Tori Amos - The Beekeeper

[willpower]

Anyone got it?

Anyone slightly underwhelmed?

Too many tracks, and too many of them midtempo and start to merge into one another after about track 12.

that said, i will probably love it in a couple of weeks.

[Tuna Fish]

I was considering a purchase. The track listing did look huge! What is the song with D.Rice like?

[xolondon]

I'm a fan, but this is not a record I will play much. You are right - she needs editor/producer. Many of the songs are not worthy. She could cut at least 6.

The midtempo thing is annoying and most of the songs end withthe same sort of drawn out word. Goodbye to pie-sceeeeeeeeeees and a little breath.

The Damien Rice song has an irritating beginning, but is prettty good. he adds a little edge to the song that most of the CD is really lacking.

Tori really needs to change it up. She's got a lot of integrity and pours herself into her work, absolutely, but the same band, same studio, same production team stuff is wearing out. She needs something to shake her up musically.

Fave songs: The Beekeeper, Orange Kickers, Mother Revolution, the single. Ribbons Undone (cheesy but good).

[spaceblimp]

I bought it the first day it came out and was far too excited.

It's just such a gloopy MOR mess.


Nothing stands out, nothing takes any risks. I was gutted.

Having said that I kept listening and I quite like it now.

The lyrics are terrible though. Nothing interesting or exciting.

My biggest dissapointment all year, musically speaking.



And you're right about changing her production team to shake it up, don't know who she could get...... I'll have a wee think.

[willpower]

i just keep thinking of the harder edged stuff like Cruel from "Choirgirl Hotel", and Space Dog, and numerous others which were slightly more experimental.

Scarlets Walk was of the same type of mid paced stuff but i thought the songs stood up more.

[xolondon]

It lacks a song as perfect as "Your Cloud" or "Taxi Ride" which made up for dreck like "I Can't See New YOrk" (I have an aversion to 9/11 songs).

[Deleted]

'The Beekeeper' has had a real marketing push, she's been on the cover of magazines and had some excellent write-ups (and some not so excellent write-ups) all over the place.

And the reason they've done this is because it's Tori Goes Radio 2. They know that non-Tori fans might suddenly like the sheer wallpaper nature of the album. The arrangements are all the same, there's nothing exciting about most of them, she's too old to get away with the little-girl moments, and there's nothing arresting about half of the songs. It's a horrible example of all the things people mock her for. Wistful fairytales minus the sharp black edges we've come to expect.

My least favourite Tori album to date. And 'Scarlet's Walk' was fantastic, too. What is she thinking?

[undisco_me]

Mr said:

My least favourite Tori album to date. And 'Scarlet's Walk' was fantastic, too. What is she thinking?

I liked where she was going with Choirgirl and Venus especially, so I was really baffled by how underwhelming that record was. The single was nice, but completely typical. Now I am really put off to even buy this new record - and the artwork looked quite gothic (the picture that I seen anyway). Pity. She needs another Spark or Bliss. I always thought her problem here was lack of promotion: we never got some releases over here, and I never seen some of the videos (does Bliss have actual footage of her obsessed fans hiding behind cars, or am I just crazy thinking this?). It seems to me, her hearts not in it the way it used to be.

[Trash]

I'm not complaining about the amount of material on the album, especially as I really miss the b-sides that used to be a real treat on the earlier Tori singles.

What I do think is that her earlier angst and kickback against Christianity made her work very edgy. Now that Tori seems evidently happy and at peace, the music is reflecting it.

I really miss the harpsichord from Boys For Pele, the simplicity of the earlier piano/string arrangements from Earthquakes and even loved the electronica on Venus. What I'm not so keen on is the cheesy hammond organ and cheerful MOR style that's evident across most of Beekeeper.

Whilst I thought a recent review in a local music mag was in very poor taste when they suggested Tori needed a good raping to get back on track, which is quite frankly a tad disgusting. I would like to see her doing something different rather than blending in with the likes of Sarah McLachlan et al.

Christ, I sound ungrateful at having a new release. I just miss the Tori I fell in love with back in 1991 when I heard her doing 'Me and a Gun' on Radio 2 with Johnny Walker.

[xolondon]

Wait a minute - was that a real magazine? That would be grounds for firing the editor IMO, to allow that kind of thing to be printed.

I'd also like to add that the cover is TERRIBLE - by far her worst - and photoshoppish! There are much better pics inside and some of the little placards have a diff pic with a black and orange theme that look much better.

[spaceblimp]

repeat listening does help... It's now growing on me. But if I wasn't already a troiphile I probably wouldn't have bothered.


Why did she have to go so Radio 2.



Just goes to show you, contentment sounds dull.

[Outroductive]

I really like "The Beekeeper", seems I'm the only one. I don't have any other Tori albums, so I can't compare it with anything. Any recommendations on which album to get next? "Boys For Pele" and "Little Earthquakes" seem popular, but I thought "From The Choirgirl Hotel" or "Scarlet's Walk".

[Trash]

Why not try 'Tales Of A Librarian', the anthology from 2004. It misses out 'Strange Little Girls' entirely, but is a pretty good way of sampling what went before.

My favourite album would be 'Boys For Pele', because it includes 'Hello Mr Zebra' and 'Putting The Damage On' which I adore.

Otherwise, the first one 'Little Earthquakes' is just a beautiful collection. 'Girl' is great, although she should have used a real string section rather than synthesised ones. God, do they use that word any more? Synthesised....

