Tori Amos - Boys For Pele (FIRST REACTION)

[@sidhedanu]

This is my most favorite album of all time. I want to say that the Kate Bush comparisons are really surface level. They're female, a little eccentric, and play piano. They are very different people, and Tori was influenced by Steely Dan, Led Zeppelin, and her years playing piano bar (from age 13 to her mid-20s). Marianne is a stream of consciousness song. She didn't compose it, she didn't write it down first. She says it's a gift from her Muses, and they just downloaded it into her head. Her husband (he was her sound engineer first) started recording, she sat down, and it just poured out of her. Bells for Her was an improv recording as well, and probably a lot more we don't know for certain. She's always composing new songs on stage in the moment, and sometimes they're more than just a silly little transition. Boys for Pele is an ambitious first listen. Bravo. 🤣 The best way to get to know Tori is seeing a live performance. One of my favorites is The Waitress from the Live at West 54th concert in 1998. It never fails to take my breath away.

[@guytoledano7215]

This is actually one of Tori's most experimental album's in my opinion to date. I think you will find her first album little earthquake's more rewarding at first listen, but my personal favourite is her fourth album, from the choirgirl hotel where she embraces fully electronic instruments.

[@MrXanadu28]

Yessssss!! LOVE LOVE LOVE FROM THE CHOIRGIRL HOTEL!! THATS THE RIGHT ALBUM TO BEGIN WITH!!

[@FindingMadonna]

Yeah, Little Earthquakes, Under the Pink, and Choirgirl are my faves. I think he's going to love Little Earthquakes.

[@DavidMichaelCommer]

One of the greatest works of art in popular music. I'm so glad to see someone listen to this. :) I'd bet you money that this album would grow to become one of your favorites over time if you listened to it every now and again. It's an acquired taste. The album confused critics when it was released, and it was condemned by many. In retrospect, it's generally regarded as her masterpiece.

[@Fenyxfire]

Tori's a genius. Literally. I'm not just being a fan. She was accepted to Peabody at age FIVE. they kicked her out when she was 11 because she wanted to play rock. She went on to front a metal band in the 80s and then went solo and blew up. These songs are VERY subversive and there's some tori that will mess with your head because of the heavy subject matter. She's raw, real and light-years ahead of her time. Worth listening to for the simple fact that you're male. A lot of her stuff is very centered in women's specific issues. Spend some time with it. Any future daughters will thank you.

[@MMMMMM-h6q]

One of tori's best albums but harder to get into. Please make yourself a favor and check out from the choir girl hotel and little earthquakes, you'll like them a lot more

[@DavidMichaelCommer]

The haunting backing vocals in Caught a Lite Sneeze were recorded in an Irish church a cappella. She's singing "Inanna," an prayer/offering to the Sumerian goddess of love, war, fertility, beauty, sex, divine justice, and political power. This is an album about sacrificing boys to the goddess Pele, after all. Here's a short video of her recording those vocals: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYLGo5Z-hsp0nLM

[@sergiocabezuela9713]

Dollar-Store Kate Bush? That’s insulting. To keep comparing her to Kate Bush is so excessive. She has her own experience and catalogue.

[@r.j4449]

they seem to hear a few high notes and automatically compare her to kate bush. When in addition Kate almost always sings with falsetto and Tori does not. In the end you realize how superficial they analyze artists. Tori´s music is so different from Kate´s in general.

[@Patrick-s9f]

Gen Z do not get ral Music at all.

[@DiogenesDecibel]

I was a huge fan when this album dropped. When I first heard it I only liked Professional Widow and Hey Jupiter, and I basically hated the rest. . . and I was a huge fan. It took many listens for my brain to actually absorb the depth in the music, lyrics, composition, concept, and how it all fits together, like lightning in a bottle. To this day, it is my favorite Tori Amos album, and one of my favorite albums of all time. After hearing it a million times, I still hear and understand new things every time I listen. It is a masterpiece and a grower for sure. It is a breakup album, so as much as I hope no one ever has a bad breakup, if you do, give this another listen from beginning to end. It is a break-up album, and a journey. There are many mythical, archetypal, cultural, and generational references, as well as heavy use of metaphor which purposefully obfuscates meaning, intentionally leaving them open to multiple interpretations, even while other references and statements are very defined and concrete. Good and evil exist in the same world as the Yin and the Yang. Some things are definitely black and white in a World where there are also complex grey areas. Good people can do bad things and bad people can do good things. Redemption exists. The only constant is change. An unexamined life is not worth living. War, reincarnation, energy, cosmic forces, survival, life- this album takes you from Earth to Hell, then back to Earth and ultimately, to Heaven. Like the fires of Hell, and the core of the planet, the power to survive and persevere must come from a fire within ourselves, and those we carry who hinder our development and evolution must be sacrificed until we as a species, forge another, more just and righteous reality.

[@solfar88]

maybe one of my favorite albuns of the 90's , one of my all time for sure .

