various stuffs

[woj@remus.rutgers.edu (l.l. cool bean)]

Carter Bennett <carter@cmptrc.lonestar.org> sez:
>Honestly, "Crucify" was not my favorite piece on LE.  

i'm still not sure what i think of this song. questioning the tendency
to flog ourselves with religious-inspired guilt is a valid theme, but
such explicit religious overtones rather turns me off. i have no pro-
blem with tori expressing that need to throw away the yokes of repres-
sion and i'm elated that others have found that this song assists them
in doing the same...but centering the song around religion, as she does,
raises flags in my head - it's too easy a selling point in at least the
western social milieu.

i feel slimy for reducing anyone's pain to a commerical motive - and
i do not feel that tori has done so by any means - but face it: slag-
ging organized religion sells. jethro tull's "aqualung" has been des-
cribed by ian anderson as their pro-god anti-church album - and look 
how well it has held up the test of time and popularity.

>I have always felt this piece ["winter"] was quite happy
>given it's contemplative tone.  Not melancholic at all. 

i agree - contemplative is a good description of this song. i picture
tori standing in front of a fireplace, gazing at a picture of her father,
whlie listening to this song. it's nostalgic and subdued, but not at
all sad.

as for "china," initially i felt that this was the weakest song on the
album. the structure is fairly straight-forward and the music is not 
involving like the other pieces on the album. however, i've been won 
over by the lyrics, which have some great wordplay (i'm a sucker for 
wordplay). now, the weakest song on the album, imho, is "leather," 
which i still like a lot, once the chorus kicks in anyways. go figure...

>I'm just pleased that Ms. Amos has the variety to appeal to both of us.

echo that thought.

Thor Iverson <tiverson@lynx.dac.northeastern.edu> sez:
>Actually, I'd be surprised (and disappointed) if she toured for the rest of
>her career with just a piano.

i agree completely. to not be able to experience "precious things" live
with a fbe (full band experience) would be a terrible thing. i've said
this before and i'll say it again: tori and a piano are great, but it
*is* possible for her to play live with a band and still stun you. KaTe
did it in 1978, tori can do it too.

Dick Locke <wiltel!dlocke@uunet.UU.NET> sez:
>I'm not sure I've ever heard hiss on the LE CD 

i hear it. quite well, thank you. it's not nearly as obvious as, say
the hiss on _the sensual world_, but if you listen to the cd with 
headphones on, i'm sure you'll hear it at the beginning of every song
before tori and the ivories cut loose. i think it is especially pre-
valent on "little earthquakes" (the song), but that's what my memory
tells me and i don't trust my memory much anymore...

woj