Give
Welcome To England
Strong Black Vine
Flavor
Not Dying Today
Maybe California
Police Me
Fast Horse
Ophelia
Starling

Give
Written by Tori Amos

So you heard
I crossed over the line
Do I have regrets?
Well, not yet
There are some
some who give blood
I give love
I give

Soon before the sun
before the sun
begins to rise
I know that I
I must give
so that I can live

There are some
some whose give
twists itself to take
they mistake
who, what made up the line
some say it was pain
or was it shame?

Soon before the sun
before the sun
begins to rise
I know that I
I must give
so that I
I can live
Some
Some who give blood
I give love
I give

Welcome to England
Written by Tori Amos

“Do a dance for me.”
Baby I know it is late still you pour me
a tall one
“Go on let the liquid take off what you’re on”
You’ve been down before.
Boy, I’m not like this.
I’m in quicksand I am sinking fast.
“Perfect,” he laughed. “Cause your other half
has got himself a devil’s access. Welcome to England.”
he said. “Welcome to my world. You better bring your own sun
sweet girl. you gotta bring your own sun now don’t you forget
you bring your own sun, just enough for everyone.”

Heels on. Go on.
Bang a tango but do not get tangled
Who can stay strong when they give us lies to lean on?
when your heart explodes is it deathly cold?
You must let the colors violate the
Blackness
There is a magical world parallel
so leave your daily
hell–Welcome to England.”
he said. “Welcome to my world. You better bring your own sun
sweet girl. you gotta bring your own sun now don’t you forget
you bring your own sun, just enough for everyone.”
“Welcome to England”
Welcome to England

Strong Black Vine
Written by Tori Amos

Shut your mouth
I’m spinnin’ it tight down south
I’m on raid
tie you down boy cause I can
save you from that evil fait
Eagles serve yeah uh-huh other first
they turn you predator but boy I can
save you from that evil faith
arms sold in balmy cities that may not be with us or long
save you from that evil faith
lay back
strong black vine
submission
is my mission for a
strong black vine
you just might see that
sweet Jesus
submission
is my mission for a
strong black vine
your mission
concentrate
blown to bits her innocent flesh to dust
all for a dark god
all for the love of some faith
swollen stream
every drip serpents bless
you rape Earth knowledge
still she would save you from your evil faith
bodies bathe is black gold your pleasure
arms song in balmy cities that may not be with us for long
save you from that evil faith

Flavor
Written by Tori Amos

Battle of the mind
cries Below cries Above
You must pick a side
Will you choose fear?
Will you choose love?

What does it look like
this orbital ball from the fringes of the Milky Way
What does it feel like,
this orbital ball from the fringes of the Milky Way
Raining flavor
Icing flavor
flavor love

Whose God then is God?
They all want jurisdiction
in the Book of Earth
whose God spread fear?
Spread love?

What does it look like
this orbital ball from the fringes of the Milky Way
What does it feel like,
this orbital ball from the fringes of the Milky Way
Raining flavor
Icing flavor
flavor love
Turn up the frequency
What does it look like
this orbital ball from the fringes of the Milky Way
What does it feel like,
this orbital ball from the fringes of hte MIlky Way
Raining flavor
Icing flavor
flavor love
Spread that flavor
Flavor
Flavor

Not Dying Today
Written by Tori Amos

There was a gambler and a cleaner and a puppeteer
only the puppet could explain what he was
All on a bus we were hopin’ just to pass the time
plug my piece in boys then we can drink the wine
drink the wine drink the wine-
music, good friends, I’m not dyin’ today
I may be 6 foot under full of wonder
I’m not dyin’ today
Dyin’ today
I’m not dying mister
today
Neil is thrilled he can claim he’s mammalian
“But the bad news” he said “Girl you’re a dandelion.”
Dandelion. Hey I need to think about that.
yeah I thought about that and I said
“What the Hell?”
He said, “Nope you are Earth bound, blow them seeds away
maybe one will make a sound
Make a sound, make a sound
music good friends,
I’m not dyin’ today
I may be 6 foot under full of thunder
I’m not dying’ today
dyin’ today
I’m not dying mister
today
So they got us go
goin’ and comin’
cause they make us pay
if we go or stay
Is he prayin’
that I’ll pop my clogs?
if they can’t prove I’m crazy
by noon I’ll be pushin’ up them daisies
tomorrow with their donut box they’ll say
“it’s sad she’s brown bread”
Hey I got my weapons
music, good friends
I’m not dyin’ today
I may be 6 foot under
way down yonder
I’m not dyin’ today
dyin’
I’m not dying, sister, take your paws off
my ankle straps and my mister
dyin fryin’, rather have a lie-in
I am not blowin’ that Gabriel’s Trumpet
I got my own band to play today

