TRON said:

The Tori Amos Setlist Database. (I love this site)

Performances of Spark

On the Plugged Tour:
http://toriset.dyndns.org...?c=401&t=4

On Scarlet's Walk Tour:
http://toriset.dyndns.org...?c=401&t=7




[This message was edited Fri Nov 21 8:45:08 PST 2003 by VinaBlue]

Cool sites Vina! Too bad they don't have mp3's of every peformance.

And thanks to everyone for making this thread such a great success (I sound like an awards speech don't I?) I really didn't think it would get this kind of response. I'm really enjoying discussing her with you guys.

Cloudbuster said:

STOP IT CB!!! You just diminish both of these incredible ladies with comparisons. You know I love you, but I will have to smack you!

(Okay, I won't smack you. I never mind looking at pictures of Kate, or of Tori)

JediMaster said:

Exactly.

JediMaster said:

Hi Dave!

TRON said:

I was thinking that maybe the Strange Little Tour had something to do with the new, stripped down style of production. When it comes down to it, her songs are so strong she can just sing, with very little effects and play the piano or an organ. Just shows how strong her melodies are. But I DO love effects, I mean, iiiee just wouldn't be the same without them, ya know? Even though Spark isn't as embellished, it sounds like God has been doctored up a bit. Does it sound to you guys like she re-recorded the vocals or at least adjusted the mix a bit? The backing vocals seem louder and clearer.

definitely with Cornflake Girl and God. The mixes are way different.

VinaBlue said:

i don't think any of the vocals are re-recorded, they all seem to be mixed differently

What do you guys think about the strings in Baker Baker and the extended ending on Way Down? Do you think they were newly added or do you think they were edited out of the original mixes? I think they add a lot to the songs and consider them the truer versions.

TRON said:

my impression of Way Down is that Tori wanted to find a way to hi-lite the wonderful backing vocals more, and so in hindsight added the additional segment at the end, which i assume had been recorded at the time of Pele. I imagine the reason she included Way Down in the first place was so that she could add this section. It strikes me Tori taking an opportunity to go back and do something she's probably always wanted to do w/ this song.

As for Baker Baker - i agree the strings add a great deal to the song. Had it been in this form on UTP, it would have been a logical choice as a single. I'd like to hear similar treatments of Icicle and Cloud on my Tongue. My feeling is that she decided to go w/ the stripped down approach on all 3 of these songs on UTP, string arrangements probably exist for all 3 of them.

or does Cloud have strings... my brain is fuzzy right now... staying up tooo late again, LOL

JonSnow said:

Cloud does have strings and they're wonderful. Possibly my favorite on that album.

Wouldn't it be cool to have an alternate version of Pretty Good Year where instead of the big heavy breakdown at the end of the song, there was a full band version throughout the song? It's always been one of my favorites but I think it could've been a massive single if it had fuller instrumentation.

And I love how she added Baker Baker and Playboy Mommy to this collection. They both could've made wonderful singles and she shows how worthy they are on Librarian.

I just listened to "You Belong To Me" and "Murder He Says". They're very jazzy, swinging songs. I can't remember her ever taking on this kind of style before, but it's pretty cool. I like the songs and the tone in her voice. They're fun and kinda sexy. Check 'em out.

TRON said:

yep you're right... same with Tear in your Hand. There are a number of other songs that would've made great singles: Rattlesnakes. Putting the Damage On. Upside Down. Honey. Black Dove. and half of Scarlet's Walk, lol

TRON said:

Eheh...I love you guys!

It's a good album.

But I would have liked more stuff on the DVD.
And I would have taken off Me and a Gun (yes, a very powerful, emotional, important song, but I can't listen to it too often - it's just too much).

I think the Armand Van Helden mix of Professional Widow is great, it would have been perverse to leave off her biggest UK hit.

And I'm still getting used to the new mixes - I think I'll like them eventually, but they can be a bit... bombastic maybe.

1p1p1i3 said:

I agree with your comment about the DVD. What's the point of going through the trouble of including a 2nd Disc - a DVD - and then only putting on 3 live tracks??? Seems like a waste to me. I would have rather had a 2-CD audio set, so all of the songs that were left off that should have been included could have been on there. But hey that's just me

DVDs are quite big things! You can get a lot on them!!!

