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1986 - 1987
"Walking like a starving butler, who among the finger rests" 
Last Updated: 11/2024

Notation - This Is Not Tool: This section is recommended for those interested in the earliest captures of Maynard James Keenan on tape or film (CAD, TexANS). The quality varies over the four known sources and they are what they are. It is doubtful how palpable these are but those that are interested  will find these artifacts to be of serious interest; at least in regards to the development +_ evolution of Tool's enigmatic front-man. These are not exceptionally hard-to-find, however, the overwhelming majority of copies are of unknown origin. There is a history of people selling the "Fingernails" release & the performance from 04/17/1987 on eBay in the late 1990's & into the 2000's. These are not actually a new addition to CU.org however this section of the site & the listing of the recordings were first published in 2006 with the content + look as it is presented now. However, the information was listed in 2000 but I took the information down when I found people using the information (and links!) for eBay (and online) auctions/sales. Behavior & activity of illegal means is not to be tolerated. Enjoy responsibly

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TexANS - 1986.xx.xx, Grand Rapids, MI
(Tex and the Anti-Nazi Squad)

TexANS (Tex & The Anti-Nazi Squad) "Never Again"
Recorded: 1986 --- Grand Rapids, MI, USA @ Unknown
Source: Cassette > ? Gen > CD
Source: Low Gen Cassette > Goldwave > .WAV > NERO > CD > transferred by Galen 2000

Notes: For those that are interested in a quasi-alternative/industrial-space-music, this is for you. This is not a great nor wonderfully clean creation; but then again was that the intention? With vocals from "Tex", guitar by Kevin Horning, bass by James Keenan & drums by ?, this recording is of interest for those interested enough to read this little blurb here. You. Obviously, Jimmy moves forward to greater things such as Tool. But at this point in his life, he is living in rural Grand Rapids, MI working at a pizza-joint, attending Kendall Art School. This is of course after the Marines. Regarding this creation, Maynard does not sing, even back-up. The vocals are not polished, nor is the overall quality of the recording. However, this may be Maynard's first recorded works so in a way it is interesting (if that interests you). But, believe me when I tell you the music is awful. The audio quality is actually a little better than the Children of the Anachronistic Dynasty "Fingernails" effort. If you are hoping for something Tool, A Perfect Circle or even Puscifer-related, this is not for you! One more thing, I particularly like the very positive names of the songs; very deep. Surprisingly, there are reports of MP3 sources floating around. All in all, this is best left for collectors only.

Time: 56:34

Answer What You Axe
Social Declination
God is come
Waiting for the Word
Pressure
Anger
Soft Head
Horrors of Life
Mental Medication
Trinity
Humanity
 In God We Trust
Suburban Death Trip
Tweeked
   Wanna Be A Nazi?
 House of Doom
Big Dead Thing
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TexANS (Tex & The Anti-Nazi Squad)"Live At The Sons & Daughters Hall"
Recorded Live: 1986 --- Grand Rapids, MI, USA @ The Sons & Daughters Hall

Notes - Onemotive circa 2006 (i.e.: collector that found this recording):
I have known about the existance of this show since 2001. At this point in time, most of us were discovering Napster and the wonders of "P2P" sharing. This was the time that I was also discovering the pre-Tool rarities like the readily-available "Fingernails" cassette by C.A.D. I was on Kazaa downloading mp3s like nobody's business at this time and was determined to compile all the tracks listed for the "Never Again" tape. I found most of them easily, but ended up with two versions of "Tweeked" and to my astonishment, one of them was live! That is where the hunt basically began... About 6-8 months later I had compiled the whole show (in mp3 form, mind you), but unfortunately with the 6 inevitable out-of-state moves that would come, I lost the cd. It was 6 years until I would recover it... I stumbled upon an entry in wikipedia refering to this release; the username 'godozo' listed at the bottom gave me some direction and I hunted for this username, via google, all over the internet. I joined numerous forums just to be able to message the guy and get his attention. A day later, to my surprise, there was an email in my inbox. He was very cooperative and he was interested in a copy of 'Never Again' --the whole ordeal was quite painless, really. I got a kick out of the fact that he wasn't even a Tool fan and was only interested in TexA.N.S. (Most people I run into [Galen..] refer to the tapes as "god-awful"). TexA.N.S. are, without a doubt, an acquired taste... It is important (I think) to document the information that the guy gave me on this, so: "[he] bought it in 1987, at Flat Black and Circular (an East Lansing, MI record store), for probably $5.00. I did digital copying at a Flint, MI company that rented out Christian tapes and CDs and copied to CDs as part of their business. Unfortunately that company has since gone out of business." So that is what is known, at this point. Whether this business he speaks of used some kind of compression is not known...

