I miss Paul D'Amour.

Benjamin Strange · #1 10-29-2008, 06:19 PM

I got into Tool way back in 1992, and I was knocked out by Paul's tone, playing, and writing. Since he left, Tool has gotten rather boring, and the sound of their records keeps getting weaker and weaker. They have some of the thinnest sounding records ever put out by a heavy band. What the hell happened? I posit that Paul D'Amour was a giant influence on the band, and they lost the magic when he left. He wrote a large amount of Opiate and Undertow, and about half of Aienema. Everything beyond those records just strikes me as being rather unfocussed and wanky.

I wish he would do more solo stuff. His Feersum Enjinn EP is fantastic, and I dig a lot of the Lusk stuff. I guess he's not hurting financially, being that he's got songwriting credits on the first three Tool records, but damn it would be nice if he were a little bit more prolific.

So yeah. I miss Paul. What's happening with him these days? Does anybody know? For a guy who was in one of the biggest bands of the past two decades, information on him is pretty scarce.

12bass · #2 10-29-2008, 07:09 PM

Don't know much about him..... though I really liked the grindy tone of his Rickenbacker.

K-Funk · #3 10-29-2008, 07:15 PM

I don't know... there's "old Tool" people and "new Tool" people. It's essentially like two different bands; I like both for different reasons. And I agree, I certainly miss the more direct punch they used to have.

I guess you (not you specifically, but folks in general) really can't understand them as a heavy band anymore. It's more like something I put in the stereo system when I go to bed or something, to just kind of unwind. If you go into them nowadays expecting them to be what they were before 1995, you won't be satisfied, period.

A friend of mine went to a Tool concert last year, and he noticed the different breeds of Tool fans immediately. You had all the metalhead "old Tool" people, the hippy-liberal-stoner "new Tool" people, and even a few random, drunk jocks and frat guys thrown into the mix.

UncleBalsamic · #4 10-29-2008, 07:18 PM

I really like the new stuff myself. It's different sure, but that's no bad thing in my opinion. The first album is still fantastic though.

I'm kind of glad they're changing, I may not like it but I'd rather they did than just produce the same stuff over and over again. That said it might be nice to here some "old Tool" type sounds in whatever they come up with next.

Benjamin Strange · #5 10-29-2008, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 12bass

Don't know much about him..... though I really liked the grindy tone of his Rickenbacker.

Don't forget the grindy tone of his Ovation Magnum II, which he used on Opiate. I've got one, and it's a wonderful bass:

K-Funk · #6 10-29-2008, 07:20 PM

Hey Ben, did Paul use a Mesa 400 or 400+?

Benjamin Strange · #7 10-29-2008, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K-Funk

Hey Ben, did Paul use a Mesa 400 or 400+?

Not sure. I don't think it matters much - Sylvia Massey (who produced their first two albums) probably tweaked the tone so much that differences between the two would be negligible.

Surprise Panda! · #8 10-29-2008, 07:22 PM

I love both Paul and Justin. Obviously you'll pick Paul, but I like "old" and "new" Tool.

Matt Till · #9 10-29-2008, 07:27 PM

I was really big on the first 3 Tool albums as well during my senior year of high school/freshman year of college. 2001-2002, they were one of my favorite bands. Between being exposed more to music I enjoy more and their dwindling creativity, I found myself enjoying them less and less.

I saw them live and that was the nail in the coffin for me, it was just super boring (that was when I realized how much their songs blend together). Were I tripping balls, I might have had my mind blown by the light show like the people to my right, but alas, I wasn't. The crowd was another thing I really hated about the show, fake fake people made up the bulk of the crowd. Drunk frat boys for the most part, not that it's the bands fault.

Strangely, that same show started my friends Tool/Maynard hardon. For 4 years after it, Tool/APC was all he would listen to, it was driving me nuts. The best part of the show, the opening act: Meshuggah, they completely baffled the crowd, it was great. It was my first time hearing them, I liked it, but I wish I would have saw them now that I have a better understanding of what they are about, they were really above me at the time.

Benjamin Strange · #10 10-29-2008, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Till

I was really big on the first 3 Tool albums as well during my senior year of high school/freshman year of college. 2001-2002, they were one of my favorite bands. Between being exposed more to music I enjoy more and their dwindling creativity, I found myself enjoying them less and less.

I saw them live and that was the nail in the coffin for me, it was just super boring (that was when I realized how much their songs blend together). Were I tripping balls, I might have had my mind blown by the light show like the people to my right, but alas, I wasn't. The crowd was another thing I really hated about the show, fake fake people made up the bulk of the crowd. Drunk frat boys for the most part, not that it's the bands fault.

