Tori Amos celebrates 20th anniversary with special release

Twenty years ago Tori Amos made her groundbreaking debut Little Earthquakes and the aftershocks are still felt around the world.

It was 1992 when the classically trained prodigy swung a door wide open, wheeled her piano into the alternative rock scene and cleared the way for females like Alanis Morissette and Sarah McLachlan who would later follow her lead.

“I remember there was a time when the industry was so negative towards women and the piano,” Tori says in our intimate interview. “Elton John and Billy Joel, just to name a few, were able to permeate that kind of closed door, yet female piano players had a really tough time.”

Tori would soon change that forever.

Straddling her piano bench the way the men of rock grind their guitars, Tori showed the world that her instrument has its place in the universe of alternative music, and that women can unrepentantly release their angst, rage and darkest demons without being shamed or silenced.

But all this didn’t come easy. Tori nearly threw in the towel and called it quits after her band, Y Kant Tori Read, failed miserably at attaining any commercial success.

“After that experience in 1988 I said, ‘I’m leaving. Get me off the label,’” Tori recounts.

“The president of Atlantic Records, Doug Morris, said, ‘You’re not leaving, you’re not. You’re staying and if you’re going to write a piano record, then you better write the best piano record ever.’ I looked at him and answered, ‘Alright then, let’s see about that. If you stand behind it, I will be the best that I can be.’”

That record came to be Little Earthquakes.

Upon its release, the album rattled international charts and an icon was born. Tori went on to release 12 studio albums, selling millions and earning 10 Grammy nominations.

As a personal retrospective look at her lengthy, successful career, Tori is now releasing Gold Dust, a handpicked collection of re-imaginations of songs that highlight the past 20 years.

“As you can imagine, my catalog is so big now, so I had to prioritize,” Tori laughs.

This journey through Tori’s back catalog, recorded with the Metropole Orchestra, is about celebrating this uncompromising artist’s 20-year journey and where she stands today.

Gold Dust doesn’t simply capture Tori’s past, these career-spanning songs have taken on a life of their own with new meaning that this fiery storyteller is ready to share.

“I always try to explain that the songs are alive, that they are their own beings. No different than having people in your life. You grow with them, you change with them. Relationships change,” Tori says.

“I’m growing and the songs are growing as well. That’s why these songs are fresh, that’s why I can still play them every night. I’m not holding on to outdated pictures that don’t resonate in my life anymore. I have different pictures when I sing these songs now, current things.”

Among the gems that shine on Gold Dust, there’s one song that glimmers in a way that’s unique and different from the rest, one tune that continues to grow stronger each day in its own special corner of Tori’s heart.

“It’s ‘Silent All These Years,’” Tori reveals.

“You can be silent about many different things like not confronting something you need to confront. It’s not just about finding your voice and then never having to find it again. You have to find your voice every day.”

Tori plans to release Gold Dust on Tuesday, October 2. Get the latest news from Tori’s official site, twitter and facebook pages.

Posted by Marc Andrew on Aug 22 2012. Filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.