LITTLE EARTHQUAKES

Along with the sublime Montreux DVD, this video is a must for fans of Little Earthquakes era Tori Amos. It has many assets to recommend it and is still easily available for cheap. First, the video was released in 1992 and therefore covers only the Little Earthquakes period, so it is focused. Since Tori's first album was so wonderful, the video captures the embryonic material and great enthusiasm of the year Tori broke. Another important feature is the mixture of high quality promotional videos with live performance clips, some of which are quite rare. Last, in between each song you will get a brief and highly entertaining clippette of interview bridging the songs together. These clips feature Tori at her most unguarded and high-minded, and nearly each one will bring a smile. Tori has described Little Earthquakes as something of a diary of her life to that point and the compelling subject matter is captured very nicely in this time capsule video.

The promo videos are amazingly fresh. Most videos are so run-of-the-mill and boring that I can barely watch them anymore, but Amos' early videos were visually striking in their simplicity. "Silent All These Years" has the same intimacy that makes the earliest Kate Bush videos such treasures. "China" features Amos amongst the rocks of a cold and windy seashore, her emotional vocal working beautifully with the harshness of the environment. The live tracks were taken from two performances in NY and Holland, with her sweaty version of "Leather" a pure guilty pleasure. There is also a very direct live television treatment of "Me and a Gun" with the camera right in her face, Tori almost daring the audience to look away as she takes on the difficult subject matter. The live version of "Precious Things" is ferocious, and the closing "Song for Eric" a rather rare a capella departure.

Why this has not been reissued on DVD is beyond me. Thankfully you can pick up used and new copies on the Internet starting at just a few bucks. If you still have a VCR hooked up, it's a no-brainer. It's not quite as amazing as the live Montreux show but it's a close runner up.