Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes

The project officially begins!

Since it was Little Earthquakes that inspired this blog, it seems only fitting that I start with this album. First, a little history:

Little Earthquakes was Tori Amos's first effort at a solo album, after the dissolution of her band Y Kant Tori Read. In 1990, Amos approached Atlantic Records with a 10-song demo tape which included early versions of songs which would later appear on Little Earthquakes. Some of the songs on this demo tape were dropped in favour of new compositions, and the full 12-track album was released on January 13th 1992 in the UK and February 25th 1992 in the US. The tracklist is as follows:

1. Crucify

2. Girl

3. Silent All These Years

4. Precious Things

5. Winter

6. Happy Phantom

7. China

8. Leather

9. Mother

10. Tear In Your Hand

11. Me And A Gun

12. Little Earthquakes

Really, I'm just crazy about this album. Up until I listened to it, I was only ever vaguely familiar with Tori Amos. I already knew 'Crucify', but only because Sharon del Adel of Within Temptation (a band I've been following for many years) once performed a live cover of it. However, apart from this I didn't know what Amos was really about. I really didn't know what I was missing.

Ok, maybe I'm biased because I generally love this kind of music - her vocals are incredibly weird and this is something that usually hooks me. But apart from this, I think the songs themselves stand up to scrutiny. 

'Crucify' is a strong opener, as it's probably the easiest song on the album to listen to. It's poppy, yet still unique - and the religious imagery in the lyrics makes it interesting. The underlying arpeggios in the piano during the pre-chorus make for a great sound, and the addictive descending motif in the melody as Amos sings "Chaiiiiinnnns" is nothing short of brilliant. No wonder it was released as a single.

'Girl', while not my favourite song on the album, is still a good follow-up. The opening piano riff is simple, but the minor tonality and soft timbre sets up the reflective and melancholic mood instantly. It's present throughout the verse then, which makes it more memorable. The chorus is catchy, and the gradual dynamic increase in the bridge is effective.

I really loved 'Silent All These Years'. The lush string accompaniment and Amos's gentle vocal go really well together, and the tonally-fragile piano introduction is interesting - whenever it re-enters the song, it breaks away from the otherwise normal sound. Every time I listen to this song, the same line stands out: 'So you found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts. What's so amazing about really deep thoughts?'. Really great stuff.

'Precious Things' is where the albums starts to get weird... and I love it! The opening is so eerie and the piano is haunting. The verse is gentle, which is great because the chorus is much more rough - the contrast is fantastic. Plus, at the end of the chorus, Amos releases a note of pure emotion; it's not sung to any lyrics, it's just a cry of anguish. Brilliant.

'Winter' is probably one of my favourites off the album, if not my favourite. I guess it's not much more than a sentimental piano-pop ballad, but it's so damn good. In the future, if somebody tells me that they haven't heard of Tori Amos, this is the song I'm going to recommend. Again, the strings make the song. The imagery is also great, especially with lines like 'I run off where the drifts get deeper' - it's so dark, I just love it. It's a powerful song - honestly, if you don't know it, go look it up. Go now... I'll wait.

'Happy Phantom' is a necessary song after the chilling tear-fest that is 'Winter'. It's very upbeat, and overall a quirky song. Instead of the eerie nature of the piano that Amos evokes continually throughout the album, the piano is jaunty and energetic in this song. The lyrics are also pretty funny: 'And if I die today, I'll be the happy phantom, and I'll go chasing the nuns out in the yard'.

'China' is a good song, but it's the one I usually skip past. I don't really have much to say about this one; it's fine and a strong composition, but it's just not my taste. I feel like it lacks the mysterious mood that the rest of the album is steeped in.

'Leather' is great. It's edgy and doesn't hold back, and this makes it a really good song in my opinion. Amos is seductive and oozes confidence, and the scant use of electric guitar adds to this in-your-face sexuality that is inherent in both the music and the lyrics. The jazzy piano solo is also frickin' awesome!

I like 'Mother' more than 'China', but I still don't like it nearly as much as the majority of the songs on the album. I think it's a bit too long for what it is - it's just not as interesting as some of the other songs. It's still an ok song, but in my opinion it's one of the weakest tracks on the album.

There's something about 'Tear In Your Hand' that I really like. Yeah, it's a little bit overly sentimental-sounding. But who cares? The closing tracks that follow it are completely different from it, and much less conventional. For this reason, the song works really well in terms of how it fits into the album as a whole - one last sentimental ballad before Amos starts to explore some darker themes and experiments with her music a little.

'Me And A Gun' is the song that made me LOVE this album. It's just Amos singing without any accompaniment - and it's one of the most honest songs I've ever heard. It's purely mind-blowing; honestly, any description I could give wouldn't do it justice. It just has to be heard. The lyrics are amazing. Lines such as 'You can laugh, it's kind of funny the things you think of in times like these; like I haven't seen Barbados, so I must get out of this' and 'Yes I wore a slinky red thing, does that mean I should spread?' will stick with me for a long time.

'Little Earthquakes' is the closing song, and it's a strong end for the album. The vocal harmonies are consistently beautiful, and the echoed drums help to create a sense of disembodiment. The electric guitar, working in tandem with the piano, creates a brilliant edge. The chant-like vocals, coupled with the lyrics 'Give me life, give me pain, give me myself again', make the song sound epic. Overall, it's just a great song that needs to be heard.

Final rating: 8/10

My favourite songs: 'Crucify', 'Winter', 'Me And A Gun', and 'Little Earthquakes'.

In my next post, I'll be discussing Don McLean's American Pie.

1000 albums to go!