From the Choirgirl Hotel

From the Choirgirl Hotel
Studio album by Tori Amos
Released May 5, 1998
Recorded September 8, 1997 – early 1998
Genre Alternative rock, electronica, baroque pop
Length 57:00
Label Atlantic (US), East West (Europe)
Producer Tori Amos
Tori Amos chronology
Boys for Pele
(1996)		 From the Choirgirl Hotel
(1998)		 To Venus and Back
(1999)
Singles from the Choirgirl Hotel
  1. "Spark"
    Released: 1998
  2. "Jackie's Strength"
    Released: 1998
  3. "Cruel/Raspberry Swirl"
    Released: 1998

From the Choirgirl Hotel is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Tori Amos. A departure from her previous albums, it was more heavily produced and a very radio-friendly project featuring a full rock band sound (instead of Amos' usual minimalist piano sound). Upon its release in May 1998, the album debuted at US #5 and UK #6. While falling short of the # 2 debut for her previous album, Boys For Pele (1996), From the Choirgirl Hotel is Amos' strongest debut to date in US sales, selling 153,000 copies in the first week.[1] Amos received two 1999 Grammy nominations: Alternative Music Performance, and Female Rock Vocal Performance for "Raspberry Swirl".

The lead single "Spark" became a hit after its release in June 1998 (becoming her last UK Top 40 hit to date, as well as her highest charting US single, reaching #49), and was followed by "Jackie's Strength" (September 1998) and "Cruel/Raspberry Swirl" (November 1998).

The accompanying tour, Amos' first with a full band (using the album's personnel of Matt Chamberlain on drums, Jon Evans on bass, and long-time collaborator Steve Caton on guitar), was known as the "Plugged '98 Tour" and took Amos through most of 1998.

Contents

Album description

The album began recording on September 8, 1997, with mastering complete by early February 1998. Following the trend set by 1996's Boys For Pele, Amos allowed several songs from the album to be remixed. Remixes of both "Raspberry Swirl" and "Jackie's Strength" were club hits. The album's theme dealt very closely with the first two in Amos' series of three miscarriages between 1996 and 1999.[2]

Thematically and conceptually, the "choirgirl hotel" of the title refers to the fictional, imaginary place where the songs "live." Amos pointed out that although the songs are recorded, they are also alive themselves - they can be re-modeled and reshaped in concert etc. Amos imagined the songs as living their own lives, all checking into the "choirgirl hotel" (i.e. the album) but living separate lives. In the artwork, Amos included a hand-drawn map detailing the stomping ground of these songs.[3]

The album artwork was created by the UK-based photographer, Katerina Jebb. The artwork features full-body color photocopies of Amos (in various couture outfits) as scanned by a human-sized photocopier.[4]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [5]
Details Magazine [6]
Entertainment Weekly (B+)[7]
Mojo (Positive)[8]
NME (6/10)[9]
Los Angeles Times [10]
Pitchfork Media (6.7/10)[11]
Q Magazine [12]
Rolling Stone [13]
Spin (8/10)[14]
Sputnikmusic [15]
This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Amos. 

No. Title Length
1. "Spark"   4:13
2. "Cruel"   4:07
3. "Black-Dove (January)"   4:38
4. "Raspberry Swirl"   3:58
5. "Jackie's Strength"   4:26
6. "i i e e e"   4:07
7. "Liquid Diamonds"   6:21
8. "She's Your Cocaine"   3:42
9. "Northern Lad"   4:19
10. "Hotel"   5:19
11. "Playboy Mommy"   4:08
12. "Pandora's Aquarium"   4:45
13. "Purple People (JP Bonus Track)"   4:12

B-sides

The album, as with most of Amos' albums, is also known for its collection of original 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 "Cooling," "Never Seen Blue," and "Beulah Land" were originally written and recorded for 1996's Boys for Pele album. In 2010, several tracks from a demo CD for the album leaked online, including a new track entitled "Violet's Eyes".[16] Parts of this song were included in two tracks on 2007's American Doll Posse, "Almost Rosey" and "Miracle".

