From: owner-precious-things-digest@smoe.org (precious-things-digest) To: precious-things-digest@smoe.org Subject: precious-things-digest V7 #186 Reply-To: precious-things@smoe.org Sender: owner-precious-things-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-precious-things-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "precious-things-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. precious-things-digest Monday, August 19 2002 Volume 07 : Number 186 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Poor Tori... (rant) ["Mark Harbott" ] Re: Poor Tori... (rant) [Topher ] Fw: Poor Tori... (rant) ["Tony Fernandes" ] Fw: Poor Tori... (rant) ["Tony Fernandes" ] This week in 1999 ["trent.easyjournal.com" ] raspberry swirl is radio friendly? [VioletLilith@aol.com] Re: Fw: Poor Tori... (rant) ["Nadyne Mielke" ] Re: Poor Tori... (rant) [Cyndi S Crawford ] Re: raspberry swirl is radio friendly? [Cyndi S Crawford ] Re: Fw: Poor Tori... (rant) [Brian K Tanaka ] Re: Poor Tori... (rant) [Richard Handal ] Re: Poor Tori... (rant) ["Mike Gray" ] Re: Fw: Poor Tori... (rant) [Richard Handal ] more radio tori [guapo stick ] Re: Poor Tori... (rant) [Richard Handal ] Re: more radio tori ["Missy" ] RE: Poor Tori... (rant) ["ForgottenSecret" ] Re: more radio tori ["Danielle Cipriano" ] Tori on Star 98.7 [Yessaid@aol.com] Tori on Kevin and Bean (report) ["trent.easyjournal.com" Subject: Re: Poor Tori... (rant) >she somehow finds it > acceptable for people to get their first taste of Scarlet online as it's > being streamed at what, for me with my 56k modem connection, was 32.3Kbps. > Well, I would think that she probably doesn't have too much control over that, or does she? M ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 12:49:31 +0200 From: Topher Subject: Re: Poor Tori... (rant) Well, I just heard 4 other tracks from the upcoming album... and still, it all sounds pretty rehashed to me. We are light-years away from the epic evolutive songs such as "Cloud On My Tongue", "Yes Anastasia", "Here In My Head", "Little Earthquakes", etc... The fact that I find that Tori makes some MTV-formatted or radio-friendly songs doesn't necessarily mean that they are played... Yet, I think she deliberately wishes for more exposure, otherwise, it wouldn't make any sense for her to release such songs as "Spark", "Raspberry Girl" or even "A Sorta Fairytale" as singles. Even though she has a strong core of fans, followers and psychos, she seems to aspire for a higher profile than her actual status. Actually, she probably doesn't even need to put out singles at all anymore - but she decided to be signed on a major record company and we all know that, by definition, she doesn't get to call all the shots. I wouldn't like to see her burn her wings and be thrown in the same bag as the actual Top 10 artists. On antother note, I also seem to remember that the B-sides of her first two albums were easily comparable to some of the album tracks. Something I didn't find since "Boys For Pele" or ever so rarely... All in all, let's just say that I don't think she's really going out of her way anymore as far as song structures go. Am I really the only person to believe this on this list ? Replies to some of your comments: [about "Choirgirl"] "Overall, the lyrics and song structures are still quirky as ever." Don't get me wrong, I don't think this is a bad album at all, but I can't say I'm very fond of most songs... some made me yawn for they sounded too much like other stuff she had done. As for splashing cheap electronics left and right on some of them... (an idea she pursued throughout "To Venus And Back") I believe it takes more than using the latest synth's factory presets to make it impressive. "You seem to have only heard the RealAudio clip of the single edit, Topher. Do what you can to reserve judgment until you've heard the full album version on a quality stereo and let us know if that makes a different impression--although I also believe that writing even that single edit of Fairytale would not be possible for Britney or anyone else who comes to mind, look-alike or not." I don't think the sound quality will improve the song structure. Maybe the full version will (if it's more than just another set of verses, choruses or a solo played in the same tone as the rest of the song). Of course, the lyrics matter, but unlike the music, I don't think it's something everybody focuses on as much everytime you hear the song. But that may be just me. "how glad she was a couple weeks or so before Venus was released to find out I had not heard an early promo yet because " . . . we did a final master a few days ago and we boosted the mid-range by 1db,"" It's good to be a perfectionist but maybe she just needs another sound engineer. How long has this one been around for ? "It's very interesting that Topher mentioned disappointment with FTCGH, TVAB and even BFP, but felt that SLG was Tori being original again. Many people really didn't connect with SLG. I guess we all are listening to the same thing, but hearing different things; and what we hear depends on our own little contexts and perceptions and that's really what makes music (and people) so fascinating." Absolutely !... I need to understand why people even just *like* "To Venus And Back". As for "Strange Little Girls", I'm not necessarily fascinated by the eclectic