Friday, October 22, 2010

JDIZZY's 365 # 168: Hey Jupiter

Hey Jupiter - Tori Amos (1996)

It has been said that Kate begat Tori. Tori in her turn has begat Fiona, Vanessa, Amy, Amanda and a school of other like-minded literate females with 88 keys at their disposal and a voice somewhere between an angel and a banshee. Ms. Amos' first three albums are master classes in adult alternative music. Little Earthquakes announced her power and made all memories of Y Kant Tori Read go away. Under The Pink is probably the greatest sophomore release by a major recording artist since Astral Weeks. Boys For Pele, however, is a landmark recording that to this day has not received the credit it deserves. Seeing her live on the accompanying tour back in 1996, I became convinced that no album before it had captured her opposite sides better than this marvelous disc. "Hey Jupiter" is a stunner which speaks to the fragility of our human minds and hearts. It is Emily Dickinson set to piano. I consistently come back to this album. It happens more often than others from the class of 1996 because it brings to mind perfectly the psyche of a sixteen year old, lost between childhood and college. That age is a tough time for kids, especially now. I don't know for a fact if her music has saved lives, but it certainly made mine easier in high school. It is reassuring to note that Tori continues to challenge, to teach and to make beautiful music. It also seems that teens continue to discover her, which is a good thing. If ever someone deserved a vaulted place on the rock shelves from that immediate post-Nirvana haze, it would be her.

Her unplugged version follows the album track. Absolutely gorgeous!



The video features the remix but works just as well on a different level.

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