Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Bravissima
Just amazing - it darts from style to style with so many emotionally resonant songs.
Incredible. Taylor Swift and Alanis Morisette level songwriting. It's raw and emotional and moving. Absolutely loved it!
Powerful lyrics, beautiful and emotional vocals, and a unique music style. One of my all time favorites.
“Every finger in the room is pointing at me I wanna spit in their face then I get afraid of what that would bring” I was 13 when I heard this album and it hit like a bomb. Listening 30+ years later and it still hits.
Not really perfect, but at times she's channeling our Most Holy Divine Mother, and there's nothing to deduct when this is the case.
Great recird
Stunning. One of my favourite albums
Since Michelle Kwan skated to Winter, this album is everything to me.
Classic.
This is a perfect album. I love piano based popular music. I don't know if this is Tori's best album but it is so well sequenced. This album would be almost at great if it were only the lyrics and no music or only the music and no lyrics. A classic that I need to listen to more often!
Amazing album. Almost every song is great. There are only a couple that are a little too slow and meandering: "Mother" and "Me and a Gun". It's a near perfect album.
Tori makes being utterly tired of everyone's shit (especially men generally and all of the power structures created in their image) sound so beautiful.
the debut album of tori amos, and quite the debut i would say. never heard someone sing so... passionately. tori is quite the musical prodigy, and i feel like that's reflected pretty strongly even with this debut album here. the album is from a woman's perspective when it comes to the subject matter that's brought up. it's just one of those albums that does good with immersing its listeners with vivid lyrics and imagery. i can't get more specific than that. it'll give you chills.
Great album. Makes sense why Mick Foley listened to it before all of his matches.
Oh wow. This is genuinely spectacular. I always figured I would enjoy the music of Tori Amos to some degree, but I actually really love this. And this was her debut? I'm very impressed. Pretty much everything in this album is hit exceedingly well. Tori's singing is great at getting the emotional beats across while also being engaging and unique. I guess a lot of people doing this project have compared Tori Amos to Kate Bush, and I think the singing is probably where this is the clearest. Speaking of emotional beats, god can this thing be emotional. The writing on Little Earthquakes is honestly kind of moving at times. The songs are so clearly personal yet relatable to many at the same time. These songs mention such specific details that seem irrelevant or even comical, but that only makes the messages behind the songs cut even deeper. This thing gets brutal at points. I genuinely don't know what I can say about "Me and a Gun" because I'm worried that no matter what I say, it'll come across as tone-deaf because Jesus Christ that song is devastating. The lack of instrumentation only exemplifies the pain in Tori's voice as she effectively recounts her real-life trauma. It may genuinely be one of the most powerful recordings on any album on this list. Now, I did mention that that song lacks any instrumentation whatsoever, so I guess now I should talk about the songs that do have instrumentation. The music is pretty great as well! The piano is the star of the show here. It's on nearly every track and it's a great basis for the album. It's the through-line in a way, the thing for other songs to potentially build on if they so desire. The opener "Crucify" is a great example of the "building on" thing. The piano is as prominent as the rest of the album, but the percussion and other instruments work to keep the listener engaged. These other songs are amazing too. "Silent All These Years," "Precious Things," "Winter." The album really doesn't have a bad song. I'm not sure what else to say that I haven't said already. Little Earthquakes is stellar. I can't believe I hadn't heard this already. Everything is balanced so well to create an album that feels so familiar yet unlike anything else and I love it. 5/5.
so fucking good. reminds me of alanis morissette and fiona apple
I have heard of Tori Amos before, but I had never purposefully listened to her music. I was surprised how much I loved this album. Just beautiful. Full marks.
The generator keeps throwing me solids. This is really strong for a debut album. It's not the style of music I listen to often but the musicianship is undeniable. Way above average piano playing.
8.5/10 Best songs: Little Earthquakes, Precious Things, Happy Phantom, Crucify, Leather, Silent All These Years What a coincidence that one of my all-time most-listened-to albums should pop up. Tori was my teenage obsession and I still have a soft-spot for her 25 years later. This is a terrific album and an excellent debut. My only complaint with it is that it loses steam towards the second half (and then the final track, the titular Little Earthquakes, rocks out and proceeds to be one of my top 5 Tori songs...). A great album but not a perfect album.
Surprised how much of the lyrics I still knew. It stands up so well today. Great songwriting and performance, just a great album.
flawless
Somehow my Spotify got set to loop and I got until the second play of "Winter" before I fully processed that it was looped. I've had a few albums lately that I just can't wait for them to be over. I ended up listening to the full album again just because it was that good. I really enjoyed this one. And my mom is a love this album! She was my a year younger than I am now when this came out. Great album!
Mycket trevligt. Chill
Beautiful and emotive
Not bad. I like it. Plus 2 stars for silence all these years. This random song hugely influenced mandarin pop as well as Cantonese pop. The rest of the album is just ok.
Wow, went into this with very low expectations. But this is amazing.
I knew I was going to like this before I started listening but holy shit!!!! The only song by her I'd heard before was her cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit (which I need to know how she came up with) from the deluxe of this album. Just a hauntingly beautiful album.
the og indie sad girl
A powerful and lovely album. It’s not my musical preference for sure but I did enjoy a few of the songs quite a bit. I’ll always have a deep respect for super talented artists who forge their own path. This is really well done on every level.
When I was younger I used to hate Tori Amos. Like really hate her. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I was into punk and shit and this was far from that kind of music. As I got older though the songs kind of wormed their way into my brain and started to understand why my girlfriend liked them.
Heard it before. Great album both when it comes to music and lyrics. I love Tori 5/5
p696. 1992. 5 stars. American Kate Bush, but that ain't a bad thing. Razor sharp and frequently harrowing lyrics, great songs and vocals. Not a weak track on this,
Best Song: Silent all these Years I bought this right after it came out and it absolutely blew my mind. While I know that Tori used to be a poppy before she switched gears and that people can say that she "ripped off" Kate Bush, I find this more sincere and honest. I have been a fan ever since I heard this the first time and listened to all her albums. 5/5.
Sublime, haunting and moments of pure joy!
Amazing album then and still is today.
Fantastic album, I have listened to it off and on over the years, but never as closely as I have now. I love her piano playing, melodies and lyrics. Not a bad song on here really, and even after many listens, several of these songs still give me chills.
Tori is special to me. An artist I wrote off at the peak of her fame because I was a juvenile juvenile, I've come to love her sound, her energy, and what she stands for.
Classic
Better than Coldplay
A classic. Wry, beautiful, rocking, delightful.
A really good album, I liked Crucify, Girl, Leather and the title song Little Earthquakes the most.
A raw uncompromising debut that really hits you
This list is full of crazy bangers from genius female musicians. They really stand out amongst some mid musicians.
An outstanding debut album that arrived as a refreshing respite from the Grunge explosion that dominated Alt Rock at the time. Of course, it's only a debut if you disregard Tori Amos' earlier project, Y Kant Tori Read. YKTR only released one album that Amos had tried to distance herself from before relenting and adding a couple of its songs to her live set. Honestly, it's not that bad. Sure the 80's Synth-Pop sound is dated (and probably was in 1988), but the songwriting shows real potential. Surprisingly, the musicians credited on "Y Kant Tori Read" include Matt Sorum (later of Guns 'n' Roses), and Robin Zander & Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick. Then "Little Earthquakes" landed quietly in the middle of the mosh pit that was Alt Rock in the early 90's. The first video released to MTV, "Silent All These Years", enjoyed modest plays in the 1 AM to 5 AM rotation. Fortunately, wiser ears demanded more Tori and were rewarded with a tidal wave of female-fronted acts that wouldn't subside until the last pair of Birkinstocks shuffled out of the final Lilith Fair.