choice of cover versions, but she made each track more personal by building new moods around them without abusing of sound effects. Definitely an improvement from "To Venus And Back" if you ask me. "In fact, I remember hearing a whole lot more of Cornflake Girl and God on the radio than anything from the aforementioned albums." That is probably true. However, the guitar on God is not the most radio-friendly thing you can think of, most of the song is in 7/8 and yet it was chosen as a single. Cornflake Girl is downright radio-friendly (apart from a few things here and there) but at least it doesn't make me think of Nelly Furtado or Beverley Knight when I hear it (which is what I feel when I listen to "Taxi Ride"). Topher. - -- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 03:47:12 -0700 From: "Tony Fernandes" Subject: Fw: Poor Tori... (rant) Mark Harbott wrote: " It's very interesting that Topher mentioned disappointment with FTCGH, TVAB and even BFP, but felt that SLG was Tori being original again. Many people really didn't connect with SLG." I have never connected with SLG. In fact, I will go as far as to say that SLG is just a a bad album altogether that I wish was never made. But I am so comfortable with my love for Tori and the joy I get from her music that it doesn't even matter that she has an album I don't care for. As an 11-year fan I can say that everything after BFP has proven to be less emotionally satisfying to me as her first 3 albums were. Not that I don't like them, but just not as much. But that hasn't changed my opinion of her one bit. Neither will her being more "MTV" or "radio" oriented. And even if she were, I wouldn't really care. The only thing I truly am afraid of is that the more popular she becomes the harder it's going to be to get good seats at her concerts. Don't mess with my Tori concerts all you new Tori fans!! :-) Once a year or so I get the pleasure of seeing her live and it literally changes my life every time!! Tony What's more likely? That an all-powerful mysterious god created the universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or, that he simply doesn't exist at all? And that we created him so that we wouldn't have to feel so small and alone. -Eleanor Arroway, Contact ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 04:11:46 -0700 From: "Tony Fernandes" Subject: Fw: Poor Tori... (rant) Richard Handal wrote: "I recently gave the Little Earthquakes album a listen at volume on a swell stereo," "It was startling to me how much was going on in the mix that gets lost on mediocre stereos and at lower volume." "...and to anyone finding themself less than entirely happy with any of the albums I strongly recommend they play them on something other than their pitiful portables and give them the opportunity to breathe with great deep breaths and see if this might allow them to make a more enlightening impression." Wow, Richard. I've been thinking about posting something along these lines for several years. I'm probably only speaking to 10% of you out there because most people just don't understand true audiophiles; people like me that can't truly enjoy music unless it's on a supberb stereo system. I've been hardcore-addicted to car audio now for about 15 years and with each new car I buy I get more and more ridiculously possessed with perfecting my stereo system setup. On my last car I had over $6,000 invested into it and hundreds of hours of my own labor into installing and tweaking everything to my personal taste. I believe that Tori's Bosendorfer almost sounds better in my car than it does in real life. :-) It's TRULY amazing how I can still play "Putting The Damage On" in my car and cry and cry and cry. I can hear Tori's saliva shifting in her mouth when she articulates. I can hear the strings on the Bosey creak. It litterally sounds like a private concert for one (me). It sends shivers down my spine and makes me sooo happy to be alive. So, Richard...kudos to you for giving me the inspiration to share something with all of you what has made me so happy for years and years. Tony What's more likely? That an all-powerful mysterious god created the universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or, that he simply doesn't exist at all? And that we created him so that we wouldn't have to feel so small and alone. -Eleanor Arroway, Contact ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 10:56:31 -0400 From: "trent.easyjournal.com" Subject: This week in 1999 from http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1457042/20020815/puff_daddy.jhtml?headl ines=true Puffy Forever, Jennifer Lopez Heads To The Jungle, Tori Amos Makes Venus: This Week In 1999 08.19.2002 7:52 AM EDT This week in 1999 singer/songwriter/piano pounder Tori Amos previewed material from her somewhat accidental new album, To Venus & Back, for fans via a webcast. Originally slated to be collection of B-sides plus only a few new tracks, Venus turned into a double album, one live and one featuring 10 new songs. It took on a life of its own thanks to the wisdom of a nudist friend of Amos' named Marcel. "He said, 'I don't think that you could combine the new stuff with the B-sides, because they're from completely different universes,' " Amos explained. "So it started off as, 'Oh my god, I'm making a new record, aren't I?' " Prior to the album's