The Beekeeper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Beekeeper | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||
| Studio album by Tori Amos | |||||
| Released | February 20, 2005 | ||||
| Recorded | June – November 2004 | ||||
| Genre | Alternative rock, piano rock, baroque pop, soul music | ||||
| Length | 79:31 | ||||
| Label | Epic | ||||
| Producer | Tori Amos | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
|
|||||
| Tori Amos chronology | |||||
|
|||||
| Singles from The Beekeeper | |||||
|
|||||
The Beekeeper is the eighth studio album by singer-songwriter Tori Amos. It incorporates Celtic choirs and African drums, and gnostic themes from the Apocryphon of John. Early reviews described the album as Amos' most lyrically accessible, noting that its lyrical content was more straightforward than the singer's previous work, which was laden in metaphors (even though The Beekeeper did contain its fair share of them).
Following its US release on February 22, 2005, The Beekeeper debuted at US # 5,[1] making it Amos' fifth US Top 10 album debut and placing her in an elite group of women to have secured five or more US Top 10 album debuts.
The album deals with topics like death, adultery and romantic conflict, and makes brief reference to ancient Gnostic mysticism (although Amos' frequent reference to the Gnostic texts in interviews exaggerate its importance within the context of the album). Following the death of her brother in November 2004, Amos wrote the closing track, "Toast", for last minute inclusion on the album, also adding the line "take this message to Michael" to the backing vocals on the title track. The music is perhaps her most melodic, and saw a move towards a more groove-based sound, evidenced by the appearance of the London Community Gospel Choir on four songs and Amos' whirring B-3 Hammond organ which Amos says was a gift from her husband. The album was praised in some quarters for being varied and musically adventurous, with Amos incorporating elements of funk and R&B, but for some, however, the album garnered some of her worst reviews.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
All songs written and composed by Amos.
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Parasol" | 3:54 |
| 2. | "Sweet the Sting" | 4:16 |
| 3. | "The Power of Orange Knickers" (featuring Damien Rice) | 3:36 |
| 4. | "Jamaica Inn" | 4:03 |
| 5. | "Barons of Suburbia" | 5:21 |
| 6. | "Sleeps with Butterflies" | 3:35 |
| 7. | "General Joy" | 4:13 |
| 8. | "Mother Revolution" | 3:58 |
| 9. | "Ribbons Undone" | 4:30 |
| 10. | "Cars and Guitars" | 3:45 |
| 11. | "Witness" | 6:06 |
| 12. | "Original Sinsuality" | 2:02 |
| 13. | "Ireland" | 3:49 |
| 14. | "The Beekeeper" | 6:50 |
| 15. | "Martha's Foolish Ginger" | 4:22 |
| 16. | "Hoochie Woman" | 2:34 |
| 17. | "Goodbye Pisces" | 3:36 |
| 18. | "Marys of the Sea" | 5:11 |
| 19. | "Toast" | 3:42 |
[edit] Singles and B-sides
Three singles were lifted from the album for radio release, the first of which, "Sleeps with Butterflies", was shipped to radio in early January 2005, and became an adult alternative radio staple in the US for the first half of 2005. "Sleeps with Butterflies" reached # 2 on the US Triple A Radio chart. The follow-up singles, "Sweet the Sting" and "Cars and Guitars," were less successful but sustained steady sales for the album. All three singles released from The Beekeeper were promo-only singles, no commercial singles were produced.
Unlike most of Amos's albums, The Beekeeper had only one released B-side, which was available only on the DVD included in the Limited Edition package of the album. "Dolphin Song" and "Not David Bowie", recorded during the recording sessions for The Beekeeper, were released in Amos' compilation box set A Piano: The Collection (2006).
| Title | Release |
|---|---|
| "Garlands" | "The Beekeeper DVD" (2005) |
[edit] Background
After the release of her Epic label debut Scarlet's Walk, Amos received unsettling news when Polly Anthony resigned as president of Epic Records in 2003. Anthony had been one of the primary reasons Amos signed with the label and as a result of her resignation, Amos formed the Bridge Entertainment Group, a company devoted to helping musicians in various ways during a time when the music industry is changing.[2] The following year saw the merger of major labels Epic/Sony Music Entertainment and BMG Entertainment.[3] Following The Beekeeper era, Amos has hinted in interviews that those in charge at the label (implying the Epic/Sony merger with BMG) during the creation of that album were interested "only in making money", the effects of which have not been disclosed.