[@mistraldespair]

Tori is an artist worth spending some time with. Structurally and lyrically, Boys For Pele is her most challenging work. I found it a bit annoying when I first tried to get into it, but over time many of the tracks grew on me and I could intuitively understand what Tori was going for. I don't think it's a flawless album, but it is a very audacious one. She's very good. Listen to some more of her stuff. I think something like Little Earthquakes (her very charming debut as a solo artist) would appeal to a new listener more. As for the Kate comparisons, well, I really wonder what you'll make of Kate's early stuff. You've heard 80s Kate, but late 70s Kate is very Tori-like (although not really): a lot of piano and a lot of quirky vocal gymnastics.

[@DavidMichaelCommer]

Kate and Tori share a lot of *superficial* qualities as artists. That doesn't mean they are superficial artists, but that they seem very similar at a glance, but once a person gets to know their music, they are not that similar. And while many people insist that Kate is Tori's primary musical influence, it's important to realize that Kate is only five years older than Tori is. Both began their musical pursuits at young ages--but Tori began playing piano at age two and a half, and she is the youngest person ever admitted to the Peabody Conservatory, at age five. Kate would have been 10 years old at that time. During those intervening years, Tori has said, she was made to play classical music in the conservatory, Christian hymnals at church (her father was a minister), and at home, she was influenced primarily by Led Zeppelin, but also by the Beatles, Joni Mitchell and others, and you can hear all of these as primary influences in her music if you are familiar with their music. I do believe Tori's record label tried to style her to appear like Kate Bush early in Tori's career when she was in a band, but I think that fell away quickly, and lingering similarities are primarily coincidental. Similarities at a glance: -Both are women who may look superficially similar to some people--wild hair, full lips, full face, etc. -Both have dynamic soprano voices that sound very much alike to many people (but not very alike to me--more on that below) -Both produce their own music. -Both produce music with unconventional song structures. -Both play keyboards/piano -Both write difficult-to-access music about unusual topics. If you think about popular music, almost all of it is about making love or breaking love. Both Tori and Kate write about these, but they write about many other facets of being--but different ones. -Both are musically adventurous Similarities that persist when you know their music well: -Both create music steeped in empathy and full of insights into human behavior. -Both follow their own creative inspirations and appear "kooky" to mainstream onlookers. -Both are preternaturally talented in their own respective ways. -Both deal with certain spiritual and philosophical ideas, but different ones and in different ways. -Both are extraordinary writers, both with their vocabularies and also the way they present ideas in abstract ways. *Differences* that are elemental to their music: -Tori is a true piano prodigy, and she's unquestionably a superior piano composer and player in a technical sense. Kate is a creative and innovative pianist, and far better than good, but she's not adept in the way Tori is with piano. -Kate is a performance artist who uses her whole body in her performances. Tori is not a dancer. She has danced a few times times and she...is not a dancer. -Kate's inspirations are many and extremely varied, almost with no throughline. She has been inspired by philosophers, by movies, by literature, by dance, by wars and nuclear fallout and much more. -Tori's inspirations are more focused: She's inspired by religion, spirituality, mythologies, human power dynamics, visual arts, and relationships--but familial and fraternal ones as much as romantic ones. -Most (not all, but most) of Kate's music is externally oriented. I regard her primarily as a musical short-story writer. She sings from vantage points of other people who are not Kate Bush doing things that are intriguing to Kate Bush. Kate is hard to understand because of unusual song structures and esoteric ideas and topics, but she's largely accessible once you know her subject matter. -Most (not all, but most) of Tori's music is intensely internally oriented. It's personal to Tori's life. I regard her primarily as a musical confessional poet and essayist who writes about religion and spirituality, feminism and the patriarchy, and various other topics described above--but nearly always from her personal vantage point, and usually with references from within her personal life that can't be understood by people unless they know about Tori as a person. She's less accessible than Kate Bush, which is probably why Kate Bush is regarded as "better" by many. -Genrewise, Kate has been mostly singer-songwriter-y (1970s & post-1980s) and 80s synth/new wave-ish. Tori has produced albums in the following genres: pop rock, rock, electronic rock, Southern gothic harpsichord folk-jazz of her own creation, electronic rock, electronic, classical, folk, country western, and blends of all of these. -Kate is reclusive and she has performed live very little given the longevity of her career. Tori is an extraverted Leo, and she has called herself a "road dog." For a couple of decades, she toured over 200 days per year every year, and she continues to do world tours with every album she releases. -Tori is far more productive than Kate is, with 16 solo studio albums, multiple live releases, three compilation albums, including a five-disc box set, and one album with her ill-fated band, Y Kant Tori Read? Kate has produced 10 studio albums and two live albums. -To my ear, anyway, their voices sound quite different. Both use their voices in unconventional ways and are not shy about sounding unpleasant, but Kate's voice sounds very theatrical to me, very much a Broadway type of voice, and Tori's sounds more like a classically trained voice that she uses in a very rock-and-roll way. If you really listen to Tori's vocals, despite the tempo and instrumentation of her songs, her singing style is very much influenced by Led Zeppelin, as she says it is. They're different people, different artists, and they're my two favorite musical artists with no close competition. If I were forced to rank artists, my list would be 1. Tori Amos 2. Marc Chagall 3. Kate Bush--but they're all inspired and transcendent to me.

