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Four days ago marked the 25th Anniversary of Tori Amos’s brilliant 1998 album, From The Choirgirl Hotel. This was my first Tori Album—the album that made me a fan of hers, starting off with “Raspberry Swirl.” I worked in Kmart’s electronics department in college, and I always had MTV2 on (because that channel actually played videos) and got exposed to a ton of great music like Dido’s first “Here With Me” video, Cher’s “Believe” video, etc. I was totally hooked on “Raspberry Swirl’s” video – still one of my favorites of Tori’s. While I have gone back and now know Tori’s first albums very well, and appreciate them, if I’m honest this is my second favorite album of Tori’s, just behind Scarlet’s Walk. I mean, the first five tracks alone on this album are killer.
Spark-Cruel-Black Dove-Raspberry Swirl-Jackie’s Strength. To me, these are bonafide classics. But the back half of the album has so many gems too. There’s not a bad track on the album, and it’s incredibly cohesive. I listen from start to stop all the time. But in particular “Playboy Mommy” and “Hotel” are favorites. I feel like “Hotel” is incredibly underrated. It pops into my head all the time. Met him in a hotel / met him in a hotel / beneath ground.
Even the B-sides are glorious. I mean… “Cooling.” “COOLING!” It gets me every time. Yes, it was written for Pele. But, it still counts as a FTCH B-side as it was on “Spark.” The live rendition from To Venus and Back (another strong top 5 contender in my Tori album rankings) is gorgeous.
Anyway, that’s my little celebration of an album that means a lot to me. Not just for what it stakes out in my mind from a pretty confusing, brutal time in my life, but because it introduced me to Tori.
