Little Earthquakes

(5/5) I'm putting my military camo face paint back on and heading back into the wartorn field of this list's meta. Here is an important FEMALE artist from the 90s (and beyond -- but the quality of her work suffers after "Scarlett's Walk".. IMO) and she **only** gets one album for it? DIMERY and co are twat biscuits. We have scads of Anglo-mediocrity and more Mercury Prize winners than you could comfortably invite to tea time, and Tori only gets a single album. It's not even her best from her 90s run, if I'm frank about it. I like this one but for my money "Under the Pink" and "Boys for Pele" take the cake maybe in that order. She has incredible control over her voice, she's a generational talent on the piano, and even if you don't like the lyrics, she's honest in them (likely to a fault). I was an 'edgy' grungy metal/industrial-head teen in the 90s -- quite a sight to see -- but even I had some of Tori's stuff. It was just that good and in spite of my own preconceived notions of what 'good music ' should be (i.e., loud, obnoxious, edgy) I recognized what she was doing. This would normally be a '4' because I like the other stuff better, but in another protest, I'm bumping it to a '5'. If this reasoning resonates with you, do Tori a favor and listen to the rest of her 90s and early 00s run. This album was the blueprint for the better stuff to come. When I'm done with this today, I'll be listening to those too. It's damn sure better than another British Bleep Bloop album or some obscure 60s psychedelia.