[@mistraldespair]

@@DavidMichaelCommer You don't have to convince me. I actually agree that the similarities between them are superficial and overexaggerated. I only called early Kate Tori-like not because I personally believe it, but because I know that's how their music is perceived. I got into Tori after becoming a massive Kate fan and was led to believe she was very Kate-like, but I never got that impression myself. Her vocals and piano-playing have too much character of their own. But sadly you can't argue with what other people hear. Some people swear Tori sounds exactly like Kate, so I just roll with it as long as they don't mean it disrespectfully. My point was that if he found some of Tori's vocals cringe and the piano-led nature of her songs boring, he might find The Kick Inside a bit cringe and boring too (although they are extremely different albums). Personally, Kate will always be my number 1 artist. I don't really rank artists, but I think very few artists are as brilliant as her when it comes to songwriting, singing and production on that level of expertise. I much prefer her as a songwriter and producer, plus I think she has higher highs as an artist. But Tori is a much better pianist and just as good of a vocalist, and a very good songwriter and producer in her own right. Both incredible artists, and very different.

[@DavidMichaelCommer]

@@mistraldespair Oh, yes, sorry, I didn't mean to imply I was 'lecturing' to you or anything! I just wrote that to follow the Tori/Kate comparison thread and present some food for thought to the video maker and anyone who might be unfamiliar with either artist and reading the comments. It's totally natural to observe similarities and differences and to compare and contrast, but Tori has really been maligned *her entire career* as a Kate Bush copycat, and it does bother me because they are effectively contemporaries. Tori's not copying anyone. I suspect she and Kate both are influenced by similar artists, having both grown up in the same era only five years and an ocean apart from one another. And both Tori and Kate really are genres of music unto themselves. Listening to any given Tori Amos album does very little to suggest what another Tori Amos album may sound like. They'll have a lot in common thematically (once a person deciphers her lyrics), but musically, very little most of the time. David (the video reviewer) wouldn't have any way to know, but Boys for Pele sounds very little like From the Choirgirl Hotel, which sounds nothing like Night of Hunters, which sounds nothing like Little Earthquakes, which actually does sound a lot like her latest album, Ocean to Ocean, but it took her 30 years to get back to making music that's sonically similar to her first solo album. Kate's music is more consistent across her career in my view, but the 80s was a big departure. The Dreaming and Hounds of Love are bookended by singer-songwriter-style music that, yes, could be considered "boring" by some. Her first albums were more folk-rock Joni Mitchell-esque and her later albums have more abstract soundscapes. Kate is basically my "co-favorite," but she has produced fewer albums and she doesn't seem to be making new music, and I discovered Tori first and during my formative years. Her music has had a huge influence on my life, including my sense of self and my interests. It's as full of the outward and internal aspects of humanity as Shakespeare's writing is.

[@mistraldespair]

@@DavidMichaelCommer No worries :) I know you weren't lecturing, just wanted to clarify that I agree with you. I guess the reason Tori and Kate are not seen as contemporaries is because they are effectively not, at least not in the popular imagination, mostly because Kate started very young. By the time she was 26, she had already released her masterpiece Hounds of Love and 4 other albums. Tori was older than that when she released Little Earthquakes. Björk too is not that much younger than Kate (I think there's only a 7 year difference) and is very close to age with Tori, but she is seen as Tori's contemporary and not Kate's. That's because both Tori and Björk released their debut solo projects in the 90s, by which point Kate was already an established music icon. Besides, Björk is a very outspoken Kate fan and was indeed influenced by Kate, so it isn't farfetched to assume that someone of Tori's age could have been influenced by Kate. But, as we know, Tori wasn't really influenced by Kate in the way people assume. It's just unfortunate that this comparison has stuck with her. I think a lot of people just feel the need to make everything into a cat fight whenever women are involved. I agree that Tori's albums are very diverse, but I think Kate's are too. Both are always experimenting with newer styles and I love that about them. I don't think there's any one quintessentially Kate or Tori album.

[@comeawaywithme]

Wow, you've been reacting to some great albums (in my opinion) lately. Shout out to everyone giving you recommendations

[@DAVECHER]

shoutout to the patrons

[@bunnydoriya]

Tori is probably one of the most interesting lyricists of a generation. She herself admits that even some of her biggest fans have come forward saying they don't understand shit she writes and she sees that as completely valid and understandable. :D A lot of her songs use very specific weird metaphors and events from her personal life that you just can't decode without her literally telling you. But you've also correctly noticed there's girlboss energy there. There's a lof of girlboss energy to all of her music. And yeh, I agree with the others, Pele isn't neccessarily the easiest album to get into. It was my least favorite of hers for a long time. She is btw, heavily influenced by Kate Bush, especially Running Up That Hill, as the song was kind of a revelation to her. And since she's a piano prodigy, almost all of her music revolves around playing the piano in very unique ways.

