A Deep Dive Into the Discography: Tori Amos Part 2

 A Deep Dive Into the Discography: Tori Amos

Well, it's been almost two years since I did the first part of this. I keep meaning to come back to it but it always feels like something else takes precedence and then I forget about it. Though I do have a couple of friends consistently asking me when I'm going to finish. Well, the wait is over. Here are my top 8 Tori records. And if you need a refresher on the first half of the list, you can find that here. Let's go.

8. "Night of Hunters" (released 9/16/11)

For her first album on famous classical record label, Deutsche Grammophon, Tori made what she described as "a 21st century song cycle inspired by classical music themes spanning 400 years." The songs on "Night of Hunters" are inspired by classic works by Alkan, Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Granados, Satie and Schubert. Tori takes these inspirations and molds and creates her own stunning classical music sounding compositions. 

"Night of Hunters" tells a story throughout its fourteen tracks. And honestly, there's a lot going on. More than I really want to spend talking about here. The gist is that this story is about a woman who is left alone on the eve of her relationships end. She is approached by a childlike, shapeshifting creature named Annabelle, who takes her on a journey where they eventually encounter the Fire Muse. Annabelle and the Fire Muse are played by Tori's daughter, Natashya Hawley, and her niece, Kelsey Dobyns, respectively. This may sound wild if you're not a Tori fan, but otherwise it feels completely on brand. And, it is one of the most consistent thematic albums that Tori has made.

I have always loved "Night of Hunters" but I think it has risen in my estimation as I've gotten older. The themes of lost love, coming to terms with your role in the demise of a relationship and how you carry all of your previous loves with you definitely resonate with me more at 40, then they did when I first listened to "Night of Hunters" at 28. "Night of Hunters" isn't just a phenomenal display of Tori's songwriting skills, but also of her musicianship in general. I don't think any of Tori's contemporaries could make an album like "Night of Hunters." It has Tori's strongest opening scene the strings driven "Shattering Sea." "That is not my blood on the bedroom floor" as an opening line? Come on! It doesn't get better than that. I love the songs featuring Natashya and Kelsey, I think the blend is so great. "Job's Coffin" is one of my favorite songs on the record and Tori is like a feature. I love hearing nuggets of lyrics that Tori would cultivate into future songs like the mention of "Cloud Riders" in "Fearlessness" and "forest of glass" in "Your Ghost." There are times in the middle of the record where songs can sometimes meander or lose their way but that never detracts from the lush, gorgeousness of the record itself. If Tori is indeed having a late career renaissance, "Night of Hunters" was the beginning.

7. "Ocean to Ocean" (released 10/29/21)

2020 was a wild year, y'all. I know this feels extremely obvious to say, but the further we get from the height of the COVID-19 global pandemic, it can sometimes be easy to forget. We all felt isolated and things ust felt so strange and uneasy. It is easy to forget that it wasn't just us peons that felt those feelings, everyone did. Even the goddess herself was struggling during the pandemic and her sixteenth studio album is a reflection of that.

Tori was a busy little bee in 2020. She released her second book, "Resistance," which is fantastic. I'd definitely recommend the audiobook and I'm not a huge audiobook fan. She released her second holiday offering, the EP "Christmastide." She had an album's worth of material ready to release, but after the third UK lockdown, she scrapped that and instead wrote and recorded the eleven songs that would become "Ocean to Ocean." I definitely hope that we someday get to hear that scrapped record, but I understand why she decided to change directions. 