Fabulous and fantastical while still being somewhat grounded.
Took a couple listens but eventually became obsessed
Moving miniatures
Spectacular record. Still playing regularly around here.
My dad loves Tori Amos lol
I loved this one, from the opening song you get this perfect balance of vibe and melody. Her voice is absolutely gorgeous throughout much of this album and I liked most of the lyrics too. In particular I really liked “Girl”, “Silent All These Years”, “China”, and the title track. The title track in particular was fantastic in part because of the bass line which gives the song almost an earthquake feel that combined with it being just a really good song.
This is a day when I wish there were half stars. Rounding up.
I thought this was bloody brilliant. It was pretty heavy so I don’t know when I might listen to it again but I thought it was such an amazing album.
Ég hélt ég væri að fara að hlusta á eitthvað svaðalegt næntís popp. Ég kannaðist við nafnið en engin lög og svo er þetta bara svona líka rosalega góð plata. Ég rokka á milli 4 og 5. Hækka upp í 5 fyrir að koma mér svona hressilega á óvart en finnst hún samt vera 4.
Listened before. One of my fav albums of all time
I played this album so much in college and throughout my early 20s, I practically have it memorized. Amos' powerful lyrics tell great stories - not all with happy endings, but that certainly does mirror what happens in real life. It's a powerhouse of an album considering it's just Amos, a piano, and some backing vocals & instruments... not a full band in the true sense. The focus is always, as it should be, on her skillful piano playing chops and her hypnotizing voice. The first album I've rated as five stars, but for me, it deserves it.
This is #day335 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… this has to be one of the most beautiful female singer-songwriter albums I've ever heard. Intimate, yet powerful. I was first introduced to Tori Amos by a friend, a grunge-head, who once showed me her cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." I remember taking it with a pinch of salt back then and never explored the rest of her work. Today, I found out that the "Teen Spirit" cover is actually featured on the deluxe edition of this very album. I do think it's a great cover; the way she plays with that song is just something else. Anyway, "Crucify"... what a way to kick off a debut. The piano-and-vocal-driven arrangements throughout the record pull at the innermost strings. And when the drums kick in, and the guitars too, I'm in awe. So '90s, in the best way. What to say about the lyrics? "Winter" caught me with a tear in my eye. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day336.
a million stars
Very precious
Perfection. Tori Amos' vocals, musicianship, lyricism, and power are unequaled. Me And A Gun is still relevant (sadly) and raw. Pure power. Favorites are Crucify, Silent All These Years, Precious Things, and Little Earthquakes.
Beautiful music.
For whatever reason I haven't heard this album. I guess at that time I was listening to a lot of classic- and alt-rock. She's got a great voice, and beautiful piano. Just a great listen! I'd probably rate a 4 but Happy Album #500... to celebrate I'm going with a 5.
own
Much like her eventual contemporaries like Fiona Apple, Alanis Morissette, Ani DiFranco, and PJ Harvey (all of whom I adore), Tori Amos came out the gate absolutely fully formed and has only gotten better with age. This album is absolute ass kicking, deeply personal, and thoroughly exquisite all at the same time.
My favourite ever ever
I wasn't a fan back in the day but listening to it now, this album is amazing
When this came up I said ‘fuck yes’ out loud. I still remember the first time I saw the ‘Silent All These Years’ video, I was captivated. This was my early twenties angst album. Timeless. And she is amazing live. No brainer
The perfect album released at the perfect time in my life. We became adults together in a way. The emotional response cannot be denied, truly Tori’s best work. She unfairly gets compared to the angry bitch rock of the early 90’s but Little Earthquakes is profound and explores much deeper topics than her peers even considered.
Zdecydowanie super
Incredible!
It's about time. That was nearly 3 weeks since the last time I got a truly worthwhile album. 11 of 12 in between had average ratings lower than 3; and I am more generous than average but there was nothing above average in the last little while. Tori Amos is a hell of an artist. Her voice may get compared to Kate Bush (I get it) but she's more straight ahead and less weird. Just as clever, but her lyrics and introspection are understandable and more raw and personal. And she can tickle the ivory. Silent All These Years gave me goosebumps - the combination of her soft piano, voice, and accompanying (and sometimes soaring) instruments. And the lyrics - "so you found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts; what's so amazing about really deep thoughts? Boy you best pray that I bleed real soon; how's that thought for you?" Just wow. They didn't all give me goosebumps but her songs all have that combination of greatness. Except for Me and a Gun, which is Amos' vocals only but still great for its lyrics (tough, but if you know what it's about, it's powerful). Other favorites were Crucify, Girl, Precious Things, Winter, China, Tear in Your Hand, and the title track. But there wasn't a song I didn't like. I listened to this album over and over and over. Outstanding.
Long time fan of this album and of the rest of Tori's first four albums (she got a little too straightforward and repetitive on later albums for my taste). I've also seen her live a couple of times - her voice is as amazing in person as on the recording, as is her piano playing. I know a lot of people compare her to Kate Bush, but Tori has a much harder edge. Overall, this album is an absolute roller coaster of emotions, lyrically and musically. Relistening to it from the vantage point of 33 years since its release (I became a fan the year it came out), it still hits me in the gut and gives me chills. Some of it hits me in different ways than back then - for example, Winter brought tears to my eyes now that I have a daughter (it's written for her father and sung from the vantage point of a daughter reaching different phases of her life). Then there's all the heartache and pain Tori pours into the album. There's almost no point in giving specific examples - the album is filled with it. And of course, there are no words that can do justice for Me and a Gun. An amazing album, start to finish. Favorite tracks: Crucify, Silent All These Years, Precious Things, Winter, China (yeah, schmaltz and all), Tear in Your Hand, Little Earthquakes.
This was surprisingly fantastic.
I hadn’t listened to this in so long. There is just something about her that I love. Powerful stuff here.
Little Earthquakes is one of my most treasured albums ever, and Tori Amos is one of my favorite artists. She is, respectfully, a fucking rockstar and deserves to be considered amongst the greatest musical artists of our time. What she accomplishes with her piano work is remarkable. Her arrangements are complex, surprising, haunting, beautiful, and technically challenging. Her live vocal performances would be impressive as standalones, but it's nothing short of masterful that she can play the piano simultaneously without simplifying the accompaniments at all. I really appreciate how she uses the full range of the keyboard; many don't use the lower section quite as often or as well. I also appreciate how fluidly she employs dynamics and articulation throughout her playing. Skill and classical training certainly play a role here, but there's something else too, some kind of magic. Emotion flows through her like water, almost like she and her piano are one living organism. Videos of her live performances around this time are such a treat. I can't believe this is a debut album. She's already so self assured in her artistry with these songs. Reaching deep into the well of her memories, traumas, and emotions, she's unafraid to bring some of the darkest of it all to the surface and shape it into art. I could go on, (go on, go on and dream). I haven't even gotten to favorite songs and lyrics yet. But Tori is one of my biggest inspirations, and this album blows my mind every time I put it on. It's really close to my heart for personal reasons, but I think it would be hard to argue against this being an objectively great album that deserves its place on the list. The deluxe version also has some incredible tracks. Upside Down tugs at every heartstring I have. I hope many others are able to discover and appreciate her through this generator. She's a gem.