[@jessicahimmel7867]

My favorite Tori album

[@TwigsxIvan]

this album is a WHOLE great piece of work and thank you for listening to tori, you should definitely check out “Little Earthquakes” and “From the Choirgirl Hotel”

[@ashleyrenee5387]

This is not the album I would recommend as an introduction to Tori. It's great, like all of her work it's heavily influenced by her personal life and also drug use at the time. The thing to keep in mind is that her music is intended for interpretation, don't get hung up on what you think she means by it and focus on what you get from it She an artist who is best listened to in order of album release date, she progresses in such a way that can be hard to understand when jumping into it in the middle. Give Little Earthquakes a try, it's her first solo album and gives you a better idea of who she is.

[@rosstomlin6293]

Dude you're just smashing out the classics right now and I'm loving it! Most of the records you're reacting to recently are among my all time favourites. Reminds me very much of my musical discovery. Whether you like them all on first listen or not, I'm sure most of these records will grow to become some of your favourites, and if they don't, that's fine too. Keep up the good work!

[@DAVECHER]

appreciate it!

[@ajsparks0136]

My initial reaction to this album when I was a teenager: "What in the fresh hell is this?" 😬🧐 Me now in my 30's: "I love this album so much!" 😭😍

[@virgochiron]

so cool that this popped up as soon as i was getting back into tori. i def recommend checking out some more of her 90s catalog in particular. her album after this, from the choirgirl hotel, might be easier (or harder lol) fit you to get into: the production on that one is significantly more varied and complex, with a band accompanying her on most of the tracks, and lots of electronica. plus there’s only 11 tracks :)

[@jasp19]

Who told you this was the first Tori album you should listen to? This is her most difficult work ever. You can't just comprehend this album in one listen, that is not how Tori's music works. She did say her music, especially this album, was difficult for straight white men to digest and even if that might be an arrogant statement, there is truth in it. I have not ever met a single straight men in my life that understood her music..but I think if you take the time to let the songs grow (which most don't) there will be answers and rewards. The comparing to other female artists is also quite tired but that's a whole other story. Glad you're getting into her music but I really suggest starting with her first album "Little Earthquakes" and make your way from there.

[@NathanHautain]

When Tori said that, I think it was (mostly) ironic and a bit satirical. Of course straight white men can understand her, but this album can be pretty hard to get into, and it even was for me at first, and yes I'm the one who recommended this album.

[@NathanHautain]

@Sascha D Also a little condescending... even if Tori sings a lot about the woman experience men can still understand ! I hate when people think only 1 category of people can fully enjoy something.

[@joshr954]

She never said 'white'. The audience is like 99.9% white at her shows lol, which is typical for music like this. She said the comment I'm assuming you're referring to in jest, but predictably was blown up as a headline in The Guardian (what a surprise!)

[@payersystempro]

This is Tori's See-What-I-Can-Do record. I wish the interludes were full tracks, especially Agent Orange. My favorite record of hers is the next one "From the Choirgirl Hotel." It's brilliant from beginning to end and are much more percussion-driven than ballad-based. I think you'll like it quite a bit more based on the tracks you responded positively to on this one. The two records before and two records after are all very good (Little Earthquakes, Under the Pink, From the Choirgirl Hotel, To Venus and Back).

[@Marie-ClaudeJoly]

Scarlet’s walk ❤

[@sidhedanu]

You can see her singing those background vocals in Caught a Lite Sneeze in a behind the scenes documentary on the making of the album. "Inanna....Inaanaaaa.....IIIIInnnaaanaaaa"

[@ubernerd83]

As others have said, Little Earthquakes would have probably been a better introduction to Tori's music. Her lyrics tend to be pretty obtuse, but there's a lot of meaning to be pulled out once you get into how she tells stories. Except for the track "Me and a Gun," from Little Earthquakes, which is very direct and VERY difficult to listen to.

[@openyourchakras918]

Tori is brilliant & you definitely explore more of her work. Amazing composer, artist & singer…I think “Under the Pink” is the best album to start with then go to “Little Earthquakes”. Thank you for reacting to Tori Amos 💗 💫

[@no-mr5ho]

Hi, I really liked this video and in my opinion you should totally check out Joanna Newsom, in particular her second album Ys. She's one of the best songwriter oat and her music and voice is something completely different from anything I've ever heard.

[@stevenmcilroy3935]

I can’t thumb Down this video hard enough.

