Tip (album)
album by Finger Eleven
Tip is the second studio album by the Canadian rock band Finger Eleven, and the first under their new name, released in 1997. It departed from the funk-influenced sound of the 1995 album Letters from Chutney under the previous band name, Rainbow Butt Monkeys, in favor of a darker, heavier sound influenced by Tool. While responses to Tip were initially muted, compounded by Finger Eleven being dropped by their record label, the album was critically acclaimed and became a modest success with consumers upon its September 1998 re-release by Wind-up Records. Tip paved the way for Finger Eleven's mainstream breakthrough with The Greyest of Blue Skies in 2000. The album was certified Gold by Music Canada in 2014. It is the only Finger Eleven album to feature drummer Rob Gommerman as he departed the band shortly after the album's release.
Background
Finger Eleven is a rock band from Burlington, Ontario that formed in 1989. The band's original lineup consisted of singer Scott Anderson, guitarists James Black and Rick Jackett, bassist Sean Anderson, and drummer Rob Gommerman. Having formed while the members were in high school, journalist Marie Gagne wrote that the band's funk-styled early work under the name Rainbow Butt Monkeys "showcased their infectious energy and youthful exuberance," and Scott Anderson asserted that there was "nothing professional" about the Rainbow Butt Monkeys era of the band. Finger Eleven recorded Letters from Chutney, their only album under the Rainbow Butt Monkeys moniker, after winning a Battle of the Bands contest hosted by CHTZ-FM.
The transformation of the Rainbow Butt Monkeys into Finger Eleven was a gradual process.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Tip (album)” is album by Finger Eleven. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through album, Finger and Eleven, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “album by Finger Eleven” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3991672. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1997, 1995, 1998 and 2000.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Tip (album)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.