B-side title Single
"Purple People" "Spark" (1998)
"Bachelorette" "Spark" (1998)
"Cooling" "Spark (UK Special Edition)" (1998)
"Do It Again" "Spark (UK Special Edition)" (1998)
"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" "Spark" (1998)
"Never Seen Blue" "Jackie's Strength (US)" (1998)
"Beulah Land" "Jackie's Strength (US)" (1998)
"Merman" "No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees" (1998)
"Violet's Eyes" "Unreleased, leaked in 2010"

Charts

Album

Year Chart[17] Position
1998 Billboard 200 (U.S.) 5
1998 Official UK Album Chart (UK) 6
1998 IFOP Album Chart (France) 30
1998 Norway Album Chart (Norway) 9
1998 Irish Album Chart (Ireland) 10
1998 Icelandic Album Chart (Iceland) 2
1998 Austrian Album Chart (Austria) 11
1998 ARIA Album Chart (Australia) 8
1998 Canadian Album Chart (Canada) 10
1998 German Album Chart (Germany) 13
1998 Rabo Album Top 100 (the Netherlands) 24
1998 NZ Album Chart (New Zealand) 26
1998 Swedish Album Chart (Sweden) 26
1998 Swiss Album Chart (Switzerland) 31

Singles

Title Chart Position
"Spark" (1998) US Modern Rock Tracks 13
"Spark" (1998) UK Singles Chart 16
"Spark" (1998) Canadian Hot 100 25
"Spark" (1998) US Adult top 40 32
"Spark" (1998) Irish Singles Chart 35
"Spark" (1998) U.S. Billboard Hot 100 49
"Spark" (1998) Australian Singles Chart 50
"Spark" (1998) Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales (U.S.) 61
"Spark" (1998) Billboard Hot 100 Airplay (U.S.) 65
"Jackie's Strength" (remix) (1999) Hot Dance Music/Club Play 01
"Jackie's Strength" (remix) (1999) Billboard Maxi-Singles (U.S.) 05
"Jackie's Strength" (1999) Canadian Hot 100 12
"Jackie's Strength" (1998) Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales (U.S.) 33
"Jackie's Strength" (1998) U.S. Billboard Hot 100 54
"Raspberry Swirl" (1998) Canadian Hot 100 20
"Raspberry Swirl/Cruel" (1998) Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales (U.S.) 38
"Raspberry Swirl" (1998) Australian Singles Chart 57

References

  1. ^ "Garth Boxes In Billboard 200's Top Slot". Billboard. 1998-05-14. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=951854. Retrieved 2008-06-01. 
  2. ^ "Vital Tori article from She Magazine in the UK - December 2003". http://www.thedent.com/more.php?id=A1096_0_1_0_M. 
  3. ^ Tori, British Airways Highlife Magazine,. May 1998. 
  4. ^ "HEREINMYHEAD.COM - artistic expressions - katerina jebb profile". http://www.hereinmyhead.com/artimp/katerina/index.html. Retrieved 2007-02-22. 
  5. ^ Allmusic Review
  6. ^ September 1998
  7. ^ Entertainment Weekly Review
  8. ^ October 1998
  9. ^ October 1998
  10. ^ LA Times Review
  11. ^ Pitchfork Media Review
  12. ^ October 1998
  13. ^ Rolling Stone Review
  14. ^ Spin Review
  15. ^ http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/15217/Tori-Amos-From-The-Choirgirl-Hotel/
  16. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chAm8CxFvBs
  17. ^ "Chart positions for some countries". http://www.hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?key=2753&cat=a. 
Tori Amos
Albums
EPs
Live albums
Compilations
Singles
Videos
Tours
  • Little Earthquakes Tour
  • Under the Pink Tour
  • Dew Drop Inn Tour
  • Plugged '98 Tour
  • Five and a Half Weeks Tour / To Dallas and Back
  • Strange Little Tour
  • On Scarlet's Walk / Lottapianos Tour
  • Original Sinsuality Tour / Summer of Sin
  • American Doll Posse World Tour
  • Sinful Attraction Tour
  • Night of Hunters Tour
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