That's such a no-brainer, this album is excellent from start to finish. I discovered Amos at a time when I was mostly listening to metal and she is one of the artists who opened my musical horizons. The piano/voice dynamics works perfectly, she really can sing, she's a great storyteller... Everything is powerful in this record, even sung in a low voice with a mezzo piano. That is an album I still come to regularly to this day, and one of my two favourites from her. Thanks to this list I have a better understanding of her influences, but it does not diminish the quality of her work.
This has been a go to album in my collection since it was first released. An excellent album with beautiful musicianship, songwriting and recording. Best heard in its entirety and not as individual tracks.
For reasons unrelated to this album, I'm not feeling the best coming in to write this review. Add on the fact that I'm behind an album and needa play a bit of catch up... Yeah, just for my own sake, I'm gonna try and keep this short. Which is a bit of a disservice to the artist behind today's album, Tori Amos. She's an artist I know by name, but not by sound. Even after remembering where I've heard a bit of her music before — in Wax Audio mashups, and from the fact that she's covered Slayer and Eminem — I couldn't begin to tell you what she sounded like. As I found out, it's very piano heavy. Lots of piano, lots of strings... There's a person who found the album could get a bit homogeneous because of how heavily the piano is featured, but for my money, well, I'm crazy for it. I love myself a good piano album, from Elton John's work to some Ben Folds. Like, this album never rocks as hard as either of those guys can, but... Gosh, this is an album where, even when I'm not paying attention to the lyrics — and because I'm autistic, I mostly don't, and that's "y Listi kan't read" — I still get such a good sense of the emotion in these tracks. Believe me, it's palpable, goodness. Honestly, it does make me wanna try and figure out the lyrics just so I can clue into why these emotions are happening — y'know? Heck, just that I had more time between all of the everything else happening today. But on just a first listen, mostly solely paying attention to the instrumentals... Yeah, I can say I'm a big fan of this. For sure, it's one of the better albums I've heard classed as "singer songwriter." And for real, go check out Wax Audio's mashup "I Want Precious Things"; it's really good. And, uh, I'unno, if you really want to, go check out her ten minute cover of "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"? I mean, if you **really** wanna, goodness.
Just absolutely superb singer-songwriter tracks. Solid 5 Stars.
Well, I’m pretty sure I’m at a 5 – I just need to figure out exactly why, because my brain hasn’t quite cracked it. It’s definitely because of the lyricism; it’s both wonderfully & painfully vivid, even in its more flowery and verbose moments. It’s certainly from her vocals, which project the same confidence as someone like Kate Bush, and sound lovely throughout the whole thing. It’s… partially from the instrumentation, which is really nice, if a bit too attached to the piano on a few tracks, in a way that made the 57 minute runtime start to get a little homogeneous. Altogether, I think it’s a lovely album, beautiful through the honesty of its pain, and one of the finest examples of a singer-songwriter we’ve gotten so far. Everything about this screams a 5 to me, and I’m pretty damn sure it is one, because I certainly enjoyed it as if it were one. Why, then, am I sort of struggling to justify giving it a 5? Is it because it’s sort of like an Oscar bait film, where you feel like you have almost no choice but to come to that conclusion, or is this actually standing on its own merits, and I’m just sort of paranoid about it? Is it because we just got “Exile in Guyville”, which is sort of an antithesis to this album in a lot of ways, or am I just burnt out on two albums with similar, yet different thematic views of femininity & portraying confidence as back to back, hour long experiences? Those are both sort of true, to some degree, but I think my brain has finally cracked why I’m struggling, & I’m not sure how valid it is. I think I’m struggling to give this a 5 because I’m feeling woefully ignorant to a lot of the subject matter & themes this album tackles, due to a lack of personal experience. I’m empathetic towards an incredible amount of this album, especially so on “Me and a Gun”, which is horrifyingly portrayed, yet wonderfully performed, enhanced by the choice to go fully acapella on it. However, I’m just not able to feel a lot of these tracks, at least not with the emotional pain that Tori Amos used to write & perform them. That’s no fault of her own, and it shouldn’t play a factor into my rating at all (& it won’t!), but I can’t help but feel like I’m giving this a 5 more so out of an emotional connection to her strife, as opposed to a full appreciation for the actual musical qualities of the album. Whether or not that’s actually true is basically dependent on how I approach these tracks in the future, but I think this is an album that needs a few plays to fully grab the depth of, both vocally, instrumentally, lyrically, and tonally. I’ll certainly replay it a few times, because it’s a deeply touching album, and I’m sure that I missed a few things along the way. I will give this a 5, because I did enjoy it a lot – it would be weird to drop it down to a 4 just on sole account of “did I actually like the musical parts of this album that much”, because I do think the emotional weight of this album goes hand in hand with the musical parts, in a way that’s oddly intertwined, yet separately impactful. It is easy to sort of ignore the instrumentals and focus on the stories, but the stories themselves are enhanced by the power of the instrumentals behind them. They work together brilliantly, but it is easy to get lost in one opposed to the other the longer the album goes, and that’s probably my only real “knock” on the album. If your big issue is reconciling the emotional impact with the musical impact though, then you’ve made one hell of an album. It’s worth a 5, and it’s worth a lot of listens. I’m very glad I finally listened to Tori Amos. I also need a hug, probably.
Прекрасный альбом. Сохранен в медиатеку
fml
Pre Tori buying into her own Elvin myth is so good. Such a strong debut. There are a few songs towards the end that aren’t as strong but then she ends with Me and a Gun and kills you.
Great vocals
Beautiful, while listening to each song, it felt like the lyrics were jumping at me
I know I've heard of Tori Amos as a singer-songwriter before. This past year, I heard "Cornflake Girl" from her second album, and I feel like I've listened to "Crucify" on FM radio somewhere. This will be my first full listen to an album of hers, where this was her breakout solo album after the dissolution of her synth-pop group Y Kant Tori Read. I can comfortably say Little Earthquakes is a remarkable record. My first thought from my listen was Kate Bush, having heard Hounds of Love earlier on this journey. Tori's mezzo-soprano was just as elegant and whimsical as Kate's voice, and her piano-driven compositions are on par with the latter's work. Sure, it's not full-blown synth pomp like Hounds of Love was in places, but the overall quiet storm sound suits Tori well for these songs that demand deeper reflection. Whether it's the struggle to overcome self-hatred on "Crucify", the desire for self-expression on "Silent All These Years", the sexual awakening amidst a Christian upbringing on "Precious Things", the meditation on death on "Happy Phantom", the lost love of "China", or the personal account of a time when Tori was raped on "Me and a Gun", these songs evoke the listener to think critically about her words, and the music behind her strikingly fits the tone of the subject matter. This was an exceptional debut from an artist who proved she had a voice for this world, and I am glad to have enjoyed it.
I've a lot of time for Tori Amos and I'd listened to this album a few times before. I thought I'd give it a 4 before I listened to it again, but it's probably a 5.
Very good. Poetic and emotional
Like if kate bush was a human person instead of a mysterious paranormal entity
top 5 favorite album of all-time - this one's for Nancy
Long running fiver for me 10 ★★★★★
This takes me back to teenage angst - utterly wonderful and some of the songs still make me cry.
1992. Chamber pop. Alt Rock. 9/10 Crucify / Girl / Silent All These Years / Precious Things / Winter / Happy Phantom / China / Leather / Mother / Tear in Your Hand / Me and a Gun / Little Earthquakes
Wonderful!
