Still Tori, still amazing
591760
I'll admit, the first time I listened to the live CD I almost regretted buying it. But after a few listens, the CD defintely grew on me. On Still Orbiting, "Cloud on My Tongue" is amazing, along with my other favorites, "Cooling" and "Mr. Zebra". The rest of the songs are great and worth listening to.  The studio CD just blew me away. "Bliss" is perfectly splendid...I can't even describe how great this song is. I adored "Concertina" "Lust" "Spring Haze" and "1000 Oceans" as well.  To Venus and Back is a definte must for any Toriphile...it is worth what you spend for it.
3460661
Let me begin by saying I have been a serious Tori fan for many years and I was thrilled when I heard that there was to be a live concert dvd released.  I was lucky enough to see the Birmingham, AL show of this particular tour and I was hoping to see a little of what I saw live on the dvd, but I didn't.  Don't get me wrong.  Tori was amazing as always.  But the light show at the concert I saw really played and worked WITH the songs and just added to how amazing it all was.  None of that was shown in the dvd.

I really didn't like how they edited some of the footage.  Yes, Tori does cuss in some songs.  But why edit that out and show her flipping a bird to the crowd?  That didn't make much sense to me.  I was also hoping to hear more from Tori herself.  But the interview was still great.  And seeing her parents being interview was very interesting.

The priceless thing in this dvd set is the 6 songs that didn't make it on "Scarlet's Walk."  "Tombigbee" has been floating around on the internet for awhile.  I've had it for ages, but it was really nice to have it on a REAL cd.  "Bug A Martini" has a great rhythym and it makes you want to dance.  "Seaside," "Apollo's Frock," and "Indian Summer" are all amazing in their own ways.  It is sad they didn't make it onto "Scarlet's Walk," but you can't mess with a masterpiece.  And hey!  We got the songs in the end so everyone is happy!

All in all, if you're a Tori fan you can't go wrong with this dvd.  Just keep your fingers crossed that she does a dvd of the videos from 1998 to the present.  THAT would be great!
3748585
The experience of this latest work of art is nothing less than a walk through the garden of life in every season.  Tori never fails to inspire and surprise and encourage me with her intriguing use of metaphors.  She can take the simplest experience or circumstance and turn it into the most beautiful work of prose and verse, which then becomes a learning experience.  The additional DVD is worth buying the Special Edition because her thought process behind all these songs is a necessary element to fully understanding the deep meaning of her work.  At face value, the average listener will not get the intensity of the messages she is conveying.  She is one of the best philosphers of our generation.
4139721
I can't get enough T.Swift. As a fan for so many years, I was hesitant about this transition but she has accomplished something beautiful with 1989. The arc of the tracklist is perfect and so many songs are perfect for her next single.
1776270
Having been a Tori Amos fan for the last eight years or so I can honestly  say that this is one of her best C.D.'s.  She has the passion back in her  voice and the meaningfulness back in her lyrics.  I was a bit disappointed  overall with her "Boys for Pele" album, so this is a wonderful  reassurance that she is still what I always thought that she  was..."Amazing".  I highly recommend the tracks "Rasberry  Swirl" and "Jackie's Strength", especially for new  listeners.  She is trying a new sound in "Rasberry Swirl" and  it  is indicative of her seemingly endless talent.
2673313
This is the second review I've written on this video.  I first watched it a year and a half ago, and stopped half way through impressed with her musicianship but bored with the product.  That was my first impression to Tori.

Since then, I've listened to four of her CDs, watched her "Fade To Red" video collection and her "Welcome To Sunny Florida" concert DVD, and read her biography "Pretty Good Years".  I finally gave this another try, after being familiar with several of her songs.

I went a little further into this CD, but stopped at "Precious Things".  While I enjoyed the music a little better, including some of my favorites "Cornflake Girl" and "Winter" (my favorite Tori song), her performance of "Precious Things" disturbed me.  That is a song that I loved musically and hated lyrically (as a born-again preacher), but that performance gave me the creeps.  It seemed like something wasn't right with Tori.  The same could be said about her dancing or whatever she did prior to doing "Cornflake Girl".