Strangely, that same show started my friends Tool/Maynard hardon. For 4 years after it, Tool/APC was all he would listen to, it was driving me nuts. The best part of the show, the opening act: Meshuggah, they completely baffled the crowd, it was great. It was my first time hearing them, I liked it, but I wish I would have saw them now that I have a better understanding of what they are about, they were really above me at the time.

I'm pretty much with you on all these points. Tool has been recycling the same D pentatonic riff ever since Paul left. It's interesting to hear Paul's post Tool work, which I find to be much more colorful and creative than Tool post Aienema. Boring.

I saw Tool with Paul, and it was completely badass - no lightshow, no drunken meatheads, no moshpit. Just music, and it was totally awesome. I saw them a few years later, when they were HUGE - but I was going to see Meshuggah. Unfortunately, the show was so disorganized I was still wating in line to get in while Meshuggah played their entire set. I managed to catch the entire Tool show, which bored the snot out of me. The only cool thing about the show was that my pal Trent Reznor came up to say hi and stayed with us for the entire show, which totally freaked out my girlfriend who had never met him. Heh - she was pretty much shaking the entire time, which was quite amusing.

Maynard has gotten incredibly annoying post Aeinema as well, singing through his nose and keeping his mouth closed half the time. He doesn't have any balls anymore, either. But this not intended to be a Tool bashing thread, this is intended to be a "I miss Paul D'Amour" thread.

Anybody have any clue as to Paul's whereabouts or his musical activities? His obscurity kind of reminds me of Syd Barret - he set the entire tone for a band who goes on to HUGE fame and fortune, yet is largely unknown and uncredited.

superbassman2000 · #11 10-29-2008, 11:36 PM

maybe this will help. or make things worse lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw3FTiWRXF8

The Lurker · #12 10-30-2008, 08:49 PM

I do too. I like Justin's bass playing a lot, but the rest of the band has really gone to pot (no pun intended) since Aenima, and I think a big chunk of the difference is not having Paul around for the writing input.

FWIW, I think Adam is one of the most boring and repetitive guitarists I've ever heard.

MochomanXXL · #13 10-30-2008, 08:59 PM

I think paul was a great bassist as well. Those first three albums were great, but I would say that the last two definalty had their strong points. One of the reasons I like Tool is that they have been one of the few bands I have ever listened to that have exceptional old stuff and exceptional new stuff. I think they did a great job expanding on their sound and I think that their albums effectivley move and go to the next step. I love both the bass players and can't help but think that Paul made a bad decision leaving. Think of all the money he could have had if he had stayed! But that being said I would love to hear more stuff from him, he was great.

Bassplayer_479 · #14 10-30-2008, 09:03 PM

+ a gazillion, but I do enjoy "new" Tool as well...

Deluge Of Sound · #15 10-30-2008, 09:06 PM

I like all of Tool's output, but, like Ben, I've been hurting for something from Paul besides the Feersum Ennjin EP for a while now.

But maybe he's got the same sort of perfectionist streak that the rest of the Tool guys do, so we might be looking at something surfacing in... 2010?

Kuchar · #16 10-30-2008, 09:15 PM

I like new tool more then old tool

RedCoatMonster · #17 10-30-2008, 09:16 PM

I dont understand how someone can call 10,000 days thin, MAYBE Lateralus MAYBE but 10,000 days? IMO it has the best mixing since RATM's debut album.

But as for their sound changing, I agree it has, but none of their albums are alike. Although the first 2 are the most similar IMO. I guess people in bands are like most other peple, they mellow with age.

gahpg · #18 10-30-2008, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedCoatMonster

I dont understand how someone can call 10,000 days thin, MAYBE Lateralus MAYBE but 10,000 days? IMO it has the best mixing since RATM's debut album.

But as for their sound changing, I agree it has, but none of their albums are alike. Although the first 2 are the most similar IMO. I guess people in bands are like most other peple, they mellow with age.

I think it's more in reference to Tool calming down and not sounding as hard through the years. Think Jerk-Off versus Rosetta Stoned

For anyone that doesn't know, the offical reason Paul left (according to the all tool issue of Revolver) was that the band was getting too big for his liking, and the band let him go because he wasn't enjoying the success and willing to move forward

I imagine Paul is probably playing out in a bar somewhere.

I personally like Justin more than Paul, but a majority of that is with their character. If you ever watch any of the early pre Aenima interviews / concerts, Paul was a pretty annoying dude.

I would share all my other Tool opinions but this thread is about Paul, so

Matt Till · #19 10-30-2008, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedCoatMonster

...but none of their albums are alike.

This actually made me chuckle a bit, from a non fan point of view (myself, or I guess former fan would be the correct term), their last 3 albums sounded very very similar.

Deluge Of Sound · #20 10-30-2008, 09:58 PM

There's a continuity to the records, and most of the songs are in the same key, but I think there are definite differences from album to album.