Customer Reviews

Little Earthquakes

5 star:		(263)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

on toris "debut" (disreguard YKTR) she makes a classic & breathtaking record that has won me over. & if you do notice i did give this albam 5 stars because that's definatly what it deserves.

but...

i don't understand why a lot of tori fans are so obbsessed with this one oppose to her ABSOULUTLY AMAZING later works such as boys for pele, chiorgirl, to venus & back, strange little girls, & scarlets walk.

i can understand why fans love under the pink so much (i do myself) because it is one of the most beautifully constructed records ever made. but little earthquakes falls kind of short is a lot of places although it's still amazing.
if i were introducing soemone to tori, this would not be the fisrt record i'd play for them. the first one i'd play would be chiorgirl & then under the pink.

don't think i'm bashing little earthquakes, because i'm not. its just that her later works are sooooooooooo good.

'Little Earthquakes' is seriously one of the only albums I have come across that you can listen to start to finish every day without getting sick of it. It's brilliant, fresh and sexy all at once.

Crucify . an excellent opening track, beautiful lyrics, I especially like 'I got a bowling ball in my stomach, got a desert in my mouth...' excellent vocals.

Girl . a different pace, the vocals are amazing, the chorus shows off some of Tori's higher range.

Silent All These Years . slow song, beautiful lyrically.

Precious Things . one of the best piano driven songs, the beginning is haunting with Tori's rasped hushes. A story like song.

Winter . a nice slow song, peaceful and very beautiful, a visual song, it takes you through a wintery scenery.

Happy Phantom . takes on a different pace, if you have 'Scarlet's Walk', this reminds me a lot of 'Wednesday' in a ghostly way.

China . slow almost tragic like, I absolutely adore the lyrics.

Leather . starts off with one note piano key then Tori's sad/sarcastic/drooping vocals come in, the opening line hooks you: 'look I'm standing naked before you ... don't you want more than my sex'

Mother . my favourite song by Tori, ever. BEAUTIFUL, PERFECT.

Tear In Your Hand . 'maybe she's just pieces of me you've never seen' - perfect song.

Me And A Gun . sad, tragic story about rape, acapella, this song could bring anyone down.

Little Earthquakes . a nice ending, a slower song, beautiful lyrically, vocally and musically.

In all, this is a perfect album.

This album is so beloved to me, so inextricably entwined with my personal mythology; with nostalgia, with memory, with years gone by, that I don't even know if I have the ability to review it objectively. As an independent entity, though, it is an extraordinary accomplishment, and contains most of the songs Tori Amos is known for and will be remembered for. Conversational, intimate, bitter, down to earth, yet soaringly poetic...all these descriptions encompass the breadth of these 12 debut songs. Highlights include "Silent All These Years," perhaps Amos's most famous song; the exquisite "Winter," the searing and vengeful "Precious Things," "Tear In Your Hand," and the title track, "Little Earthquakes." It is accurate to say that this is Amos's most accessible album (if indeed that definition is relevant to the nearly subconsciously channeled intricacy of her genius); contrast the obvious meanings of songs like "Leather" and "China" with the automatic-wrting poetics of "Mother." Most of Tori Amos's lyrics can, in fact, stand alone as poetry...most notably in the wrenching "Me And A Gun"...which is a phenomenon rare in music, a medium in which the power of the lyrics is usually only brought out by the accompanying power of vocals and instrumentals. But with lines like "Me and Jesus/a few years back/used to hang, and he said, 'it's your choice, babe...just remember, I don't think you'll be back in three days time...so you choose well" you can't go wrong. There's not enough I can say about this album. It's brilliant.

This is definitely my favorite Tori Amos CD. I've listened to this CD hundreds of times, and will never tire of it. Tori Amos's lyrics are so intense and powerful that it is a new experience every time you listen to this CD. Each time I listen to her songs, I learn more about the meanings to her lyrics.

If you've heard some of Tori's work and enjoy it, definitely buy this CD. And if you're new to her music, this is one of the best CDs to start with.