I commented in my review of "Welcome To Sunny Florida" that I admired her improvising with some of her songs.  However, I think her improvisions on "Winter" almost ruined the song for me, making it hard to follow and sing along with.

In the original review, I commented that this video was not the best intro to Tori's music, and I still concur.  However, I feel I cannot recommend this video, especially to a Christian.  It makes me wonder if I should continue listening to Tori, and motivates me to pray for her all the more.

This being said, I will say that one thing Ms. Amos did right was get the charity R.A.I.N.N. started, a group which benefited from this concert.
4698693
True, Tori never comes close to her creative potential here. However, the lyrics are so moving and evocative and the music hits the right vibe, finding the perfect balance between anger and introspection, that the cryptic pretension is not missed at all. A perfect musical representation of a woman trying to place the footing in the world, with all its set backs (bad relationships, division and power plays between the genders, rape, religion) and it is a soft yet cathartic experience. All the tracks are brilliant, and its near impossible to find fault anywhere here.
Top Cuts: Silent All These Years, Precious Things, Me And A Gun
3823160
Yes, there are lyrical and melodic motifs that recur from album to album with Tori Amos, but so far I'm finding this album more palatable than Beekeeper or Doll Posse (both of which I enjoyed - Doll Posse immediately, and Beekeeper about two years after my first listen). Of course I miss stunning album closers like Yes Anastasia and Pandora's Aquarium, but I continue enjoying the musical journey that Tori pursues.

I would express disagreement with the opinion stated elsewhere that Tori's music would be LESS safe if she recorded in L.A. rather than England. That flies in the face of everything we know to be true about the record industry.
2946177
"Bliss" itself is classic Tori style, but has a very powerful and beautiful chorus that will stick with you and make the single worthwhile.  But what makes this CD so incredible is the great live version  of "Hey Jupiter," and even better is the hard-to-find live  "Upside Down" which ranks among Tori's greatest songs ever. You  must buy this single!
4936580
I've never been a fan of long records, and The Beekeper didn't work for me, even though I'm a huge Toriphile. But I have to say that this is Tori Amos at her best, she embraces the music from her early work and still works in her soft piano of these days. I don't think that the 23 songs should've been edited or that it was just an excuse because she can't release more b-sides, when clearly she has (Miracle, My Posse Can Do).

As she mentioned that Scarlet's Walk was a sonic trip about a girl watching a whole nation in despair, American Doll Posse is a trip inside this girl's head or heads, she thinks of war (Dark Side Of The Sun), patriarchy (Father's Son) and even online relationships (Digital Ghost). My only regret is that Velvet Revolution is so short because its eastern european vibe is astonishing. The timing of each one of the songs is very accurate, listenable and despite its length almost an hour and a half, it's impossible to get bored.

So yes it's a concept album, a VERY good one, you can really imagine yourself seeing Santa singing "You Can Bring Your Dog" which sounds almost as sexy and raunchy as the character looks. "Teenage Hustling" is a clear new sound of Tori most people says is throwback of FTCH or BFP, I tend to disagree Pip just rocks me, she has never sound so 80's as she does in this album.

So I give my girl 5 stars...geez which of this new so called singers wishes to have the creativity and the maturity to give us such a strong and daring record?? I think none.
921168
I bought the album the first day it came out, and I have listened to it 10 times through over the past few days.  First, I think she choose some good songs to cover - but there was something missing.  I have been a Tori Amos fan since Little Earthquakes and I think one of the reasons for my dedication is her ingenious (though enigmatic, at times) lyrics.  When I heard she was doing an album of covers, I was taken aback.  Her lyrical styling was obviously missing from this album, but her vocal stylings make this a good album.  Personal opinion on the tracks, I would scrub the useless Eminem cover, redo the obnoxious guitar-laden Neal Young cover and speed up the Depeche Mode cover.  I would, however, not touch the rest of the album except to suggest doing some covers of artists like Jim Croce, Elton John, Tool, or Prince.  In summary, not for the non-initiate - but a must if you love Tori for Tori.
105390
It's one thing to listen to Tori's songs,but it's quite another to watch her perform them. I couldn't take my eyes from the screen. To see her animated face and provacative gestures was enough to get me wiggling with  delight!! I was pleased that there was so much material on the video, not  to mention the variety. I absolutely loved "Upside Down",and both  "Winter" and "Me and a Gun" brought me to tears. Some  of the camera angles could have been better, but other than that, this  video was wonderful. It's a definite must have for any Toriphile.
1618624
this cd left no doubt in my mind that tori was not only talented as a musician, but that her albums were actually improving. The only probblem is that most of the songs have a "love it or hate it quality" which  may not do the princess of kook any favours as far as reaching new  listeners is concerned. Best way to decide to see if this album is for you  would be to 'try before you buy', but die hard tori fans will no doubt be  pleased none the less
4273544
I disagree completely.  I loved it, especially the new song that 'It's Only Love' morphed into.  I haven't heard that one before, and I'm buying the DVD for that, and for the duet with David Bowie, and for lots of other things, including the parts with CHER, who doesn't