One of my favorite albums from the 90's. Powerful and vulnerable. An absolutely beautiful album.
I really liked this one! Beautiful instrumentals and a beautiful voice to accommodate them. Some songs were definitely out there, but I enjoyed the composition of the album. 'Silent All These Years' was my fave.
Great songs, great musicianship, great production. Love it. It's epic.
I wasn’t expecting to get my first 5-star album of the year so early, but I’m definitely not complaining. Tori Amos lays her soul bare in a way that’s sometimes harrowing but never boring.
Look I'm standing naked before you Don't you want more than my sex I can scream as loud as your last one But I can't claim innocence Oh God could it be the weather Oh God why am I here If love isn't forever And its not the weather Hand me my leather Yeah, this is a pretty damn good album. 5/5
Own this on cd and vinyl. One of my favorite singer songwriter albums ever.
Absolutely gorgeous. Normally don't care for the emotional singer songwriter girl albums, but this was moving. Something about the piano, and the way the songs flowed. A nice surprise
HEYYYY I was just listening to her earlier this week! Oh Crucify is on this. HM This was 3 yrs before Boys for Pele. I thought her fame came from that one but Crucify was a hit way before. I love Tori Amos. Oh shit Silent All These Years too is awesome! I really liked this album. I went on a whole Tori kick after this and checked out some of her other stuff.
I absolutely loved this - the writing is fantastic and the piano arrangements are just so bold and beautiful
One of her better ones
Dare I say… classic? Yes, I think I dare. It has lost nothing, all these years.
Absolutely nuts. Amos is a great storyingteller/lyricist, and her arrangements are great. So unique but still accessible. And can we talk about how fucking crazy it is to have the lead off single be an a cappella song about rape? Damn
Jebiga crucify mi jedna od najdražih pisama devedesetih. Nikad nije nadmašila ovaj album ali jebiga, dešava se😃
This far in I can now calibrate the marks much more objectively. This is a wonderful, tuneful, fascinating album that deserves its place. It’s a great work.
I’ve always been aware of Tori Amos throughout the years. I’m a big Kate Bush fan so that was the obvious attraction. I did dip in and dip out of her music but much to my detriment I never gave it chance and regarded her as a second rate Kate Bush. It was only in the last two years when I began to move away from streaming to buying physical media again that i began to pick up Tori Amos CD’s at charity shops. It was this album that really cemented my appreciation of Tori and as a result of buying this album I made it my objective to purchase all of her studio albums which I now have done. I am now a massive Tori Amos convert. To say that this album was her first it is testament to what a wonderful talent she is. As I have already done and many others do Kate Bush is always mentioned in the same breath has Tori Amos. Kate is often applauded for her first album The Kick Inside but I would say that Little Earthquakes is a much stronger debut than that. To get one up on Kate Bush deserves top marks which I am happy to give it. My one regret is that I turned my nose up at Tori Amos for too long but now I am working hard to make amends. 5/5 10/10/24
Great vocals, great piano, great songs, one of my top albums
Exceptional. Delicate. Powerful. Devastating. Wonderful.
I confess that I was never a Tori Girl when I was a nineties teen, but she's grown on me in adulthood. I saw her play in Boston last summer and one of her first tasks was to summon the Salem witches from across Boston Harbor to exact revenge on our behalf. If that moment isn't Tori Amos in a nutshell, I don't know what is. It is difficult to imagine a world that holds Alanis, Lady Gaga, and even Chappell Roan in its hands were Tori not there to clear a blazing path for them all. She is angry and contained, weird and wonderful, and there is no one quite like her. If you couldn't quite connect with Little Earthquakes and you don't understand what the hype is all about, I recommend reading wrestling legend Mick Foley's beautiful 2010 Slate article "The Wrestler and the Cornflake Girl," about how Little Earthquakes' Winter gave him a new perspective on both his own life and the world at large. That article made me curious to give Tori another chance, and I'm so glad that I did.
Classy
1992, Lilith Fair coming. I was so sure I’d bought one of her albums but none I recognize .
I'd never listened to Tori Amos. I think I listened to a cover she did when I was much younger and didn't enjoy it, so I've been avoiding her. But she's often cited by musicians I love as a major influence, and I've certainly heard of this album, so I tried to enter this listen with an open mind. Even if I hadn't, I think this would've pried my skull open anyways. It's beautiful. Her piano playing, singing, and dynamic songwriting is captivating. I'm looking forward to revisiting; it's pretty dense and would reward repeated listens. Highlights: Crucify, Girl, Leather, Tear in Your Head, Little Earthquakes
Tori Amos has always been the bar for female singer/songwriters. She has a way with lyrics that can say so much more than anybody else. She belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of female singers. 5/5
I missed this one growing up, as I was more into rock at the time, but I love everything about this. The piano, her voice, the 80's structure and sound... all of it is perfection!
Straight out of the gate, start-to-finish, Tori Amos lets us peek into her world and share her emotions and experiences through incredible songs Enigmatically, not all the way - the lyrics follow tangents and don't tell us exactly how to feel about them, we can find our way to what we need. With clear influence from Kate Bush and Laura Nyro, she stood out unique from the inevitable comparisons to artists like Alanis Morissette and Fiona Apple. Lazy and unfounded comparisons, at that - music press was lumping them together based on gender, overlooking the fact that Tori Amos was miles ahead of her contemporaries as a musician, lyricist, and songwriter. For most artists, they should feel thrilled if they ever put out an album so uniformly filled with excellent tracks. But she was just getting started - continuing to improve, following it up with even stronger collections like "Boys for Pele". An album that regularly finds its way back onto my heavy rotation rotation. 4.5 stars, just to leave room for 5 stars to Pele.
Totally blown away by this album. Actually shocked I hadn't listened to this before, though I know I've heard a few songs from it. Her voice is beautiful, and her lyrics are stunning. My favorite songs are "Crucify," "Silent All These Years," "Winter," and "Tear in Your Hand." I also love that "Silent All These Years" was originally written for Al Stewart, who she sang background vocals for, and is one of my favorite artists. This has to be one of the best 90s albums by any female artist. Just gorgeous.
This one really surprised me. Liked the entire thing. Such beautiful songs with worrying lyrics running underneath it. That’s consistently been something I’ve loved in music and she does it outstanding here. I think I’ll definitely be coming back to this one a lot. Rating: 4.7
If I'm honest I think I morphed Tori Amos and Toni Braxton into the same thing in my head over the years and so this was a surprise. But a pleasant one! Another great in a long line of all-time women singer-songwriters and this just absolutely goes off for a debut album. The back half in particular feels super loaded so it just keeps getting better and better. Can't wait to listen again through better headphones so I can pay a bit more attention to lyrics, Mother was a big highlight of this album
pussy power frfr
Surprised me. Completely caught me off guard. Angelic voice. Incredible songs. No skips whatsoever. Loved this.
I really liked this. I was already weak when the piano came in and dominated.