"Ocean to Ocean" is the first record since "Midwinter Graces" that reunited Tori with her touring band of Matt Chamberlain, Jon Evans and Mac Aladdin. They were missed. Their musicianship changes everything. "Ocean to Ocean" comes alive in a way that some of her later albums don't and I think it has a lot to do with the boys being back. It's crazy to think that all of the parts were recorded separately. The songs on "Ocean to Ocean" reflect a lot of the things we were feeling during the pandemic. Isolation, loss, distance, the crazy political storm that has gripped the US and the UK. Some of the lyrics were inspired by the insurrection. Tori channels this into one of her most laser focused records. It comes in at a tight eleven songs. It was the first time in a while where I kind of wished there were a couple more songs. There are beautiful odes to her beloved mother Mary: "Speaking with Trees" and "Flowers Burn to Gold." The driving and thumping "Metal, Water, Wood." The melancholy "Swim to New York State." The tango of album closer, "Birthday Baby." The one misstep on "Ocean to Ocean" may be "Spies." A lot of Tori fans don't like it when she goes super twee and this is Mother at her most twee. I don't mind, but it's not for everyone. 

6. "Native Invader" (released 9/8/17)

Tori's fifteenth studio album came out during the Trump presidency and I will say that it was a lifeline to me at the time. The beginning of that time was rough for me. I felt a lot of despair a lot of the time and I'm sure it was the same for lots of other people. This album came out and I just grasped on to it so hard and I listened to it constantly. This was also the first time that I had the chance to meet Tori when she took the record out on tour, so I will be completely up front and say that I may not be completely subjective when it comes to this album. So, if you don't understand why it's so high, well that's definitely part of it.

Tori was going through a lot of strife in her personal life at the time that she was crafting the songs that became "Native Invader." Her beloved mother, Mary, had a stroke and was completely non verbal. Tori took a trek through the Smoky Mountains in 2016 and found inspiration and used it as a way to connect with her mother's side of the family.

You feel these things on the songs that made it on to "Native Invader." The songs aren't necessarily explicitly political but they are inherently political. There are references to toxic masculinity on "Wings." Tori takes the idea that we are all immigrants and mixes it with the big bang and the elements that make up the universe on the thumping, stomping "Bang." We got a spiritual sequel to "The Beekeeper" with the chilly but also warm album opener "Reindeer King." I love that even after all these years, Tori isn't afraid to experiment. The dance-y, Tash featuring climate change ode "Up the Creek" is singular in the Tori world. "Climb"is one of Tori's best piano ballads and I fully cried when she played it when I saw this tour in Minneapolis. "Native Invader" isn't perfect. The wah-wah guitars in "Breakaway" bring down the whole song, but this is a cohesive set of songs that is a definite highlight in the later Tori discography.

5. "From the Choirgirl Hotel" (released 5/5/98)

Tori's fourth studio album veered away from the kookiness and quirkiness that seeped in to every nook and cranny of "Boys For Pele." There was a heavier emphasis on trip hop, dance and electronica. This was also the first album that featured Matt Chamberlain on drums. "Choirgirl" may be a more "mainstream" album than it's predecessor but it still is Tori. Tori has always routinely referred to her songs as living breathing beings. Her "girls." She writes these songs so they can be changed, they can evolve, they can sound completely different when they are played on tour. The "choirgirl hotel" of the title refers to the place where the songs live. They are all living their own lives and interacting together and it really is one of the most Tori Amos things out there and I really, really love it.

Album opener, "Spark" deals with Tori's miscarriage and the video is probably my favorite Tori video of all-time. I don't think Tori is necessarily super well-known for her music videos but "Spark" stays with you. It depicts Tori running through the woods and it keeps you off-kilter. If you haven't seen it, watch it now. We get the driving rock of "Raspberry Swirl." I love that no matter how much Tori experiments on a record, she still finds time to give us some really killer piano ballads. She interpolates her own life with that of Jackie Kennedy Onassis on "Jackie's Strength." Delivers a killer kiss off in "Northern Lad." One of her best lines is "Girls you've got to know when it's time to turn the page. When you're only wet because of the rain." The mournful and defiant "Playboy Mommy." If there is one thing that holds "Choirgirl" back from being higher on this list is that after "Pele" it does almost feel like a bit of a step back, but really there are no duds here.