[@DAVECHER]

go ahead Steven hit that thumbs down

[@openyourchakras918]

If you can try to tap into the emotion Tori pours into her work (the best in terms of this) and you can understand the song to a degree without the lyrics (she is metaphorical a lot which allows the listener to interpret the song themselves. So many emotions she pours into her work

[@ilovelctr]

As a huge Toriphile, I got this album's remastered double-CD version, in which there's a booklet explaining all her thoughts when she wrote these. Definitely helps a huge deal in understanding the lyrical content. This is definitely one of her most stripped-down records, but I consider it among her best, though to be honest, I'd probably go to Little Earthquakes, Scarlet's Walk or From the Choirgirl Hotel depending on my mood on a given day. She's a genius pianist and vocalist.

[@Quintin99]

Boys For Pele by Tori Amos is the best album in the world. The youth of today are doomed as they don't know good music.

[@tonynelson5161]

i'm happy to see you've dove into Tori too. this album is another of my top 10 albums of all time!!! this and From the Choirgirl Hotel are her two best records. you would enjoy without a doubt From the Choirgirl Hotel. It's got that full sound that you'd enjoy and it's really user friendly. Lol. Keep up the great reviews man

[@robbjmc2]

I think surface comparisons to Kate Bush are fair: they have similar ranges, similar deliveries, cover similarly dramatic subjects, produce themselves, are unique from everyone else (but in a way that's kinda similar to each other) and are both experimental and "out there" (tho' this is Tori's most experimental album where experimentation is more of a constant for Kate). Also Tori was influenced to a degree by Kate ... even if it was just to feel free to go nuts if she wanted. Björk was also influenced in this way, tho' she and Kate never sound anything alike. I think the biggest difference between the two is that Kate always frames things with a bit more sparkle and positive energy and Tori is more prone to letting the raw energies flow and has no problem with exposing her own pain, ugly and unrefined/unfiltered as it may be.

[@wagnercorrea_]

I looooove this album!

[@jasonscott9839]

I think you needed to hear her first two albums before this one. However, you’re saying things I haven’t thought of about it since I was 16 listening for the first time. You hit the (nine inch) nail on the head about it being about another famous person. Our maybe not Nine, given her description of a man who thought he was the flu, but rather a sneeze. I did need my encyclopedia with these lyrics at 16 bc we didn’t have Google. Great watch and review overall.

[@rhiannonrecommends]

As an avid tori fan since hearing "tallulah" on the twister soundtrack when I was 7, I agree with commenters recommendations of little earthquakes and choirgirl, however I feel like no one talks about Under the pink and Scarlets Walk enough. Those 2 are my top tori albums.

[@alexismeyer4853]

Whoa. Blood Roses is amazing in my opinion!! Dang that was harsh. I think musically it completely matched the message she was trying to convey lyrically. Kate Bush was one of Tori’s favorites.

[@ivanmorales3255]

Recientemente descubrí tu canal y me gusta, he seguido a Tori por mas de 20 años, y creo que empezaste con su álbum mas denso, definitivamente te recomiendo escuchar Little Earthquakes y Under the Pink… por cierto, ahora todo mundo se cree experto en Kate Bush, cuando seguramente la descubriste por Stranger Things, no me parece justo…

[@mattiusgabe7354]

Is this your first Tori album lol? Rough "Tori" album to start with honestly haha. Tori grew up with a Methodist Minister as a father & her mother is part Cherokee. She's from Maryland. Her lyrics are probably some of the most complex I've seen. And you got it, in this period of her life, she was going through a breakup. She's friggin amazing live - honestly you are missing out on the Tori experience until you see her live performances.

[@sourcreamshawty]

hey you should check out common saints! they’re my favorite band and they don’t get much coverage so it would be sick if you looked into em :)

[@patrickdolan8114]

I think Boys for Pele will grow on you, I was split down the middle on first kiddie when I was first introduced to Tori in the 90’s. After a few listens, I think it’s by far the most beautiful and polarizing album of the 90’s. The fact that it sold a million copies in the states in its first year without airplay is also impressive. I would explore all of her 90’s albums and then revisit Pele. Little Earthquakes, Under The Pink, revisit Pele and then Choirgirl. This review hurt my feelings lmao, I love your channel and taste in music. Your mom is also adorable, I love the Go-Gos 😂

[@KeenHunter]

Putting the Damage On is my favorite Tori song. Going in order of her solo discography is essential in my opinion. Like she experiments a lot. Her and her piano. I saw her earlier this year and it was phenomenal. Little Earthquakes, Strange Little Girls, Ocean to Ocean stand out but Toriphilles all have a sound and Era they latch to like Swifties. Ooh her Montreux Performance 91/92 is her making love to music with just her piano.

[@joshuahoward6845]

Context for the album. Some songs are about her relationship with Trent Reznor. (NIN song Perfect Drug is about Tori) Professional Widow is generally believed to be about Courtney Love who was believed to be part of the break up

[@sirex02]

Pretty good review but every time he mentions Kate Bush I took a drink. Drunk AF now.

[@NoCreamedCorn]

4:49 Say “Kate Bush” a few more times.