244. Little Earthquakes - Tori Amos (1992) 10.24.26 Variety: 3 Adequacy: 4 Listenability: 4 Uniqueness: 3 Emotionality: 5 = 3.8 rounded up to a 4 "These precious things/ Let them bleed, let them wash away" It has been a hot minute since I've listened to any Tori Amos. I liked her quite a bit back in the day and listened to everything she released all the way through Strange Little Girls. I was very surprised to see that 1) she only had one album on the list and 2) that the album was this and not Boys for Pele or at the very least Under the Pink which I think are both superior. Not that I hate this one or anything. I remember liking it quite a bit. Maybe this is a UK vs U.S. thing where the debut hit bigger over there and teh follow ups didn't? Who knows. I first knew of Amos via her association with the Sandman comic books (about whose author the less said, the better) and was intrigued enough to put two and two together when I then later heard some of her stuff on MTV ( 120 Minutes I'm guessing). Under the pink was probably the first full album I heard, and then went back to this one. At the time my music education was neither broad nor deep enough to pick up on the heavy influences Amos wore on her sleeve, and it wasn't until much later that I was able to go back and get some new perspective on Amos after hearing Kate Bush and some others. Though primarily Bush, who I think comparisons of have followed Amos throughout her career, And not always in a welcome way. I REALLY ended up liking Bush after a deep dive ( three albums on the list which is understandable given her standing as a local girl) and could definitely see the similarities, but I would stop well short of calling Amos a Bush clone. She definitely has her own thing going, and it's equally weird, if a bit more self consciously cooler maybe. This one in particular I have heard in such a long time, and given that I've probably had about two more decades worth of listening experience, I'm curious what other influences I might hear now that I never did before, and if I might have a much different opinion. THE TRACKS "Crucify" - Amos's stuff has been piano driven from the beginning, but in my mind the rock elements drifted further and further away with each album. The GIGANTIC drum sound on this one is the primary indicator that we're in rock and roll world, but Amos's very distinct vocal delivery give this one an almost painfully emotional and nakedly unashamed presentation of what feels like a woman baring her soul. This will be a throughline in most of her music, and even though via interviews I've gleaned that a lot of her stuff is autobiographical, I think it would be a mistake to come at any of this as anything but really good storytelling. More than most anyone putting music out at the time, Amos seems like someone who not only understands the importance of music as emotional connective tissue, but who can actually use it as such without ever seeming cringey or melodramatic. I would put her up with someone like Michael Stipe or PJ Harvey as fat as artists from this period who were best at getting what felt like true emotions across in music, and who could make you empathize just through their voice. This is excellent, and has a wonderful vocal melody that stays with you. "Girl" - The bass drum here is still gigantic, but Amos slows things down and adds some strings in for some good atmosphere in this tale of a woman being pulled in many directions at once and seemingly struggling with her identity. Where the last song felt pretty universal and had a lot of interesting hooks, this one is merely just ok. The chorus isn't that dynamic a change from the rest, and I felt by the end that nothing much happened. It's a song about possibilities where none of those possibilities are realized. "Silent All These Years" - Having just heard it a few albums back, this song reminds me a TON of "Going to California" by Led Zeppelin. Most specifically the vocal melody that starts us off. Amos takes it someplace very different though, and when she soars upwards with the end of the chorus it becomes its own thing completely. It's very pretty, and feels intensely personal, with several unexplained and very seemingly lived in details, and is full of the kind of dynamism lacking in the last track. The degree of difficulty here is high, and most anyone else walking this sort of tightrope with the aspirational, sweeping strings would probably fall right into the chasm of pure schmaltz. Amos avoids it altogether and even manages a few acrobatic maneuvers before making it to the other end of the rope, safe and sound. "Precious Things" - This is the track I recall most from this album. The opening with the intense, whispery breathing and the panicky high piano keys hitting like icicles falling against the ground feels extraordinarily eerie and sets up a VERY intense vibe. When the drums kick in and the song explodes, and Amos's lyrics make you feel like your riding along in someone's head, experiencing a train of thought. This is a trick that a lot of songwriters have tried, and few can pull it off, and even fewer who can do it in a way that's as catchy as it is unnerving. That part before the first verse when Amos contorts her voice into what could easily be interpreted as pleasure or pain literally gives me chills every single time I hear it. Like hairs standing up on my arm. Holy shit, how may other artists can do something like that? All that AND the bridge fucking rocks. I think Amos has the reputation of making much more softer sounding work than PJ Harvey, who lives up next to her in my mind as the two of the great 90s alt-rock women icons ( the third being Bjork), but this is proof that she can go just as hard as Harvey when she has reason to. "Winter" - This is one that starts in a very plain, unexciting but pleasant enough way, with what seems to be a story about growing up and the how painful it can be. As someone dealing now with the prospect of children on the verge of adulthood there's a very bittersweet realization that you can't get back one second of that time you had when they were younger and more sheltered, and it's pretty painful and scary for both parties. This song feels both sweet and somehow terrifying, and it's almost entirely down to the awesome chorus. Beautiful, and should be talked about in the same breath as Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle" and Cat Stevens's "Father and Son". "Happy Phantom" - This was a fun one. As whimsical as it was creepy, and full of a kind of music hall vibe that very much complimented the non sequiturs that made it up. It felt a bit Paul McCartney, especially at the end of the chorus, and a bit jazzy and in a sort of walking