I'm showing my age.

[Outroductive]

Sorry, I meant studio albums. I already have "Tales Of A Librarian", and really like it. I'm listening to it now actually. I've heard a lot about "Little Earthquakes". I heard "From The Choirgirl Hotel" was where she started experimenting though, which sounds more my thing. Sometimes soley-piano based songs irritate me, but I tend to like most of Tori's stuff.

[xolondon]

I would pick "Under The Pink" first because ia) it's a true classic, b) it showcases Tori at her most melodic (think "Cornflake" and "Past The Misson"), c) her most wrenching (think "Baker Baker") and d) it also showcases Tori's more adventurous side (like "Yes Anastasia").

After that I would go for Choirgirl, an inconsistent record with some really brilliant songs.

[leelee]

I love The Beekeeper. I've been a Tori fan since 1992 and am bored to tears of the whining so called fans who bitch every time she releases an album. All my friends think it's genius, but as Madonna once wrote in Vanity Fair 'Kindness is timid and evil is a ham'.

[xolondon]

huh?!

[Micht]

I'm actually quite a fan of this record, especially compared to 'Scarlet's Walk' which I thought was pretty much garbage.

However, that being said, it's not nearly as good as any of her older material. Perhaps it's because she's getting older, or that she has a child, or just that she doesn't have as much to angst about... who knows? But she's not being as experimental as she used to, both musically and vocally, and that kinda makes me sad.

I put this record on when I'm in the mood for Happy!Tori, especially songs like "Jamaica Inn" which makes me think of pineapples for some reason.

[xolondon]

I think she needs to record in a new place and work with some new musicians. It's not the songs so much as the arrangements/production IMO. They are GOOD but she's done it all before. New blood would challenge her a bit.

Did you see the new pics of her with "Tash" - tha girl looks JUST LIKE HER!

[flopped]

She's always been spotty, though, hasn't she? I mean Boys for Pele was utter tripe and yet something relatively undermarketed like "to Venus and Back" was one of the best records of the last decade...

I, too, thought "Scarlet" crap, and this new record is not groundbreaking for Tori, but it does seem gently poignant and personal. Plus, she's singing really well at the moment and seems to have toned down all the whooping and hollering that marred previous efforts.

It's not exactly selling in the UK, though, is it?

[xolondon]

Funny because Boys With Pele is a personal fave, esp for Sneeze, Red Baron and Marianne, among others. I do not like Venus as an album, though it too has some good songs.

[si]

I think Scarlet's Walk was her opus, my favourite Tori LP by a long, long way. It was like she'd finally gotten over her hang up's on religion and her views on sex had matured and there was a lot more truth in what she wrote/sang about.

The Beekeeper is an extension of that, but she's going to have to work a lot harder to top Scarlet. I love that when I was a teenager, she was angry and angsty and pretentious too. Now I'm over myself, so is she. Then again, I came to Tori fandom quite late into her career, around Choirgirl (1998?), so I didn't experience her early LP's first hand.

I like: The Power Of Orange Knickers, Jamaica Inn (Happy!Tori? It breaks my heart, that song) and Cars and Guitars.

I don't know about whether she's lost her touch, but all I know is when I was flicking through the music channels on Sky and caught a glimpse of the Sleeps With Butterflies promo on B4, I had to go back and watch it, shushing my boyfriend when he tried to talk over it. Not many artists provoke that kind of devotion in me, so I think I'd be glad of any new material Tori puts out, regardless of quality in comparison with past glories.

[Crystaline Green]

i love 'taxi ride' from scarlet - one of the best songs she has done. i keep on repeat many times.

[xolondon]

That's funny I just wrote about TR on my blog last night too. It is a PERFECT song.

"Even a glamorous bitch can be in need.."

[Juddaman]

Beekeeper isn't the best thing she's ever done (read Mary, Honey, Yes Anastasia) but it also isn't the worst (Orange Knickers avec DR is fantastic).

*sits down squarely on the fence*

I loved Choirgirl and Strange Little Girls, as well as the first two seminal albums of course.

Really looking forward to her playing in the Acoustic Tent at Glastonbury this year. My cup runneth over etc.

[Crystaline Green]

has anyone else got a copy of 'y kant tori read' the first album she did with the "big hair" cover - i think cool on your island is a good song from this.

[Juddaman]

yep I've got it, strange to think that's what the record company 'thought' she should do musically. Cool on your island is a cracker, and the Etienne Trilogy isn't THAT different to the stuff she then did later.

Good for a bit of 80's softrock cheese.

[Fake]

I saw Tori live last night in concert for the first time, and she was amazing - everything I could have hoped for and more. Her musical talent is just immense.

Sadly I was hoping she would do more songs that I knew - as not a very avid or prolonged Tori fan I just have the Tales From A Librarian CD - but she did Winter which is my favourite song of hers, and nearly moved me to tears to hear it live. From what I heard of "The Beekeeper" she did a great job of promoting it live, and my boyfriend who I dragged along with me and barely knows who she is was so impressed he said he might go out and buy the album, so hey-ho, that must say something.

She did an excellent rendition of "Don't Look Back In Anger" too, for the Tori Piano Bar.

Anyone else gone to the UK tour and had a great night out?

[xolondon]

RUSH to the store and get Under The Pink. It's close to perfect.

[BananaSplit]

I'm going to see her tomorrow. Yay! Cant wait. I've only got Under the Pink and Little Earthquakes though.