Tori Amos Music:

Under the Pink Track Listing:
1. Pretty Good Year
2. God
3. Bells for Her
4. Past the Mission
5. Baker Baker
6. The Wrong Band
7. The Waitress
8. Cornflake Girl
9. Icicle
10. Cloud on My Tongue
11. Space Dog
12. Yes, Anastasia

Editorial Review:
Australian limited edition release combines two albums, Boys for Pele (1996) & Under the Pink (1994), individually packaged in standard jewel cases & housed together in a slipcase. 2001 release.

Description of Under the Pink:
Under the Pink was Tori Amos' follow-up to the sensationally successful Little Earthquakes and demonstrates that she had by no means run out of faeries and demons to sport with. Amos herself describes it as her "impressionistic" album--her piano playing is perfectly attuned to the subtle, shifting colors of her lyrical moods on "Bells for Her," while "Past the Mission" indicates her growing use of distinctive arrangements to illustrate her songs. Highlights include "God," in which Amos demonstrates her often-missed humor, openly taunting the Almighty for his indifference to humanity, asking "Do you need a woman to look after you?" --David Stubbs

Under the Pink Reviews:
Under the concept of girl
2008-10-15 - After "Little Earthquakes" turned to be both a critical and a commercial success, Amos turned to making another strong record in 1993. With Eric Rosse as her producer and a guidance, she went to the studios (one in New Mexico and one in LA) to create some of the more mellow material of her career. The problem with "Under the Pink" is that it contains some filler and lacks the strength of her debut. Instrumentally, it shows Amos at her more relaxed and lyrically it is a visible step towards the more obscure territory that has blossomed on "Boys for Pele". Tori enlisted several sound engineers and a string orchestra as well as some other guests to back her up on this album. She noted in the interview that the title refers to the "concept of girl" and it seemingly discusses femininity, as well as other topics. The problem with the songs is that when they rely on instrumentation alone, they offer little content. These moments, however, aren't frequent on "Under the Pink".

The album starts with the mellow "Pretty Good Year", a powerful track completed with a string section. The record continues with "God", the only religiously oriented track on the record. Excellent guitar sounds and a brilliant vocal delivery from Amos make it a true highlight of the record. When "Under the Pink" gets quiet, it usually settles down between haunting ambients and calm atmospheres. "Bells for Her", one of the more haunting songs on the record lasts too long considering how little it offers. Things really fall into place with "Past the Mission", a duet with Trent Reznor where the two sing a serene chorus over a rather laid back piano melody. The aforementioned calm atmospheres are best evident in "Baker Baker" and "Cloud on My Tongue". While "Baker Baker" manages to offer some substance, "Cloud on My Tongue" is just filler that could have been left off of the record. It's these calmer atmospheres that bring "Pink" down to being a rather mild effort.

"The Wrong Band" is a one of the catchiest songs on the record and certainly one of the more playful. Tori noted in the interview that she was interested in discussing violence among women and this is best witnessed in "The Waitress", one of the rare lyrically direct songs on "Under the Pink". Tori's biggest classic, "Cornflake Girl", continues the record. It shows Amos as a piano virtuoso, with its marvelous lines on her instrument of choice. "Icicle" shows a more classical approach before turning into another overplayed number. On the other hand, the excellent "Space Dog" is an absolute standout on the record. It is both instrumentally lush and lyrically impressive (yet another reference to Neil Gaiman) and owes a lot to Tori's drummer, Carlo Nuccio. The closing track shows a more self-indulgent side of Amos, considering how long it is and how unfinished it sounds. The downside to "Pink" is that it leaves no room for Tori's band to properly kick in and her piano pieces aren't as interesting as they are on "Little Earthquakes" and "Boys for Pele".

Overall, "Under the Pink" is a very good effort that offers a lot of originality and substance, but it is essentially flawed. It is natural for an artist to make several missteps on a follow-up and Amos is wise enough to stick to the formula that worked the first time around. It's too bad she didn't consider a more instrumentally rich and lyrically direct approach to her songs, as a lot of "Pink" sounds unclear and/or bland. "Under the Pink" showcases Amos at her shift to a different territory and reaching new heights. It is highly recommended to the fans and people who are interested in the essence of the artist, as it is mostly exemplary material. After all, "Under the Pink" is a truly inviting album that has a lot of charms to keep the listener from turning away.

