Monnie1976's Full Review: Tales of a Librarian: A Tori Amos Collection [CD &...
Tori Amos, whether she’s a raging nymph with the wail of a banshee or a quiet, introspective intellect with a pen, is showcased on a fantastic greatest hits compilation titled Tales of A Librarian. The funny thing is in the whole of her career she has had very few hits in the billboard sense of the world but these are definitely the memorable moments from the following albums. Because of the massive volumes of her material no matter what she decided to put on this someone’s favorite is going to get left off. I feel the songs she included are all representative of her best work though and most of them were obvious.
Little Earthquakes: Precious Things, Silent All These Years, Crucify, Tear In Your Hand, Me And A Gun, and Winter
Little Earthquakes was the first and most emotional (in my humble opinion) album from Tori Amos and a total of six selections make it onto Tales of A Librarian. “Precious Things” is a powerful song with its haunting and brooding piano, biting lyrics and the emotion coursing through its musical veins. The lyrics are fantastic and paint a picture of rejection and the nostalgia of pain. “Silent All These Years” is an amazing lyrical, emotional and musical journey and the song that made me fall in love with Amos as a talent. “Crucify” is a song I can definitely relate to and is all about people being hard on themselves and how hard it is for the spirit when you are constantly chaining yourself down with your own expectations. With brilliant lyrics like “Got enough guilt to start my own religion” this song is an intelligent look at the nature of human beings. “Me And A Gun” is a powerful song with no music. A vivid depiction of a woman’s thoughts after experiencing rape, this song is chilling and candid in a way only the bravest person could be. “Tear In Your Hand” is a song I can feel every time the first line comes on. “All the world just stopped now, so you say you don’t want to stay together any more”. All the doubts, confusions and heart ache of a sudden break up are portrayed with an aching lyrical and musical accuracy that is almost psychic. Finally, off this album we have the beautiful and forlorn “Winter”. Simply a piano and a voice, this song is about emotional distance and isolation. This is the album that is represented most on this greatest hits compilation.
Under The Pink: Cornflake Girl, Baker Baker, Pretty Good Year (DVD) and God
Under The Pink, with its religious and philosophical undertones, was a very interesting album. “God”, though considered blasphemous by some, is a brilliant look that questions the concept of God and how he like many other men may need a female looking after him to get the job done. It’s a fascinating blend of feminism and religion. “Baker Baker” is a sorrowful little song using the metaphors of baking to talk about love and abandonment. “Cornflake Girl” is a very interesting song but I never have been quite sure what it means. I guess you just have to take your own meaning about it. The piano is lilting and at times stilted with some pretty cryptic lyrics. Finally, on the DVD portion of this collection is “Pretty Good Year” which is one of my personal favorites from this particular album. The piano is beautiful, the strings are moving and the lyrics have a lot of meaning.
Boys For Pele: Professional Widow, Mr. Zebra, Way Down and Putting The Damage On (DVD)
A remix of “Professional Widow” gives this originally scathing song rumored to be directed towards Courtney Love a club vibe. I like the original better because such a generic treatment obliterates the bizarre art of the original. “Way Down” is probably one of the more straightforward songs off Boys For Pele and is a gentle, almost Gospel affair with a choir towards the end of the song. Another great choice. “Mr. Zebra” is a very eccentric little ditty that really makes no sense but its still fun and musically clever with its quirky piano, brass section with way more music sophistication than the lyrics probably deserve. Finally, “Putting The Damage On” is a very emotional song towards the end of the original album. Here it is featured on the DVD portion of the album. Basically, her boyfriend has left her for another girl and she talks about him putting the damage on. It’s another great song. I honestly would have included “Caught A Light Sneeze” or “Hey Jupiter” from this album but her choices are good songs as well.
From The Choirgirl Hotel: Spark, Playboy Mommy, Jackie’s Strength, Northern Lad (DVD)
“Spark” is a very different feel from previous songs and this album was a lot different than the first three albums. Moving away from the piano, this song has a more alternative sound with a guitar and some interesting percussion. The music is still good but it moves in a different direction. The lyrics to “Spark” sound like they are about a miscarriage and are powerful despite the more distant treatment musically. “Playboy Mommy” isn’t one of my favorites off this album but its obvious Tori really likes this song. “Jackie’s Strength” is one of my favorites with the piano making an appearance in full glory with beautiful strings and a great story behind the lyrics.
To Venus And Back: Bliss
“Bliss” is the only inclusion from To Venus and Back but it is a good song and probably one of my favorites off the album. The piano is brooding and the song was an excellent opener for this album. Any song with an opening with line “Father, I killed my monkey” is going to tap into my creative side I guess.
The clincher for this album is the strength of the new material. I personally think these songs are some of the best she has done in awhile. “Angels” is a beautiful song that sounds like it could be successful on the radio. A great variety of instruments with lovely lyrics and a very pleasing melody, this song is a wonderful addition to a greatest hits album. “Snow Cherries From France” is a great little story of love and its loss and it lilts and the lyrics are very visual and effective. “Mary” is a very interesting song with picturesque lyrics once again telling an interesting story. “Sweet Dreams” is another favorite of the new material featured on the album. The lyrics are kind of sassy and delivered with a blues style and the choir is sweet and lilting in contrast. The best way I can describe it is a cross between Aerosmith and Sarah Mclachlan, with Tori’s classic piano strokes.
I highly recommend this album to pretty much anyone. If you are a big Tori fan this is a nice big snow cherry to top your fairy cake. If you are a casual fan most of her best material is here for a consistent and interesting listen. The new material makes it worth the investment. The DVD portion is mildly interesting with a picture gallery and a sound check performance of about five songs.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
![Tales of a Librarian: A Tori Amos Collection [CD & DVD][Atlantic] by Tori Amos](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/46/f6/99/2002262366-177x150-0-0.jpg)
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.