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Editorial Reviews:

Album Description
Intimate, confessional, poetic, and defiantly independent, Amos' songs touch on self, family, religion, femininity, pain, and love with a searching spirit that translates powerfully into songcraft. This momentous box spans the depth and breadth of her extraordinary repertoire, spotlighting both album versions and a sprawling tapestry of rarities. Disc A - Little Earthquakes extended Disc B - Pink And Pele Disc C - Pele/Venus/Tales Disc D - Scarlet/Beekeeper/Choirgirl Disc E - Bonus B-sides.

Customer Reviews: Read 47 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Totally Tori. September 26, 2006
92 out of 96 found this review helpful

This CD boxed set is a real treat. Sooooooo many remarkable Tori Amos recordings in one place! Most of the hits are here (Where is "Talula"?) -- as well as a wealth of hard-to-find b-sides, 10 previously unreleased tracks and alternate takes of familiar Tori gems.

And wait until you hear the re-sequenced, expanded edition of Tori's solo debut "Little Earthquakes"! It's like hearing the album for the first time. The reconditioned sound is top-notch! And the four added-back-in outtakes are tremendous. I love it, love it, love it!

However ...

1. No covers? Tori wrote all these songs, with the exception of two traditional numbers. At the very least, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" should have been included. Tori does an amazing version of that song, one that Kurt Cobain himself loved. And it was heavily played on alternative radio back in 1992.

2. We get the re-recorded version of "Mary". Um, why? The original version is much, MUCH better and is EXTREMELY hard to get ahold of on CD. Besides, fans already have this new, sanitized version on "Tales From a Librarian," where it was an A-side (and promoted as a single), from 2003. Also, why in the world is the newer "Mary" on the "Bonus B-sides" disc? It was on an album, so calling it a b-side is inaccurate.

3. "Purple People" isn't noted as such in the liner notes, but it is an alternate version. Not as inviting as the other version, but still a tasty morsel. "Beauty Queen/Horses" is also an uncredited alternate mix that contains slight electronic vibe under the track, which was not on the original "Boys for Pele" version.

4. We get two versions of "Professional Widow," but neither remotely resembles the album version, either musically or lyrically. Kind of a disappointment, because the original album track most effectively relays the song's story.

5. I was bummed that "Humpty Dumpty" was not included. I think that is one of Tori's best b-sides. Such an mean-spirited little ditty; I love it!

That's it. All the "flaws" (for lack of a better word) I could find.

This collection is DELICIOUS. If you are a Tori fan, this is essential to your collection.

Thank you, Tori, for 15 years of soul-searching and -searing music.

4 out of 5 stars

Very Strong Collection October 5, 2006
38 out of 38 found this review helpful

The basic criticism of this collection is that it includes too few b-sides and non-album tracks (certain key songs like "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and the original version of "Mary" are omitted), and too many album tracks are (most people who would buy this collection more than likely already own not only the original albums, but the "Tales of a Librarian" collection as well). As a career-spanning collection, there are pros and cons to having as many album tracks as there are here. Mainly, it can be frustrating to shell out for the same songs over and over again just to get the previously unreleased songs.

On the other hand, to have a collection of only b-sides, demos, and live recordings would be to take many of these songs out of context. Particularly on the first disc, "Little Earthquakes Expanded," we have the classic breakthrough album presented in its entirety, with added songs not tacked on at the end, as reissues typically do, but placed strategically within the album. For me, it improves the album greatly, my one problem with the album being its relentless intensity. The added tracks serve to vary the pacing of the album, making it more listenable even as they lengthen the playing time.

Regardless of previous hits collections, putting all of these songs together in almost-chronological order ("Venus" songs appear before "choirgirl" songs, for some reason, and some b-sides are scattered a bit) is a tour-de-force presentation of a restless, wonderfully diverse artist. Though Tori Amos has a very distinctive sound, being able to listen to her career over the course of 80+ tracks reveals a lot about how she changed over the years, which elements of her music she chose to change, and which elements she always retains.

