Tori Amos Releasing a Christmas Album?
- Posted on Jul 20th 2009 1:15PM by Jessica Robertson
- Comments (14)
We'd imagine that if Jesus had his own Christmas list, which would actually be a birthday list, a Tori Amos CD might not exactly be at the top. This is the same woman who sang "I think the Good Book is missing a few pages," while also telling a story of masturbating as her minister father conducted a Bible lesson downstairs ('Icicle'). Still, if a Billboard listing is any indication, Amos will gift the world with a Christmas album on November 3, via her new label, Universal Republic.Amos diehards are well familiar with her covers of Christmas staples 'Little Drummer Boy' and 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,' so perhaps it's not too much of a stretch. And, to her credit, Amos has long gunned for the Church as an institution and not Jesus himself. In fact, the singer-songwriter holds quite a reverence for him. When once asked by NME who the first love of her life was, she replied, "Jesus. But I got over when I first saw a picture of Robert Plant." Well, she tried.
Reader Comments(1 of 1)
lunoat 7-20-2009
I've been a Tori Amos fan since 1996 but I'm afraid this might be the last straw for me. A Christmas album, really?
Anthony Chapaat 7-21-2009
Boys for Pele is my Bible, and this last straw you speak of is ridiculous; she's an independent artist and doesn't owe your childish self-indulgences anything. Also, this is Tori, expect a post-modern take on christmas and an ironic, irreverent sonic delivery. Tori is a constantly evolving veing and a perpetual creative force of enigmatic beauty. Also, I'll take anything she puts out. Very much appreciative, this spoiled child syndrome fans have with Tori is annoying and comical.
mikeat 8-30-2009
Anthony Chappa - it's Tori fans like you that are indulging her and encouraging her to release the crap she's released for the last 7 years. Why say you'll take anything she puts out? That's an insult to the genius she has displayed in the past with her finest albums like Earthquakes, Pele, and Scarlet. Tori knows that there are a core of fans who will spend their money on anything she releases and she's been cashing in on you for years now with pointless re-recordings and box sets, not to mention the bloated, badly produced and frankly irrelevant last 3 albums.
ejoy411at 7-24-2009
I've been a (clearly, more devoted than luno) fan since 1992, and anyone who thinks a Christmas album is not appropriate for Tori Amos obviously does not know her very well at all.
To quote two songs from so early in her career, and use it as the basis of an argument that a Christmas album is not apropo, does a massive discredit to Tori's 2-decade career. Those 2 particular songs were written as a reflection of her coming-of-age in a strict conservative institution such as the modern church. And as for "the good book missing some pages," Tori is referring to the fact that the modern bible really is missing entire texts -- like the all of the Gnostic Gospels that the dear patriarchs in Nicaea refused to include in their precious compilation; especially the Gospel of Mary Magdalene.
Tori's first 3 solo albums revolved around the theme of emancipating herself from the sexist, mysogynistic patriarchy that the last 1700 years of Christianity (and western culture) are steeped in.
For those of us who stuck by her through the next 7 studio albums (not to mention the plethora of collections, bootlegs, covers, and singles), we know that her relationship with Christianity matured and evolved into an understanding that there is much more to spirituality than what is laid out in the Bible.
Tori is one of Jesus' biggest fans, she says so herself, and she has been aware from a young age that Jesus himself would not have considered women to have any lesser status than men. She is an outspoken advocate for equality in modern Christianity, and if Jesus were around today, I'm sure he would not only be proud of her for setting the record straight, he would certainly want to hear her sing a few birthday songs to him. I'm certainly anxious to hear it as well.
Michael Foleyat 8-24-2009
I like many of Tori's fans can not wait for this Christmas collection. I think she'll offer some unique, sensitive takes on some of the classics, and sincerely hope she's written some original material as well.
ejoy411at 7-24-2009
I've been a (clearly, more devoted than luno) fan since 1992, and anyone who thinks a Christmas album is not appropriate for Tori Amos obviously does not know her very well at all.
To quote two songs from so early in her career, and use it as the basis of an argument that a Christmas album is not apropo, does a massive discredit to Tori's 2-decade career. Those 2 particular songs were written as a reflection of her coming-of-age in a strict conservative institution such as the modern church. And as for "the good book missing some pages," Tori is referring to the fact that the modern bible really is missing entire texts -- like the all of the Gnostic Gospels that the dear patriarchs in Nicaea refused to include in their precious compilation; especially the Gospel of Mary Magdalene.
Tori's first 3 solo albums revolved around the theme of emancipating herself from the sexist, mysogynistic patriarchy that the last 1700 years of Christianity (and western culture) are steeped in.
For those of us who stuck by her through the next 7 studio albums (not to mention the plethora of collections, bootlegs, covers, and singles), we know that her relationship with Christianity matured and evolved into an understanding that there is much more to spirituality than what is laid out in the Bible.
