#1 On Our Wall of Fame

Of all the cool pictures here at the Rock 'N Roll Skybox...this one is the coolest. The Tool record on the wall. The text reads:

"Presented to KRNA to commemorate the sale of more than 1,000,000 copies of the Zoo Entertainment album, cassette and CD of Undertow."

The disc went on to sell millions more, but when it hits the mark the record company is looking for, it's time to celebrate with radio stations who helped to put it on the map.

Undertow was released on April 6, 1993. I was one month into a nasty illness that required many stays at the UIHC. On the road to hospital visits, this was my soundtrack. Songs like Prison Sex, 4 degrees, Sober and Bottom [featuring Henry Rollins] powered me into Iowa City with a renewed focus and determination to kill the beastly disease.

Maynard's gutteral vocals, the amazing tones of Chancellor and Jones...and Carey's brutal drumming introduced me to another zone of metal. Nothing up to that point, and nothing since has ever rocked me with such a unique sound. The band had an EP called "Opiate" that dropped before Undertow, but this was the one that launched the band. 21 years later, it's still powerful as hell.

Bill Hicks is mentioned in the liner notes, then makes an audio appearance down the discography road. I was on the "paper fan mail" list pre-internet. Hicks was a big inspiration for the band, and in the monthly newsletter, they would encourage fans to check out his work and would also list a bunch of books to check out.

This May marks 8 years since the release of 10,000 Days. As painful as the drought has been, the back catalog will keep me satiated TFN.

Thanks for the fat lady ribcage record, Zoo Entertainment!!!