[@FindingMadonna]

I was a Tori fan before I ever heard Kate Bush (age/generation thing) but similarities in some of their vocal affectations are undeniable. That said, Tori is such a different artist. A true original. I love Kate but aside from their voices at times, they're quite different. I can't imagine Kate making an album like Little Earthquakes.

[@kevinhardy7952]

As someone who loves Tori and loves "Boys for Pele"... does anyone else love the album more when someone else is confused by it? Dude, you definitely chose the most difficult album to get into on first listen. Next time you should try "From the Choirgirl Hotel".

[@joshr954]

Yes. If he pretended to like every album that gets recommended, it would be a much more boring channel and I wouldn't be subscribed lol. I didn't like the slow piano ballads at first either. But was surprised Blood Roses only got the mid, you almost never hear a song that requires that degree of technical ability outside of classical music, but here it is on a popular album on a harpsichord(!!!). Agree that Choirgirl should be the other Tori album to listen to!

[@DavidMichaelCommer]

I'm listening to From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998), the album she released after Boys for Pele (1996). You should give it a listen. Not having listened to her music before, you wouldn't have any way to know how different her different albums sound, but if you think Pele is too spare with too much piano and voice, then Choirgirl may be made for you. Given your appreciation for Fiona Apple, and how you mentioned several times that you like her music's emphasis on percussion, you'll likely like From the Choirgirl Hotel a lot more than Boys for Pele upon a first listen. I was initially disappointed with it because I missed the piano and didn't understand Tori's instrumentation, but it quickly became a favorite among others. It's a pretty dark album but a very rewarding one, and certainly one of her most percussive.

[@rreznor660]

Caught a light sneeze is about Trent Reznor "pretty hate machine" his first album...closer references

[@justinsomething]

do from the choirgirl hotel next. SO different. and amazing....

[@electricavenuemusic9282]

Going to join the chorus here that you really should have started with the first one, Little Earthquakes. It's the best way to approach her sound and career, and while there are still KB influences there, it doesn't feel forced and it doesn't drag either. There were also many incredible B-sides like Flying Dutchman that were also KB indebted but done so wonderfully missing from that album. Album no. 2 (Under the Pink) would also have been better for you, and on the flipside, the following album (From the Choirgirl Hotel) would likely have been the album you would have liked the most because it's actually more fully realized with instrumentation and still rather experimental but also more approachable and pop based. Some would say Boys for Pele is her most indulgent album, and on first listen, that is how it will usually come across. Kudos for trying...You picked the toughest one! Listen to Little Earthquakes or From the Choirgirl Hotel and it will make more sense after that. (Also, her live shows were legendary, so there's a fair amount of that missing from the studio records.)

[@ArenMichael]

Pele is definitely an odd first choice to experience Tori's music. she plays all piano and harpsichord. Pele is her most experimental and her first conceptual/sonic novel album. legendary blues musician George Porter Jr plays most if not all of the bass on the album. the "guitar" on Blood Roses is actually the harpsichord run through an amp. an actual bull is included on Widow. to me the song is about fame, but there's a theory that it's loosely inspired or about Courtney Love. Marianne she wrote and recorded all in one take. she was a girl Tori knew in school who committed suicide. Sneeze is (allegedly) about Trent Reznor from NIN. she did a live version of Muhammad with Maynard from Tool for her 1997 RAINN concert. it's on KZbin. Jupiter is great, but the Dakota Version is way, way better. Talula was redone for the Twister soundtrack. there are parts of the song on the album version that have been omitted plus an additional vocal section at the beginning and the end. Red Baron is another that she wrote and recorded all in one take while listening to the engineers speaking to each other in Dutch. one of my favorite verses in any song by anyone is the "devoted satellite" one in Doughnut Song. she did Mtv's Unplugged in 1996. the version of Voodoo there is really great. it's the way she and Steve Caton on guitar play off each other for me. definitely worth checking out. I highly recommend listening to her 1999 album To Venus & Back. there are some trip hop influenced vibes. it's by far my favorite of all of Tori's albums.

[@hoodyboody]

I'm so sorry someone recommended this as the first Tori album you should listen to. That's an unfair introduction. Definitely check out the album after this, From The Choirgirl Hotel, which has a more traditional structure and filled-out sound, but still very Tori.

[@chuckyk6533]

Boys For Pele is a grower, not a shower. 😉

[@Marie-ClaudeJoly]

It’s Tori’s best album, but not the first one to listen to if you don’t know her work. Tori Amos is a musical genius ❤

[@envyadamstbh]

Hey! I adore the band garbage. Wondering what you think about their music. Maybe you can react to the album “version 2.0”. That would be great! Love your videos. :))

[@r.j4449]

She has a longer version of way down, as it seems you liked that a lot. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWTIl6yig7h4pMU

[@fezzian]

I find it interesting how you initially said that this is a more experimental version of Kate Bush. Have you never listened to The Dreaming? The vocals and musical experimentation on that album are just as extreme as this if not more extreme. I'm glad you retracted your Kate comparisons because it's such a tired, misogynistic trope. Though I will say that if anything Fiona Apple sounds like Tori Amos, not the other way around. This album is a tough first listen and the first time I heard it I was not ready for it. I had to revisit it for it to click. But once it did it became my favorite album of all time. There's deep feminine vulnerability and anger in this album. It is the first album she produced herself and she chose not to censor her feelings whatsoever. I previously watched your Sinner Get Ready reaction, so I thought maybe you'd be more open to this album. Tori and Lingua Ignota are two of my absolute favorite artists and they parallel each other in interesting ways. Maybe you should listen to Little Earthquakes next; It's more accessible and commercial while still being very much "Tori."