The only female pop artist I can listen to
2007-12-28 - My tastes are ecclectic but musical excellence is critical. The female pop style is grating on my ear for a variety of reasons, and I would not have sampled Tori Amos except I got sucked into her Wicki Bio.

She hasn't changed my mind about the genre, and I sometimes wish she would let her normal voice out a little more but I understand she has to sell records. But even the vocal style cannot cover the music.

Incredibly (to me) she has made my standard playlist.

I believe in peace...
2007-08-01 - Though a radical departure from her first solo release, Pink is the next logical stop along Amos' evolution. It's a fantastic work, a treasure I'm pleased to own, even all these years later.

Three Hands in her Pocket : Career Low for Amos
2007-06-12 - What can one say about "Under the Pink" that hasn't been said already? However, I find glowing five star reviews here for this album that I think aren't really deserved. At best, this is a four star album as it contains some of her biggest hits, but also features some real turkeys.

There are some that consider "Under the Pink" to be one of Tori's masterworks. It isn't quite. The primary problem here is that throughout the album, it seems that Amos is searching for some actual tunes. Often she hits upon something reasonably tuneful ("Cornflake Girl", one of her biggest hits), but then you'd have to wade through another three interminable tracks (of dubious subject matter, at best) to find another tune worth remembering.

See, heres the thing. Tori Amos is a goddess who can create the most spellbinding music, with unforgettable choruses and/or musical interludes (just listen to all of "Boys for Pele" and tell me you aren't blown away). Which is why listening to "Under the Pink" isn't as exciting as it could be. Strangely, it seems lifeless and rather directionless, and of all Amos' albums, this by far has the least personality.

My favorite track on this is "Pretty Good Year", which you have to see alongwith the video (it just doesn't have the same punch without it). Another Amos classic is here - "Past The Mission". This song is historical because it's the first time on record that Amos dueted with anyone (Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails - a god in his own realm). The only other time she would repeat this would be in 2005 on the hideous "The Beekeeper" (which, alongwith this album, marks the lowest point in Amos' illustrious career). "Past the Mission" is a wonderful musical oddity - the song kicks off without any build-up and is as straightforward as you could expect.

However, its sad that there are so many clunkers on this album. The worst is the closer "Yes, Anastasia" - which has got to be one of the most godawful things Amos has ever put to record. Seriously, its abysmal. I can stand pointless plink-plonk on a piano for a while, just as much as the other Toriphile, but this track tested even my well cultivated patience. That said, the album ends on this sour note, which does not really add to its memory value.

Another snoozefest, "Bells for Her" is one of those pretentious pieces in Amos' oeuvre that is best forgotten. And next to last closer "Space Dog" isn't very nice either. Consider these lyrics : "Rain and snow our engines have been receiving / Your eager call there's colonel Dirtyfishydishcloth / He'll distract her good don't worry so". Also, this other gem from the lullaby "Icicle" : "Greeting the monster in our easter dresses / Father says bow your head like the good book says". I'm not sure if this makes sense to you, but I think that even if it did, it doesn't justify the substandard music its' set to.

"The Waitress" on the other hand is famous for its one liner (you have to listen to it to find out), but it's the three primary tracks - "Pretty Good Year", "Cornflake Girl" and "Past the Mission" that make this the famous album it is. I can't even think of what this would sound like without those tracks.

Get this one, for sure. It isn't her best, but if you're a new fan of Tori Amos, you might want to check out some of her later work first before getting this one.