release, Amos hit the road with sister-in-arms Alanis Morissette, and she had no worries at all about whether or not her fans could be won over by Alanis. "They're elegant people," she said. "They're not tacky and it's really about the differences, not the similarities, you know." There were no plans, however, for the two ladies to hit the stage together. "There are no plans for that now," Amos said. "Singing 'I Got You Babe?' ___ "there was me, that is tony, and my droog, that is trent. and we sat in the korova kylie-bar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening. the korova kylie-bar sold kylie-plus, kylie-plus-vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking. this is what would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ULTRA-KYLIE... " - --Tony Cusumano inspired by Anthony Burgess ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 12:03:28 EDT From: VioletLilith@aol.com Subject: raspberry swirl is radio friendly? <> said by topher i just have to disagree with this. listening to the lyrics of "spark" one can just feel her overwhelming sadness for the loss of her child ("she's convinced she could hold back a glacier, but she couldn't keep baby alive!" and "she's afraid of the light in the dark"), and i honestly think most "radio listeners" are not interested in such subjects. that subject matter is light years away from "hit me baby one more time"! and as for "raspberry swirl"....ha! technically speaking it is refering to a female orgasm (though there are other layers and meanings to the song). i just don't feel where you are coming from with this. the only thing i know of the new album is the lyrics i read to ASF a while back. i wasn't impressed with what i read. from just reading the lyrics it does seem a little too "poppy" for MY taste. but, i chose not to listen to anything until she releases the album, and i will save my final opinion once the album has come out and i can listen to it as a whole. *jen* ps~ i do agree that i haven't had as much "attachment" to entire albums since "boys for pele", but i still very much like the newer albums, and i don't really see them as radio friendly because i still think she would disgust or freak out most common top 40 crowds! but, with that said, i don;t think tori has any reason to try to reach out to a larger crowd. even though she has never been miss media queen doesn't mean that she doesn't have thousands...probably millions of fans. and look at us all. we even have a title....toriphiles!!!! it's like a cult, almost. even in her "behind the music" on vh1 they discussed how her fans are cult-like in the way that we "worship" her. she reaches and inspires very large groups of people WITHOUT being on played on MTV once every hour. and i think that proves that she is probably even more loved than most pop artists. and she reaches so many different "types" of people. i am primarily what one might call "goth" (for lack of a better word) because i frequent those types of clubs and listen to music such as skinny puppy and peter murphy, etc. and just about everyone i know in the scene loves tori. but i also know people who are more into the hippie lifestyle who love her. people in the house/rave lifestyle who love her. even some people who like mostly hip-hop and r&b that i went to high school with loved tori! so, why would she need to reach a larger audience? maybe that is ultimately her intention....i don't know! but i just don;t see why she would feel the need for that! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 12:01:46 -0500 From: "Nadyne Mielke" Subject: Re: Fw: Poor Tori... (rant) "Tony Fernandes" said: > I'm probably only speaking to 10% of you out there > because most people just don't understand true > audiophiles; people like me that can't truly enjoy > music unless it's on a supberb stereo system. When Aimee and I interviewed the Amos family archivist (see Little Blue World, volume 2 number 1, for the article), we had the opportunity to listen to his audio setup. He started off our discussion by asking each of us our favourite Tori songs. Aimee chose 'Putting the Damage On', I chose 'Sugar'. He played them for us on his $35,000 stereo system. It was a very very different experience hearing it on that system than it is on my pathetic little stereo at home, my even more pathetic stereo in my office, or my iPod MP3 player. There are so many nuances in the music that are lost when listening to the songs through an inferior system. This isn't to say that I'm about to give up my iPod or MP3s. Nothing beats the portability of having several thousand songs in my pocket, with ten hours of battery life. It makes the 13-hour flight from San Francisco to Sydney somewhat bearable. But if you think that MP3s are CD-quality, that may well be true, but it's only CD-quality as fed through a $40 boombox. It's not the same CD-quality that you get when you're listening to the songs on speakers that are worth more than my car. If any of y'all have an audiophile friend, ask to listen to your favourite song or CD on their system. It's truly an eye-opening experience. Although 'Sugar' is one of my favourite songs, the studio version never did anything for me. That changed when I heard it on that stereo, and realised the depth and layers to the music. /nm {LBW is at } ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 