[@DarkMadamX83]

Tori's fire is in her lyrics.. and the way she composes the music. If you hear minimal, that makes you listen more. I really wish people would stop with the Kate Bush BS.. Kate ended her career in the early 90s.. Tori Amos has gone on to produce tons of original albums and is still touring. Y'all need to understand they were singer's at the same time in the 80s.. look up Y Kant Tori Read.. you look like you're 17.. chill on the comparisons. It pisses off us old people..

[@DAVECHER]

dang you're really that upset over a silly little reaction video huh

[@DarkMadamX83]

@@DAVECHER I'm over it now. It was just hard to listen to at that moment. React on, my friend ✌️

[@charlesswitzer8378]

Lmao. You are mocking him for being a teen and yet...your drivel screams emo kid in distress in her darkened bedroom hating on the world because they will never "get you." I'm bored, so I will indulge you. Kate Bush still records music when she feels like it. She writes, produces, and arranges everything she does and refuses to release non-stop garbage to satisfy a label. A decade's absence from her is more valuable than a handful of Tori Amos records. She ended the fame circuit bs in the early 90s unlike the lame archetype of hers you are gatekeeping. Anyone with good taste knows that Tori Amos replicated her sound constantly and it is undeniable. Do you think he would just make that up? He said it over and over because it's real, not an exaggeration, and thankfully he started his reactions in this mold from the pioneer and not a copycat. Maybe you should use Google because Kate Bush actually dates to the classic rock era in the 70s and started her career 14 years before Amos when she 18. 14 years of Tori Amos spinning her records incessantly and affecting her sound. Kate Bush did a residency in 2014, 35 years after her only tour in 1979...and it is still ranked as one of the most visual and auditorily amazing rock shows ever conceived---just like the first one was. None of Tori Amos' tours or live gigs have that industry recognition...and are unknown apart from when she humps a piano occasionally to make a headline 😆The Dreaming eats this album alive in terms of sonic experimentation by a self-penned and produced female artist or male artist for that matter. Everyone also knows that Fiona Apple and Bjork are the only Kate Bush inspo's worth their own salt because they take their creativity to another level and do not obsessively try and recreate The Sensual World -- one of Kate's weakest btw -- in every record. Kate Bush is listed as an influence by the likes of Johnny Rotten, Radiohead (its even rumored she helped produce A Moon Shaped Pool during visits with the band), 2Pac, Outkast, Depeche Mode, Billy Idol, Fleetwood Mac, Fiona, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bjork, The Cure, Coldplay, Charli XCX, Florence and the Machine, Prince, and about 100 others. The Kick Inside destroys Little Earthquakes in terms of imagination, the fact that a child prodigy wrote and performed all of it, it's searing maturity and emotional resonance...the list goes on. Next.

[@rayname908]

Little Earthquakes is a masterpiece. She ?most it after that with occasional songs that are great.

[@sandyshores9500]

This is one of my favourite albums of her, even tho I loved that u reacted to it, I wanna touch on the part were I think u didn't find it that entertaining, I think it's just not Ur thing at all and it's okay. Tori Amos is an artpop artist and her instrument is the piano, and that's the thing with Tori, she has really great lyrics and the appeal of it ,musically talking, is her piano playing, it takes time to appreciate it if u r not into that type of slow songs that focuses mostly on lyrics and piano. If u r interested, u could check "From the Choir Girl Hotel" which has a more alternative rock influence or "To Venus And Back" for a more electronic or trip hop sound, and I'll wait for that "Ray of Light" reaction tho. Anyways, that's it, great reaction and I hope u check more of Tori's work

[@benjamingranzotto8415]

Did this guy really have to say "I wonder if shes playing the piano here"..........

[@DAVECHER]

no research bruh... how am I supposed to know she's a piano player lol

[@benjamingranzotto8415]

@@DAVECHER yeah sorry that was bitchy the die hard Tori fans such as myself are extremely loyal and sometimes refuse to accept that other people arent

[@FindingMadonna]

I think you've already realized by now that this was not the best album to start your Tori journey with. It's probably her most challenging and eccentric albums and isn't my favorite. I wouldn't feel bad about not getting the lyrics - she can be kind of obtuse and this album was the peak of that. I believe she taking a lot of mushrooms (and maybe acid) during this period and had gone through a difficult breakup. Anyway, not a bad album but I highly recommend Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink. I have a hunch you will prefer both and will probably love Little Earthquakes. Still daring and emotional but more conventional instrumentation and less over-the-top affectation. And Under The Pink is just beautiful. It's her "piano album."