[edit] Tour
The "Original Sinsuality Tour" was a solo tour with Amos playing on piano and organ. The tour received mixed reviews, but continued into the late summer of 2005 through Europe, including appearances in June 2005 at the Glastonbury Festival and at Patti Smith's Meltdown festival in London. The tour also encompassed Australia, which was Amos' first trip there to perform since 1994. The tour finished in the US as the "Summer of Sin Tour", which received better reviews than the earlier leg. A major feature of the tour was that fans could nominate cover songs on Amos' website which she would then choose from to play in a special section of the tour. One of the songs chosen was the Kylie Minogue hit "Can't Get You Out of My Head", which Amos dedicated to her the day after Minogue's breast cancer was announced to the public. Other songs performed by Amos include The Doors' "People are Strange", Joni Mitchell's "The Circle Game", Björk's "Hyperballad", Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks", Kate Bush's "And Dream of Sheep" and Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over", dedicating it to drummer Paul Hester who had died a week before. Amos's general disconcern with the commercial side of the music industry was showcased when she did not bother performing the first single from the album in many cities; it is usually expected by record companies of a modern musician that they perform their singles or hits regularly.
[edit] Personnel
- Tori Amos – lead singer, acoustic piano (Bösendorfer), B-3 Hammond organ, Hammond chord organ, producer
- Damien Rice – guest vocals
- Matt Chamberlain – drums
- Jon Evans – bass
- Mac Aladdin – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
[edit] Sales and chart performance
The Beekeeper debuted at # 5 on the Billboard Top 200, selling 83,000 copies in its first week.[1] The album's debut within the Top 10, Amos' fifth, placed Amos in an elite group of women, including Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Janet Jackson, Madonna, LeAnn Rimes, Britney Spears and Barbra Streisand, to have secured five or more US Top 10 album debuts.[4] However, the album's debut was not as impressive in the UK. Similar to the debut of Scarlet's Walk (2002), The Beekeeper had a weaker debut at # 24 on the UK Top 40.[5]
The Beekeeper remained on the Billboard 200 for 10 weeks before falling off the chart in late May.[6] As of May 2008, the album has sold 295,000 copies in the US.[7]
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| United World Chart (the world) | 8 |
| Billboard 200 (U.S.) | 5 |
| Billboard Top Internet Albums (U.S.) | 1 |
| Official UK Album Chart (UK) | 24 |
| ARIA Chart (Australia) | 20 |
| Austrian Album Chart (Austria) | 8 |
| Belgian Album Chart (Belgium) | 11 |
| Top Canadian Albums (Canada) | 16 |
| Danish Album Chart (Denmark) | 21 |
| Finnish Album Chart (Finland) | 15 |
| IFOP Album Chart (France) | 44 |
| German Album Chart (Germany) | 8 |
| IRMA Album Chart (Ireland) | 27 |
| Dutch Album Chart (The Netherlands) | 13 |
| Norway Album Chart (Norway) | 6 |
| Polish Album Chart by ZPAV (Poland) | 8 |
| Swedish Album Chart (Sweden) | 26 |
| Swiss Album Chart (Switzerland) | 13 |
[edit] Release history
As with Amos' prior Epic Records album, a Limited Edition version of the album was released with heavily conceptual packaging. Songs are divided into "gardens", an accompanying DVD includes the albums' only released B-side, and a seed package of a "special blend" made specifically for the album is also included.
The chart below lists the release dates for The Beekeeper in major markets around the globe.
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| Australia | February 20, 2005 |
| Austria | |
| Denmark | |
| France | |
| The Netherlands | |
| Sweden | |
| Switzerland | |
| Finland | February 21, 2005 |
| Norway | |
| Poland | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Canada | February 22, 2005 |
| United States |
[edit] References
- ^ a b 'O' Puts Omarion On Top. Retrieved on 2007-05-26.
- ^ Tori Amos Announces New Business Venture. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
- ^ The Record Industry's Decline. RollingStone. Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
- ^ Tori Amos To Release New Album American Doll Posse; To Launch World Tour in May 2007. Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
- ^ everyhit.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
- ^ The Billboard Top 200 – Chart Listing For The Week Of May 14 2005. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
- ^ Ask Billboard - How Many Dolls are in a Posse. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