Maybe California
Written by Tori Amos

Hey Mrs. see please don’t jump
“why not, nothing is making sense anymore to me
I don’t know when I stopped making him smile
Now the kids see me cry all the time.”

From one mother to the other
They’ll never get over this
for their lifetime all their wishes
will be dashed upon those cliffs

So let’s be strong you and me
the night is opening
our angels are falling
and they will warm
they’ll warm us
She asked “Right now?
Right here?”
I’m feelin’ soon,
soon my dear
maybe California
maybe California

As mothers we have our troubles
You’ll leave them with emptiness
for their lifetime all their wishes will be dashed upon those cliffs
those cliffs

So let’s be strong you and me
the night is opening
our angels are falling
and they will warm
they’ll warm us
She asked “Right now?
Right here?”
I’m feelin’ soon,
soon my dear
maybe California
maybe California
Until then there will be
starlight shining down
for every tear in town

Police Me
Written by Tori Amos

Police yourself
police yourself
police me
police yourself
police yourself
police me

We’ve got our own remote viewing
Every cell has been taught to think
Perhaps the answer to the question
Lies in the question
Perhaps you should read my thoughts
Line them up like soldiers

Police yourself
Police yourself
Police me

Loaded, full of winter you are
Storming blackberry girl
Will you strike before he’s
loaded, full of winter you are storming
blackberry girl will you strike
before he’s loaded
full of winter you are

Police yourself
Police yourself
Police me

Can they monitor how you think?
They’ve got their own remote viewing
To get off he cries “slutty goth”
but I’m a brightly colored person

Loaded, full of winter you are
Storming blackberry girl
Will you strike before he’s
loaded, full of winter you are storming
blackberry girl will you strike
before he’s loaded
full of winter you are

Police yourself
Police yourself
Police me

Fast Horse
Written by Tori Amos

How can I be drunk
You strike with dry poison
I am possessed
Still engaged in some kind of advanced shackling

Girl you got to find you the man who
Can you smoke this out, Bad Medicine
Girl you got to find you the man who
can smoke this out, Good Medicine would say

You got a fast horse darlin’
but all you do is complain
it ain’t a Maserati
You had a soul that you left back in Memphis
but your mama ain’t New York she is pure
Tennessee

On a desert highway
I am struck by my own rage
time-bomb in his palm a finger-apple
augments this advanced shackling
Girl you got to find you the man who
Can you smoke this out, Bad Medicine
Girl you got to find you the man who
can smoke this out, Good Medicine would say

You got a fast horse darlin’
but all you do is complain
it ain’t a Maserati
You had a soul that you left back in Memphis
but your mama ain’t New York she is pure
Tennessee

Ophelia
Written by Tori Amos

Ophelia your secret is safe
Ophelia you must break the chain
some girls will get their way
some fathers will control from the grave

Veronica’s America is not like
is not like Charlotte’s, one to savor
cosmic flavor
then Alison whispers “remember
Change waltzes in with her sister Pain
waiting for you to send her away
wish her well break the chain
break the chain”
I feel you

Ophelia
“The Eve of St. Agnes”
a poem he can’t reach you in
Ophelia you know how to lose
but when will you learn to choose
those men who choose to stay
those mothers who won’t look the other way
Ophelia you must remember

