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 rock, piano rock | ||||
| Length | 56:54 | ||||
| Label | Atlantic | ||||
| Producer | Tori Amos, Eric Rosse, Davitt Sigerson, Ian Stanley | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
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| Tori Amos chronology | |||||
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| Singles from Little Earthquakes | |||||
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Little Earthquakes (1992) was the solo debut album of singer Tori Amos, featuring the singles "Winter", "China", "Silent All These Years" and "Crucify". The album was released to rapturous acclaim and is recognized as one of the important albums that kick-started the female singer-songwriter movement of the 1990s.[1] A heavily confessional and journalistic work, it is often considered the most accessible of her musical catalogue.
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[edit] History
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. Atlantic's European counterpart, East West, promoted the record extensively. Amos spent much of 1991 performing in small bars and clubs in London and playing for music executives and journalists, often in her own apartment. The "Me and a Gun" EP containing 4 tracks was released in October 1991, receiving considerable critical attention. The single was re-issued the following month with "Silent All These Years" as the lead composition, and it became her first chart entry at UK #51 following Single of the Week support from BBC Radio 1 and a TV debut on the high-rated chat show of Jonathan Ross on the BBC.
When the album was finally released in the UK in January 1992, it reached #14 and remained on the Top 75 charts (UK Albums Chart) for 23 weeks. A month later, it was released in the USA to breakthrough critical success and also announced itself as a chart mainstay, despite peaking outside the Top 50 on the Billboard 200. The accompanying singles (along with "Me and a Gun" and "Silent All These Years") were "China" (January 1992 UK), "Winter" (March 1992 UK/November 1992 US) and "Crucify" (May 1992 US/June 1992 UK), the US EP version of which featured covers of songs by artists including The Rolling Stones and Nirvana. During this time, Amos recorded the song "The Happy Worker" for the Toys movie soundtrack. A remix of the song is also included on the soundtrack, titled "Workers".
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, Here In My Head, Sweet Dreams, Take to the Sky (Russia), Flying Dutchman, and Mary.
The similarity between the cover photos on Amos's debut album Little Earthquakes and the US release of Kate Bush's debut The Kick Inside increased comparisons between her and Bush, though Amos states the similarity was coincidental. Amos has said she was impressed when she first listened to Bush when she was about 17 years old, and has since performed the Kate Bush songs "Running Up That Hill" and "And Dream of Sheep" in concert.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written and composed by Amos.
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Crucify" | 4:58 |
| 2. | "Girl" | 4:06 |
| 3. | "Silent All These Years" | 4:10 |
| 4. | "Precious Things" | 4:26 |
| 5. | "Winter" | 5:40 |
| 6. | "Happy Phantom" | 3:12 |
| 7. | "China" | 4:58 |
| 8. | "Leather" | 3:12 |
| 9. | "Mother" | 6:59 |
| 10. | "Tear in Your Hand" | 4:38 |
| 11. | "Me and a Gun" | 3:44 |
| 12. | "Little Earthquakes" | 6:51 |
[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 |
|---|---|
| "Ode to the Banana King" | "Silent All These Years" (1992) |
| "Song for Eric" | "Silent All These Years" (1992) |
| "Upside Down" | "Silent All These Years" (1991) |
| "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) |
| "Angie" | "Crucify" (1992) |
| "Smells Like Teen Spirit" | "Crucify" (1992) |
| "Thank You" | "Crucify" (1992) |
| "Ring My Bell" | "Ruby Trax Compilation" (1992) |
| "Happy Workers" | "Toys Soundtrack" (1992) |
| "Berlin Wall" | Unreleased |
| "Learn to Fly" | Unreleased |
[edit] Charts
[edit] 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 |
[edit] Singles
| Title | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| "Silent All These Years" (1991) | Billboard Modern Rock Tracks (U.S.) | 27 |
| "Me and a Gun" / "Silent All These Years" (1991) |
Official UK Singles Chart (UK) | 51 |
| "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 |
| "Silent All These Years" (1992 re-release) | Official UK Singles Chart (UK) | 26 |
[edit] Release history
January 13, 1992 (UK)
February 25, 1992 (US)
[edit] Miscellaneaous
- Chinese pop artist Faye Wong has covered "Silent All These Years", and Within Temptation have covered "Crucify". Dream Theater has also covered "Winter" on at least one occasion as can be found on the bootleg Uncovered.
[edit] References
- ^ Huey, Steve: Little Earthquakes Review at AMG Accesed January 15, 2008
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