Little Earthquakes

Little Earthquakesis the debut solo album by the American singer-songwriterTori Amos,featuring the singles "Silent All These Years","China","Winter"and"Crucify".AfterAtlantic Recordsrejected the first version of the album, Amos began working on a second version with her then-boyfriendEric Rosse.The album was first released in the UK on January 6, 1992, where it peaked at number 14 in the charts.

Little Earthquakes
Studio albumby Tori Amos
Released	January 6, 1992
Recorded	1990–1991
Length	57:11
Label	Atlantic(US) East West(Europe)
Producer	Tori Amos Eric Rosse Davitt Sigerson Ian Stanley
Tori Amoschronology
Y Kant Tori Read (1988) Little Earthquakes (1992) Under the Pink (1994)
SinglesfromLittle Earthquakes
"Me and a Gun" Released: October 21, 1991 "Silent All These Years" Released: November 18, 1991 "China" Released: January 20, 1992 "Winter" Released: March 9, 1992 "Crucify" Released: May 12, 1992

It was well received by critics and listeners. In the US, the album reached the top 60 of theBillboard200.It is frequently regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time; it was voted number 73 inColin Larkin'sAll Time Top 1000 Albumsand ranked number 233 onRolling Stone's500 greatest albums of all time.

Recording

Following the dissolution of hersynth-popbandY Kant Tori Read,Amos composed 12 songs, recorded them atCapitol StudiosinLos AngeleswithDavitt Sigersonproducing, and in June 1990 submitted them for copyright.

Amos approachedAtlantic Recordsin December 1990 with a 10-trackdemotape, some being newer songs but mostly ones from June. The track listing consisted of "Russia" (later to become "Take to the Sky" ), "Mary", "Crucify", "Happy Phantom", "Leather", "Winter", "Sweet Dreams", "Song for Eric", "Learn to Fly" and "Flying Dutchman".Atlantic was unhappy with the songs, and in response Amos and her then boyfriendEric Rosserecorded some new songs, including "Girl", "Precious Things", "Tear in Your Hand", "Mother" and "Little Earthquakes". The song "Take Me with You" was recorded during these sessions, but not released until 2006 (with re-recorded vocals.) This session was recorded on a limited budget in Rosse's home studio, using his 3M24-trackanalog tape machine and aYamahaCP-80 piano. Amos and Rosse also went to Stag Studios to use a Yamaha grand piano. Satisfied with these recordings, Atlantic determined that the albumLittle Earthquakeswould have 13 tracks, removing "Learn to Fly" and adding four from the December recording session.

Amos moved toLondonto work withIan Stanley(formerly ofTears for Fears); Atlantic thought Amos would have an easier time of achieving success in the United Kingdom, because of that market's appreciation for eccentric performers. Here she recorded what would become two of her early singles. "Me and a Gun"was the last song written for the album, while" China "was an early track, originally titled" Distance ", that she wrote in 1987.

The second final version of the album was accepted by the record company. However, this was still revised before the final release; a 13-track promo cassette shows that the song "Little Earthquakes" was to appear after "Happy Phantom" on side one, with side two closing with "Flying Dutchman".The latter track was presumably dropped due to the physical restraints of the vinyl LP format.

Atlantic's European counterpart,East West,promoted the record extensively. Amos spent much of 1991 performing in small bars and clubs in London and playing for music executives and journalists, often in her own apartment. TheMe and a GunEPcontaining four tracks was released in October 1991, receiving considerable critical attention. The single was re-issued the following month with "Silent All These Years"as the lead composition, and it became her first chart entry in the UK at number 51 following Single of the Week support fromBBC Radio 1and a TV debut on the high-rated chat show ofJonathan RossonChannel 4.The back cover of the album contains pictures ofPhallus impudicusmushrooms, also known as stinkhorns.

Release

When the album was finally released in the UK in January 1992, it reached number 14 and remained on the Top 75 charts (UK Albums Chart) for 23 weeks. A month later, it was released in the United States to breakthrough critical success and also announced itself as a chart mainstay, despite peaking outside the Top 50 on theBillboard200.The accompanying singles (along with "Me and a Gun" and "Silent All These Years" ) were "China" (January 1992 UK), "Winter" (March 1992 UK/November 1992 US) and "Crucify" (May 1992 US/June 1992 UK), the US EP version of which featured covers of songs by artists includingThe Rolling StonesandNirvana.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Christgau's Consumer Guide	C+
Los Angeles Times
Mojo
NME	7/10
Pitchfork	8.6/10
Q
Record Collector
Rolling Stone
The Rolling Stone Album Guide

Reviews ofLittle Earthquakeswere generally positive.Los Angeles Timescritic Jean Rosenbluth praised it as a considerable improvement over Amos's previous work in Y Kant Tori Read, calling the album "a quixotic, compelling record that mixes the smart sensuality ofKate Bushwith the provocative impenetrability ofMary Margaret O'Hara."Josef Woodward ofRolling Stonewrote that "Amos shares common ground with artfolk songstresses like Kate Bush andJane Siberry"and described her" quivery vibrato-laden holler – akin toSiouxsie Sioux's ".The song "Leather" was pictured as a "Kurt Weill-meets-Queencabaret act ". He described the album as" an often pretty, subtly progressive song cycle that reflects darkly on sexual alienation and personal struggles ", and that by the end of the album" we feel as though we've been through some peculiar therapy session, half-cleansed and half-stirred. That artful paradox is part of what makesLittle Earthquakesa gripping debut. "His original rating of three and a half stars out of five in the 1992 print version of the magazine was later rounded up to four stars out of five onRolling Stone's website.