Tori is one of Jesus' biggest fans, she says so herself, and she has been aware from a young age that Jesus himself would not have considered women to have any lesser status than men. She is an outspoken advocate for equality in modern Christianity, and if Jesus were around today, I'm sure he would not only be proud of her for setting the record straight, he would certainly want to hear her sing a few birthday songs to him. I'm certainly anxious to hear it as well.
Matt Richardsat 8-22-2009
Hmmm...this doesn't seem like something Tori would do, but I'm fascinated to see her take on this. I have seen her cover Christmas songs before. This probably isn't going to be an "angry Tori" album, like she often produced earlier in her career, but she still has a beautiful voice, and I'd love to hear her sing them.
And to the author of this post, she was masturbating while her father was doing a bible lesson DOWNSTAIRS, haha. Not that it makes much of a difference at that point.
Lunoat 8-29-2009
I would say that my original reaction to the idea of Tori Amos producing a Christmas album was strictly emotional and admittedly premature. After reading interviews with Tori outlining her plans for the record, which includes harpsichords (an instrument many fans having been waiting for her to return to) and tubular bells, presenting classics and long forgotten pieces in their earlier (often radically different) form and not, as I had originally feared, a commercial run through of the usual Holiday material (which I'm sorry, Tori's last few records have made it appear much more possible that she would do just that for commercial appeal) I am actually looking forward to previewing this record in a few months. It might just be the first Christmas album I've ever bought.
Mandyat 9-12-2009
I'm not a Christian but I've always loved Christmas music. I think hmmm Tori singing Christmas songs is alot better than listening to Bob Dylan sing them.
jennyat 10-07-2009
I used to LOVE Tori Amos, and I still do love all her records up until The BeeKeeper.
I so badly want her to become cool again, and by that I mean to be brave and unconventional musically and thematically. Boys for Pele is still one of the best pieces of artisic expression I have experienced, and Choirgirl, the covers record and even the more conventional Scarlet's Walk are singular pieces of artistic/musical expression in my opinion. But Tori Amos took a drastic artistic turn in the last several years,and I feel betrayed - and I don't feel she owes anyone anything. But damn. She gave such beautiful and powerful manifestos, and then just let it go. I still love what she used to do, and that is how I choose to understand her and listen to her. But I always hold out hope that the next record will be like Joni Mitchell's Mingus Covers Record. Because I know she is that amazing. I will forgive her these last 5 records, if she would give us just one Herija. And I know she can and somehow I feel she must want to. So, in conclusion, I hope she sells a ton of these Christmas cd's and then will feel free to go down a different road, one in which she doesn't give a shit about her fans or critics and just plays her crazy, beautiful, tender and wild jams. And surprises us again.
hereinmyheadat 12-02-2009
Mike,
You should be ashamed to call yourself a Tori Amos fan. To say that “Tori knows that there are a core of fans who will spend their money on anything she releases, and she's been cashing in on you for years now with pointless re-recordings and box sets, not to mention the bloated, badly produced, and frankly, irrelevant last 3 albums” just isn’t right." If you were a Tori fan at all, you would know that she respects her fans too much to see us as dollar signs. Furthermore, to say that her last 3 albums were irrelevant is pure ignorance. That means you either weren't paying attention to the lyrics, or you were totally clueless to what was happening in the world or in Tori's life at the time she put out the albums.
I have news for the Tori fans that think every album should be like BFP--my favorite album as well--BFP was another time in Tori's life. It was a difficult time at that.
I guess those types of fans don't realize that a lot can happen in ten years. Things are changing all the time, and yes, even Tori’s changed. I'm sure we all have in one way or another since then. I guess if Mike and fans like him had their way, Tori would still be suffering through those miserable times, as long as all her albums sounded like BFP.
I look forward to the Christmas album. I don't know why people are shocked about it, and would like to mention that while Tori has noted many times that she has different spiritual ideas on Christianity, she never said she hated Jesus or Christmas. WTF?!
Daisyat 1-03-2010
It doesn't matter if it's Christmas or Halloween. I can't understand a damn word she says anymore. She has a tendency to recreate the phonetics of vowels when singing. As far as this Christmas album goes, I think she should have stuck with the B tracks. The fact that she's explaining the research and approaches of the album during interviews makes it even more unappealing.
I remember buying an album and liking all of the songs. I hope you enjoy at least 50% her holiday cheer off her new album. As for me, I'm going to listen to the Tori that was playing piano in jeans and high heals. Jessica Robertson ended this article beautifully with the final statement. I'm going to pull my hair out if she states one more time in an interview, "Being a minister's daughter..." It was a more interesting topic when she was targeting that background toward a progressive movement. Sorry, but you can't have an album titled, "Abnormally Attracted to Sin" when you have "Boys for Pele´" and songs like "God, Icicle, etc."
Markat 1-07-2010
anthony chapa, if tori is your bible you really do need help, especially since you are bragging about being attatched to her, but enough of that. I have been a tori amos fan for over 15years now, and I think her christmas album is just wonderful.