Little Earthquakes
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| Little Earthquakes | ||
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| Studio album by Tori Amos | ||
| Released | January 13, 1992 | |
| Recorded | 1990-1991 | |
| Genre | Alternative | |
| Length | 56:54 | |
| Label | Atlantic | |
| Producer(s) | Tori Amos Eric Rosse Davitt Sigerson Ian Stanley |
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| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tori Amos chronology | ||
| Little Earthquakes (1992) |
Under the Pink (1994) |
|
Little Earthquakes (1992) was the solo debut album of singer Tori Amos, featuring the singles "Winter", "China", "Silent All These Years" and "Crucify". It set the groundwork for the success of other female singer/songwriters in the 1990s. A heavily confessional and journalistic work, it is often considered the most accessible of her musical catalogue.
After leaving her home in Baltimore for Los Angeles in 1984, Amos spent three years as a struggling bar-room pianist and lounge act, performing a mix of covers and her own songs.
In 1986, she co-founded the synthpop band Y Kant Tori Read, and was signed to Atlantic Records. The band released an eponymous album in 1988 but it sank without a trace, and the band dissolved. Atlantic kept Amos on as a solo artist, giving her until the beginning of 1990 to come up with another album. Atlantic initially rejected the original version of the album, under the impression that nobody would be interested in a "girl with a piano."
A second version, co-produced with Eric Rosse, Davitt Sigerson, and Ian Stanley, was delivered in 1991 and finally accepted. The record label relocated Amos to London, where they thought she would have an easier time of breaking into success, due to the country's renown for eccentric performers. The album was released to rapturous acclaim at the beginning of 1992, and is recognized as one of the important albums that kickstarted the female singer-songwriter movement of the 1990s. To date, the album has sold around three million copies worldwide. In 1998 Q magazine readers voted Little Earthquakes the 66th greatest album of all time.
The song "Me and a Gun" was released in the UK as the first single, with a b-side of "Silent All These Years". "Me and a Gun" is an a cappella song about rape. It was inspired by a sexual assault that happened to her in LA when she was 21. The single, however, was not a commercial success (likely due to its nature) even though it was critically praised for its bravery. Radio stations did pick up "Silent All These Years", though, putting it into heavy rotation and making it Tori's first hit single (and what many consider her signature song). It was even re-released in 1997 where it once again became a radio hit.
B-sides that were a part of early, rejected versions of Little Earthquakes include Upside Down (which she later regretted for leaving off), Here. In My Head, Sweet Dreams, Take to the Sky (Russia), Flying Dutchman, and Mary.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
(all songs written by Amos)
- "Crucify" – 4:58 SAMPLE (147K)
- "Girl" – 4:06
- "Silent All These Years" – 4:10
- "Precious Things" – 4:26
- "Winter" – 5:40
- "Happy Phantom" – 3:12
- "China" – 4:58
- "Leather" – 3:12
- "Mother" – 6:59
- "Tear in Your Hand" – 4:38
- "Me and a Gun" – 3:44
- "Little Earthquakes" – 6:51
[edit] Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Billboard 200 (U.S.) | 54 |
| 1992 | Heatseekers (U.S.) | 1 |
| 1992 | Official UK Album Chart (UK) | 14 |
| 1992 | ARIA Album Chart (Australia) | 14 |
Single
| Title | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| "Silent All These Years" (1991) | Billboard Modern Rock Tracks (U.S.) | 27 |
| "Silent All These Years" (1991) | Official UK Singles Chart (UK) | 51 |
| "Silent All These Years" (1992 re-release) | Official UK Singles Chart (UK) | 26 |
| "China" (1992) | Official UK Singles Chart (UK) | 51 |
| "Winter" (1992) | Official UK Singles Chart (UK) | 25 |
| "Winter" (1992) | ARIA Singles Chart (Australia) | 49 |
| "Crucify" (1992) | Official UK Singles Chart (UK) | 15 |
| "Crucify" (1992) | Billboard Modern Rock Tracks (U.S.) | 22 |
[edit] Reviews
Rolling Stone (4/2/92, p.46) - 3.5 Stars - Very Good "...Amos' songs are smart, melodic and dramatic; the deeper you listen, the hotter they get... a gripping debut..." Spin (9/99, p.134) - Ranked #31 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s." Q (12/99, p.74) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s." Village Voice (3/2/93, p.5) - Ranked #36 in the Village Voice's list of the 40 Best Albums Of 1992. Q (1/93, p.68) - Included in Q's list of the 50 Best Albums Of 1992. Q (2/92, p.82) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...[Amos can] write seemingly effortless melodies...Lyrically, she's something special: a granite-like hardness with a journalist's eye for detail and compassion...
[edit] B-Sides
The album (as with most of her albums) is also known for its collection of b-sides. Amos recorded a host of songs that did not make the album, but were released as b-sides to various singles or performed live in concerts. The songs "Berlin Wall" and "Learn to Fly," recorded during sessions, remain unreleased. Another track, "Take Me With You" was recorded during the sessions but vocals were not present. Tori included vocals in 2006 when the song was included in the "A Piano" box set.
| Title | Single |
|---|---|
| Upside Down | "Silent All These Years" (1991), "Winter" (1992) |
| Thoughts | "Silent All These Years" (1991) |
| Sugar | "China" (1992) |
| Flying Dutchman | "China" (1992) |
| Humpty Dumpty | "China" (1992) |
| The Pool | "Winter" (1992) |
| Take to the Sky | "Winter" (1992) |
| Sweet Dreams | "Winter" (1992) |
| Here. In My Head | "Crucify" (1992) |
| Mary | "Crucify" (1992) |
| Ode to the Banana King | "Silent All These Years [re-issue]" (1992) |
| Song for Eric | "Silent All These Years [re-issue]" (1992) |
[edit] Miscellanea
- Chinese pop artist Faye Wong has covered "Silent All These Years," and Within Temptation have covered "Crucify".