piano bass line. Maybe Harry Nilsson is a better touchstone here than McCartney? It felt a lit lighter than any of the previous tracks, but it was just as entertaining. "China" - A love song that's built around a somewhat clumsy and obvious metaphor of China representing both the growing distance between two lovers and the cracked nature of the relationship. Oh, and the Great Wall of China is the boundary this other person puts up. Yeesh. This one was by far the worst of the bunch do far, and to top it all off it felt very plain and unadorned and lacked a lot of the idiosyncratic bits and pieces I expect from Amos. This felt almost like her bid at writing a song for a much more mainstream and mawkish superstar, maybe a Bette Midler or Barbra Streisand. "Leather" - This one I think has a reputation as a sexy song for some reason. I guess there's maybe a reading that connects it to kink and sexual expression, and Amos herself has said people tell her that it's a popular pole dancing class song. Ok. Sure. There's some interesting guitar that sounds like someone trying to emulate Brian May's guitar tone, but the song falls flat for me otherwise. That's two in a row, that haven't worked for me. Fingers crossed that this was just a hump we needed to get over. "Mother" - Much better. If "Winter" was a sad and scary song about the changing relationship between a father and a daughter, then this is maybe the answer of the much more complicated relationship of a daughter and her mother. The change itself doesn't seem to be so much of the focus as the reaction to it. There's fear and trepidation and a sense of a loss of self that feels a lot more tragic, and the parent in this situation feels much more like a lifeline. There's also a lot more of an intense vocal delivery which really sells the emotion, and it's essentially just Amos and the piano which also feels mor intimate. "Tear in Your Hand" - A breakup song that seems to be about the kind of person who's probably very much the wrong choice, but who still can elicit confusing feelings. I mainly remember this one for the allusion to the Sandman comic, and the use of what I think might bea synth harpsichord? Otherwise this one feels very middle of the road to me and just barely stays out of the bottom of the barrel. "Me and a Gun" - Just as harrowing and relentlessly disquieting as it was when I first heard it. Amos goes a cappella for this one and it's all the more distressing and emotionally raw for it. The form of the song takes an almost traditional folk ballad form, and if not for the horror of the content, could be mistaken for some old English murder ballad. It's chilling and affecting and a rare example of an artist successfully stripping away the barrier between themselves and the audience and inviting them behind the artifice for something that feels real, and fragile, and human. This is like watching the movie "Come and See" for me. Powerful and emotionally gripping, and full of horror. And not something I want to revisit. "Little Earthquakes" - Amos ends things on a high note, with another sweeping, and very atmospheric number that approaches the magic she pulled off with "Precious Things". This one has some of the more interesting piano lines on the album and there's an almost constant bass rumble that is certainly no accident given the title, and which provides some excellent dynamics with her chorus. The bridge on this is where it gets GREAT though. It's spooky and a little moving and catchy as all get out. HIGHLIGHTS - "Crucify" - "Silent All These Years" - "Precious Things" - "Winter" - "Happy Phantom" - "Mother" - "Me and a Gun" - "Little Earthquakes" MIDLIGHTS - "Girl" LOWLIGHTS - "China" - "Leather" - "Tear in Your Hand" FINAL THOUGHTS I can't say this was a delight to revisit as much as it was a reminder of how Amos is one of the VERY best at connecting emotionally with her audience. I thoroughly enjoyed a lot of it, and the stuff that was great was so great that it made the few less than effective tracks seem barely worthy of notice. And if anything, the stuff that didn't hit for me were at least big swings. I think it's no mistake this album put Amos on the map to superstardom immediately, and on the strength of "Precious Things" alone, this one would get at the very least three stars from me. The other good stuff is just gravy, so I'm happy to round up to a 4. It still irks me that Boys for Pele or Under the Pink weren't chosen for the lone representation she gets though. I think both of those show a much steadier hand when it comes to crafting more pleasing and, while not conventional, still more approachable and catchy melodies. Each of those has way more bangers on them than this, and they are definitely going in the queue for a sooner than later relisten. And as an added bonus, she's got like twelve ( TWELVE!) more studio albums I can explore. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who has heard those later albums and is curious if teh earlier stuff holds up. While technicall not her first album, I'd start here rather than Y Kant Tori Read. Just... maybe read about that one instead of bothering to listen to it. This is a very good album, with some decent sized blemishes that in no way ruin things, but I will say, be prepared to feel some feelings. Possible turn-Offs might include: - lots of raw and possibly uncomfortable emotional moments - some lyrics dealing with sexual assault that could be triggering for some - piano centric arrangements throughout that could turn off people looking to rock out You Might enjoy this if you: - love catchy melodies AND affecting and well considered lyrics - want to have a good cry or two - think pianos are an underrated rock instrument PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - I could do without the lowlights, and as effective as it is I never want to hear "Me and a Gun" again FURTHER LISTENING Precursors: - by Kurt Weill - Eli and the Thirteenth Confession by Laura Nyro - Blue by Joni Mitchell - Tapestry by Carole King - So by Peter Gabriel - Horses by Patti Smith - The Hounds of Love by Kate Bush - The Lion and the Cobra by Sinéad O'Connor - The Scream by Siouxsie and the Banshees Contemporaries: - by PJ Harvey - Automatic for the People by R.E.M. - Henry's Dream by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - 99.9 F° by Suzanne Vega - Wish by The Cure - Solace by Sarah McLachlan - Infamous Angel by Iris DeMent Descendants: - Tidal by Fiona Apple - Ceremonials by Florence + The Machine - Be the Cowboy by Mitski - Soviet Kitsch by Regina Spektor - Two Suns by Bat for Lashes - Titanic Rising by Weyes Blood - Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers - The Milk-Eyed Mender by Joanna Newsom