14:52:25 -0400 From: Cyndi S Crawford Subject: Re: Poor Tori... (rant) Topher said: "Absolutely !... I need to understand why people even just *like* "To Venus And Back"." I'll tell you why *I* like it, if I can.. firstly, I'm someone who has been a fan of people like Michael Jackson and the like for the last seven years (if not more). I enjoy songs that have a driving beat to them.. Datura is one of those songs that just.. (rofl, I know, I'm crazy! lol) just about literally gets me dancing in my seat--especially during movement two. As for the rest, I really do love it all, but the BEST thing about it is how it opens with the first three songs.. Bliss, and then Juarez.. After those two emotionally draining (to me at least) songs, it feels like a huge relief when Concertina comes on, and I almost literally go "WHEW!". Glory of the 80's.. who could NOT love a song where someone sings "Who do I gotta shag to get out of here?" lol.. Suede just plain sounds like a sweet song to me.. and finally.. 1,000 Oceans.. let's put it this way--my MOTHER likes it.. the big deal about it is.. she's been telling me all this time "I'm *trying* to like Tori too because I know how much you do, but half of it is noise to me." so her liking 1,000 Oceans is a rather big deal to me. :) I think it's a beautiful song, myself. I hope that explained at least why *I* enjoy TVAB. Sincerely, Cyndi S. Crawford http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/368/ciara_blaze.html -- http://learntothink0.tripod.com/learntothinkagain/ -- http://www.geocities.com/keyyooo/ -- http://www.platinumcomplication.com/cyndi/ -- http://www.cafepress.com/cp/store/store.aspx?storeid=kittitude Tori Amos' response when asked to describe herself in five words: "I. Do. Not. Describe. Myself." ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 15:05:08 -0400 From: Cyndi S Crawford Subject: Re: raspberry swirl is radio friendly? >i am primarily what one might call "goth" (for lack of a better word) because i frequent those types of clubs and listen to music such as skinny puppy and peter murphy, etc. and just about everyone i know in the scene loves tori. but i also know people who are more into the hippie lifestyle who love her. people in the house/rave lifestyle who love her. even some people who like mostly hip-hop and r&b that i went to high school with loved tori!< sweeeeet. Me, I generally prefer rock music.. I used to think I was big into stuff like rap, but lately, it's become redundant to me. Anyway, point is.. I like the idea that Tori doesn't need MTV's airplay-till-it's-overplayed method. Absolutely not.. what she DOES need, in my opinion, though.. is a doggoned GRAMMY! she's never gotten one before, right? she's been in the business too long to not have a freakin' Grammy! I'm sure part of her not having one has something to do with how well she tends to creep out the regular top-40 listener, but dang it.. get used to it, people! rofl.. Tori needs a Grammy, I say.. what do you guys think? ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 14:58:23 -0400 From: Cyndi S Crawford Subject: Re: Fw: Poor Tori... (rant) >I'm probably only speaking to 10% of you out there because most people just don't understand true audiophiles; people like me that can't truly enjoy music unless it's on a superb stereo system.< Funnily enough, when you consider my predicament, (I'm deaf in my right ear, and I have approximately 45%-50% hearing in my left ear) you may find it a little hard to believe that I insist on a certain sound setup with my music and with what I hear in general. I've had fits before, trying to get my hearing aid (it's digital) tweaked just right. And I've fiddled with my car stereo adjustments to where I like it, and somehow, I can tell if someone else has touched it.. *grr* lol.. just thought I'd mention that. Your comments on listening to "Putting The Damage On" in your car sounds sweet.. almost as if she were playing in your backseat, right? *grin* Sincerely, Cyndi S. Crawford http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/368/ciara_blaze.html -- http://learntothink0.tripod.com/learntothinkagain/ -- http://www.geocities.com/keyyooo/ -- http://www.platinumcomplication.com/cyndi/ -- http://www.cafepress.com/cp/store/store.aspx?storeid=kittitude Tori Amos' response when asked to describe herself in five words: "I. Do. Not. Describe. Myself." ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 12:49:24 -0700 From: Brian K Tanaka Subject: Re: Fw: Poor Tori... (rant) Nadyne Mielke typed the following words: > > to Sydney somewhat bearable. But if you think that > MP3s are CD-quality, that may well be true, but it's > only CD-quality as fed through a $40 boombox. It's > not the same CD-quality that you get when you're > listening to the songs on speakers that are worth more > than my car. And remember that CD audio is fundamentally lots of samples rather than a contiguous recording. What would be *insanely* amazing would be to have an analog recording of the analog master of an album to listen to whenever you want to on the aforementioned $35,000 stereo! But then I guess they don't actually make analog masters anymore, eh? On an unrelated topic: The latest Little Blue World (summer 2002) landed in my mailbox a few days ago and it's great, Nadyne. Thanks! - -- - -- -bt - -- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 15:50:10 -0400 (EDT) From: Richard Handal Subject: Re: Poor Tori... (rant) Mark said: > Well, I would think that she probably doesn't have too much control over > that, or does she? I have the impression that if she told Polly and Epic that she thought streamed audio was such bad sound quality over 56k modems that she didn't want them to ever employ it in marketing, that they would respect her wishes after going over the pros and cons with her to be sure the entire picture was being taken into consideration. I expect part of her lack of objection might be based on not being exposed to what it sounds like over a 56k modem. I doubt they demonstrate it to her over anything but a broadband connection (if they demonstrate it to her at all), so she probably has no idea what it sounds like to people with a 56k modem. It's also entirely possible that they just did that as a normal manner of doing promotion without asking her in advance. Atlantic made sound files available before with RealAudio, too, if I recall correctly. If she hated it she certainly seems not to have complained about it to Epic. Ya'll head over to the Dent, now, and read about the interview from this morning: Details about Tori's Interview on the Kevin and Bean show this morning on KROQ Radio Tori mentions that Scarlet's Walk will be used as a key to download additional b-sides. http://thedent.com/kevinbean081902.html Be seeing you, Richard Handal, H.G. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 21:40:52 +0100 From: "Mike Gray" Subject: Re: Poor Tori... (rant) > Details about Tori's Interview on the Kevin and Bean show this morning > on KROQ Radio Tori mentions that Scarlet's Walk will be used as a key > to download additional b-sides. OK, so now I'm angry. I know for a 99% certainty that the UK version will be copy protected with Sony's "Key 2 Audio" protection, which means no multimedia portion, which means no way of downloading additional B-Sides. Fellow UK fans who can't be bothered bowing to Sony's dumb policy, www.play.com sell imported US CDs at less than the UK store price, as do www.futureent.com although I'd choose the former. I've also been very happy with www.absound.ca Mike ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 17:06:55 -0400 (EDT) From: Richard Handal Subject: Re: Fw: Poor Tori... (rant) Brian said: > But then I guess they don't actually make analog masters anymore, eh? Mark's all about digital audio, yeah. I don't know the sample rate they record at, though, but it may be better than the CD sample rate, and if an LP master were made from that it could sound smoother than a CD. There's a wonderful (and very long) interview with Bob Ludwig about mastering records that I highly recommend to anyone interested in digital audio and how records are made these days: http://www.paudio.com/Pages/learning_Ludwig.html At turns fascinating, insightful, and sometimes even hilarious. A must read to my mind, but it's not for everyone. He goes on at great length about mastering at ultra high sample rates and that that translates somewhat to the final CD. This begins to approach sonic alchemy, but I have no doubt that he's correct about that stuff. (I think mainly there's an interplay at the level of the higher harmonics that can happen better with the higher sample rates such that the *result* can be translated to CD, whereas at a lower master sample rate this interaction of the higher harmonics doesn't even have an opportunity to happen at all in the first place; but now I'm starting to go way off the deep end here so I'll shut up about that.) Be seeing you, Richard Handal, H.G. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 17:51:25 -0700 From: guapo stick Subject: more radio tori according to this thread at the forum , tori will be on star 98.7 in los angeles this afternoon sometime between 3 and 7pm pt. star 98.7 has a live stream available at http://www.star987.com/main.html (though it does not support macs or netscape 6/mozilla). also, per this thread , tori will be on alice 97.3 in the san francisco bay area tomorrow at 1pm pt. alice's website is at . they do not appear to have a stream. woj ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 19:29:16 -0400 (EDT) From: Richard Handal Subject: Re: Poor Tori... (rant) Topher said: > Well, I just heard 4 other tracks from the upcoming album... and > still, it all sounds pretty rehashed to me. I don't know what else to say to you about this right now. You seem to be listening to this new music in relation to other music rather than just to this new music itself, and the music you're finding it to be in relation to is not music you have much respect for. I think as long as you or anyone else does that it's unlikely you'll enjoy it much. > All in all, let's just say that I don't think she's really going out > of her way anymore as far as song structures go. I'm having trouble understanding why that might be important to any listener of music. Most of the time when I hear people complain about certain albums and say "it doesn't have the [fill in the blank aspects] of [the name of another CD they liked a lot]" it seems to me they are bringing many expectations along with them when they listen to the album in question. One of the best things to me about her music is how much all the material *has* come from such different places over the years, and now, it seems to even be going through a sea change. I keep going back to Beatles records. Did the Beatles lose audience members when they got so psychedelic after being those lovable mop-tops at the beginning? I imagine they did; some people in their initial audience probably felt betrayed and abandoned, and others found the new orientation of their records to be a challenging and enlightening breath of fresh air, and probably some of the newer fans didn't care all that much for the earlier, less experimental, less unusually-structured material. I think almost everything the Beatles released was wonderful. I'm able to take each type of song on its own merits and hear the emotion speak to me. The only reason she's composed such structurally challenging songs in the past is that she thinks in a more linear sense a lot of the time than the usual songwriter who *does* tend to think in a verse-chorus-verse manner, and the unusual structures she came up with were a natural outgrowth of that mindset. I definitely believe she never sat down to write a song with a structure that would be perceived in any particular way just to impress anybody. > Am I really the only person to believe this on this list ? I can't speak for anyone else, but you may be the only one who seems to require some evidence that she's visibly expended some unusual mental effort into the kinds of structures she builds the music on, and I have to say I'm finding such a notion to be must curious. What about when she performs covers live? Did you ever get your ticket to the 30 Aug 2001 Union Chapel show that you posted asking for or did you see her in Paris on 27 Nov 2001? At each show she performed This Old Man. Did you sit there and grumble that she was playing a children's nursery rhyme and that the structure wasn't somehow challenging enough to engage you intellectually? I find there is a lot of scary emotion when she performs This Old Man live. I'm not trying to be sarcastic, here; you asked for our help to try to understand our feelings about some of the records and I'm asking for an explanation of how you're thinking about this thing you have complained about. I honestly am not seeing any sense in your complaints and need further details. I think you have more in mind than what you've expressed in your posts. > As for splashing cheap electronics left and right on some of them... (an > idea she pursued throughout "To Venus And Back") I believe it takes more > than using the latest synth's factory presets to make it impressive. I'm not sure why you seem to feel a need to *be* impressed. What about the emotion? Does not emotion come to you in cases when you are not intellectually impressed by song structure? If one requires impressive structure in the music they listen to does that mean they like to listen to a lot of avant garde "classical" composers such as Philip Glass and Steven Reich? > It's good to be a perfectionist but maybe she just needs another > sound engineer. How long has this one been around for ? Her husband Mark and Marcel have been engineering her records since Pele. They work as a team. You think she needs to fire her husband? *She's* the one *producing* these records. > I need to understand why people even just *like* "To Venus And Back". Well, I get a lot of emotion from it when I play it and I love the way it was recorded--it sounds pleasing to my ear. Glory gives me a sense of, well, glory when I listen to it, and it's funny besides. I find Josephine to be incredibly poignant. Lust has a touching sense of yearning about it. Suede has a lot of sensuality to it. Riot Poof brings a sense of freedom to me, like I'm standing on a rooftop with my arms outstretched. Datura effects a descent into some futuristic psychedelia, and then when Spring Haze comes on it changes the air to a total sonic clarity and makes me feel present in the here and now. I know a lot of people have complained about 1000 Oceans and I never did understand that. If people aren't moved by its naked emotion then I can't fathom what it is those people are looking for from music. Perhaps "challenging structure" is what they need. The idea of that eludes me. I can't understand what in The Princess Bride was supposed to be funny other than the joke about not getting into a war in Southeast Asia, so I've experienced this type of befuddlement in the past. But not now. > As for "Strange Little Girls", I'm not necessarily fascinated by the > eclectic choice of cover versions, but she made each track more > personal by building new moods around them without abusing of sound > effects. Definitely an improvement from "To Venus And Back" if you > ask me. I really loved SLG, and I played it on repeat as I'd never done for any other Tori album. > Cornflake Girl is downright radio-friendly (apart from a few things here > and there) but at least it doesn't make me think of Nelly Furtado or > Beverley Knight when I hear it (which is what I feel when I listen to > "Taxi Ride"). See, this is why I suspect you aren't dealing with these new songs on their own terms. You seem unable to stop having associations with other songs you find similar long enough to perceive them. Be seeing you, Richard Handal, H.G. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 15:57:55 -0700 From: "Missy" Subject: Re: more radio tori Well the anouncer just said that Tori will be on AFTER 5PM Pacific Time. Is anyone who lives in the Los Angeles area, or can record this off the stream going to be listening? I would love to..But I have to drive to school at 5pm and will be in class...so I don't get to hear her. =[ - ----- Original Message ----- From: "guapo stick" To: ; "fiercest clams" ; ; Sent: Monday, August 19, 2002 5:51 PM Subject: more radio tori > according to this thread at the forum http://atforumz.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=148238 >, tori will be on > star 98.7 in los angeles this afternoon sometime between 3 and 7pm pt. > star 98.7 has a live stream available at http://www.star987.com/main.html > (though it does not support macs or netscape 6/mozilla). ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 00:46:31 +0100 From: "ForgottenSecret" Subject: RE: Poor Tori... (rant) The only thing I have to say on the matter is, each one of Tori's albums were different in some way. Give the girl a break just because she signs to a commercial album and her new music is silightly commercial doesn't mean it was done for that reason. Tori has moved in the direction that is comfortable for her - Respect that. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 00:55:03 +0000 From: "Aileen Sharkie" Subject: Re: Poor Tori... (rant) Don't forget Josephine! That song is so emotional and really gets to me, especially when you consider the context of the song. >From: Cyndi S Crawford > I hope that explained at least why *I* enjoy TVAB. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 21:25:46 -0400 From: "Danielle Cipriano" Subject: Re: more radio tori You could listen on the web. She WAS on. It was so bad. Ryan Seacrest wouldn't shut up. Dink is making an MP3 of it it will be posted very soon. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 22:23:27 -0400 From: Yessaid@aol.com Subject: Tori on Star 98.7 I transcribed the Star 98.7 interview from 8-19-02 if anyone's interested. www.yessaid.com/frames.html Scroll down to "Radio interviews" and they're in chronological order. jsson ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 22:35:27 -0400 From: "trent.easyjournal.com" Subject: Tori on Kevin and Bean (report) The following was posted to an Alanis Morissette mailing list and I'm just sending it along trent - -------------- Kevin and Bean started their 9:00 hour off with a hard rock song. (I forgot which one, I was too excited for Tori's attendance) Then they got on the air and started by saying that Tori Amos had a new album coming out on October 15th, called Scarlet's Walk. Then played "A Sorta Fairytale". After that they came back on, stating "that was the unmistakable voice of Tori Amos" with a new album coming out on October 29th, called Scarlet's Walk. Darn, I was getting excited about the closer release date. They welcomed her on the show. She replied that it was good to see them. (Tori, Kevin and Bean have spoken on several occasions, and have a great rapport.)They asked something about how things were going. She replied that the biggest thing going on right now is potty training, apparently her daughter is doing well with it. Kevin and Bean were quick with the potty humor, to which Tori replied, "Oh Dear". "I'll talk about porn, not bodily functions... lip gloss is about as far as I go". She spoke about the baby in the living room wanting to go potty and watch "Harry Potter" (The name of the film in an adorable British accent). Soon started the questions about living in England. She said that it was her husband's idea, that they were here part of the time, worked here, met here. He doesn't want to live there (here). She stated that it rains all the time, that he lets her go on vacations with her friend when she can't stand it anymore, that he loves being there; and also that love makes you do things. The KROQ crew asked her if she missed it, cause she has lived here all her life, when she said "Of course", and that she got "care packages". They asked what her favorite items were, and she replied "Cinnamon toothpaste by Toms", she really loves that stuff. They got into September 11th. They asked her how she felt about it, being in another country, seeing it from the other side. She rebutted that she was in New York City on the 11th. (Apparently they didn't know that). She continued touring when everyone else cancelled, saying that the people needed it. She watched their masks came down, people came out and starting talking; asking questions. Her mother said that nobody has really asked questions like that, since WWII, since Pearl Harbor. She also talked about when she went back to Europe, that Europe was with us (using a very Tori-like phrase) "almost like a Good Sister"; but that Europe is now saying, we stood with you, don't take it too far. She said a big difference between here and there is that Europe reads about foreign policies a lot more than Americans do. KROQ said that they heard that England was kind of looking at us like a "Big Bully", to which Tori replied "That's right". She said that a generation needs to rise ! and pay attention to what is going on in this country. "Perhaps those in college now". That someone needs to find what they are doing to the US, how they are "Pimping Her out" (Another classic Tori-ism). When Kevin and Bean