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There was some discussion about Tori Amos a few weeks ago, and her then up-coming new release, The Beekeeper.

It was released here on monday in two formats, usual CD, and also a limited CD with DVD and 24 page booklet.

The DVD is a 25 minute interview in which Tori talks about the inspiration to the album, and guides us through most of the songs individually. This gave me a good grounding for listening to the album.

The album itself is Tori's best since From The Choirgirl Hotel. I don't think there is a single bad song on it. There are too many songs, which could have been B sides I suppose, and some songs have faults or are too drawn out, but in essence they are all good songs.

Tori has experimented with different musical influences on this album. There is a lot of hammond organ playing which gives it a jazzy sound. Also a lot of latin influences as well as gospel and even Irish.

Stand out tracks for me include :

Parasol
Sweet The Sting
The Power Of Orange Knickers
Barons Of Suburbia
Cars and Guitars
Witness
The Beekeper
Martha's Foolish Ginger
Hoochie Woman

It is Tori's best work in a long time and will be floating around my little cottage for a long time to come.

Last week she was "Album of the Week" on the national radio here, but I'm still waiting for it in stores. Although I do want limited edition with DVD, but who can wait for that (Ltd vesrions usualy comes month or two after the regular release). Can't wait.

It will be well worth the wait. The more I hear this album, the more I like it. I think it may actually be my favourite of Tori's albums, though I would probably get shot down for saying that on most of the Tori forums.

A "Toast" on that, Dylan: Fans are always a bit strange about the latest album, when the "idol" isn't satisfied with just repeating previous recipes of success... (Ask Dylan, ask Cohen...)

tom

Have you heard the album then tom.d.stiller? What did you think of the song 'Toast'? It took me a few listens to warm to it for some reason. The general thought seems to be that Tori wrote it about her brother Michael who was killed in a road accident a few months ago.

Hi Dylan,

I'm checking in from a hotel (cheap junk they have for computer stuff) anyway, I just wanted to tell you that you should have your own site, with special page for NS. You are obviously so knowledgable - you've given me ideas for stuff to look for down in this Vast Cultural Mediucum??? (New word? - doesn't matter - I like it).

See you when I get home
(I hate missing anything)
Linda.

Thanks for the compliment Linda. It is something I will work on when I get a new computer.

Dylan -

may your new computer arrive soon!

I got "The beekeeper", but I didn't yet listen to it. Usually I start with reading the lyrics, and after a couple of days I listen to the record. Tori's latest album is scheduled for a first listen Saturday night. Maybe after that I'll add my penny to this thread again.

Cheers for now

tom

Hi Guys,

While I'm in this hotel of Sand and Fog, I will take a mosey downtown and find a Tori CD. So there!

Linda.

Hey! Appropos of nothing, I just saw the header on this thread. Aparist?

Linda.

lololol

Dylan wrote:Have you heard the album then tom.d.stiller? What did you think of the song 'Toast'? It took me a few listens to warm to it for some reason. The general thought seems to be that Tori wrote it about her brother Michael who was killed in a road accident a few months ago.

Now I listened to the album, Dylan. I could relate to "Toast" immediately, though I have my doubts that it's "about" her brother's death. Maybe - because one loss can stand up for the other - "Toast" has been triggered by the fatal accident, but I believe there's - at least - one other story, possibly uncommunicated as yet, behind it.

The "Dalhousie Castle" stanza makes me doubt, and the way she sings:

The flames you stirred
Yes, you could stir

On the other hand I always believed that the biographical approach to poetry or song must fall short of anything worth approaching at all.

I like the way the toast itself ("I raise a glass...") spirals: Tori singing, and inside the song "Mr. Bojangles" suggesting to make a toast, and inside this "inner toast" "Mr. Bojangles" says "It's time to let you go / Let you go", and her singing voice slightly breaking when rendering these lines...

The structure of the words exactly mirrors the way the mourning process (for one loss or the other) works: though it seems to repeat itself in endless circles, it really spirals down to the essence of "letting go". But even in letting go something remains:

I thought I'd see you again
You said you might do
Maybe in a carving
In a cathedral
Somewhere in Barcelona

The rest of the album is a good listen, and probably some of the songs will grow on me with time, but "Toast" immediately found me.

Cheers
tom

Thankyou for writing that Tom. It almost made me cry for some reason. I'll certainly hear the song differently now.

Sadly and with no real excuse except, lack of money, time and opportunity, I did not get my Tori record this trip. I'm sure I can find something by her, here in my little city, and shall do so. The one with
'Toast' on it will definitely be my choice.

I did acquire a rather strange well, for want of a better word, acquisition. It is Has Been by William Shatner. The man as finally figured out that people have been laughing at him for years. He's decided to join them (he's pretending he got the joke all along, but I doubt it). I haven't played it or anything else yet, but it should add a bit of twinkle to my collection.

Dylan, tom always writes long and touching posts. Get a box of kleenex or even two, as he turns on the waterworks in us all.

Linda.

linda_lakeside wrote:Dylan, tom always writes long and touching posts. Get a box of kleenex or even two, as he turns on the waterworks in us all.

Am I really that bad?

One more note: "Mr. Bojangles", of course, is a reference to Jerry Jeff Walker's great song. You all know that. I just wanted to tell you that my favourite rendition of that song is on one of David Bromberg's albums, a live recording, by the way. You didn't know that.

Cheers
tom