Tori Amos is an artist that I have "heard" before" but have not really sat down and "listened" to before today. Her work is beautiful and so necessary. That piano. She is someone who needs to be listened to before you die. I'm going to come back and spend some more time with her and her other albums. My Tori Amos review suffers from bad timing. I'd like to take the time to think and say more about her as this is sadly the only album we are getting from her. Alas, I fell behind and time keeps marching forward. 4/5

I had a college roommate, Joanna, who was over the moon for Tori Amos and played her on a loop every waking hour that she was home. While it wasn't my thing at the time, it did eventually grow on me for a while before I reached a point where I was burned out a repulsed by it (and her). That's been long enough ago that I can appreciate Tori's music again, but only in smallish doses. While this is far from her best (That's Boys for Pele for me), it still rounds up from a respectable 3.5/5, with Crucify and Winter creeping into a few of my older playlists.

Wow, this was kind of a mind blowing experience! I’ve listened to a few songs from Tori here and there but not a whole album. I’m really impressed by the dynamics in her songs, how she goes from nice and mellow and vulnerable to powerful and outgoing. The lyrics are very personal and tells a good story. This is an easy 5 star after just one listen. Favourites: Precious Little Things, Silent Alle These Years, Winter, Crucify, China, Mother and Little Earthquakes

This album is delightful, so beautiful and full of different wonderful directions. Sometimes Tori channels Kate Bush, or even all over the album, but she also has a lot of charm and personality. This album has some rock directions, some even folkish, and all through very ethereal sounds, very sweet songs. I am delighted by this record. It is candy for the ears. So melancholic at certain moments, and so grandoise at others, so stripped too, and even so energetic sometimes. It is so full of emotion.

Such a fantastic debut for Tori Amos. She’s one of those artists I can throw and her music and singing just pull me away and totally puts me in a vibe that doesn’t disappear until the album is over.

Wow! As a big fan of PJ Harvey and St Vincent, it's a wonderful why I hadn't listened to Tori Amos before today. What a great album! Wonderful vocals complemented with beautiful piano. Might become one of my favourites with a few more listens. Favourites: Crucify Silent All These Years Tear in Your Hand Mother

Such a landmark album full of incredible songs, perfect piano playing and intimate vocals. This is the pinnacle of the 90s female singer/songwriter movement.

First time hearing Tomi Amos, I am so pleasantly surprised. Really enjoyed listening to all of the songs. Just beautiful. (4.8/5)

High hopes! Low delivery. Shame as I was hoping to like this. But, alas, I didn’t. Nothing offensively bad about it, just not for me.

I only vaguely remember Tori Amos when she first hit the scene in the early ’90s, but I never had much interest in her at the time. Fast-forward to 2000. I had recently moved across the country, and my musical tastes were finally expanding beyond the hard rock and grunge that had dominated my teenage years. A coworker and new friend recommended I give her debut album, Little Earthquakes, a listen. One night before we closed the store, I wandered through the music department, grabbed the last copy on the shelf, paid for it, tore the cellophane off the case, and slipped the disc into the player as I dropped my truck into first gear and started the 45-minute drive home. I was absolutely floored. Alone in my truck and left with nothing but my thoughts, I found myself completely overwhelmed by these hauntingly beautiful songs. Hearing Amos sing her heart out while pounding away at the piano created an intimacy I hadn’t experienced in music in a long time. It felt less like listening to someone perform and more like being allowed into a very private part of someone’s life. Learning more about Amos’s upbringing only made the album hit harder. She was simultaneously a preacher’s daughter, a musical prodigy, and a young woman trying to figure out who she was while pushing back against the expectations placed on her. All of that conflict—faith, family, sexuality, identity, and the desire to become her own person—seems to seep through these songs without ever feeling like she’s simply spelling out her autobiography. Little Earthquakes is a surprisingly intimate portrait of an artist coming into her own and finally finding her voice. It’s one of those albums that found me at exactly the right time, even though I was nearly a decade late to the party. It’s well worth your time to give this one at least a listen, and it absolutely and emphatically deserves its place on the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list.

I realize how well liked Tori Amos is and I can absolutely hear her musical excellence shine through, but these songs don't speak to me. Every song presents dramatic piano and competent vocals as some profound artistic achievement that demands unending praise. They all sound relatively homogenous to me. My pre-conceived notions of what her music would be like seem to be spot on in this case. I'm not upset that I listened to it, but for me this just doesn't evoke the emotional depth or connection that people swear by.

Not really for me. I never liked her voice

6/10 I do appreciate the insight we're getting into Tori Amos inner world. Quite a powerful statement in that regard. The music is not quite as weird and adventurous as, say, Kate Bush and listening to the full album gets kinda exhausting after a while. Highlights: Girl Silent All These Years

meritorio disco de una cantautora con buen piano y buena voz que eso sí, recuerda bastante a Kate Bush.