A Kate Bush clone? No, no, much more than that. Those misguided "professional critics" who dared label Tori Amos with those words probably deserve our contempt today. It's like saying Mick Jagger is the clone of John Lennon, or the other way around. Of course, Kate Bush was probably one of the influences Tori drew from to create her own musical universe. But the latter is still very much its own thing, light years away from anyone else. Guess at the start of nineties, music reviewers were still attracted by lazy categorizations when it came to female singer-songwriters. Hopefully, we all know better now. As off-kilter as it is emotionally potent, this official debut album (not counting Tori Amos' first attempt as the leader of her former band "Y Kant Tori Read") is thus filled to the brim with gems. And the insanely catchy (yet insanely self-deprecating) lead single "Crucify" is a perfect opener for it, even in its slightly more subdued album version (the single's instrumentation is even more gorgeous). When Tori croons the word "chains" you want to shackle them for her. "Got enough guilt start my own religion" is a line for the ages, by the way, aptly summing up Tori's gently provocating stance as a female artist. Not long after this pristine opener, the moving and confessional "Silent All These Years", the lively yet tormented "Precious Things", the airy and dreamy "China", and the in-turns delicate and epic "Winter"--which will talk to the soul of anyone having fond yet conflicted childhood memories about that titular season--add up to offer wonders after wonders. The tracks supported by full orchestras are cinematic masterpieces, and the more "baroque-pop-rock"-oriented tracks among them slap you in the face. It's *this* good. If most of the cuts found in the second part of this admittedly long but impressive collection of deeply personal tunes do not come off as immediately great as the ones before, a few repeated listens are enough to help you find your way into them and their sudden peaks of pure emotion. And crowning this collection, you have the devastating "Me And A Gun", depicting in so many blunt phrases the inner monologue of a woman being raped--an autobiographical song to boot, apparently. Performed a cappella, thus adding to the uncompromising nature of the lyrics, this track is chilling and thought-provoking, just as the best topical songs can be. No need for flourishes here. Even if terrific ones are found throughout the rest of this debut revealing a rare talent to the world. Between her composer chops, her amazing, classical-trained flexes as a piano player, her spectacular mezzo-soprano voice, and her extravagant persona, Amos indeed has so many assets that it's easy to lose count. The only minor grudge one can find with this record is that she sometimes negotiates the hairpin curves within the tracklisting a little too recklessly at times, and that one track in the second half, "Mother", meanders a little as it follows a very "stream of consciousness" writing method--which lets on that a slightly edited and reorganized version of this record would have been even more impressive. That said, one could equally consider that such self-editing work would have neutered the very elements that made this album age like fine wine. So it's not a big deal. Tori Amos even went further with those 180-degree turns on her subsequent jewel-of-an-LP *Under The Pink*, refining the weird formula to the most blissful extent--a record criminally ignored in the 1001 Albums book, unfortunately. So we can all be glad she "experimented" stuff in her debut to eventually get to that point after. Never tell an artist like her to shut up and do what's "conventional". It's up to the listener to be worthy of what she has to offer when getting off the beaten path. Anyone with a heart, an interest for women artist with a voice of their own, and a functioning set of ears, will thank her for that. Because let's face it, without Tori, early nineties mainstream pop would have been a far less interesting place. 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list, rounded up to 5 9.5/10 for more general purposes (5+4.5) Number of albums left to review: less than 200, approximately - I've temporarily lost count here. Number of albums I'll include in my own list: half so far, approximately (including this one) Number of albums I *might* include: a quarter, approximately Number of albums I'll never include: another quarter, or just a little more (many other albums are more important to me)
Absolute favourite
Such a brilliant signature sound. From headphones to full speakers, the quality explodes and whispers throughout this release.
Nothing I do is good enough for you.
A gut punch record. Hauntingly beautiful at times. Always engaging. Very emotional. Perfectly executed at all times.
Beautiful, complex and lyrically complex
tori is my girl. love her so, so, so, so, much.
although I don't think this is her strongest album, it's still very good & shows where she is headed-blending piano compositions, strings, guitar with (often) heavy subject matters. Love the contrast of beautiful piano melodies & her voice with darker lyrics. China, Happy Phantom, & Tear in Your Hand are perfect representations of that.
A combinação de piano e a voz emotiva de Tori Amos cria uma atmosfera única em cada música, fazendo deste álbum uma verdadeira obra-prima. E a edição deluxe eleva a experiência de uma maneira incrível.
My biggest gripe is the same that I have with literally every other album from the 90’s. It’s too long. Release this 10 years previous with three songs cut for time, and it’d be better. The problem is that I can’t decide which should be the three songs cut, because they are all really good when listened to in isolation. The songwriting and musicianship are both top notch, and once used to Amos’ weird vocal stylings it’s much easier to appreciate the beauty of her vocals. I was going to give this a four, but the excellent and fucking harrowing Me and a Gun pushed the album into a whole other stratosphere. I’m not sure I want to ever listen to it again.
This was a really tough listen for me. It brings me back to a very specific time of my life, and a very specific person that I'll forever tie to this album. I time in my life I'll always treasure, and a person I wish I had never lost touch with. All of that aside, I love this album on its surface, without even going any deeper than that.
Not to “Boss Baby” this album but getting lesbian Kate Bush vibes for this. I def get the lineage from Tori Amos to like the current sad alt pop girlies.
Musically relevant. Lyrically sound. An important album, to be sure. Her voice just hits me a little wrong. It always has. I still love everything else about the album.
"Got enough guilt to start my own religion." Tori Amos put the bar for any follow-up album incredibly high with a 1-2-3 of 'Silent All These Years - Precious Things - Winter.' I don't have much more to add than others with 5* have already said.
First album I got that is actually in .y current rotation. So visceral. I love her.
Just beautiful
Yes!!
One of the best albums of my life. What a way to represent a woman’s late teens and early 20s. Girls today need this album.
Alright, I'm going to be fair on this. It was not to my tastes (completely) though there were times I was into it. That said, it's clear how different and influencing this album was in an entire genre.
I've loved this album since 1992!
A lovely surprise to see this album on the 1001. Unique, earthy, haunting vocals, gifted lyrics and strong melodies. A long time since I listened to this - I'd forgotten a lot of the songs - e.g. "Silent all these years" and "Leather". Yes, Tori has strong echoes of Kate Bush, but she's a lot more avant-garde. A definite 5... which for me means I'd happily listen to the album end to end and multiple times
Beautiful and magical... Especially the song "Winter".
If you're unsure what rating to give this album, just listen to the final two songs.
Unapologetic love for this album and Under the Pink. Tori Amos is my favourite singer/songwriter/piano warrior.
One of the greatest albums of the 90s.
An exceptional album, with a couple of properly arresting tracks - me and a gun in particular makes you stop what you're doing and listen. Like a wonderful mix of Kate Bush, Björk and Alanis Morissette, with flawless vocals, wonderful instrumentation and musicianship, and exceptional lyrics.
A beautiful album- Amos is so unique. Love the piano.
Still love it after all these years.
Legendary album that has a special place in my heart
Beautiful and moving album
One of my favorite of all time. I don't need to listen to it to hear it, but I will.
I’m possibly rating this too high as I think a few of the songs in the middle of the album are pretty weak, but it think the highlight (crucify, girl, tear in the hand etc.) are some of my all time favourite songs. I think the lyrics are really interesting and unique and overall I find the album really engaging.
Phenominal album, I love how personal and touching her storytelling is throughout. You won't find many songs better than Silent all these years.
What a great surprise. Loved Tori's soft voice paired with the great instrumentation that ranges from acapella to atmospheric piano
Where has this been all my life??
Parts boisterous, parts arresting and parts vaudevillian, Little Earthquakes announces Tori Amos' arrival to the music world. And what an arrival it is, reconfiguring the singer-songwriter pianist trope for a new generation and infusing with stories fanciful, imaginative and taboo. An enduring classic thirty plus years on.
Þessi spilaðist oft í bakgrunnninum í den, en ég gaf ekki mikið fyrir hana. Núna græðir hún vissulega á kunnugleikanum, en sko vá, þetta er frábær plata. Ég er ekki mikill píanómaður en þetta steinliggur. Frábær lög, flutningur og útsetningar.
