A Piano: The Collection

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A Piano: The Collection
Box set by Tori Amos
Released	September 26, 2006 (U.S.)
Recorded	1991 - 2006
Genre	Alternative
Label	Rhino Records
Producer(s)	Tori Amos
Tori Amos chronology
The Beekeeper (2005)	A Piano: The Collection (2006)	Untitled 2007 studio album (2007)

A Piano: The Collection is a five-disc, career-spanning box set by Tori Amos. Released on September 26, 2006 by Rhino Records, the set consists of classics, rarities, demos, B-sides and the unreleased songs "Not David Bowie", "Zero Point", "Walk to Dublin", "Peeping Tommi", "Ode to My Clothes", "Take Me With You" and "Dolphin Song".

The compilation's first disc includes an extended version of Amos's 1992 debut, Little Earthquakes. The original record has not only a different song sequence and alternate mixes but it features its four original B-sides ("Upside Down" and "Sweet Dreams," and alternate mixes of "Flying Dutchman" and "Take to the Sky") as well as the previously unreleased, unedited single remix version of "Crucify".

Spotlighting music recorded between 1994 and 1996, the second disc includes songs from Under the Pink and Boys for Pele. The eighteen tracks blend original and remixed versions of albums cuts with the B-side "Honey" and "Professional Widow" performed live. Also included is "Take Me With You", an unreleased song intended for Little Earthquakes.

The third disc also includes songs associated with Boys for Pele plus 1999’s To Venus and Back and Tales of a Librarian: A Tori Amos Collection. The fifteen songs feature original and remixed versions of album tracks as well as "Hey Jupiter" (Dakota Version) and "Professional Widow" (Armand's Star Trunk Funkin’ Mix). Also featured is "Walk to Dublin (Sucker Reprise)", an unreleased track from the Boys for Pele sessions.

From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998), Scarlet's Walk (2002) and The Beekeeper (2005) are the focus of the fourth disc, which contains fifteen songs including original and remixed versions of album tracks. Also featured is the unheard intro for "Marys of the Sea" (from The Beekeeper) as well as five previously unreleased songs. In the liner notes, Amos writes:

"Some songs seem to have a timeline for when they want to be finished and put out to the world. At the time when we were working on 'Dolphin Song', I had all kinds of ideas for her development after the basic tracking had been done. Instead she got set aside for a while. But once we started to go through the tape library we put 'Dolphin' up on the faders again, and I realized we didn’t need to record anything else; it was finished."

The final disc features twenty-two tracks spotlighting Amos's list of renowned B-sides and includes the exclusive digital release "Merman" from 1999 ("Merman" would later appear on No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees). It also includes popular B-sides such as "Cooling," "Purple People," "Bachelorette," and "Here. In My Head." Amos also invites listeners into her artistic process with a medley of demos for the songs "Fire-Eater’s Wife/Beauty Queen", "Playboy Mommy" and "A Sorta Fairytale". Amos explains in the liner notes:

"I’m usually pretty reticent to expose the musical development process... The demo medley was a choice I made so that other songwriters can feel an affinity with the idea that songwriters have to push themselves and not just accept the first incarnation that you are presented with. Each of these three songs are presented here in their completed form somewhere within the box set so you can see conception to development."

Contents 1 Errors in the Printed Tracklist 2 Track listing 2.1 Disc A 440 Hz 2.1.1 Little Earthquakes extended 2.2 Disc B 493.88 Hz 2.2.1 Pink and Pele 2.3 Disc C 523.25 Hz 2.3.1 Pele, Venus and Tales 2.4 Disc D 587.33 Hz 2.4.1 Scarlet, Beekeeper and Choirgirl 2.5 Disc E 659.26 Hz 2.5.1 Bonus B-Sides 3 B-sides & Rarities Not Included in this Compilation

[edit] Errors in the Printed Tracklist

The track list incorrectly labels "Purple People" as being the b-side version from the "Spark" single, when the version featured here is the live soundcheck version from To Venus and Back.