started talking the usual smack about their listening audience, Tori simply replied "I have faith in them, at least they can put together a sentence". KROQ admitted that they had gotten off track, were there to talk about the record, and the new record label. They'd get back on course after the break. They come back from the break, after a "Cornflake Girl" interlude. They are now telling us that Tori hates Alaska, Tori defending. The conversation is a jumbled mess with everyone talking over everyone, and Tori trying to get them to tell the listening public what they were talking about, but the subject moves to the album. Scarlet is of course the character, going across all the states; "Slowly, West to East". Scarlet is on a road trip. Kevin and Bean start talking about how it isn't an ordinary road trip, hitting truck stops and stuff, but a "mission". Tori replies with a "Yeah, but she passes a few Truck Stops on the way". She said that she got the idea for the album last year on tour, that she started seeing things, and places differently. She said every place was different, that the mood was different in every city. She said that in Cleveland (where most everyone is on the "Left" side) they were asking questions, like "Why does everybody hate us"? On the other hand, other cities were angry, especially those with military. (At this comment, Kevin and Bean kept mentioning San Diego, probably because of the huge USMC base down there). Tori would not name names (very diplomatic, I think). She spoke of how New York, Boston and D.C. were in mourning, that a lot of them had lost someone, and that those places were approached in another way than others, with a "Candle-light Vigil" type atmosphere. Also the set list was made to be appropriate with the mood. Tori said that there was a "Seed planted after 9/11." That people started seeing "America as a soul, as a being, mother, love sister." That "She is a being, a living essence" as the Native Americans have always believed. She stated that she has spoken with Native Americans recently, and they have said "Now is the time for people who own the land and hold the land need to come together". For Earth. She said that so many things were going through her, that she couldn't comprehend it all. "Scarlet is a thread that goes through me", and sometimes out of her, apparently. She spoke of a song where Scarlet goes out of her when she is entering a train from Boston to New York, and that Scarlet follows another woman on another plane; one that never makes it to New York. The thread then comes back to her, bringing a profound sadness with it. (Wow, Deep... but then again, isn't that Tori?) Kevin (or Bean, I can never tell them apart) says that he usually fixates on one song in a record, and plays it over and over. He asks her if she would not recommend it on this one, if he should try and listen to it all the way through. Her advice to this is simple, "Go driving with it" that's how it was made, and how it was intended to be. She says that you can make it to Palm Springs and back, that its a "Looong record". (YIPEEEE!!!) They go on about her changing her record label. She had 15 years at Atlantic, they wanted to know why she changed. She said that she still had dear friends there, but that they had different ideas. She said that it was like a marriage with no more conjugal visits, and that the company got to have affairs with other artists; said that she didn't get any, "not even the pool boy"! She said that she could only sing to her mother, other than them. Epic (the person she mentioned there was named Polly) asked her just to do what she did, then added "but do it well". Tori said she'd try. Bean (or is it Kevin? What do I know?) asked her if they put up with the "Fairy B.S." She asked if they'd ever been to Ireland. She said that if you "diss faeries, they'll kick your behind". Then she dared them to go into a pub in Ireland at midnight, and yell "FAERIES SUCK!" and we'll see what they do to you. They dropped the subject, put up with the "Fairy B.S." Tori went into very interesting features of the knew album. She said that the cd was a key to Scarlet's Web. A series of maps, extra tracks, and only Tori knows what else. Maybe they are all one thing. Technology is amazing kiddos. She said that she could only fit so many maps, but that it makes Scarlet come alive. That you "Know where she went, just not who she slept with on the way". She didn't go to Alaska, yet. She said she is still working on the cd, which is why it is coming out so late. (KROQ asked her why she was making us wait so long) I think that has to do with the earlier remarks about her hating Alaska; that she still hasn't been there. They then wrapped up the show, Kevin and Bean telling her what a pleasure it was having her there. Tori's final words: "You are both very naughty. Bye". ___ "there was me, that is tony, and my droog, that is trent. and we sat in the korova kylie-bar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening. the korova kylie-bar sold kylie-plus, kylie-plus-vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking. this is what would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ULTRA-KYLIE... " - --Tony Cusumano inspired by Anthony Burgess ------------------------------ End of precious-things-digest V7 #186 *************************************