I love how Tori uses her voice and sparse piano arrangements. The meter and delivery are uneven and unpredictable, keeping you off-balance but wanting more.
One of my favorite albums of all time. Happy Phantom is, in my opinion, the perfect encapsulation of 90s Tori. Listen to the Deluxe edition for a haunting Smells Like Teen Spirit cover: https://music.apple.com/us/album/smells-like-teen-spirit-remastered/961925135?i=961925206
I didn't discover Tori Amos until Under the Pink (1994) and then I went back and listened to Little Earthquakes relentlessly. Tori was basically a different, less distortion driven way to express my teenage angst at a time when grunge music was dominating airwaves. Grunge and Tori Amos were two sides of the same coin for teenage me.
one of my favorites ever!
She showed her (and women's, I assume) vulnerabilities to the world with incredible bravery. Like, the disc opens with "Crucify" reminds me about Odysseus ties himself to the sailboat pillar to hear - not to hide - the voice of sirens while the other sailors cover their ears to avoid (though It doesn't actually relate to the lyrics). She crucifies herself on the piano with no attempt to hide away any of vulnerabilities at all, thus, at last, reaches to a carthasis that made her delivery becomes redemptive and universal. And again, no songs are worth to be skipped. Fav track: Winter.
This album is simply amazing.
Love Tori, Love this album. All the tracks are winners.
Really good, will definitely listen again
I’ve looooved this album since I was like 16 a masterpiece. So personal
Fantastic, not my first listen.
What an album! I love this. It's got emotional depth, gothy vibes, virtuosity, literary references.
A true classic imho.
Still a pretty perfect album (voice, piano, song writing etc) apart from the lyrics and some misfires.
Still as exceptional 30 years later.
Excellent. Bold, delicate, really the full gammut.
Fantastic album. No bad tracks, some great ones The album flows well and is a pleasure to listen to Still not bored after the 4th or 5th repeat
Outstanding album
Love. So angsty. Listened on repeat all day.
This album defined the 90s for me.
Beautiful, haunting and poetic from start to finish
I love this album.
Tori Amos’ debut is incredible. It is symphonic, melodic, and experimental. Her musical instincts are spot on and it creates an album that is confessional, surreal, and intimate. I hear a lot of influence from Kate Bush, another phenomenal songwriter who wasn’t afraid to takes risks. Tori Amos’ sound itself had become very influential and can be heard in similarly phenomenal artists like Fiona Apple.
December 19 2022 Another new discovery for me; beautiful, sometimes harrowing. HL: "Crucify", "Girl", "Leather", "Winter", "Tear in Your Hand"
How have I never heard of Tori Amos before. That piano playing is sublime, not complex but full of emotion that lets it sing. Speaking of which, Amos' vocals are very good too. The tracks with those two elements or just the voice for Me and the Gun, were so powerful.
Absolutely stunning. I need to listen to more by her.
In the early 90s, I was waiting tables at a wine bar and cafe in Chicago when Ms. Amos and her manager sat at one of my tables. They were there to promote this album and she had spent the afternoon at a nearby record store, signing copies of this CD, that sort of thing. She had brought in some candy apples and I said to her that the cafe's policy was no outside food allowed but because she's Tori Amos, I've brought her a plate and knife so she can enjoy them. Towards the end of her visit, I thanked her for this album and especially 'Silent All These Years' really spoke to me. I meant it, too. I added that to show my gratitude for her singing to me, I'd like to serenade her. So I did. I knelt beside her, sang 'Love Is All Around', then she gave me a kiss on the cheek (and, yes, I very much had a Marcia-Brady-kissed-on-the-cheek-by-Davy-Jones "I'll never wash this cheek again!" moment), and left behind a signed CD with a sweet note thanking me for the candy apple indulgence. After that, her career continued to shine. I think we all know it's all becaause of me.
This is amazing. Love.
I just love love love this album! Have I really been singing along to this for 30 years?!? I suppose that is why it felt like coming home as "every finger in the room is pointing at me".
An old favorite. Still excellent.
OH MY GOSSSSH LOVE IT.
9/10. This was excellent, enjoyed every song, maybe even worth a 10.
Just too good of an album. Incredible voice in all aspect, used so well in different songs that are all very very good. Transcendant songs. 4.5/5
This was very good! A lot of songs sounded surprisingly familiar, and there was enough really good stuff on here that I'm happy to round up to 5
hun er forelskende
Great
The first real masterpiece I’ve discovered on this list.
So good, still, after all these years.
9/10
One of the rightful heirs to the Kate Bush throne
A voice from a girl's heart
Far from being my favourite genre, but this is an amazing record and Tori has an amazing talent for songwriting. "Me and a Gun" is a truly heartbreaking piece that will forever stick with me. Favourite Tracks: - Precious Things - Crucify - Winter - Me and a Gun - Little Earthquakes - Silent All These Years - Girl - Leather Overall Grade: 5/5
This is one of my favorites! I saw Tori in concert not too long ago — she’s still making great music. “Boys For Pelé” is my favorite of her records, and “Little Earthquakes” might be my third favorite. She wasn’t afraid to speak up about things and assert her musical style. This record in particular touches on many different songwriting/piano approaches, so you get to see some of her range. She did indeed make some little earthquakes before making even bigger ones with her later success!
Absolutely beautiful, a lot of these tracks are perfect. "All These Years" and "Me and a Gun" are proof that music can literally break me.
This one really grew on me! Very pleasant first listen, and then I found myself coming back to it a lot afterward.
Piano girl popped off, haunting vocals, sick hooks and she's CRAZY FOR THE SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT COVER. i love you and in the pink even more
Lobed
Geweldig album! Staat nog altijd als een huis.
Prachtig natuurlijk.
Double yass! Like so many people, I discovered Tori Amos via Professional Widow. This album is not like Professional Widow. Most tracks are a simple piano/singer combo, and while the style is very familiar to those who grew up in the 1990s, it holds up still. Amos is earnest, emotionally aware and just plain splendid. One of the best albums ever recorded.
Such a good album
Excellent
Vocal e piano são o ponto forte. Crucify parece um misto de música ocidental com oriental, maior pira
Really good voice!
Listened to all through high school.
Love
I have a complicated relationship with Tori Amos due to past dealings with people who were very, very into her music. That said, this album has some tracks that were already a way "back in" for me, as I really like Winter, and I forgot how much I enjoy Crucify. Sitting down to really listen to the album, I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoy Tori's singing voice, and this album is intense and often uncomfortably intimate. Best tracks: Winter, Crucify, China, Me and a Gun, Little Earthquakes.
Never heard about it, still loved the 90's sonic vibe we can feel all throughout the record
Great
Really nice sound (Joni Mitchel meets Florence) and interesting album
Really good album,but more of a soft rock-indie vibe than alternative I would say.
Really nice, reminds me of Alanis Morissette.
Mostly marvelous album. Tori’s wordplay is fascinating and abstract, she plays that piano like it owes her everything, her vocal choices draw me in and push me away in equal measure. The Neil Gaiman reference has unfortunately aged quite poorly but that couldn’t have been foreseen. But Precious Things is so good I had to play it six times over on my second run through this album before I let Winter play twice!