Suprised how much i enjoyed this album

1. Crucify - 10/10, melody and her vocal is brilliant!!! 2. Girl - 8/10, energetic 3. Silent All These Years - romantic and vibrant, 8/10 4. Precious Things - middle, 6/10 5. Winter - similar to precious things, 6/10 6. Happy Phantom - confusing, 5/10 Other songs are not good

This was a great listen of Tori's debut album. Good lyrics with some beautiful vocals. The arrangements and her voice remind me a little of Kate Bush. Must listen to her other releases.

Quite good. Don't have much of a strong opinion on it to be honest

Pretty darn good. Still powerful. Some of the sounds are a little dated, but most of the songs still work very well.

Allison was obsessed with Tori back in college, but we haven’t listened much in a while. Still holds up! I could see going back and doing more Tori.

Yeah, Tori. Get it.

Reminds me of a thinking person's Alanis. Not that Alanis' music isn’t intelligent or meaningful. This was elevated just a bit above it in terms of the musical complexity.

Très chill j’aime bien

I still don't love her, but she's winning me over with her composition and voice. "Winter" is disarmingly gorgeous.

Like Kate Bush before her, I just don't connect with her style, even though it's undeniably craftful. Regardless, I am not the target audience here, so hopefully Ms. Amos will lose no sleep over my middling score.

Painful

Tori Amos sounds like she bridges two decades. In some ways harking back to Kate Bush, in others pointing forward to the likes of Fiona Apple. A missing link. If you ignore the occasional 90s pop rock affectations adorning her vocals (which themselves are very influential) it’s an often powerful performance with an impact that can be heard in music today.

Actually loved Tori Amos having never listened to her before, great voice and interesting tunes and production, solid 4 and will revisit

Kind of a slog at times, reading into this one told me that the piano was a huge focus and it shows as it was the most interesting aspect throughout

7/10

An agonizing listen. 2/10

Ooh. This was pretty good. Reminded me a bit of Kate Bush. Silent All These Years is such a good song.

Powerful, inspiring, hopeful and delightfully melodic. Far beyond the mind numbing progressions of Suzanne Vega. There are truly some powerful songs here. I would need time to dig in and develop deep feelings for each one. But upon first listen desrves a meritable 3 stars. Great for '92.

Wow. I had no idea Tori Amos was such a ferocious talent. She’s up there with Kate Bush and Fiona Apple, and echoes of both can be heard in this work (one who she must have been influenced by, and one she must have influenced.) I love the gorgeous, operatic piano; the vulnerability; the lethal cuts (“So you made me come; that doesn’t make you Jesus”); and the crescendoes and quiet both as she immerses you in her art. A surprised and grateful five stars.

Would be considered adult contemporary? I’ve always wondered that. What is the genre of music where it’s just someone singing over a piano with little else? It’s definitely not rock of any kind. I wouldn’t even call it soft rock. It’s not jazz, or country, or funk or disco, or R&B… is it pop? I have no idea. I’m going to call it adult contemporary. Whatever you call it, it’s not my jam. There are a few tracks that at least have drums, and a few other aspects to make it a little more interesting. But mostly it’s just sad songs over sad piano. But it isn’t objectively bad. Tori Amos is a great singer. And honestly I think a lot of the songs on here are very well written. It’s just not my thing.

I can't fully get everything. I have no doubt that Tori Amos is brilliant within her neck of the alternative pop woods. But for whatever reason I find myself hanging around at Björk cove and Kate Bush grotto far more often (to continue the ill advised metaphor). I *really* like a couple of these songs, on first listen, Precious Things is particularly spellbinding. But it's just the little ways she doesn't gel with me. I love the spirit at the heart of her songs, and the messages she is espousing here, but the way she constructs her poetry doesn't always speak to me. I like her compositions, but I don't always like how she writes her piano parts, sometimes it feels a little too "showtunes-y" for me, etc. But I also wouldn't be surprised if this album grew on me if I revisited it a few times: but I'm also not confident about that. To me, this is ultimately a very well written album, but I don't find the place it slits into within it's scene to be something I'm really seeking out. But this *is* a good record, let it be known.

This was surprisingly not as bad as I prejudged it was going to be. Her voice and music are pretty chill overall.

Lento, no es lo mío. No agarré ni una.

I was a big Tori Amos fan as a teenager. I think the things I have in common with her - Southern; having grown up in the church; a tendency for being over dramatic and kind of crazy, ie having theater kid energy - were part of that; but part of it was who I was specifically at that time in my life rather than who I am generally. I still appreciate the cleverness and emotional honesty of her lyrics but her music does not hit me today the way it did back then. I have a lot of residual affection for Tori Amos but listening to her today doesn’t affect me the way it did when I was a kid. That kind of makes me sad.