Likewise, the version of "Take To the Sky" featured here is a different mix than the one actually released as a b-side on the "Winter" e.p. The alternate mix on this compilation is mostly noticeably different in that it does not have the backing vocals on the second chorus or during the outro.

Other errors in the printed tracklist may also be present.

[edit] Track listing

[edit] Disc A 440 Hz

[edit] Little Earthquakes extended

1. "Leather" (Alternate Mix)
2. "Precious Things" (Alternate Mix)
3. "Silent All These Years" (Remastered)
4. "Upside Down" (Remastered)
5. "Crucify" (Unedited Single Version)
6. "Happy Phantom" (Remastered)
7. "Me and a Gun" (Remastered)
8. "Flying Dutchman" (Alternate Mix)
9. "Girl" (Remastered)
10. "Winter" (Remastered)
11. "Take to the Sky" (Altenate Mix - Not identified as such on packaging)
12. "Tear in Your Hand" (Remastered)
13. "China" (Remastered)
14. "Sweet Dreams" (Remastered)
15. "Mother" (Alternate Mix) (Remastered)
16. "Little Earthquakes" (Remastered)

[edit] Disc B 493.88 Hz

[edit] Pink and Pele

1. "Cornflake Girl" (Remastered)
2. "Honey" (Remastered)
3. "Take Me with You"
4. "Baker Baker" (Alternate Mix)
5. "The Waitress" (Alternate Mix)
6. "Pretty Good Year" (Remastered)
7. "God" (Remastered)
8. "Cloud on My Tongue" (Remastered)
9. "Past the Mission" (Alternate Mix)
10. "Bells for Her" (Remastered)
11. "Yes, Anastasia" (Alternate Mix)
12. "Blood Roses" (Remastered)
13. "Mr. Zebra" (Remastered)
14. "Caught a Lite Sneeze" (Alternate Mix)
15. "Professional Widow" (Merry Widow Version – Live) (Remastered)
16. "Beauty Queen/Horses" (Remastered)
17. "Father Lucifer" (Remastered)
18. "Marianne" (Remastered)

[edit] Disc C 523.25 Hz

[edit] Pele, Venus and Tales

1. "Walk to Dublin" (Sucker Reprise)
2. "Hey Jupiter" (Dakota Version) (Remastered)
3. "Professional Widow" (Armand's Star Trunk Funkin' Mix) (Remastered)
4. "Putting the Damage On" (Remastered)
5. "Bliss" (Remixed Version)
6. "Suede" (Remastered)
7. "Glory of the 80's" (Remastered)
8. "1000 Oceans" (Remastered)
9. "Concertina" (Single Remix Version)
10. "Lust" (Remastered)
11. "Datura" (Remastered)
12. "Sugar" (Live from Soundcheck) (Remastered)
13. "The Waitress" (Live) (Remastered)
14. "Snow Cherries from France" (Remastered)
15. "Doughnut Song" (Remixed Version)

[edit] Disc D 587.33 Hz

[edit] Scarlet, Beekeeper and Choirgirl

1. "A Sorta Fairytale" (Remastered)
2. "Not David Bowie"
3. "Amber Waves" (Remastered)
4. "i i e e e" (Remixed Version)
5. "Playboy Mommy" (Remixed Version)
6. "The Beekeeper" (Remastered)
7. "Jackie's Strength" (Remastered)
8. "Zero Point"
9. "Sweet the Sting" (Remastered)
10. "Ode to My Clothes"
11. "Spark" (Remastered)
12. "Intro Jam/Marys of the Sea"
13. "Cruel" (Remixed Version)
14. "Dolphin Song"
15. "Gold Dust" (Remastered)

