a lot of areas of my life. People should definitely give this comp a listen, and I'd be curious to know what they think of it!