Religious nonsense.

3.5/5

This album forced me to start smoking, wear grunge clothes and roll my eyes at everything to express the deep cynicism born within my soul. In other words it transformed me to a GenXer for an hour. 2 stars

She has a great sounding voice but I was not overly entertained

I have no idea how i never listened to this before. Some of the best music i have heard in a while, completely new to me.

Very dramatic songs. Beautiful voice but I wish the instrumentals provided more support

Quite a music! I rate it 4 nevertheless

Tori Amos is certainly a great singer and songwriter, but Little Earthquakes for the most part isn't something I'm gonna put on repeat or actively seek out to hear. I liked about 5/12 songs on my infinite shuffle playlist. It's a solid early 90s alternative pop album that influenced many others later that decade and beyond, and yeah I guess it was worth hearing one way or another. The last song kind of low key sounds like The Residents, which was maybe my favorite part of the record.

Ihre große Selbstoffenbarung: roh, intim, klavierzentriert – ein Album, das gleichzeitig flüstert und brennt. Die Songs wirken wie Tagebucheinträge, aber mit einer Wucht, die bis heute nachhallt. Emotional präzise, musikalisch eigenständig, lyrisch messerscharf. „Crucify“ verletzlich, dringlich, ikonisch. „Silent All These Years“ zart, aber unerschütterlich. „Winter“ bittersüß, melodisch, herzstechend. Wow.

Enjoyable, requires a few more listens.

This is very "girl who has heard one piano-based album hearing her second piano-based album" of me, but Amos is reminding me a lot of Joni Mitchell here? That means that, unfortunately, there's a bit of "I can never decide if I like this" going on here, though when the songs are a bit more forceful (e.g., Crucify), I'm definitely into this!

nice enough

always strugglin with singer/songwriters cuz, their pen is sharp but their performance not... (3.0/5.0)

When I was younger I never understood why she wasn't more famous globally. I'm older now and understand completely.

Mmm c

This was a tough one to rate. There are a few songs that I liked quite a lot, but also quite a few that felt like victims of the early 90's recording process. The first few tracks in particular just felt a little muddled to me; maybe I got used to it as the album went on, though. I think in time this album may score a point higher or even more. There are shadows of Kate Bush across this album, and I do think that it is bold and strong in a lot of ways that work. The piano arrangements in particular are excellent and Tori Amos has a wonderful singing voice. Favorite track: "Winter"

Epitome of this is a killer album that was not made for me. Everything from production to performance to lyric; every choice made was correct and good. But I’m not a die hard Tori Amos fan after listening to this, I probably won’t return ever. But I sure will speak very fondly about it.

Memorable? Not exactly but I don't dislike it, it's just fine I guess.

★★★★☆ I already knew and liked this album, but going through it track by track reminded me how strong it is. The first half especially has a great build, starting solid and getting progressively better until it peaks with “Winter,” which might be my favorite Tori Amos song altogether. “Precious Things” is another standout. The individual track ratings averaged out to just under a 7, but this is a good example of an album being better than the sum of its parts. The sequencing and flow elevate it, and the title track gives it a strong finish.

More experimental than Alanis Morrissette but not as daring as Kate Bush, Amos puts her vulnerabilities on show and provides a solid selection piano-led songs for her debut outing. The instrumentation is tastefully done for the most part. It doesn't overwhelm Amos and her voice and words are rightfully treated as the most important pieces of the puzzle. The drums and backing vocals on the chorus on opener "Crucify" make the song soar. The record does run out of steam near the end before it stopped me in my tracks with the spoken word "Me And A Gun" - a harrowing track about Amos talking about being violated by man. She pulls no punches here and it made for a tough listen. I enjoyed this even if it did start to drag in places.

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

i feel like a mysterious divorced mom

Feels somewhat dated now - the female singer / songwriter genre has moved on somewhat, but an absolutely phenomenal opening track sets the tone here.