[edit] Disc E 659.26 Hz

[edit] Bonus B-Sides

1. "The Pool" (Remastered)
2. "Never Seen Blue" (Remastered)
3. "Daisy Dead Petals" (Remastered)
4. "Beulah Land" (Remastered)
5. "Sugar" (Remastered)
6. "Cooling" (Remastered)
7. "Bachelorette" (Remastered)
8. "Black Swan" (Remastered)
9. "Mary" (Tales Version) (Remastered)
10. "Peeping Tommi"
11. "Toodles Mr. Jim" (Remastered)
12. "Fire-Eater’s Wife/Beauty Queen" (Demo)
13. "Playboy Mommy" (Demo)
14. "A Sorta Fairytale" (Demo)
15. "This Old Man" (Remastered)
16. "Purple People" (Remastered Soundcheck Version - Not identified as such on the packaging)
17. "Here, in My Head" (Remastered)
18. "Hungarian Wedding Song" (Remastered)
19. "Merman" (Remastered)
20. "Sister Janet" (Remastered)
21. "Home on the Range" (Cherokee Edition) (Remastered)
22. "Frog on My Toe" (Remastered)

[edit] B-sides & Rarities Not Included in this Compilation

Fans may also want to note the significant number of b-sides which weren't included on this compilation. No reason has been provided for their absence, though the artist has commented on the deterioration of the original masters of various tracks -- thus the "alternate mixes" being chosen for the compilation. Here is a list of officially released b-sides and rarities which were not included:

1. "I'm On Fire"
2. "Purple People (Christmas in Space)" (b-side version)
3. "Take to the Sky" (original b-side version)
4. "Flying Dutchman" (original b-side version)
5. "Siren" (soundtrack)
6. "Blue Skies" (collaboration with BT)
7. "Graveyard" (b-side)
8. "Butterfly" (soundtrack)
9. "Losing My Religion" (soundtrack)
10. "All the Girls Hate Her" (b-side)
11. "Over It" (b-side)
12. "Song for Eric" (b-side)
13. "A Case of You" (b-side)
14. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (b-side)
15. "Ode to the Banana King" (b-side)
16. "Humpty Dumpty" (b-side)
17. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (b-side)
18. "Angie" (b-side)
19. "Thank You" (b-side)
20. "Samurai" (b-side)
21. "Amazing Grace / Til the Chicken" (b-side)
22. "That's What I Like, Mick (The Sandwich Song)" (b-side)
23. "Sister Named Desire" (b-side)
24. "Alamo" (b-side)
25. "Tootles Mr. Jim" (b-side)
26. "Thoughts" (b-side)
27. "Operation Peter Pan" (b-side)
28. "Mountain" (internet-only b-side)
29. "London Girls" (b-side)
30. "Garlands" (bonus DVD track)
31. "Ruby Through the Looking-Glass" (b-side)
32. "Seaside" (b-side)
33. "Bug a Martini" (b-side)
34. "Apollo's Frock" (b-side)
35. "Tombigbee" (b-side)
36. "Indian Summer" (b-side)
37. "Carnival" (soundtrack)
38. "Murder She Said" (soundtrack)
39. "You Belong to Me" (soundtrack)
40. "If Six Were Nine" (b-side)
41. "Strange Fruit" (b-side)
42. "After All" (b-side)
43. "Only Women Bleed" (b-side)
44. "Do It Again" (b-side)

(plus various live tracks, remixes, and early tracks)

Albums by Tori Amos

Y Kant Tori Read | Little Earthquakes | Under the Pink | Boys for Pele | From the Choirgirl Hotel | To Venus and Back | Strange Little Girls | Scarlet's Walk | Tales of a Librarian | The Beekeeper | A Piano: The Collection | Tori Amos' 2007 studio album Official Bootlegs Auditorium Theatre Chicago, IL 4/15/05 | Royce Hall Auditorium Los Angeles, CA 4/25/05 | Paramount Theatre Denver, CO 4/19/05 | Manchester Apollo Manchster, UK 6/5/05 | Hammersmith Apollo London, UK 6/04/05 | Bank of America Pavilion Boston, MA 8/21/05