Veronica’s America is not like
is not like Charlotte’s, one to savor
cosmic flavor
then Alison whispers “remember
Change waltzes in with her sister Pain
waiting for you to send her away
wish her well break the chain
break the chain”
I feel you

Starling
Written by Tori Amos

Starling you were right I am the jealous kind
whoever would have guessed
Starling now I am shut out and confined
even within my nest

what, what does it take to make it through another day
if a feather lined with his words becomes a blade

Starling when he screams he screams in black and white
just like the magpie
shattered night then I woke
not to a lonely lark but to a raven’s cry

if a feather lined with his words becomes a blade
then, what will it take to make it through another day

so when they play, play the song
sing along
it may be your turn to shine
if you know the lines
hey what’s that you say
“you can find, find him on line
most of the time these days”
“is that right” I say

You were right starling.

source : JPS’s MySpace

I wanted to xpand alittle on an email i received, asking about Tori’s new record “Abnormally Attracted To Sin” and my involvement .
I worked on 4 songs for the record.
All 4 of Tori’s creations , consumed me for the last 3 months of 08.
We used an octet for the string section on 2 songs ( 4 violins, 2 violas 2 celli.
Various synths, samplers, processes, Hammonds (A100 and solovox) and Wurly were used at times, played by Tori and me.
Tori played Bosy on 3.
Matt and Jon played on all 4.
One song i arranged the rythym section, keys and strings around Tori .
Then Matt and Jon added there magic later.
This process finished in Cornwall in December.
The ending of a wonderful record and an emotional year for me.
Well thats it for now.
I will put up more text and pics after the release.

—Visit The Afterglow Community for discussion of this topic!

Tori Amos will release her Universal Republic debut album, Abnormally Attracted To Sin, on May 19, 2009. AOL Music’s Spinner.com will premiere today, Tuesday, March 10 the album’s cover art and tracklisting, as well as an interview where Tori discusses the record.

Tori will offer a sneak-peek at some of the songs from Abnormally Attracted To Sin at this year’s South By Southwest Music Conference in Austin, TX when she will headline the Universal Republic Records Showcase. The showcase, one of the most anticipated events in the conference’s two decade-plus history, is on Thursday, March 19, and will be held at the historic club La Zona Rosa.

A DVD of corresponding ‘visualettes’ for each track will accompany the deluxe version of Abnormally Attracted To Sin. These interlocking episodic films bring to life the narrative arc of the album. The footage was captured over the past year and shot with a noir twist in HD and Super 8.

The album was produced by Tori and features longtime contributors Matt Chamberlain on drums, Jon Evans on bass, and Mac Aladdin on guitars. Once again Tori is joined in the studio by Mark Hawley and Marcel Van Limbeek who recorded and mixed the album at Martian Engineering in Cornwall, England. Abnormally Attracted To Sin is the singer’s tenth studio album, and is sure to be regarded by fans and critics as another innovative chapter in the artist’s trailblazing career.

For nearly two decades, Tori Amos’ stark lyrical flourishes and inspired musicianship have shaped the musical landscape.  She is also considered one of the most emotionally powerful live artists in music today.  Her most recent world tour, launched in the summer of 2007, with media platforms such as the BBC who lauded both her live show and album as ‘returning Tori Amos back to the forefront of a genre she defined…still pushing her own boundaries.’

Source: everythingtori.com

Tori Amos is in a good mood when she phones Spinner from her Cornwall, England studio. She owes her glee, in part, to a white chocolate chip cookie, which she informs us her 8-year-old daughter, Natashya, baked for her. “Husband didn’t marry me for my baking,” she laughs.

It’s just weeks away from Amos’ scheduled performance at SXSW, where she’ll unveil new tunes from her tenth studio album, ‘Abnormally Attracted to Sin,’ due May 19. In addition to debuting the album cover and tracklist with Spinner, Amos discussed her new work, how to divvy up the Democrats and Republicans, and what she considers to be the greatest sin of all.