Típico lp con el lado A perfecto y luego el lado B se va para abajo. Aun así me encanta
Listened on the war home from Pride fest. Perfect blend of feminine energy, anger, and joy.
premda im glazba nije baš slična, usudio bih se usporediti svoje iskustvo slušanja ovog s onim slušanja k. bush: izrazito dinamično, zabavno i zanimljivo, impresivno od početka do kraja, svako malo promijeni priču i iznenadi, a u konačnici se ne mogu zamisliti da redovito slušam. stoga četiri jer nikako ne mogu dati niže
Powerful, evocative, sexy. Something about a woman and a piano man, I tell ya.
wollte gestern noch 5* geben aber hatte seitdem nicht den impuls das album direkt nochmal zu hören, außerdem ist mir nichts im gedächtnis geblieben deshalb solide 4++
pior que achei bem massa viu lembra um pouco a kate bush ((até pq pouquissima gente tava fazendo música com piano e vozerão né)). tem a inspiração, mas dá pra ver que ela fez uma parada mais a cara dela. eh bonito e as letras são bem boas. bom pra um dia contemplativo!!!
It was good! Will listen again soon
Tori Amos fits into a fairly unique brand of singer-songwriter and art pop. I totally get the comparisons to some of her peers and contemporaries like Kate Bush, Alanis Morissette, and Bjork. While pop isn't my preferred genre, I do appreciate when someone stands outside the norms and offers something as confessional and poetic as this album.
When I was in college I had a friend who knew a girl back in his hometown that loved Tori Amos. Those were the days of AIM and we'd argue endlessly about how terrible Tori Amos was. I have to admit, many years later, she may have been right.
When this came out I liked it, but always thought it was somewhat overwrought. Listening now I hear how powerful it is.
Amazing album from one of the best female artists. You can feel the emotions exude from every note and lyric. I still feel like Tori Amos is slept on.
Really enjoyed this when I didn't expect to. Will listen to more.
Utterly captivating and entrancing debut album. Loved this.
I liked this album. It’s dense without feeling too stilted.
Kind of feels like being party to Tori’s first therapy session after losing her virginity.
music for women who wear keys around the neck
Great album!
Gene: She sings about oil spills but you know she's really singing about her vagina. Bob: How do you know that? Gene: It's not subtle. Bob's Burgers does a brilliant parody of Tori Amos in the Food Truck episode complete with firey red hair & over exergerarted moans & wails. It's perfectly fitting to this. I can't quite remember how I was first exposed to Tori Amos. Maybe it was her Smells like Teen Spirit cover or Corn Flake Girl. Or perhaps my elder sister played her. She did play Anna DiFranco quite obsessively. Her voice is beautifully haunting & her piano work is amazing. She has lots of interesting songwriting. Just love this woman. Her cover of Eminem's 97 Bonnie & Clyde off of Strange Little Girls is a great creepy listen.
Beautiful and haunting, this could easily have slipped into the background whilst I work but it kept demanding my attention... a very good sign! The lineage from Kate Bush to Fiona Apple is clearly evident here and it's one I'm becoming increasingly familiar with and very much enjoying. Not quite a 5-star album yet but could be!
Singer songwriter women really be making me rethink over and over my opinions. I've been listening to this for the previous four days, and I'm glad I gave it so much time, because I'm liking it more and more every time I listen to it. This album starts so great. The first five songs are some really gorgeous pieces. The combination of Tori Amos' angelic and emotive voice, with the beautiful piano melodies and the orchestral in the back give a mystic feeling which is wonderful. I specially liked "Precious Things", and absolutely fantastic song that has an incredibly powerful moment towards the end of it, where her voice becomes stronger and all becomes louder. So good and full of live. From "Happy Phantom" to "Mother", the album becomes more basic and the songs mostly become only piano and her voice, which is not a bad thing at all as they still are beautiful pieces, but I'm missing the big moments of the first songs. Then come the last three tracks. "Tear In Your Hand" changes the tone of the previous songs, moving from more sentimental compositions to a very cheerful one. However, the next song "Me and a Gun" may be the most devastating track of the whole album. It is just her voice, which sounds incredibly intimate and sad, and once I discovered that it narrates her traumatic experience about being raped at knife point, it gains so much sentimental value that it even becomes quite hard to listen to without feeling bad for her, but also feeling grateful that she survived such event. Finally, the album ends with the very sweet "Little Earthquakes" a nice ending with a very powerful choir at the end. In conclusion, really nice album. I didn't expect to like it as much as I do now, but her incredibly powerful voice and the beautiful piano and orchestral arrangements ended up resonating with me a lot.
'I knew a girl who came from Villa Luz, had a house filled with religious regret and infinite debt...'
"Crucify" carries this album. Favorite track: Crucify 3.5/5
One of the quintessential singer/songwriters of her time. Amazing debut album. Best song = China. Not a bad song on the album.
Reminds me of Madonna
Absolutely wonderful album throughout, but ‘Winter’ is a particular highlight, could listen again and again. I always appreciate her music; this is a reminder that I should seek it out more.
This one is hilarious, because I keep listening to it, and I keep loving it, but I just can't think of anything to say about it. It's just a great album, lol. So I guess I'll just point out that I love that Tori Amos is in that class of experimental artists like Bjork, Kate Bush, and Regina Spektor that have somehow become the go-to music that extreme metal bands listen to outside of metal. That just makes me happy, and it's great, lol.
Ноющие женщины по пианинку в 90ых нравятся мне чуть меньше, но все равно неплохо
До этого у Тори слушал только boys for pele, и как-то не сильно вкатило. А тут то ли в настроение попало, то ли ещё что-то, но прям понравилось. Аж весь делюкс до конца дослушал, было приятно. Женщины с пианинками вперёд!
Really good harmonic changes on it
Little Earthquakes - Tori Amos (1992) This album offers a simple premise: woman, her piano, and a whole lot to say - and each word worth listening to. The five minute 'Crucify' could've been double the length with how perfect a track it is. 'Girl' immediately creates a mantra that speaks for itself, "Everyone else's girl, hopefully one day she'll be her own". The next two tracks contain piano progressions that wouldn't be out of place in a thriller, in only the very best way, with the final quarter of 'Precious Things' being perhaps the most memorable moment in an album awash with them. 'Winter' is the obvious standout track on the project, a beautiful haunting instrumental with perhaps her strongest writing front to back. 'Leather' is an honest exploration of relationships built on empty desire, where 'Mother' is an absolutely heartwrenching 7 minute dive into the feeling of childhood slipping away. 'Me and a Gun' speaks entirely for itself and made me cry. Each track builds on a new sound and idea and deserves its spot on this project. Tori, and her second voice in her Bösendorfer, takes her time to sit down and tell us about herself. She speaks of religious guilt, she speaks of and shows us what it means to find her voice, she speaks of the female body not as an object of desire but as a site of trauma and reclamation. The name 'Little Earthquakes' as a title track, outro track, and album name is fitting. This album shows every little crack that forms that affect us as adults, no matter our background. One woman, her piano, and a nearly perfect album. ★★★★½
I really enjoyed Happy Phantom. Her voice is so pure.
Cannot WAIT to see this brilliant woman in concert.
Crucify — Pretty good, the religious themes have Saint Bernard vibes Girl — I liked this one! :D Silent All These Years — Pretty quiet and slow but that could be a vibe Precious Things — (I FORGOT) Winter — (I FORGOT) Happy Phantom — A decently fun time with a really cool song name China — A really pretty sound with a slow heartfelt beat and vocals Leather — It was pretty decent Mother — It’s a heartfelt song I like it Tear In Your Hand — I like it it sounds like credits :3 Me and a Gun — Very personal one-woman song. a bit of Coffee(chappell) vibes.. big themes of painful SA memories Little Earthquakes — Good ultimate song for the album, would listen to again.
