8.01.2006

Tori Amos Cover Mix

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Video Link: Strange Little Girl (Stranglers cover)

Tori Amos is probably my favorite musician EVER. That's saying a lot obviously since I'm an amatuer music journalist and full time music collector. The things she does with a Bosendorfer piano are unbelievable. She knows how to lightly tickle her ivories till it feels like you're surrounded in a light mystic cloud of the beyond. Then, in a flash she'll pound the keys into submission, almost as if she's in an S&M relationship with her instrument. I know a lot of people think she's a "wack job" because of her sometimes indecipherable lyrics and quotes like: "I know I'm an acquired taste - I'm anchovies. And not everybody wants those hairy little things.”

And its quite true...Tori Amos isn't for anyone not willing to explore a more uncharted musical territory with her. Her influnces range anywhere from Beethoven to Prince, and she has no problem mixing her varied influences throughout her work. Nowhere is that more apparent than in her cover songs. Unlike most artists who cover other musicians songs, Tori makes them COMPLETELY her own by making unique arrangements and exploring areas of the song that the original version never made us consider.

I have literally her entire music catolouge besides a few rare b-sides and bootlegs, so choosing songs for a mix was VERY difficult. But I decided to make this mix a varied selection of her beautiful cover work. Most of these tracks are live, and I've designated which particular concert they were performed at and the date. If you don't download the whole mix (which I obviously would like you to) make sure to pick up her cover of R.E.M.'s "Losing My Relgion," and her live cover of Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks." You never know, a lot of people who are skittish about liking Tori are completely won over by her live work. So give our favorite red-headed pixie a try, and become as Tori calls her fans, an "Ear With Feet."

I Need You Tonight (INXS cover)
Losing My Religion (R.E.M. cover)
Mad World (Tears for Fears cover)
Karma Police (Radiohead cover)
You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC cover)
I'm On Fire (Bruce Springsteen cover)
When the Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin cover)
Magic Man (Heart cover)
Famous Blue Raincoat (Leonard Cohen cover)
Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana cover)
Running to Stand Still (U2 cover)
Purple Rain(Prince cover)

17 Comments:

Blogger treva. said...

I love you for posting these!

11:41 AM  
Blogger treva. said...

I'd say it's a tie between Mad World and Running to Stand Still, though I've always loved her performances of Famous Blue Raincoat, so that's an old favorite. I regret I haven't been able to catch her last couple tours.

11:47 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I really like this mix too. I'd heard a few of them before ("Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Losing My Religion"), and her version of "I'm on Fire" seems to end up on every mix CD I make. (Do you have the original studio version? It's on a VH1 compilation that's apparently out of print now.)

I think Tori Amos is at her best when it's just her and the piano, without anything else getting in between.

5:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i hearts u so hard for these trax :D loving karma police and purple rain yay :D :D :D made my day yay xx RUDY

9:36 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

sounds like a plan >.< :]

1:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

AWWWW @ You Shook Me All Night Long. That's from my very first Tori concert last year :)

10:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OMG!!!!!!!! Thank you! I love Purple Rain! She is amazing!

1:55 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

yay, thanks a lot for these :) tori ranks very high on my list too. enjoying your blog a lot, btw :)

5:52 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tom Waits "TIME" would be a great addition to this mix.

Thanks very much (although I can't seem to be able to download the tracks)

6:15 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hiya. Great Tori Cover Mix! My favourite artist too (along with Antony & The Johnsons and your mix included some covers I'd never heard so thanx! Her cover of The Cure's Love Song is superb as well.

1:43 PM  
Blogger Marty said...

It's nice to see a fellow ToriFan out there. I agree 100% on your post. I've been a fan since 9/16/92, when I saw the Little Earthquakes Tour. The new boxed set due in September should be incredible! Thanks for posting these tunes-I hadn't heard all of them. My favorite cover is still 'Thank You,' but 'Landslide' comes close. :)

2:29 PM  
Blogger Shane said...

she also covered pearl jam's "black," and it's a damn good version...i'll see if i can unearth it from somewhere in my collection.

9:06 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That is so true. Tori is not for those who really want to explore music. THanks so much for posting these!!!

Lawrence

10:14 AM  
Blogger scottAD said...

Awww.... I missed it. Can I request an encore repost? My music love comes from cover songs AND Tori Amos, so missing this kinda sucks...

You have great taste in music!

12:09 PM  
Blogger Marty said...

Thanks for making my day!! I was looking for 'Mad World,' the Gary Jules cover, and for the heck of it, typed in to see if Tori has done a cover. Thank God she has, and Thank God you had it!!

Tori Amos is my favorite artist ever, and one of my favorite people ever. Like you, I have most of everything she's done. But did not have these covers.

Thanks again!

4:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was so excited to see these but the links arent working what happened!!!

2:57 PM  
Blogger J said...

My favourite cover of her is "black". But I prefer her own stuff.She is a real artist. I love her since 1994.

2:30 PM  

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