4. "Under the Pink" (released 1/31/94)

 "Under the Pink" is Tori's sophomore album and on it she expands on the theme's that she explored on her debut, "Little Earthquakes." "Under the Pink" finds Tori dabbling in more experimental soundscapes and lyrics that aren't exactly easy to decipher upon first listen. This is something she would take to the next level on her next record, "Boys For Pele." This is really pique Tori. She has found her niche and she is leaning in to it. There are some really stellar B-sides that came out of the "Under the Pink" sessions that she still plays today like "Black Swan," "Take Me With You" and "Honey." She played "Honey" over the summer when I saw her in Omaha.

At this point in my ranking, I have to say that we are just kind of splitting hairs. "Under the Pink" is a phenomenal record. A classic. There isn't really a bad song in the bunch. This is classic Tori and some of my favorite Tori songs are on this album. I love the gentle, melancholy piano ballad "Baker, Baker." Album opener "Pretty Good Year" is Tori telling a story from the perspective of a young man. "Cornflake Girl" is iconic. It is a staple of her live shows and I'm sure will be until she stops touring. "Cornflake Girl" is a song that almost everyone has heard of, even if they aren't familiar with any of Tori's other songs. We get the masturbation anthem "Icicle," which includes one of my all-time favorite Tori lyrics. "When he says take of his body, I think I'll take from mine instead." The album ends with the almost ten minute, magnum opus, "Yes, Anastasia." If there is one thing that keeps "Under the Pink" from climbing higher on this list is that it does feel very similar to "Little Earthquakes." If there had been a bit more experimentation, there is a good chance that this album would have moved in to the top 3.

3. "Scarlet's Walk" (released 10/28/02)

"Scarlet's Walk" is Tori's first real concept album and it is probably her most successful. It tells the story of a woman named Scarlet, loosely based on Tori, who takes a trip across the country and is impacted by the changes in American politics and society in general post-9/11. "Scarlet's Walk" was released a little over a year after 9/11 and it was really a balm to me at the time. I think it can be easy to forget how we all felt after the worst terrorist attack on American soil. Things were still extremely raw and unsure a year later and "Scarlet's Walk" really tapped into that and provided me a lot of comfort. I listened to it pretty non stop. This year, Scarlet turns 21 and Tori has been celebrating with special tour merchandise along with a remastered version and a vinyl pressing. The remaster of "Scarlet's Walk" is amazing. If you haven't listened to it, you really need to do yourself a favor and check it out.

"Scarlet's Walk" probably has Tori's other most well known song on it. The lead single "A Sorta Fairytale." "Fairytale" is also pretty well known for it's music video. It featured future Oscar winner Adrien Brody. Tori is a disembodied head on a leg who falls in love with Brody's disembodied head on an arm. It's an unconventional love story. "Taxi Ride" is an homage to her queer make-up artist, Kevyn Aucoin. One of the most impactful songs on the record is "I Can't See New York." It doesn't explicitly mention 9/11 or the attacks but it's difficult for me not to think about them anytime I listen to the song. And I'm pretty sure I teared up the first time I heard it. There are fun tracks on the record like the jaunty "Wednesday." Or "don't make me come to Vegas," where Tori is ready to go to Sin City and forcibly remove a young female relative from her toxic lover's bed. Tori lingers in "Another Girl's Paradise" as she contemplates the feelings of competition, envy and jealous that can permeate female relationships. 

The CD version of "Scarlet's Walk" gave people access to "Scarlet's Web." A site that featured tour photos and exclusive songs that would become known as "Scarlet's Hidden Treasures." A physical edition of "SHT" was released along with the "Welcome to Sunny Florida" concert DVD but it omitted "Mountain" which was until recently only available on "Scarlet's Web." All of "SHT" including "Mountain" and "Operation Peter Pan," which was the B-side to the "A Sort of Fairytale" single were made available to purchase and on streaming for the first time along with the remaster. If you have never listened, I can't recommend them enough. 

