Think of it as her White Album. Yes, it’s more spare, less heavily-produced, more awkward and heaving from time to time, but the sonic precision is masterful (especially for that point in her career), and the emotional wrench has much better stood the test of time than her first two albums.

You’ve got to admire the bravado of aiming Lite Sneeze to be the launch single. The whole rhythm and composition of that number was through the roof of pop singles in that era. (Gabriel’s Digging in the Dirt kicked my ass by that same standard around then.)

And that harpsichord on Blood Roses is ferocious. If I want to show off my speakers to a new listener (and I often do), Blood Roses is among my most exceptional showpiece recordings for percussive detail.

Thanks for the preview skinny on the new one. But consider that you might ought to revisit a treasure. Like I said, think “White Album.”

One of the great things I admired about Tori fandom at the time was how they were initially so thrown by the release, but almost universally “grew into it” within mere weeks. And I admired Tori for putting them through it. ;)

In 1961 1951 Fred LaLone and Larry Shepherd founded the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue, first in California and a model for many that followed in that and other western states.

more from the SMSR’s site:

The Team was founded in 1951 by a group of dedicated outdoorsmen from the local community. Whenever there was a call for help to assist someone in the local mountains, whether it be an injured hiker or someone who didn’t return home, these individuals were called. These calls for help became frequent enough that they formed an organization – The Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team.

The Sierra Madre Search & Rescue Team was the first search & rescue team formed in California, but because of demand, other groups soon followed suit and formed other teams. Currently, there are 7 search and rescue teams in Los Angeles County, 6 of which are accredited by the Mountain Rescue Association.

And that’s still my opinion, FWIW.

Y Kant Tori Read

I assume for the love of god that you aren’t talking about that as her “first” album that you like. Little Earthquakes was quite good, actually, and I am a hip-hop listener.

Incidentally, Tori Amos was the youngest person ever to attend the prestigious Peabody Music Academy at the tender age of 5. Pretty amazing, actually, and that’s why her first album gets a free pass.

How about getting the word out through KO or John Edwards? Might that help?

On February 8, 2007, Bruno & Bruno filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of those effected by the breach of the 17th Street flood protection levee during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. The suit is against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its negligence in approving a permit to the Sewerage and Water Board that allowed dredging of the 17th Street canal. In 1984, the Corps. authorized the work by the Sewerage and Water Board despite the Corps knowing and understanding that the dredged canal bottom would be substantially lower than the flood protection levees. This allowed seepage under the flood protection levee, over a long period of time, led to the breach of the 17th Street levee and the catastrophic flooding of the city that killed more than 500 men, women and children in 2005.

Originally, the ruling was that people had 2 years after Katrina to join this suit. Now, we have til next Wednesday (18 mos). There has been little in the news until today, and even with that the only thing that was offered was the name of the attorney. Slick, huh? I found the attorney and went to read the court order. Got a 404 on that link.

….hmmm,..coffee, banana bread and drama.

:-)