What was the impetus behind this new collection?
I’m drawn to questioning what traditional authorities have defined sin to be. As a minister’s daughter, I’ve been exposed to the traditional belief system. [Sin] has been used to shame and control people. If you’re controlled by a religious structure, then you’re going to have a very different outlook on life and what you’re open to than if you’re not controlled by these old, crumbling concepts.

The new album, ‘Abnormally Attracted to Sin,’ takes its name from a line in ‘Guys and Dolls,’ said by the character Sarah Brown. Do you feel a kinship with her in any way?
No, because I’m not torn by my religious beliefs. A lot of the problems we have right now in our world are because of intolerance dictated by the big religions.

Do you feel it’s your duty or obligation to expose these truths in your work?
I find that right now, in this turbulent time where there’s so much strife all around the world, there is an opportunity for religions to open their doors and their hearts — to become compassionate for someone else’s beliefs instead of intolerant. That’s always really disappointed me about people who talk about being religious, and yet they’re the most judgemental, usually. Right now, we’re at war, and I wrote quite a lot of this album while I was on tour last time. I traveled the world, I played in Israel, I traveled through countries where the major religions exist — and the one thing that I started to do more than ever was to really ask questions about “What do I believe in?” Traveling and seeing how women see themselves in different cultures … how the community thinks of them becomes so important for some of them, more than how than how they even feel about themselves. And some of them are dying — they’re dying in their lives. You might be approved of in your community, but your heart is completely breaking. And I don’t find that a tolerant society — that is not the compassionate Christ path to me. I began to see that kindness and tolerance were not found in institutions, but found in individuals who seemed to be breaking away from the old patriarchal viewpoint.

Did you have a similar experience growing up in a Christian household?
I was brought up in a home that was … we were brought up in the Christian doctrine, and that’s just what it was. We believed in it, and I think the question is: What is that doctrine? Because it’s not about the open heart. Maybe it takes times like we have right now, times of so much upheaval, where you allow yourself to really find out what it is that you feel about something. My daughter has all kinds of questions all the time, and if she were brought up in a less tolerant household, she would be broken, no question about it. But she has a grandfather who was a Methodist minister and she has a part of her family who are very much practicing Christians, yet she loves them. But she is not interested if they agree with what she thinks because she is allowed to believe in what she wants.

One of the current arguments at large in America is whether or not gays should have the right to marry. Religion is often used in the argument against gay marriage. Why do you think that union is so threatening?
We go back to that word — intolerance. That, to me, isn’t what America ever was. It wasn’t about telling another person how to live their life. I always said in a perfect world, you keep the Democrats out of your bank account and the Republicans out of your bedroom. But in life, why do you have to have anybody else in your bedroom if you’re a consenting adult? That is the need people have right now, it seems, to dictate to another person how they should live there life. I find that the greatest sin of all. The record explores all kinds of feelings and depending on your state of mind, your set of circumstances could result in a very different outcome.

What can you tell me about the visuals that will be accompanying each of the songs on this album?
I’m calling them “vignettes” because it’s more akin to a mini-film. This all started on tour last time, when we were filming the live shows. The director was putting together montages, and as I saw the montages, new music was already coming. I started to put the new music to the mini-films that were being made out on the road.

When I travel I get all kinds of ideas. I’m forced to see things that I wouldn’t and question. When you asked me about ‘Guys and Dolls,’ I guess I was never a Bible-thumping Christian; I was always trying to question because I had so much religion in my upbringing. I was drawn to those people and those ideas that weren’t accepted necessarily, and it’s not because these ideas in reality are “evil” — that’s just the perception that’s being given. The reality I was brought up in was, “Anything that doesn’t work within the Christian doctrine is sinful.” And that’s a lot of stuff.