2. "Little Earthquakes" (released 1/6/92)

"Little Earthquakes" is Tori's debut album, but it isn't the first record that she made. From 1984 to 1989, Tori was in a synth pop band called "Y Kant Tori Read" and they released one self-titled album in 1989 that was considered a dismal failure. You weren't able to find for a long time. It was released on streaming in 2017 along with limited pressings on vinyl and CD for 2017's Record Store Day. The failure of Y Kant Tori Read really hit Tori hard, but she slowly started to reclaim the record and its songs. It's a really great album honestly and I'd check it out if you've never heard of it.

I think that failed record really influenced this album quite a bit. It is the complete opposite of "Y Kant Tori Read" in production and content. There are no synths to be found really anywhere on this record. It introduces you to what a Tori Amos record is. It is lyrically complex. It is musically varied. You will come away from listening to "Little Earthquakes" changed. I think it is one of the best debut records every produced. It is basically perfect from beginning to end.

The songs on "Little Earthquakes" are instant classics. They are songs that she will play until the day she stops touring. That is impressive. Not a ton of artists still routinely pull out songs from their debut record. Maybe the songs haven't aged well or lyrically they don't play to an audience that has matured since the record came out. You can't say that about the songs on "Little Earthquakes." Each one hits hard and hits differently. "Silent All These Years" is my favorite song Tori has written. And the lyric "boy you best pray that I bleed real soon" gave me goosebumps the first time that I heard it. "Me and a Gun" is a brutal a capella recounting of Tori's assault that will stop you in your tracks. There is the beautiful ode to father's and daughter', "Winter." I listened to "Mother" a lot before I got married myself, scared that I would lose a part of myself entwining my life with this other person. The title track I've always felt is kind of hopeful despite it's darker undertones. The bridge had become kind of a mantra for me. "Give me life, give me pain, give me myself again." 

1. "Boys For Pele" (released 1/22/96)

We've reached number 1! And I think if you know me or if you a fellow EWF, you're probably not too surprised. I think "Boys For Pele" really transformed Tori into the divine, weird, wonderful goddess that she is. The recording of "Pele" is extremely interesting. Prior to recording, Tori lost her producing and romantic partner, Eric Rosse. And it feels like she went on a lot of really bad dates. So, "Pele" deals a lot with her relationships with men. She took trips. She learned about the volcano goddess, Pele, on a trip to Hawaii. She took a lot of psychedelic drugs during this time. On a ayahuasca trip, she met the devil. All of these experiences made their way into "Boys For Pele" and it shows. "Boys For Pele" is one of those albums that music critics didn't completely understand when it first came out. It didn't get the best reviews, but as time has gone on, it has been recognized as the innovative, once in a career masterpiece that it is.

The songs on "Boys For Pele" explore patriarchal relationships and religion and women's roles in them. Tori has always done that, but it's much more explicit on "Boys For Pele." The production and instrumentation on "Boys For Pele" leveled up from her past records. She introduced the harpsichord, the clavichord, there were full gospel choirs. She took that ayahuasca trip and turned it in to "Father Lucifer." I love the baroque sounds of "Blood Roses." The rock-ish, driving "Caught a Lite Sneeze." Even throughout this experimentation, Tori never strayed too far from her piano roots. "Hey Jupiter" is a lilting ballad and I love how she manipulates her voice during it. "Putting the Damage On" is a classic, heartbreaking break up ballad. If I'm in the right mood, it can bring a tear to my eye. Everything about this album is perfect. The album art and photos in the booklet are iconic. There's a photo of her being suckled by a piglet which is actually on my phone case. It's an album that means so much to me and still reveals new parts of itself to me every time that I listen to it.

Well, that's it! I know my Tori friends will have lots of thoughts and I look forward to hearing them. Drop some comments.

So, my plan is to do one of these deep dives each month. But we'll see what happens. Next up will be Kylie Minogue.