So to put 3 soundcheck performances, and 2 extra audio tracks (Mr Zebra being on the CD anyway!), and a slideshow, well, it's a bit stingy. Not really worth the extra money IMHO.

But I do really like the CD!!

JonSnow said:

I agree also. I'm not a big fan of the current trend of including bonus dvd's with cd's. Let them be separate. If she wanted to showcase the Scarlet's Walk tour, she should've just put out a full concert on dvd, in the dvd section. And her career is too overwhelming and important to contain it to one greatest hits cd. She could've easily made it 2 discs and sold just as many (if not more) copies. There are so many top-notch singles, b-sides and album tracks that should've been represented but weren't.

1p1p1i3 said:

I agree with this also. I know it's a signature for her. But sometimes I just can't take it. I remember her once saying that she would perform it at every show. But I've noticed in many setlists from 1998 on, that it's been removed. I think there's an important clue to her life there. After her breakup with Eric, the miscarraiges, getting married and having a kid, she's a changed person. She's said herself that she doesn't feel like the victim anymore. So in a way, excluding "Me and a Gun" is like saying she's not alone anymore. I think a smart move if anything would be to make a violent, rocking version of the song to show that she's a warrior now, that she can't be hurt by it and that she's moved on. Replace the lonely, tortured a capella with her band to show that they're in it together. That's what I would've done. I think it would make for a more listenable track too, even though many Toriphiles would probably consider it blasphemy.

TRON said:

i wouldn't mind seeing MAAG being retired forever. i always skip it. that being said, when i saw her in Nashville on the Strange Little Tour i was front row almost center and i could barely breathe during MAAG... the intensity on her face... and she just stared seemingly right at me the whole time... stared straight forward which is where i was sitting, but to me it seemed like she was staring right at me. it was something i will never forget.

JonSnow said:

Is it that you don't like the song or is it just too much?

Were you scared during the performance? I was terrified during certain parts of the Boys For Pele shows I saw. It was so intense it was almost unbearable.

TRON said:

i wasn't scared exactly... uncomfortable would be the best word, i think. for some reason i felt like laughing it was so intense... i wanted to look away but I couldn't because it felt like she was staring directly into my face... and it was hard to breathe because the whole place was so silent a pin drop could be heard, and i felt like my breathing would somehow disturb it. i find it dull listening to it on CD. and just absolutely dreadfully intense seeing it live. I've always thought that Tori puts more of herself into her music than anyone else I listen to, and MAAG is the best example. But it's not something i necessarily enjoy live... it's very powerful, but at the same time im' thinking "gee... instead of MAAG again she could have done Never Seen Blue or something like that..." So yeah.. part of it is that i've just heard it sooo many times. it'll probably always be in and out (mostly in) Tori's set lists.











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[This message was edited Sat Nov 22 21:41:46 PST 2003 by JonSnow]

I think she did it a bit backwards. She should've included MAAG on the live disc of 'To Venus And Back' and left it off the Best Of. It's such an important song for her though, that it's tricky. It's not something meant for frequent or repeated listening.

TRON said:

Wow! She sounds GREAT! I love this style of music. Beautiful! Now I want to see the movie.


[This message was edited Sun Nov 23 20:21:01 PST 2003 by VinaBlue]

VinaBlue said:

Isn't the sound of her voice totally different? She sounds very womanly and in control.

TRON said:

She's singing without her usual nuances. She's just singing it straight and very traditional. She did a great job. Dare I say better than Madonna in Dick Tracy?



Here are some reviews and more info about the movie. I can't wait to see it!

http://thedent.com/monalisa.html

TRON said:

That happened to me at the "Choirgirl" show. I was on the third row, left-hand side, so I was just directly in her line of site. Many times, especially during "Waitress", she got so intense that I thought she was going to jump off the stage and throttle me!!! Maybe I look like someone she hates, or maybe she just was so into the song she didn't even see me there? Who knows, but I found myself wondering what I had done to piss her off so!!

VinaBlue said:

Hey baby!!! How you been?