As can be expected, most people will wonder why a few songs weren't included (for me: She's Your Cocaine, Raspberry Swirl, and Taxi Ride), but it's easy enough to mix those in yourself if you keep music on your computer or mp3 player. And, for the most part, they got it right (for all the songs included, there is only one groaner, the live version of Professional Widow on the second disc.)

The sequencing is mostly well done, and the package is very nice. The cds each have their own individual cases, so they're protected. The book is informative and entertaining, containing Tori's trademark eccentric comments about her own work, as well as some rather interesting discussions about how her songs and different sounds came about.

This likely will not be the last Tori collection to come into existence, so hopefully a few years down the road we'll see more of a straight-up gathering of b-sides and hard-to-find tracks. For now, though, I think this is an outstanding collection, ranking for me alongside Tom Petty's "Playback" as being as good a box set as one could hope for. It should be interesting to see in which direction Tori will choose to go next.

3 out of 5 stars

A simple Rare and Unreleased package would have sufficed October 26, 2006
21 out of 23 found this review helpful

Most of what I feel has already been said in other reviews so I will simply recap.
1. No Covers. Where is Smells Like Teen Spirit, Angie, Thank you, Do It Again etc?
2. Just the rare and unreleased please. I own all the Tori albums and don't really need a recap (Though Tori points out that disc one is they way Little Earthquakes might have been, so that is kind of cool)
3. I have never liked the Digi pak, I like the jewel box. Digi paks wear out and are hard to deal with.
4. Now I have to find a place to store this obnoxious box. Sorry Tori or whoever designed it but I just want the music and the liner notes, I don't need another box to hide away somewhere.

WIth that said, this is a great box to give someone who wants some Tori and has none. It covers many of her best songs and her comments in the book are interesting and insightful.

I also recommend more men to give Tori a listen. As one of her male fans I like to compare her to music legends like Kate Bush.

Obviously die hard fans will have to own this one and nothing I say will change that.
Enjoy.

4 out of 5 stars

Finally, a Tori box set! September 28, 2006
15 out of 16 found this review helpful

Being a rather rabid Toriphile, there was no question of whether or not I was going to purchase A Piano. Upon first glance the box set is really quite stunning. The piano shaped packaging is beautiful and perfect for a Tori box set. The included book is also gorgeous and full of interesting information and pictures, including some drawings done by Tori. Each disc is housed in it's own beautiful digipack that rests inside a faux velvet-like tray. My only complaint the with packaging is with the book. There were few very minor errors with some of the information, but what I was most disappointed with was the lack of a true "track-by-track" commentary of the included songs that I thought was going to be there. Instead, Tori comments on selected songs. Regardless, the commentary that is included is insightful and interesting.

As for the music itself, there is quite a lot to take in. But when it comes to Tori's music, I believe the more the better. And it really is about time that a true box set chronicled her career. However, some fans may find themselves disappointed with this collection as it does not offer much in the way of new/rare material, particularly if you collect Tori's singles and already have many of the b-sides. Also, the "alternate mixes" are not strikingly different from the album versions. With some of the alternate mixes I could hear the differences with the first listen. With many of them I am still struggling to find any difference. Even with the ones I did notice, the differences were fairly subtle.

Disc A: I am enjoying being able to hear the expanded version of Little Earthquakes that is more akin to how Tori originally envisioned it. I like that Tori decided to only use alternate mixes that were done in the Little Earthquakes era, rather than remixing as was done for Tales of a Librarian. But again, the alternate mixes are subtle in their differences.

Disc B: This disc focuses on Under The Pink and Boys For Pele era songs. I don't know what process of selection Tori went through when choosing songs to be included in this collection, but I find it strange that "Icicle" did not make the cut as I consider it to be one of the standout tracks on UTP. Conversely, I was surprised by some of the tracks that were included. "Take Me With You" is also a wonderful song that I am happy has now found a home. As for the BFP material, my comments are the same. I don't understand why some tracks, such as "Talula", were left off and why others were included. I don't mind the substitution of the Merry Widow version of "Professional Widow" for the album version, as I enjoy both.