[@pablocarrasco3591]

please do Cat Power! 🥺 you can do her album You Are Free, very emotional

[@alvaxxx.]

You should react Julia holter`s album Have You In My Wilderness, well any album of her discography is worth listening

[@joshr954]

It's a very emotion-based album. So I think it's something you either connect to or don't, depending on your own context. It received many negative reviews when it was released, with criticisms similar to yours, but the people that love it often have it as their GOAT or close to it, myself included. It's funny how you said her eccentricity went too far at times because every album she's released in the past 20 years has been so extremely bland to the point that they're unlistenable all the way through. I'd strongly recommend the follow-up album, From The Choirgirl Hotel (1998). Very alt-rock/electronic influenced, there's always a huge bridge on every track that completely explodes, and given your tastes I think you'd really like it! Fun trivia fact: A dance remix of Professional Widow was the highest-selling dance single of 1997. Went to #1 in the UK and was absolutely huge here.

[@jacqueline-delphine5160]

Kate Bush? She sounds nothing like Kate Bush, she was not influenced by Kate Bush. Not going to lie Boys for Pele is the worst album to start out from Tori Amos is out of context-very difficult to listen to. "Dollar store kate bush," Kate can never play the piano as well as Tori, and her vocals aren't nearly as good from a technical standpoint. Sorry, I am being defensive, but Tori is reserved for emotionally sensitive girls who get her.

[@MrXanadu28]

Starting tori amos with boy for pele is really a no no. I am extremely demand you to react to her album From The Choirgirl Hotel. Its a solid album. But really2 dark . And LOUD. That album screamed her sadness and angriness for losing her miscarriage babies.

[@bodyelectronic]

I loved this album from the first listen. This is not everybody, don’t even bother to review it. It’s very personal to be understood by many

[@manuelmora26]

YESS

[@openyourchakras918]

This was Tori pissed the F off at men in general & especially how the music industry is ran by men. This was her f**k off to her music label telling her what to do 😉

[@VulpesObscura]

Those aren't effects on a piano, it's a harpsichord. The entire album was recorded on one.

[@abnormalcy808]

I've listened to this album consistently for the last 25 years and I still don't get it either. Well my brain doesn't fully get it, but my heart does. I often leave off the last track as well. Check out little earthquakes for sure.

[@sillywhale]

Omg why would you start here?! Lol!

[@sillywhale]

Or, rather, why would someone think this is where you should start a Tori journey?! This is Tori’s “The Dreaming” in that this was her first time being totally in control of the production. So she got a little nuts. It’s not accessible, especially to someone just being introduced

[@syntheticsilkwood2206]

Someone request a fiona apple when the pawn album reaction I will pray for you in return lol

[@anthonylucio1]

Dollar store Kate bush lmao Yeah not the best intro to Tori unfortunately but is one of my favorites, personally

[@tacianobarsan7817]

Make more videos from new albums too pls

[@nomart4888]

i think you’d LOVE Ys by Joanna Newsom.

[@jasp19]

No, he wouldn't understand a single note of it. He literally called "Putting the damage on" and "Twinkle", BORING. There is no chance.

[@manuelmora26]

You would like from the choir girl hotel wayyyyy more

[@MatThompson-dh5zw]

Not the kind of album or even individual songs you can appreciate after a single listen. And apparently his only point of reference is Kate Bush.

[@zaggy1921]

You read way too much before you listened to this.

[@letruxemais5911]

react to Happy Rhodes - Ecto

[@DarkMadamX83]

This was a horrible reaction.. it's blatant you know nothing about her.. you should have stayed away from this if you weren't ready for it.. yes!! She does performance pieces!! She is an ARTIST.. she's a composer.. this album came out in the 90s wtf.... A lot of her early music dealt with her trauma, this is how she filtered it. You will never understand it. How can you sit in a public arena and bash her? You should be grateful.

[@DAVECHER]

rent free

[@ashleyrenee5387]

Also something to know when listening to Tori: she was the youngest ever to be accepted into the Peabody Conservatory at age 5 but then kicked out by age 11 for wanting to play rock and roll. She is very big into the concept of the muse and talks about how her songs will sometimes take a physical form that she can see and interact with. She is an artist on another level, I recommend you look into her a bit to understand how unique she is.

[@ashleyrenee5387]

Sorry, one more thing, Tori is my favorite artist and I can't help it. She uses a lot of themes in her work a few are: a rape early on in her career, a miscarriage, various relationships, religion as her father was a minister, native american culture from her mother's side, drug use, and so on Also, you should check out her duet of Muhammad My Friend with Maynard James Keenan. The song is about Mary Magdalene being Jesus' wife, which is something I believe comes from what was found in the dead sea scrolls, but i could be wrong on that last bit. I'll stop now =)