Among negative assessments,Stephanie Zacharekcommented inEntertainment Weeklythat Amos's songs "are too self-consciously weird" to be enjoyable,whileThe Village Voice'sRobert Christgaupraised only "Me and a Gun", disregarding the other songs as lesser versions of Kate Bush.

In the United Kingdom, where Amos was first promoted, the album was also warmly received. Jon Wilde ofMelody Makerstated that Amos "possesses a rare ability to explore a multiplicity of emotions and a broad range of perspectives within the same song", describing the album's songs as "cerebral soul music for the kind of people who mean to readTE Lawrence'sSeven Pillars of Wisdomon their holidays but end up spending all their time exchanging bodily fluids with strangers. "InQ,John Aizlewood wrote that "Guilt, misery and failed relationships thread their way throughLittle Earthquakeswith occasional detours for childhood traumas transformed into adult inadequacies "and praised Amos's lyrics, concluding:"Little Earthquakesis disturbing, funny and sexy by turns. Amos does all this with the unmistakable stamp of a potentially great songwriter. Where on earth can she go from here? "Roger Morton ofNMEwas more reserved in his praise, summarizingLittle Earthquakesas "a sprawling, confusing journey through the gunk of a woman's soul... Sometimes it's magical and sometimes it's sickly and overwrought ".

Legacy

In 1998,Qreaders votedLittle Earthquakesthe 66th greatest album of all time,and in 2002 the same magazine named it the fourth greatest album of all time by a female artist.It was also voted number 73 in the third edition ofColin Larkin'sAll Time Top 1000 Albumsin 2000,and was ranked number 233 in the 2020 version ofRolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time"list.Little Earthquakeswas included in the book1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

In a retrospective review,AllMusiccritic Steve Huey said that Amos "carved the template for the female singer/songwriter movement of the '90s" withLittle Earthquakes,and that while "her subsequent albums were often very strong, Amos would never bare her soul quite so directly (or comprehensibly) as she did here, nor with such consistently focused results."Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani deemed it Amos's most focused and accessible recording, which "almost immediately sparked cult interest in the singer, and has, over time, undoubtedly become a soundtrack (at least in part) to the lives of many anguished teens and adults."

Reviewing the album's 2015 remastered edition forRolling Stone,Jessica Machado wrote that "thepop chartshad never heard a female voice quite like the one onLittle Earthquakes,from the sharp mix of desire and frustration in 'Precious Things'... to the raw pain in... 'Me and a Gun' ",while inRecord Collector,Nicola Rayner noted how Amos's piano-based music stood out amid the rise of the guitar-orientedgrungeandBritpopscenes in the early 1990s.Mojo's John Bungey said that the "remarkable, idiosyncratic" album showcased "a singular creative force from the outset";according to Alex Ramon ofPopMatters,it established the "cryptic exhortations, poetic imagery, surrealist wit and brutal directness" that would define Amos's subsequent work.Barry Walters remarked on the lasting influence ofLittle Earthquakesand its 1994 follow-upUnder the Pinkin his review forPitchfork,citing various acts who "all wear their sensitivities as strengths as she did.""With its lack of standard rock and pop clichés of the day and reliance on acoustic piano and an excellent (if unconventional) voice," wrote J. C. Maçek III ofSpectrum Culture,"Little Earthquakessounds as unique today as it did in 1992. "

In a roundtable interview withThe Hollywood Reporter,singerJustin Timberlakeexpressed his immense admiration forLittle Earthquakes.Timberlake said, "That album changed my life. So [expletive] good."

Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes,an official graphic novel celebrating the album's 30th anniversary, was published byZ2 Comicsin 2022 – contributors included Amos,Neil Gaiman,Margaret Atwood,Marc Andreyko,Annie Zaleski,Derek McCulloch,Leah Moore,Kelly Sue DeConnick,Neil Kleid,Lar DeSouza,Colleen Doran,andDavid W. Mack.The book was edited by Amos's friend Rantz Hoseley, who edited a previous graphic novel inspired by Amos's music,Comic Book Tattoo(Image Comics,2008).