Coming back to this album decades later I'm struck by how plainspoken it is, especially given Amos's later-earned reputation for esoterica. For every line about chasing nuns there are a dozen lines that identify the problem clearly: *I can feel the distance as you breathe. Nothing I do is good enough for you. Sometimes I hear my voice and it's been here, silent all these years. It was me and a gun and a man on my back.* Amos's existence in a male-dominated world is always threatening to overwhelm her - and she has figured out that world can't be pacified by any decision she makes to deny herself ("Crucify"). She must be unapologetically herself; she has no other choice, as her gradual disregard of barlines makes clear ("Silent All These Years," "Mother"). And yet that knowledge does not make the decision easier: "Why do I need you to love me when you can't hold what I hold dear?" she questions on "Leather," a track that again identifies and fails to reconcile the conflict between Amos and The Man, or The Men. On "Mother" she is even clearer about the push and pull between the feminist values she seeks to hold and the reality that she *enjoys* seducing and being seduced; her promise to cross her legs will be broken, and both parts of her know it. And lest Amos's feminism, and feminity, be dismissed casually, there is "Me and a Gun," one of the most justly brutal songs ever written. She mumbles the account of her rape, ashamed and defensive even as she does; *yes, I wore a slinky red thing, does that mean I should spread?* Trapped and harrowed, she soon loses the ability to think about anything beyond mere survival - both in the moment and afterward, as she contemplates suicide. I cannot add or take away anything from it, it is scripture. Perhaps that's why, for me, "Winter" is my own way into this album, an ode to Amos's father, who channeled his own insecurities into trying mightily to build up her confidence - and who could only succeed imperfectly, again because of those same insecurities. He is emotionally malnourished himself and so he cannot nourish her. In fact, that is perhaps the whole message of the album for me - that we are all starving, women, men, all of us, starved for affection and subsisting on its pathetic substitutes. If there is hope here it is in Amos's resolute insistence that *we must get out of this*. For God's sake I hope we figure it out, and soon.

Not heard this before and enjoyed it

I do like a singer songwriter

banger love this album tori never change i love you leo queen

This is a very strong debut for an amazingly talented artist. She has incredible piano skills, songwriting skills, a unique voice and style all her own. I’ve seen her live a couple times both with full band and just her piano. She has great stage presence and puts on a great show. 4.5/5

She’s pretty great. Incredible song writing. Excellent piano playing and a unique vocalist. Silent All These Years is one of my faves. That piano line is so unexpected and it’s so haunting. Apparently she released a new album in May 26. I shall check it out.

Not a lot of chuckles in this album. That's how Tori do. I enjoy me some piano driven tunes and she has hella skillz. 3.75/5

It’s not something that I’d listen to every day but I have to say it’s good for what it is. Tori Amos is a great music artist but I have to say I doubt I’ll be listening to her again.

The favourite of a friend of mine, historically one of the few things that we did not agree on....I have always considered her to be wetter than an otters pocket and a low rent Kate Bush, (an artist who i have tried so many times to.love, but just can't bring myself to). Here goes..... First impressions after 4 tracks, i was wrong (see i am prepared to admit this), shes much less annoying than Kate Bush, Trying to work out where I have heard Precious Things before.........love this track, plenty of prog bombast. Got it. Sample used on somewhere on Sasha & Digweed's - Northen Exposire (a true classic of its time) It is drippy though, undoubtedly music for sensitive boys and girls......like Jim.....and so it appears, me! Final thoughts; I think I owe Jim an apology, i may need to buy this... In a word, Idiosyncratic

Never really listened to much Tori Amos apart from Cornflake Girl. But I like Fiona Apple and I thought she would be similar as an artist, and whilst she isn’t quite as batshit brilliant Tori was an enjoyable listen. It wasn’t a classic end to end but there were some really good songs on the album (particularly the stretch with Silent All These Years, Precious Things and Winter) and overall it was a decent listen. A respectable 3 going on 3.5

Here's another one who is deemed "important" and "influential" and held in near reverence by her fans. I own this and have tried over the years to try to like it, but I just haven't. So with a weary sigh I gave it another go. It's funny I must have played it often enough that some of the songs felt like, if not exactly old friends, then definitely acquaintances from way back when, where the nostalgia almost compensates for the fact that you were always trying to ditch them back in the day. The other issue I've found is that with my new hi-fi I'm picking out layers of sound that never existed for me before. So with a few of these songs I was actually enjoying the sound of the string arrangements, if not the songs themselves. The album does benefit a bit from the better soundtage, or should I say it probably suffers from being played on a tinny radio or kitchen alexa, perhaps more than most would. But the problem is still there, it's just boring, and I'm someone generally inclined to like female singer-songwriters. Maybe you need a womb to connect with ther brand, I failed to do so again.

