From the Choirgirl Hotel
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| From the Choirgirl Hotel | ||
|---|---|---|
| Album by Tori Amos | ||
| Released | April 20 1998 | |
| Recorded | ? | |
| Genre | Alternative | |
| Length | ?? | |
| Record label | Atlantic Records | |
| Producer | ? | |
| Professional reviews | ||
| Allmusic.com | 4 stars out of 5 | link (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:ceb8b5b4msqs) |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ | 7 May 8, 1998 (p.75) (http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=60148499&loc=109&PageFormat=) |
| Nude as the News | Positive | link (http://www.nudeasthenews.com/reviews/494) |
| Pitchfork | 6.7 | link (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/a/amos_tori/from-the-choirgirl-hotel.shtml) |
| Robert Christgau | Other | link (http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=1613&name=Tori+Amos) |
| Rolling Stone | 4 stars out of 5 | link (http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/_/id/224872/toriamos?pageid=rs.ArtistDiscography) |
| Spin | 8 out of 10 | 6/1998 (pp.127-128) (http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=60148499&loc=109&PageFormat=7) |
| Tori Amos chronology | ||
| Boys for Pele (1996) | From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998) | To Venus and Back (1999) |
From the Choirgirl Hotel, released in 1998, was the fifth major label album by singer and songwriter Tori Amos. A departure from her previous albums, it was a very radio-friendly project featuring a full rock band sound (instead of Amos' trademark 'girl at a piano' sound). The album was very successful, although it did not spawn any major radio hits, and "Spark", "Cruel", "Raspberry Swirl" and "Jackie's Strength" were released as singles. From the Choirgirl Hotel received two 1999 Grammy nominations: Alternative Music Performance, and Female Rock Vocal Performance for "Raspberry Swirl."
Following the trend set by 1996's Boys For Pele, Amos allowed several songs from the album to be remixed. Remixes of both "Raspberry Swirl" and "Jackie's Strength" were club hits. The album's theme dealt very closely with Amos' series of three miscarriages between 1995 and 1998.
Thematically and conceptually, the "choirgirl hotel" of the title refers to the fictional, imaginary place where the songs "live." Amos pointed out that although the songs are recorded, they are also alive themselves - they can be re-modelled and reshaped in concert etc. Amos imagined the songs as living their own lives, all checking into the "choirgirl hotel" (i.e. the album) but living separate lives. In the artwork, Amos included a hand-drawn map detailing the stomping ground of these songs.
The album artwork was heralded by the art community as innovative, featuring full-body color photocopies of Amos (in various couture outfits) as scanned by a human-sized photocopier.
The album did moderately well, reaching multi-gold status and selling around two million copies worldwide. It remains a fan favourite, perhaps for its sweeping, majestic sound, and the darkness and intensity in Amos' voice and performances.
Track listing
- "Spark"
- "Cruel"
- "Black-Dove (January)"
- "Raspberry Swirl"
- "Jackie's Strength"
- "iieee"
- "Liquid Diamonds"
- "She's Your Cocaine"
- "Northern Lad"
- "Hotel"
- "Playboy Mommy"
- "Pandora's Aquarium"
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Billboard 200 (U.S.) | 5 |
| 1998 | Official UK Album Chart (U.K.) | 6 |
Single
| Title | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| "Spark" (1998) | Billboard Modern Rock Tracks (U.S.) | 13 |
| "Spark" (1998) | Billboard Hot 100 (U.S.) | 49 |
| "Spark" (1998) | Billboard Adult Top 40 (U.S.) | 32 |
| "Spark" (1998) | Official UK Singles Chart (U.K.) | 16 |
| "Jackie's Strength" (1998) | Billboard Hot 100 (U.S.) | 54 |
| "Jackie's Strength/Raspberry Swirl" (1998) | Hot Dance Music/Club Play (U.S.) | 1 |
| "Jackie's Strength/Raspberry Swirl" (1998) | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles (U.S.) | 5 |
| Albums by Tori Amos |
| Y Kant Tori Read | Little Earthquakes | Under the Pink | Boys for Pele | From the Choirgirl Hotel | To Venus and Back | Strange Little Girls | Scarlet's Walk | Tales of a Librarian | The Beekeeper |