Notes - Onemotive / Review/Thoughts:
To enjoy TexA.N.S. you need to remove yourself COMPLETELY from the Tool mindset. They are a different genre and have a different message and sound completely. I can tell you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, TexA.N.S. would have gone completely without recognition if it weren't for their bass player's post fame. I have actually grown to semi-enjoy listening to the material [in moderation, of course]. The "Live At Sons & Daughters Hall" recording interests me alot more than the 'Never Again' tape for the simple fact that, when listening to a live set, you get a true perspective of what the band must have been like. This show boasts a cover song "Is It My Body?" by Alice Cooper which is...uh...interesting. No substitute for the real thing, of course, but a nice treat, I suppose. It is only tracks 1-12 that were actually recorded at "Sons & Daughters Hall," the four following bonus tracks include "Horrors of Life" (Live at Maynard's Pizza Emporium -- Maynard worked at a pizza place around this time, but it wasn't actually called that) & studio versions of "In God We Trust, Tweeked, & Butt Head." My suggestion to anyone (casual listener or hard-core collector) is to find some extremely readily available mp3s of the 'Never Again' tracks and if you like what you hear, seek out this show - otherwise, leave it alone.

Notes - Galen 2006:
Oh man. You know, from a historical context, this is a priceless gem in the world of the tool aficionado as MJK plays the bass throughout this live recording – and this is 1986 folks. A long time ago. Shit, I was 9 in 1987. Tex as the lead singer of this shambling, rambling band is about as soothing as smearing a can of hot bacon grease over an open wound. Like stapling your ear to an autistic kid with ADHD. Like… ok no more. I’ll be totally honest, I made my way through this recording once & it may very well be the only time I do so. I did not suffer, I struggled my way through this recording. If you are hoping for a glimmer of insight into the paradigm of Tool (or MJK) well you need to pass this recording over as that is simply in the equation. This is a live recording though & it is a SBD, which is good, because if it was a tinny + abrasive/distorted live AUD recording I doubt any live source would exist after all these years. All in all, this is strictly for the hardest of the hardcore fans. Simple as that: collector's only.

Set:

TexA.N.S. Intro
Humanity Breeds Insanity
Tweeked
In God We Trust
What's That Smell?
 Mental Medication
Is It My Body?
Suburban Death Trip
Trinity
Wanna Be a Nazi
House Of Doom
Big Dead Things
Horrors Of Life*
In God We Trust**
Tweeked**
Butt Head**
*Recorded live, at Maynard's Pizza Emporium.
**Studio Tracks.
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Children of The Anachronistic Dynasty (CAD)
"Fingernails"

Recorded: 1986 --- Grand Rapids, MI, USA @ Maynard's Living Room
Source: Cassette > ? Gen > CD
Source: Low Gen Cassette > Goldwave > .WAV > NERO > CD (transferred by Galen 2000)