‘Abnormally Attracted To Sin’ Tracklist

01. Give
02. Welcome To England
03. Strong Black Vine
04. Flavor
05. Not Dying Today
06. Maybe California
07. Curtain Call
08. Fire To Your Plain
09. Police Me
10. That Guy
11. Abnormally Attracted To Sin
12. 500 Miles
13. Mary Jane
14. Starling
15. Fast Horse
16. Ophelia
17. Lady In Blue

01. Give
02. Welcome To England
03. Strong Black Vine
04. Flavor
05. Not Dying Today
06. Maybe California
07. Curtain Call
08. Fire To Your Plain
09. Police Me
10. That Guy
11. Abnormally Attracted To Sin
12. 500 Miles
13. Mary Jane
14. Starling
15. Fast Horse
16. Ophelia
17. Lady In Blue

(New York, NY) There will be thousands of artists and tens of thousands of music fans gathering at over 60 venues for this year’s South By Southwest Music Conference in Austin, TX, but all eyes will be on groundbreaking star Tori Amos, headlining one of the most anticipated events in the conference’s two decade-plus history, on Thursday, March 19, at historic Austin club, La Zona Rosa.

The Grammy nominated singer/songwriter is headlining a star-studded Universal Republic showcase at the popular venue, sure to be looked on as one of the must-see events of the 4 day festival. Tori will be performing new songs from her upcoming Universal Republic debut album, Abnormally Attracted To Sin, scheduled to hit stores and the digital domain this Spring, as well as other classics from her influential repertoire.

Tori’s recent signing with Universal Republic is in keeping with the inventive star’s unconventional approach to the artist/record company relationship. Universal Republic will distribute Tori’s new album, as well as correlate other ventures in tandem with Tori’s prolific creative output. Abnormally Attracted To Sin, her tenth studio album, is another innovative chapter in the artist’s trailblazing story. Every track on the album will be accompanied by a corresponding ‘visualette’, featuring footage that has been captured over the past year. Shot in HD and Super 8, the visualettes will incorporate a documentary style.

Tori’s most recent album, American Doll Posse, which has been hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as ‘her best album in years,’ was released in 2007 to a chorus of rave reviews. The captivating album, like many of her previous efforts, adhered to a strong conceptual theme, with Tori inhabiting multiple archetypal female personae, a testament to her willingness to continue to push the boundaries of the female singer/songwriter.

Regarded as one of the most emotionally fearless live artists in music today, her most recent world tour, launched in the summer of 2007, saw her soar with her first full-fledged rock band in nearly a decade. Media platforms such as the BBC lauded both her live show and album as ‘returning Tori Amos back to the forefront of a genre she defined… still pushing her own boundaries.’

— Visit The Afterglow Community for discussion of the new album and to discuss Tori’s appearance at SXSW!

There’s information about the Live At Montreux 1991/1992 release, the song-writing process, The Light Princess musical and some information about the new album that she’s working on.

You can download the entire Keyboard Magazine interview with Tori Amos here in .pdf-format. 

It was to avoid conflicts like that that led Amos to leave Sony and fund from her own pocket the project she is currently working on. “It’s very much about the marriage of film and music. Think silent films, but centred around a song. It’s not a video. I’m calling them Visualettes. The story comes to you from the film and the song together.

“I had to become my own investor because, in this day and age, if you turn around and say, ‘I want to produce 17 short films and 17 songs…’ they’re looking at you and saying, ‘Not on our dime you’re not.’ That’s true of an indie as well as a giant, because an indie doesn’t have enough money. Everyone wants a guaranteed return, and with the economic situation the way it is, that means the ability to be brave is being aborted by the fear of our times.

“By leaving the Sony system I knew that if I could be the investor in the artist Tori Amos, then the work could be taken to its final moment on the creative side, before it gets meddled with. If you’re not holding those financial cards, if you have to partner with someone, then you have to open the door, and I don’t think records can be made as a democracy.”

— Visit The Afterglow Community for discussion of this topic!

Collaborations aside, though, and this year Tori has been more involved in creative partnership than usual, what’s the current status on her solo work? “I have a complex project that I’m working on with moving pictures and songs, married together. When it comes out, and who distributes it… I have to make the decision that will best support the project. I’m the investor. Since I left Sony I decided I wouldn’t do any less that a join-venture deal. I have to hold some of the cards. I think you can be creative, and yet not a victim of the system; but you have to do business with the big guys in some way or another.”

— Visit The Afterglow Community for discussion of this topic!