rub me the wrong way as much as she appears to do to Marshall Fine.

I have loved Tina ever since I saw her do 'River Deep Mountain High' on the Smothers Brothers Show in 1968 or so.  I saw her with Ike and the Ikettes LIVE in the early seventies.  I too thrill to the opening of 'Proud Mary' but I also thrill to songs like 'Undercover Agent for the Blues' and other songs from her 1992 tour, which was one of the best concerts I've ever been at.

I love the fact that she still has those two guitar players and the sax player from 1992 in this 1999 DVD.  Her band is fabulous,

and Tina is still the high priestess of rock and roll, as she showed in that duet with Bryan Adams.
1301248
This is the perfect album to listen to when you want an album that is deep, good quality, and not all sunshine and lollipops. If you are a Tori Amos fan, you would be missing out if you didn't buy this album:)
1117081
To respond to an earlier review of this album...perhaps patience of mind will yield better results than basing your appreciation of an album on it's singles.

That said, I will move on.

First and foremost, YES, the singles released from this album ("A Thousand Miles", "Ordinary Day", and "Pretty Baby") are all jaw-dropping examples of just how talented this girl is.  Many people compare her to Tori Amos, which I find very unfounded.  Tori's music comes from a completely different place, and girls who sing and play piano don't all have to sound the same.

Vanessa's voice is deep, soulful, yet childish and light.  She uses it to her advantage.  On her happier songs, "Ordinary Day" and "Thousand Miles" she sounds like a kid waiting for the sun to rise on Christmas.  On her darker songs, like "Rinse", "Paint It Black", and "More Than Wanted", she sounds like the last person you'd want to hurt or mess with.

The best tracks on this album, in my opinion, are "Ordinary Day", "A Thousand Miles", "Sway", "More Than Wanted", and "Twilight".

I can't really express how this album makes me feel, but I *can* say that I recommend it a hundred times over.  Get it.  Love it.  It *will* happen.
1090708
In 2005, Tori Amos released her 8th studio album, called The Beekeeper. For this one, she decided to divide the songs into 6 sonic gardens, each one with its own theme and logic.
When she decided to release The Original Bootlegs, the six shows were classified in the gardens too, and this is the first point I need to emphasize for that product: each concert is a different travel, and though some songs repeat between them, you can define each one by its own personality. Example: playing "Mother" and "Operator" for the "Roses and Thorns" concert (Chicago), or using the Gospel Choir, obviously singing "Mother Revolution", for "The Orchard" show, at London.
Tori unfortunately is not at her best 'bout the voice, but still she can give you some terrific interpretations of classic songs, like "Yes Anastasia" (hear Chicago's) or "Doughnut Song" (at Los Angeles show), or of the 12 beautiful covers played here (personally, I like very much "Suzanne" and "Like a Prayer", this last one really drawn to the Erotic Spirituality thing that Tori love the most!).
And, though it's a lil' personal, the hammond organ is fabulous! She does her stuff playing both keyboards, and this is something that you, as a toriphile, probably will like pretty much.
I'm not really able to talk about some piano mistakes, though I know they happen sometimes during these concerts. But this doesn't compromise the quality of the material, which leads me to advise you: buy that one, it's really good!