"Little Earthquakes" is easily one of the most groundbreaking albums in music history. Poetic and melodic at times, vengeful and wild at others. Rarely if ever has a musician depicted such talent and such an amazing emotional range in one album. Tori Amos, a very intriguing personality of our times, expresses herself here with unforgettable impact. Exploring themes such as depression, family, education, relationships, sexuality, politics (especially on b-sides), change, loss, healing, metaphysics, individuality, death, violence and rape, all of which are partially or wholly based on her personal experiences, she exposes herself completely with her complex and emotional poetry, her only weapon being her piano (Amos is a professional pianist) and her versatile voice (listen to the touching ballad "Winter" and then to the howl of anger that is "Precious Things"). Amos is truly a fearless artist. She is also a very intimate one. Writing is a healing process to her and the astonishing exhibitionism of her work may annoy some. Her albums may certainly not appeal to many people. As she herself has said: "It has crossed my mind maybe that the public doesn't want my ultimate. But I can't censor or contrive."
One cannot highlight songs here, because they are all very different, and very special each in her (as Tori insists thay are female) way.
An achievement, a work of art and power.
Also recommended: Under the Pink, Boys for Pele, From the Choirgirl Hotel, To Venus and Back, Strange Little Girls, Scarlet's Walk, Tales of a Librarian, albums by Radiohead, Cure, Fiona Apple

I listened to this album when I went through high school, and it became embedded in my mind so severely that I haven't listened to tori in over 5 years, partially because I think all creations get stale over time, but mostly because it's too much for me. I'm not emotionally prepared for what that journey entails, taking me back to those years. I fell so deeply in love with what Tori represented, that emotional escape, that it became my salvation from desperate adolescent times. I think the next time I expect to feel like that is when i find my true love and I bare my soul to her, opening up fully and giving everything. I used to listen to this album every single night before bed, sometimes repeating my favorite songs like precious things or little earthquakes three or four times. Then I'd lie there in the dark, overwhelmed with meloncholy desire to someday understand fully what Tori was trying to say. A truly amazing work of music.

This was am amazing debut, and every Tori fan loves this one. Here in the beginning, Tori was already sure of her talent and style and very much at the top of her game. Recommended to new Tori Amos fans who jumped on the bandwagon of her newer albums.

David Rehak
author of "Poems From My Bleeding Heart"

Words can't describe the beauty, rawness, and emotion that seeps through the block letters that spell "Little Earthquakes" on the cover of this trully brilliant work of art. I cannot stress the beauty of this album, and is trully is my favorite Tori Amos album. This album was the start, and the introduction to what was coming. I have read some of the previous views, and I was kinda shocked how anyone can not give this album five stars. But Tori Amos's music is a hard pill to swallow, I admit. And alot of people, get turned off by her music due to her "weirdness" as people say. But, I cant budge on how much I love this album. Trust me its not like one or three songs you like, and thats about it. The whole album is beautiful, and ever song is amazing. And I don't know how, I would be now, if I havn't gave this album a try, because it changes you, and get you to think about everything, even things that you normally dont think of, or sub-consious things that are hidden in the back of your head. And Tori is life-changing in my eyes, and this is the perfect intro to her. Sometimes, I wonder if she knows the effect her music has on people. Believe me, its gorgeous ( and this is coming from a sixteen year old guy)

Tori Amos's debut album is a masterpiece that is quite unlike anything else of the time period. Her beautifully arranged piano music and her ingenious lyrics make up one of her best albums. Little Earthquakes begins with "Crucify." This song is one of my favorites of Tori's songs for its almost cryptic backround music and its lyrics that explore why people do things over and over for people that never show appreciation for it. The next track,"Girl", is good, but takes a few listens to really appreciate."Silent All These Years" is probably the most popular track from this album and is absolutely outstanding.The beauty in this song will most likely bring you to tears. By its title you can probably decipher what it is about. "Precious Things" is somewhat of a musical biography,where she speaks about many points in her life. "Winter" is another beautiful track which I think is about her father and has the memorable lines,"When you gonna make up your mind,when you gonna love you as much as I do. Because times are gonna change so fast." The next track,"Happy Phantom" is actually one of my favorites, from what I can gather it seems to be about what happens after death, it has another great line,"They say Confucius does his crossword with a pen." "China" is a love song of some sort which has a beauty that is both unique and sad. "Leather" is an interesting song that has a cool, sort of "Im scared you dont love me any more" feel. It is not my favorite track by any means, but it is a great song."Mother" is a very good song that I think is about a mother who pushes her child into show business. "Tear In Your Hand" is probably my favorite song on this CD mostly because it has quirky lyrics,"I dont believe that you are leaving because me and Charles Manson like the same ice cream,"Niel Gaiman/Sandman references,"Me Neil'll be hanging out with the Dream King,"and good backround music."Me and a Gun" is my least favorite song because its about Tori's rape experience and it makes me feel sort of uneasy."Little Earthquakes is a good track and a good choice for the final track on the album.
Overall the album Little Earthquakes is a unique and beautiful CD that most people can enjoy, except maybe the MTV generation.

I purchased Little Earthquakes in 1992, and I was blown away by the lyrics, phenomenal piano playing, and her striking voice that simply gives me chills. This album continues to be a personal favorite of mine, and brings me back to being young, and feeling vulnerable, yet inspired by her words.