GangstaFam said:

Especially LE & UTP.

Cloudbuster said:

Most of 'em really. I remember when Pele came out at the very beginning of '96, it was my soundtrack for that winter.

from thedent:

The Tori Store at store.tbentgroup.com has revealed more details about Tori's upcoming album The Beekeeper, and has also detailed the content of the Special Edition of The Beekeeper. First of all, the store reveals that the song The Power of Orange Knickers features the vocals of Damien Rice! ( I earlier called this a duet, and I still think it will be something like that, but since the site did not say duet, I will refrain as well until we find out for sure. But his vocals are part of the song.) Secondly, the Special Edition version of the album, which the Tori Store calls the Special Packaging Edition, will contain "a Bonus DVD of over 25 minutes of interview footage as Tori talks about the songs and their origins as well as a unique glimpse behind the scenes at the photo shoot for The Beekeeper. The DVD also features the bonus track Garlands set to exclusive content from Tori's upcoming book, Piece by Piece, including photographs and text. The Special Packaging also includes a seed packet with a wild flower mix prepared especially for The Beekeeper." Finally, The Tori Store is offering fans a chance to pre-order either the regular version of The Beekeeper or The Special Packaging Edition. I have added this to The Dent's Beekeeper Page as well. Exciting news!

GangstaFam said:

Pele has been the soundtrack for this past decade for me

I re-discovered it about 2 months ago and I drowned in her

once more. There are sooo many layers and textures.

IstenSzek said:

It's her best as far as I'm concerned. I've always found it to be more autumnal, tho'.

Cloudbuster said:

Me too. But it was Isten that got me to finally appreciate Choirgirl and now it's close competition between those 2.

GangstaFam said:

I prefer the subtle electronica of To Venus And Back. It's my second favorite album by Tori after LE.

sextonseven said:

I love that album too. It's so sexy and mysterious. I wish the live album had been released separately though, cuz the studio album seems to get lost in the shuffle. I don't see many people list it among their favorites.

GangstaFam said:

Good point. I think I prefer the cover of the single for that reason alone.

todd305 said:

Tori seems to look better and better with age.

subhuman09 said:

The open shoulder's a nice touch too. Sexy mama.

GangstaFam said:

I loved the polaroid photos of her with the deluxe version of Scarlet's Walk-she looked gorgeous in there as well.

Her Native American heritage really has had a wonderful impact on her art as well as her beauty.

subhuman09 said:

I particularly like this one.

GangstaFam said:

It took a while with me, too. Now I consider it her last good album. I think she's been quite bland ever since.

sextonseven said:

I've tried hard to like that album but it just kinda passes me by. Glory Of The 80s and Bliss are fine tracks, tho'.

Cloudbuster said:

What?! You mean you thought Scarlet's Walk was bland? With gems like "a sorta fairytale", "your cloud", "sangria", and "crazy", this was a great album. My only complaint would be "i cant see new york". It seemed to last forever for no good reason. I found myself saying, "Enough Already!" lol

Cloudbuster said:

Have you tried listening to it drunk?

dreamfactory313 said:

It is a bit mellow and bland by Tori standards. But sometimes your pallet needs bland to appreciate the spicier things.

I just think she's maturing.

GangstaFam said:

(To Venus and Back is quite underrated as well-especially the extra tracks after the live album. Purple People will always be a favorite.)

Cloudbuster said:

I like the fact that the melodies on many of the songs are very prominent. Concertina, Josephine and 1000 Oceans, in addition to the tracks you mentioned, are extremely catchy. In contrast, I find the songs on Scarlet's Walk a bit too complex musically and I still can't remember what some of them sound like even after listening to the album several times. Maybe one day I'll experience a breakthrough listening to it, but right now I find it very demanding.

subhuman09 said:

It's my favorite on there as well. However, it seems as if that track
isn't live at all. The rest of the tracks are so obviously live but
somehow "Purple People" just sounds like the studio track mixed with
some crowd noise at the beginning.

I think this track was originally written and recorded during the CGH
album period wasn't it? I think it was even a b-side.



Anywho, it would figure if it was indeed a Choirgirl Hotel outtake
since I love the songs from that period absolutely the most.

Other b-sides like "Never Seen Blue" and "Beulah Land" are among her
best material ever.

Argh. I'm gonna go nuts in a minute.


need.to.listen.

to.

even.

more.Tori.now.

IstenSzek said:

Purple People always has sounded more studio than just live off the floor.

I believe it was just recorded during soundcheck but it sounds really really good.

I think you could be right about the Choirgirl connection-I'm sure www.hereinmyhead.com would be able to say.

IstenSzek said:

Purple People was a b-side with Bachelorette. Cooling is my personal fave from that period.

subhuman09 said:

According to HereInMyHead, it was released as a b-side to the "Spark" single
in both the UK and the US.

The version on Venus is indeed a live version recorded during soundcheck. Tho
I also have the studioversion somewhere and they sound almost identical.

These, by the way, are all the "Choirgirl" b-sides:

bachelorette

beulah land

cooling

do it again

have yourself a merry little christmas

never seen blue

purple people (christmas in space)


The quality of her b-sides is staggering most of the time, but the ones
from this album totally rocked.

Beulah Land, Cooling, Never Seen Blue and Purple People would all have
been proud inclusions on any album.

IstenSzek said:

Agreed. I've read that many of these were actually leftovers from the Pele sessions and redone for Choirgirl. It makes sense considering the sound. They're not dark and twisted enough for Choirgirl. It makes sense that she left them off the album, but thank god she put them out on singles. Those 4 you just named are all among my favorite Tori tracks.

IstenSzek said:

I keep wishing there was a way for her to just put out a giant B-Side collection boxset from Baltimore forward just if nothing else to see the evolution.

...and even though it'd never happen include Y Kant Tori Read as well.

Of course, many folks have the b-sides but at least a Tori approved collection with insights and maybe a DVD would be worth doing I think at this point.

I still wish Tori would make that Trent Reznor chicken dinner cookbook for everybody.

subhuman09 said:

Actually, when she was starting the Venus songs, she was only going to record a few new songs to add to a b-sides album. She ended up getting so into the sessions, she had a whole album's worth to work with. Since then she's said that if she did such a project in the future, she'd have to include all of the b-sides together in like a 4 or 5 disc set. Hope she does it.

GangstaFam said:

Only if Joyce does it too.

subhuman09 said:

Do you really want "Baltimore" included in any Tori collection?

She still performs "Cool On Your Island" live so I can understand having at least some tracks from 'Y Kant Tori Read', but "Baltimore"?

GangstaFam said:

Drunk, stoned, pilled up to fuck. Any which way.

Ah! The good old days.

Still, it fails to move me like her earlier stuff. It's not really poor as none of her albums are. It's just missing the usual magic. As was Scarlet's Walk too, imo.