Tool (2) – Undertow

Crackle a bit at times in quiet parts. I got it brand new at Hot Topic in 2014-ish. The discs do have scuffy type marks. It still sounds very good cranked up. I like it. I have a pretty decent amplifier with a good phono pre amp (Sansui 9090) so I may be hearing things slightly different. Maynards vocs sound excellent. Guitars have beautiful sustain. Bass and drums on point. Just don't expect perfection. This record was manufactured during a time of uncertainty for the vinyl industry.

Thankfully my pressing didn't come with any scuffs/scratches or damage, quickly replaced the paper sleeves with antistatic sleeves. Packaging is really boring. No surface noise or warping issues but no real dynamic sound. Very much seems like a digital conversion rather than from master recordings.

Yes, it’s a dirty and marked couple of records - but god damn, what a sound. Full, punchy and great dynamics. Don’t notice the crackles much at all.

Nothing wrong with my copy. Not at all that covered in crap and sounds good to me. Punchy and loud. I’d recommend it.

Cheaply packaged. Record covered in confetti from the cheap inner sleeves, but otherwise no scuffs or marks and was easily cleaned off.

The pressing itself is clean and free of surface noise, or at least mine is. My issue with this record is the low volume it emits. Had my speakers up to max and it still seemed quiet. I’d be surprised if my neighbours heard it. Ran it through different speakers and then my headphones and same issue, so it’s just the pressing itself that is quiet, like the mics were set up outside the studio door when they recorded it. I’m still happy enough with it, glad I bought it, but disappointed because nobody wants to listen to Tool quietly

Reviews are accurate. The sound of this pressing is horrible.

Vocals sound muddy and quiet compared to CD or streaming. Lacking upper mids to the point I almost worried if there was something wrong with my cartridge but after playing a different record it confirmed it was just this one.

I didn’t have much issue with pops as other reviewers but they are definitely right about the mix. Would not recommend.

Bought a sealed copy from a record store knowing about the reviews, and they are accurate… sounds like the bowl had seeds in it during the bong rip! Better off with the cd version

Haven't even spun this due to the amount of surface scratches it has on both LPs. Glad I didn't spend much.. don't even know if I am even going to play it for the sheet risk. Sucks.

Amazing first full length for a band that starts and ends strong but leaves more to be desired.

Mix is great but a lot of compositions lack diversity structurally and tonally. Plus almost every song is in D (typical TOOL) but you notice it.

Favorite track: Bottom

Bought new at my local record store and was quite surprised to see that many of the reviews are very accurate. My copy has loud surface noise in between tracks and on quiet parts. My original CD is much punchier, sounding wide and big. This vinyl copy sounds good but too compressed in multiple spots. Also needed to bump the midrange frequencies by +6db, treble +1db and reduce the bass by -8db on my receiver. Transitions from quiet to loud in the songs don’t ‘glue’ together the way they do on CD. I’m hoping quality will improve with each listen. Did a simple clean but will give it a wash in the spin clean as there are imperfections on two of the four sides. Better to buy used or open so that you can inspect the copy you plan to buy.