Notes: This is the first known recording to surface featuring Maynard James Keenan on vocals. A small bit of background, when this was recorded, he was 22/23 years old, had studied at West Point military school (picture) & was living in Grand Rapids, MI while attending art school. This was recorded in MJK's living room of a rented house in MI to an analog cassette. The overall audio clarity implies that this was put through at least a rudimentary mixer of some kind. Interestingly, this was entirely done by Marynard & a fellow named Kevin Hornove. You can see Mr. Hornove as the long-haired lead guitarist in the "live" performance from 04/17/1987. This is an interesting artifact in the recording career of MJK; there are strong indications of the lyrical content, performance, style & thematic nature of things to come. For your consideration, you may download a complete MP3 of "If A Friend". The timing & phrasing is remarkable. Now, this is not for the faint of heart. This is not Tool. This is not APC. This is something else entirely. Personally, I find this to be quite enjoyable. Some may find this a bit abrasive. The tune "Wait Now, Cry Now" is actually good. There is a slight layer of fuzz that permeates the recording but this is a common issue. There are various CD copies that are sourced from MP3; in 2000, 2001; this recording was available for download in MP3 form off of a website. As a result, this was often sold on eBay. That means, there are a ton of "bad" copies out there, in fact, most copies are sourced from MP3.

Time: 60:02

Wait Now, Cry Now
Slip Ring
Burn About Out
The Eagle Is Dying
Left Down Up
Does Your Mother Know?
Bird Must Sing
Sanguine Chromundo
Bleeding On You
25 Hours
Earth Knew
Children Of The Anachronistic Dynasty
If A Friend
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Children of The Anachronistic Dynasty (CAD)
"Peace Day" Live on Public Access

Recorded: April 17, 1987 --- Grand Rapids, MI, USA @ Grand Rapids Public Access
Source: 3 Gen VHS > DVD
Source: 3rd Gen VHS > Goldwave > .WAV > NERO > CD (transferred by Galen 2000)

Notes ~2001: I bought this from someone claiming to be the brother of a member of CAD from Grand Rapids, MI in the late 1980's. I have not transferred my VHS to DVD but there are several copies floating around that are VHS>DVD transfers but all seem to be sourced from a seller(s) on eBay thus meaning those are high/unknown generation copies/transfers.
Notes: What an interesting capture. MJK performing, live in the mid-1980's, complete with tight-stretch pants, earrings, make-up & "big hair", is worth the somewhat cheesy-effects (psychedelic swirl), tape-hiss & somewhat incoherent backing band. For the collector of Tool, it is of significant interest to hear the earliest live recording of it's front-man as  his style, lyrical content are developing at this stage. The back-up band is a rather eclectic mix of musicians such as the balding drummer (with mullet), African-American bassist, the  'focused-but-determined-long-haired lead guitarist (with glasses) & the shaggy-haired rhythm guitarist give an indication of how-tight as a band they are. Especially live. Let's be truthful, this capture would not be interesting if MJK was not the lead singer. And for that reason, it is. If you take a listen to "Burn About Out" you will hear the earliest quasi-working lyrics of Tool's "Sober". To be exact: "walking like a starving butler, who among the finger rests". 

Time: ~34 minutes

If A Friend
Surprise
Waiting For The World
Wait Now, Cry Now
Burn About Out
25 Hours
Mandango Lover
<post show>
Interview with Maynard
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Children of The Anachronistic Dynasty (CAD)
"Dog House"

Recorded: 1987.xx.xx --- Grand Rapids, MI, USA @ Unknown
Source: Cassette > ? Gen > CD
Source: Low Gen Cassette > Goldwave > .WAV > NERO > CD (transferred by Galen 2000)

Notes: There is a small amount of confusion regarding the source of this work. The information, as I knew it, was that this was recorded by Maynard & Kevin Hornove (guitar) on a multi-track recorder, not in a studio. A different collector who has this same item believes it is a studio recording. Either way, this is the best audio-quality of any of the CAD or TexANS items in regards to quality. This work is the last of the known very-early-pre-Tool MJK captures to be in some status of being "available" if you know where to look. This is the most polished, if that is possible, of the releases. Of particular interest are the cuts "Wait Now Cry Now" & "If A Friend" as both are quite polished. The quality of the effort varies greatly from track to track & is not, so to speak, a completely fluid listen but it is, at the very least, interesting.

Time: 60:44

Feed My Fire
Wait Now, Cry Now
If A Friend
Mandango Lover
Bleeding On You
Surprise
Waiting For The World
System
New System
Psuedo System
Phone Walls
TV Date Smoke
 TV System
Bone Dog

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