Instrumentally - Cutting Edge, but one must decide on the lyrics
2007-04-25 - In the1990s, Alternative Music began to take over the mainstream music scene. As far as Alternative Rock goes, this was originally a term that was a "catch all" to describe those genres (such as Indie, Grunge, etc) of music that didn't fit into the mainstream Rock. Eventually this music would become so common that it would become mainstream. In the late 1990s, the common element of many of these sounds was a strong guitar-laden presence. Eventually the problem with this sound is that it would prove to be "cookie-cutter" and sound all alike. Since the definition of Alternative Music (and Rock) refers to those genres that don't fit into the mainstream, not everything is necessarily lumped into the guitar-laden sound category. One artist that falls into this "other" category is Tori Amos. In a way, Amos could be considered one of the pioneers of the Alternative Music revolution. Amos' sound is a piano-oriented sound. In a way, while being a pioneer of Alternative Music, she could be considered an alternative to the alternative sound (i.e. guitar-laden Rock). While I wouldn't consider Amos' music to have a "radio-friendly" sound, she still managed to build what could be called a cult-following. While the piano-oriented sound is one reason why Amos is grouped into the Alternative Music scene, it is ultimately Amos' songwriting that propelled her into this category - and thus leading to this cult-following. Amos is known to "push the envelope" with her lyrics tackling such subjects as religion, sexuality, feminity, and personal emotions. This was demonstrated on her debut album, "Little Earthquakes" and is also on demonstrated on the follow-up album, "Under the Pink". In my opinion, "Under the Pink" definitely shows Amos' talent as a musician. Her piano work and vocals are outstanding. While the purpose of this review is not to be judgmental to Amos' messages on this album, it is important to know in the area of religion, Amos may push the envelope over the line for most people.

In a lot of ways, "Under the Pink" is a reflection of Amos' own femininity from both a lyrical and musical concept. While it is evident from many of the lyrics, it is often evident from the music (for the most part it is a soft classical piano sound with its moments of "strength"). This is best seen from looking at each track individually.

"Pretty Good Year": This opening is a perfect example of blending the soft classical piano sound with the strength - thus demonstrating Amos' femininity. Amos employs the use of a strings section to bring out the "strength".

"God": Amos tackles the subject of religion here. While doing a good job at combining piano and guitar, the bottom line is lyrically this song may offend people - namely with lines like "God sometimes you just don't come through" and "do you need a woman to come after you". While in a way, I think Amos might be joking and demonstrating her femininity, this is something the listener will need to decide on their own.

"Bells for Her": This song is a haunting ballad. This song demonstrates incredible talent of Amos on the piano and the vocals. Listen to how Amos makes the "bell"-like sound on the piano and compliment it perfectly with her voice.

"Past the Mission": This is a more radio-friendly song than the first three. Amos makes good use of her vocal range. The high notes sound more upbeat while the chorus is in a deeper, more serious voice. Listen to the use of the piano and how it adds a haunting sound to the bridge about 2+ minutes into the song.

"Baker Baker": This song uses an analogy to baking - and I guess this expresses Amos' femininity in some way. This is another piano-oriented song.

"The Wrong Band": Amos employs a "rag time carnival" like sound - again blending her voice with the piano superbly. Amos does a good job at discussing two friends - "Ginger" and "Heidi".

"The Waitress": This song brings more of classic alternative rock feel to it - a la Alanis Morrisette-like. It is a commentary that Amos has on a waitress she encountered. Like "Pretty Good Year", Amos demonstrates her femininity by combining the soft piano sound with a powerful sound.

"Cornflake Girl": Another radio-friendly song that became the album's most popular song. While this song uses guitar, bass, and drums, it is still Amos' piano sound that shines. The title "Cornflake Girl" reflects her femininity.

"Icicle": From a musical standpoint, this song has a lot to offer - especially from the two minute piano introduction. In fact this song has some of her best classical piano work. However the theme of female eroticism contrasted in a religious atmosphere is probably going to offend a lot of people. Again one must make their own judgment.

"Cloud on My Tongue": This is another example of Amos employing the use of strings to augment the piano sound - done very well.

"Space Dog": This is another example of Amos using her vocals to augment the piano sound. Her vocals bring true female emotion to the song. This song has a beat to it. Again this song uses guitar, bass, and drums to help enhance the sound.

"Yes Anastasia": The perfect "wrap up" to the album. This song has a theatrical quality - namely because of its length and the use of the piano and orchestra. Toward the end of this track there will be the contrasting of the soft and loud sounds - that became an Amos trademark on this album.

The album includes all of the musician credits and most of the lyrics (the beginning to the lyrics of "Icicle" are distorted). Overall from a musical sound standpoint, this album was cutting-edge for the alternative music sound. From a lyrical standpoint, as mentioned - one must make their own judgments on the messages that Amos gives.