Tori Amos, Y Kant Tori Read

By Christian Lipski

I heard about Tori Amos in early ’92 from a Kate Bush newsgroup, where they kept referring to this mysterious album called Y Kant Tori Read and wondering where it might be found. I dug Little Earthquakes so the existence of an additional entry in the Amos canon was a tantalizing thing. I saw a copy of YKTR once in a record shop in Tucson, Arizona, selling for $300—so close, yet so far.

Finally, with the advent of the MP3, I was able to grab a copy by 1999, fully 11 years after its release, but still pretty Johnny-on-the-spot considering the album’s rarity. It’s exceedingly pleasant, in my opinion. I’d say that I like it as much as Little Earthquakes, honestly. It’s a much more rocking album, with big drums (courtesy of Matt Sorum: The Cult, Guns N’ Roses), fretless bass (for the Kate Bush fans), and guitar solos (!!!). There’s a lot less piano, which is odd for a Tori album, but her voice is really nice to listen to, and that’s the appeal for me.

The album takes me back to two separate times, to the late 90s when I was reveling in the music that became available thanks to the MP3, and to the early 90s, when I was reveling in Kate and Tori and the life after college. They’re both good times, so that’s just fine with me.