While Crucify sets a high bar, I am not sure the other songs keep up. Seems a bit high-schoolish at times, though Me And a Gun decidedly sadly grownup. I like the voice/piano tunes and flee from the overproduced ones. The cover with her coming out of the box is a pretty good description of how it works.

I loved Tori Amos' first three albums from the moment they were released, and while this one probably ranks third among those, it's a brilliant piece of work. My favorite track is These Precious Things, there's just something so haunting and powerful and visceral about that song — a sense of doom and darkness that elevates it. But she gets playful and takes her shots at religion and everything else on her mind and gives a glimpse into deeper waters to come. Great album, interesting production, and whatever strings attach her to other artists are just the echoes of universal excellence.

Huh. My wife is a big Tori fan and I have always LOATHED her music. It was like nails on a chalkboard to me. I literally had a negative physical reaction to her music. So when this showed up, I showed it to her. She got excited, and I joked, "If this is the last album I hear in this challenge Imma be pissed." We had a road trip yesterday, so I thought it would be fun for us both to listen in the car... ...and I didn't hate it. Frankly, I kinda dug it. Someone must have turned off the "Get annoyed by Tori" switch in my brain because I couldn't for the life of me figure out why her music had ever bothered me. I don't know that I'm gonna be a big fan, but this album kind of hit a Kate Bush/Joni Mitchell/Something else vibe that worked its magic on me. Go figure.

I'm currently in my Tori Amos obsession phase. While I was familiar with her and her hits, I did not realize the depths of her artistic genius. But day-um....she hit the pavement hard with this first album and lucky for me, I have her lifetime of music to get cozy with. Andre and I saw her this summer on tour for her latest album (In Times of Dragons) and I've honestly never been as blown away at a live concert (even more than Nashville, night 3 of The Eras Tour). She crafts a mystical aural world of witchy feminine wisdom and wonder. I get it now.

hmm, weiss nicht. crucify.

Grossartiges Sing songwriter Album

How on earth have I never heard this album before?! Honestly, I'm a little embarrassed. Maybe more than a little. This was great. It's a nice middle ground between the straightforward pop of Norah Jones or Sara Bareilles and the occasionally bonkers Fiona Apple or Regina Spektor. It's just good stuff. I love me some good ivory-tickling. Perhaps most impressive: it doesn't sound dated. Sinead O'Connor came up on autoplay after this finished and it was jarring as hell; her music sounds *very* much of its time, while this album could have come out 20 or 10 or 0 years ago.

I think I like this more than Bjork. It just feels mor appropriate to me, it has less weirdness just for the sake of it, but the poetry and piano make it a exquisite little jewellery of an album to savour. Favourites: Crucify, Precious Things, Winter, Happy Phantom and ofc to end it nicely Little Earthquakes, some with the atmosphere or lyrics

bissi cringe shame on my youngself. c

A drama in multiple episodes with powerful music stirring our emotions. Her vocals and piano are unbelievably in sync, expressing each tale like a quiver of arrows, each intended to strike our hearts. This album gets better each time I hear it. 5/5

Here is my high school album. It’s a bit cringe now but I still love every note.

Seeing comparisons (both positive and negative) to Kate Bush, Fionna Apple, PJ Harvey, Björk, et al., but I frankly don't hear on the first listen…

Great piano and a really expressive voice. Like how direct the songs feel.

good

Me hizo acordar Fionita. Será porque es otra cantautora que compone con el piano? Se. Pero god.

Definitely a little bit of Kate Bush in here, but it works!

Kate Bush vibes

Amazing stuff, arguably as much of a sonic breakthrough for the 90s as Nevermind or Achtung Baby was

Enjoyed finally learning more about Tori Amos but a little slow and boring at times. Some fun stuff in here but meh for me

Good

Ehhh, not really my cup of tea. I’ll take Alanis Morissette or Natalie Merchant if we’re going for 90’s ladies music. 2.5⭐️

This is another middle of the road one for me...didn't love it, didn't hate it. Giving it a half star bump since it seems like it 'broad with a piano' wasn't a big genre this early in the 90s. Gotta be some trailblazing going on here.

The piano isn't accompanying the songs so much as breathing its own consciousness into them.

Favorite track(s): Crucify, Girl, Precious Things, Winter, Tear In Your Hand, Little Earthquakes

Super catchy - hun er virkelig god pianist og stemm