Track listing

Original Release (1992)

All tracks are written byTori Amos

Little Earthquakestrack listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Crucify"	Davitt Sigerson	4:58
2.	"Girl"	Amos Eric Rosse	4:06
3.	"Silent All These Years"	Sigerson	4:10
4.	"Precious Things"	Amos Rosse	4:26
5.	"Winter"	Sigerson	5:40
6.	"Happy Phantom"	Sigerson	3:12
7.	"China"	Ian Stanley	4:58
8.	"Leather"	Sigerson	3:12
9.	"Mother"	Sigerson	6:59
10.	"Tear in Your Hand"	Amos Rosse	4:38
11.	"Me and a Gun"	Stanley(recorded by)	3:44
12.	"Little Earthquakes"	Amos Rosse	6:51
Total length:			57:11

Deluxe Edition (2015)

The 2015 double-CD reissue of the album included a second disc containing thirteen b-sides and five live performances which had previously been released on the CD singles for the album in 1991 and 1992. This release however did not include the covers of "Angie"byThe Rolling Stonesand "Thank You"byLed Zeppelinwhich were released as b-sides to "Winter" in the United Kingdom and "Crucify" in the United States.

All tracks are written byTori Amos,except "Smells Like Teen Spirit"written byKurt Cobain,Krist NovoselicandDave Grohl."Humpty Dumpty" is based on the traditional nursery rhyme

2015 deluxe edition disc 2 track listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Upside Down" (B-side to "Me and a Gun" )	Davitt Sigerson	4:22
2.	"Thoughts" (B-side to "Me and a Gun" )	Tori Amos Eric Rosse	2:36
3.	"Ode to the Banana King (Part One)" (B-side to "Silent All These Years" )	Ian Stanley	4:06
4.	"Song for Eric" (B-side to "Silent All These Years" )	Stanley	1:50
5.	"The Pool" (B-side to "Winter" )	Stanley	2:51
6.	"Take to the Sky" (B-side to "Winter" )	Rosse	4:20
7.	"Sweet Dreams" (B-side to "Winter" )	Sigerson	3:27
8.	"Mary"(B-side to" Crucify ")	Sigerson	4:27
9.	"Sugar" (B-side to "China" )	Stanley	4:27
10.	"Flying Dutchman" (B-side to "China" )	Sigerson	6:31
11.	"Humpty Dumpty" (B-side to "China" )	Stanley	2:52
12.	"Smells Like Teen Spirit"(B-side to" Crucify ")	Stanley	3:17
13.	"Little Earthquakes" (live from Cambridge Corn Exchange, April 5, 1992)	Stanley	6:58
14.	"Crucify" (live from Cambridge Corn Exchange, April 5, 1992)	Stanley	5:19
15.	"Precious Things" (live from Cambridge Corn Exchange, April 5, 1992)	Stanley	5:03
16.	"Mother" (live from Cambridge Corn Exchange, April 5, 1992)	Stanley	6:37
17.	"Happy Phantom" (live from Cambridge Corn Exchange, April 5, 1992)	Stanley	3:33
18.	"Here In My Head" (B-side to "Crucify" )	Stanley	3:53

Personnel

• Tori Amos – acoustic piano, keyboard, lead vocals(all tracks),background vocals(tracks: 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 12),sampled strings(tracks: 2, 8)
• Steve Caton– guitar(tracks: 2, 4, 10, 12),bass(track 2),background vocals(tracks: 4, 12)
• John Chamberlain – mandolin(track 1)
• Paulinho da Costa– percussion(tracks: 1, 6)
• Jake Freeze – rat pedal(track 4),saw(track 12)
• Stuart Gordon – violin(track 7)
• Ed Greene– drums(track 1)
• Will Gregory– oboe(track 7)
• Tina Gullickson – background vocals(track 1)
• Chris Hughes– drums(track 7)
• David Lord– string arrangement(track 7)
• Will McGregor – bass(tracks: 4, 10, 12)
• Carlo Nuccio – drums(tracks: 4, 10)
• Philly – finger cymbal(track 3)
• David Rhodes– guitar(track 7)
• Eric Rosse– drum and keyboard programming(tracks: 2, 4, 12),background vocals(tracks: 4, 12),Irish war drum(track 5)
• Jef Scott – bass(tracks: 1, 8)
• Matthew Seligman– bass(track 7)
• Nancy Shanks – background vocals(tracks: 1, 12)
• Phil Shenale– keyboard programming(track 6)
• Eric Williams – ukulele(track 1),dulcimer(track 6)
• Orchestra arranged and conducted by Nick DeCaro(tracks: 3, 5)

Charts

Chart (1992)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	14
Canadian Albums(Billboard)	49
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	65
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	85
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	18
UK Albums(OCC)	14
USBillboard200	54
USCash BoxTop 200 Albums	45
European Albums(Eurotipsheet)	26

Chart (2023)	Peak position
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)	13

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)	Gold	35,000^
Belgium (BEA)	Gold	25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)	Gold	50,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)	Gold	50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA)	2× Platinum	2,000,000^
*Sales figures based on certification alone. ^Shipments figures based on certification alone.