Total Vic-tori
A very cool, striking debut. I'm more familiar with Tori's more experimental stuff so it is interesting to hear her more reined in (albeit still quite unique). I think I prefer her later mode but this is a hell of an opening gambit.
77/100. Tori Amos' Little Earthquakes is a good and solid project. While it may not stick with me as much as it has for others, there's no denying its impact as an art pop album. The instrumentation is beautifully crafted, and Amos’ vocal delivery is both powerful and emotional. For me, the first six tracks stand out the most, delivering the strongest melodies and lyrical depth. After that, I found myself enjoying it a bit less, but the album remains consistently well-executed.
It's clearly that alt pop artist like mitsky draws a lot of inspiration from this album. The scales, the way of singing and the overall instrumental is ahead of its time. It's really well performed and sung.
I was sleeping on Tori Amos. Really good album. I love an album that is metaphorical but also easy to understand.
This album was huge when I started on teaching practice and the Kate Bush influence was commented on considerably at the time. The contribution of Tears for Fears' Ian Stanley had a big effect on the arrangements for Tori Amos's vivid and at times emotionally wrenching songs. This is now a modern classic and, 34 years on is still one of the better records of the early 90s. Along with Bjork and PJ Harvey, the music press had a new female triumvirate.
Kate Bush Piano Concerto
8.0/10 Surprised that I liked this as much as I did.
Something of an undiscovered Kate Bush album, with perhaps a greater emotional kick and lyrical sophistication. I got into Kate Bush as a result of this list, and this Tori Amos album is a nice related discovery. If there's a downside, it can get a bit relentlessly dour.and intense. But as an artistic statement, it is top notch.
Pretty cool album Favorite Travks: girl, Happy Phantom 3.75/5
Silent All These Years has been in my music library for ages but I hadn't really listened to the rest of this album in full. I love Tori's voice and enjoyed this well enough, but it didn't grab me.
Pretty solid albums, Crucify, Tear in Your Hand and Little Earthquakes were somethiiing.
I really love her voice. So unique. I quite enjoyed this album.
UNA MUJER POR FIN. Suena a Shakira baladas, no la voz pero el estilo. Más contemporáneo, definitivamente me inclino más por el estilo, ya vi que es alt rock...obvio JAJA. Precious things me hizo levantarme. Linda vooooz en winter y me compró con el mm al final jaja. Linda melodía de China. Leather es una canción de Marina omggg! O sea suena a Marinita. Cerró con little earthqueacke y tuve que parar culbebrita para darle like. Lindo album se merece su 4
I was SO happy to see this one pop up today! I love Tori Amos. I've listened to this album many times when it first came out, but it's been awhile. And, I think because its her first album and preceded "Under the Pink", which had her more commercial hits on it, I think this album gets overlooked by a lot of people unless you are a big fan of hers. To me, this is Tori Amos at her best and most raw. Simple songs that are mostly just her and the piano. Emotional and the vocals that I absolutely love. Such a great album!
Good stuff
Solid Album, like what I'm hearing and learning about her.
I know the name but have never listened to Tori Amos before today. I really liked this one. Reminded me massively of Kate Bush. There wasn’t a bad song on it but if I’m nitpicking it went on a tad too long for me. Maybe that was cause I had to keep stopping and starting in work. Still I’ll definitely check out a few more of her albums. Top Track - Happy Phantom
Really enjoyed, interesting artist, Kate Bush meets 90s alternative
7.5/10
Pretty impressive, especially as a debut album. I'm not sure her career had a positive trajectory from here, but this is a strong performance.
Flashback!
Tori Amos has a little too much drama kid energy for my taste. She's kind of like a 90's Kate Bush. That said, I enjoy this album more than I don't and it's pretty solid all the way through.
(5/7) sad girl plays piano
A lovely album that I think overstays its welcome a bit. Of similar sounding albums, I liked Kate Bush better. 4/5.
Nothing wrong with this, but for me, it didn't jump over the line to 5 stars. It's interesting though!!!
Pour commencer la pochette : qu’est ce que c’est ce truc chelou mdrr Trop bien. Super découverte !
Day 198 Fantastic album, hadn’t heard any of it before. Highlights Crucify Girl Me and a Gun
Just in time for seasonal depression so I actually quite liked it
Enjoyed it a lot more than expected.
Loved this, never heard of this artist before
01) Crucify - 8,5 02) Girl - 7,5 03) Silent All These Years - 7,5 04) Precious Things - 7,5 05) Winter - 7,5 06) Happy Phantom - 7,0 07) China - 8,5 08) Leather - 7,0 09) Mother - 7,0 10) Tear in Your Hand - 7,5 11) Me and a Gun - 8,0 12) Little Earthquakes - 7,5 TOTAL: 7,58 (76/100) Current ranking: 330/831
Started off with the 2015 remaster which, at least on my speakers, sounded like shit. So I went back to the original, which sounds much better. First off the bat, I don't rate this kind of music highly. The 90s Lilith Fair-ish (I'm aware she did not do that, to her credit - not bashing Lilith Fair, just respecting Tori Amos for having a vision and sticking to it) seems to all meld together in a burned-over sound to me. And despite her sticking to her vision, she still sounds kind of the same. Those are the negatives out of the way - she sounds good and she's got good lyrics. This is a mature, fully realized album with swelling sounds that match the heartfelt delivery. It's a good album.
This would be a 5 if the whole album sounded like the first 2 songs. The rest is good, but the first 2 songs are real standouts. I really feel like I got click baited
Grrl Power. Tori Amos loves Kate Bush. Also, the food truck episode of Bob's Burgers totally nails Tori Amos as parody. There's something familiar about this while not being exactly like anything else. I like it more than I thought I would so far. She's like feminist late-Bruce Springsteen. Me and a Gun is way stripped down, but I like it. Little Earthquakes is a solid closing track. Underrated album.
In my Freshman year of college, there was a guy who hung out with my group of friends who considered himself a musoc expert. One thing he maintained was that Trent Reznor was a bit of a pretty-boy poser, and that if we wanted to listen to music by someone who was really hardcore, we should listen to Tori Amos. I mean, he might not have been wrong, but he was a bit hard to take.
Surprisingly solid. Arrangements and piano were great.
OK, So this is loads better than I thought going into it. But this is one of the exact albums that makes me complain about needing half stars. It’s an easy 3 stars, and it’s actually quite good for what it is, and definitely better than “just OK”. But - *to me* - is it good enough to be 4 stars? I don't know. I actually started to like it more as it went on, but it’s still *extremely* Tori Amos. I was so conflicted I listened to it again. I think I'm still conflicted, because I'm not sure it belongs with many of the other albums that are in my list of 4 star albums, but I liked it better on the second listen, so in real life it's probably 3.5 stars, but for this project, it's 4 stars. OK, ignore the last paragraph. This album is pretty outstanding. I couldn't shake it so I listened to it a third time. The longer I spend with it, the more I like it.
Really liked her lyrics and melodies.
Always liked her voice. Not always in the mood for it, yet it's a good voice.
All the white horses are still in bed!
quivery vibrato-laden holler, acoustic piano and voice Girl Happy phantom China Little earthquakes
This was my first time listening to a full album by Amos. I was pleasantly surprised by this. There were a couple tracks I loved.
It’s a great debut but she has much better albums