Tori Amos - Starling
Sometimes I can forgive her ‘Abnormally Attracted To Sin’ (affectionately known as ‘Snottyface’) because of this beauty. Still, four minutes out of seventy five? Yeesh…
Tori Amos - Spring Haze (Live in New York, Dec 2011)
So, she followed ‘Hey Jupiter’ which I posted earlier today with this at the show. This section of the show ran ‘Snow Cherries From France’ > ‘Hey Jupiter’ > ‘Spring Haze’ > ‘Cruel’. I’m a huge fan of using songs to create a narrative arc, both on LPs and in a live context (especially in a live context where you can re-order at will, and augment with back catalogue tracks). When I saw this being live tweeted, I kind of lost it a little and stopped calling it the “Night of Hunters” tour, and (thanks to Shags) started calling it the “Night of Haters” tour, because I couldn’t be there (and don’t get me started on her second LA show that tour).
Also, ‘Spring Haze’ is one of my all time favourite songs of hers - the first time I heard it live (in 2005) I was the embarrassing screamer ruining the hypothetical bootleg. The quartet arrangement here does it absolute justice. Sometimes listening to a live recording isn’t interesting unless you were there. This is absolutely not the case here.
Tori Amos - Hey Jupiter (Live in New York, Dec 2011)
I was going to write about the evolution of this song as it has been performed live, but really, the only important thing is that it has reached this point, where it is being performed on the original piano, with the additional ‘Dakota Version’ lyrics, accompanied by a string quartet.
Day 1: A song from the first album you bought
Tori Amos - Space Dog
Since I was casting around for something to post today, I thought I’d do this 30 day song challenge that’s doing the rounds. Tori Amos’ “Under The Pink” was, indeed, the first LP I spent my own money on. This track is my favourite off it, and it is my favourite Tori Amos song ever.
I remember asking my dad to go to Grace Bros department store in his lunch break to get this for me. Being frugal, I told him “just buy the normal version, I don’t want to spend the extra on the bonus disc version”. Being an awesome dad, he came home with the bonus disc version. Before the advent of eBay and MP3 trading, I could have sold that bonus disc edition for well over the $30 I paid for it. Now, nobody really cares, but still, thinking that I was considering turning down the bonus disc of b-sides still makes me smile.
This album has always been one of my most treasured records ever. I can’t imagine not having it around in some form. That’s my excuse as to why I own I think 8 copies of it:
- Original bonus disc version
- Japanese version I purchased when the original one got scratched (incidentally, it was scratched in the middle of ‘Space Dog’
- White label promo version I got as a spare for if the Japanese one got scratched
- Pink LP version
- Another Pink LP version that I bought because it was only $20
- Tape version I got at a second hand store in Merrylands for $6, to play in my car
- Deleted cover tape version
- Plain old ordinary CD release, only purchased in 2009
I did have 9 - three copies of the pink LP - but I sold one to a friend because he was looking, and really, I didn’t need three.
I suppose I still do own 9 if you count the score book. Even if civilisation crumbles, we have no electricity, no turntables, and corrosive winds burn all the metal strings on pianos and guitars and everything meaning no musical instruments, if I’ve got the score book handy, and a bunch of willing vocalists, we can still listen to these songs. Well, I can at any rate. If you’d like to join me, you’ll be welcome to.
Tori Amos - Bouncing Off Clouds
I was reminded this morning of this LP by a friend whose copy is stuck in her car, so needed me to email her the files. I decided to give it a whirl myself. Now, I’m not going to claim that it’s her best work by any means, because it isn’t. But my gosh, this is most definitely the most fun she’s ever had behind a keyboard I’m sure. The wigs were just an added bonus. This album is also a fond reminder of a very good time in my life, as I moved to the UK shortly after its release. This song, throughout it all, has remained the star for me. And not just of the album. It’s easily one of my favourite Tori Amos tracks ever.
Tori Amos - Little Amsterdam
This album, “Boys For Pele”, was released 15 years ago today. Happy birthday, you epic, crazy, raw LP. You’re not my favourite Tori Amos record, but you are undeniably a masterpiece. Also you introduced me to the harpsichord.
Two tracks from this record are in my list of top ten Tori Amos songs - this one and ‘Caught A Lite Sneeze’. Given that the latter was the single (and awesomely so; you could never get away with a single like that any time other than the mid 90s) I thought I’d give this hidden gem an airing. The static sounds, the simple piano line, simple arrangement overall, the bridge, the bridge! It’s totally sleazy.
Tori Amos - Pretty Good Year
Happy New Year, y’all. If you’re asking why this song then just…never mind.
Tori Amos - Caught A Lite Sneeze (Live 1998)
I’m torn as to what to write here. I feel I’m so intertwined with this song, so anything I write here to try and explain why seeing this version posted to a friend’s Facebook page when I got up this morning was just the most perfect thing I’m worried won’t actually make sense without some sort of tl;dr essay.
While the original was performed on harpischord, with a programmed drum beat, the way it was performed live on this tour is I think how the song is meant to be. The piano brings a sweetness to the sound, and allows the powerful vocal and swirling guitars to drive the emotion, and the live drums to make it, well, alive.
I can’t imagine ever not having this song nearby.
Tori Amos - Datura
I’ll never forget the first time I heard this. I’d received a tape dub copy of the album from some guy in Melbourne who was on the Australian Tori Amos mailing list back in 1999. I was lying on my bed with headphones on, totally digging the rest of the album, then this thing starts and I was all “what?”. Then I listened to the words and started rolling around laughing when I realised she was just intoning common names of tropical garden plants. And then the bridge happened, and I was all “whoah”. Then the garden plants happened again, and then the spacey outro which I don’t think even registered for a few listens, because I was too busy reeling/laughing about the first half of the song.
I’ve been listening to it a lot lately. It still makes me smile, and the bridge still makes me go “whoah”.