Disc C: This disc wraps up the material from BFP and covers the material from To Venus And Back and Tales Of A Librarian. I am confused as to why there is another version of "Professional Widow" here (Armand's Star Trunk Funkin' Mix). This version of the song, to me, always seems out of place among Tori's other works. The unreleased song, "Walk to Dublin," is also a new gem that I greatly enjoy. The TVAB material was a surprise to me as I thought that Tori left off some of the best tracks from that album, "Juarez" and "Josephine" in particular, but included what I consider to be some of the weakest tracks. However, I was glad that the live version of "Sugar" and "Waitress" were included because of how much different (and better) they are from their studio counterparts.

Disc D: This disc covers material from Scarlet's Walk, The Beekeeper, and From The Choirgirl Hotel. I think this disc is really where the collection starts to falter. I was disappointed with how little material from Choirgirl was included in comparison to LE, UTP, BFP, and TVAB. It escapes me why songs like "Northern Lad" or "Pandora's Aquarium" or "Raspberry Swirl" were not included as well. Also, why only two songs from SW are here is puzzling. TBK also got similarly ignored with only three tracks making the cut. Among the tracks are newly remixed versions of "iieee" and "Cruel". Honestly, I prefer the album versions of both songs. "iieee" here sounds disjointed and choppy. While the remix of "Cruel" here feels like it's lost it's emotional intensity. There are also four unreleased songs on this disc. "Ode To My Clothes" is a funny song and I am glad that the booklet explains the story behind it, otherwise I doubt I would care much for it. "Zero Point" is a great song that I am amazed she set aside in favor of "Datura" on TVAB. "Dolphin Song" grabbed me instantly and I enjoy it immensely. "Not David Bowie" on the other hand, is the only unreleased song on the collection that I am not yet impressed with.

Disc E: This disc focuses on b-sides throughout Tori's career. Once again, I feel that this disc really faltered. With such an amazing catalogue of b-sides, I am a bit curious as to why Tori included songs like "This Old Man", "Hungarian Wedding Song", "Toodles Mr. Jim", etc. over songs like "Ode to the Banana King", "Siren", "Alamo", etc. The demos were interesting to hear, but with the exception of "The Fire Eater's Wife," I doubt I'll listen to them often. I would've rather had more b-sides or unreleased songs in place of them. The last unreleased song, "Peeping Tommi", is a great addition to the collection.

All in all, I greatly enjoy A Piano. However, there seem to be glaring omissions in what is supposed to be a retrospective of her solo career up to this point. Personally, I don't feel that FTCH was adequately represented considering that it was the album when Tori began experimenting with electronic music. Also, Tori's most recent studio albums, Scarlet's Walk and The Beekeeper, barely got a mention in this collection. Also missing from this box set, but perhaps not missed by many fans, are any selections from Tori's 2001 covers album, Strange Little Girls. Unfortunately, trying to capture Tori's incredible career in a 5 disc boxset is a near impossible task. I think this collection would've benefited from at least one more disc and a slightly modified track listing.

5 out of 5 stars

Song after song note after note lyric after lyric Incredible! September 27, 2006
10 out of 15 found this review helpful

I've been a Tori fan for years. When I heard she was doing a box set I was so happy but a bit hesitate to buy it on the same day so many other cds were being released I wanted too. But I found it for only $54 which is probably the best price Ill find it for a while. After hearing it I never would have even hesitated buying it on the release day. Its awesome! If you like her music you'll surely love it.Five cds, a beautiful hard back booklet with a lot of stuff about Tori and pictures in the book. Also the box set contains the best songs from all of her cds and also includes rare songs, never before heard songs and stuff we just love.Tori in my opinon is one of the most intellegent women in music today. She puts all of herself in her music and she takes her work seriously. I love her music....check out the box. If you like her music...you'll love it!

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