American Doll Posse
Encyclopedia
American Doll Posse is the ninth studio album by singer-songwriter
Tori Amos
; it was released in 2007. Like her previous albums Strange Little Girls
(2001) and Scarlet's Walk
(2002), American Doll Posse is a concept album
, which entails five female personae Amos developed based on Greek mythology. Musically, the album is a drastic departure for Amos. Having stated that the box set A Piano: The Collection
(2006) was the summation of her previous work and the end of an era, the album elicits a new chapter in her career and is her heaviest, most rock-influenced album to date.
American Doll Posse serves as Amos's third and final album under her contract with Epic Records
, as Amos announced a year after the album's release that she would be operating independently of major record labels.
"Posse Bonus", "Smokey Joe", and "Dragon" were originally to be featured as bonus tracks on the limited edition version only, but were added to the full track listing of both versions prior to the album's release. "My Posse Can Do" is included on the DVD accompanying limited edition versions of the album, while the tracks "Miracle" and "Drive All Night" were available exclusively through different retailers, iTunes and Borders, respectively, as digital downloads for a limited time. In 2010, part of a demo disc for 1998's From The Choirgirl Hotel
leaked online, including a previously unreleased track entitled "Violet's Eyes". The chorus of "Miracle" comes directly from this never completed demo.
, like all of Amos' albums since From the Choirgirl Hotel
(1998). Due to the musical composition and nature of the album, Amos' principal band mates were present in the recording studio from the beginning of the recording session. After a month of tracking work, Amos continued editing and recording for the remainder of the year, as well as working on the promotion for her career-spanning box set A Piano: The Collection
. Mixing work was completed by February 2007, and the album title was announced through a press release on February 20.
Prior to its release, Amos revealed that the album is political in nature:
While Amos had hinted that she may bring back both the harpsichord
(last used on Boys for Pele) and the Wurlitzer
(used on Strange Little Girls and Scarlet's Walk), only the latter appeared on the track "Dark Side of the Sun". Before the album's release, she made several comments about bringing a "warrior woman" out, as well as stating that the record would be a very different chapter from what has come before.
" was released as the album's first radio single in the United States
prior to the album's release. Multiple radio stations refused to give the song any air time because the acronym "MILF" is repeated in the bridge of the song. Despite the acronym, the single was successful on Triple A
radio. Epic Records
re-issued the single with the "MILF" bridge replaced with Amos singing "MI-MI".
"Bouncing off Clouds
" served as the first single in Europe
and as the second single in the United States. "Almost Rosey" was released as the third single as an internet-only release through MySpace
. Following the trend set by her previous releases with Epic as dictated by general music industry trends, all three singles released from American Doll Posse were promo-only singles, no commercial singles were produced.
at # 5, selling 54,000 copies, making it her sixth album to debut in the US Top 10 Albums chart. Twenty-five percent of the first week's sales were digital sales, an increasing figure as per general market trends. The album remained on the Billboard 200 for six weeks with its final position at # 186 for the week of June 23, 2007, before falling off the chart. One year after its release, the album has sold 152,000 copies in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan
.
The album's debut at # 5 is the same debut position as The Beekeeper (2005), but with American Doll Posse selling fewer units. This decrease in sales is partially explained by the overall decline of sales in the music industry. At the time of the album's release, overall music sales for 2007 were down over 16% than the previous year's sales.
Limited edition copies of the album were ruled to be ineligible for the UK Top 40 sales chart due to the inclusion of free art cards depicting each of the Posse members. According to an article on Amos' site, Amos chose not to issue a reduced packaging version of the special edition (as had been done with Scarlet's Walk
). As a result, the album's UK debut at # 50 is based only upon sales of the single-disc standard version of the album.
The chart below lists the album debut positions (within the top 20) in major markets around the globe.
label, American Doll Posse was offered in a limited edition, which includes two videos (a behind-the-scenes of her photo shoot and a slide show-style bonus track titled "My Posse Can Do"), an expanded booklet, and five postcards, one of each "doll".
iTunes
offered a free bonus track, "Miracle", and a Ticketmaster
concert pre-sale code for anyone who pre-ordered either version of the album. Standard edition versions of the album purchased from Borders
included a code to download a different bonus track, "Drive All Night", while albums purchased at Target
were accompanied by a poster featuring the five "dolls".
The chart below lists the release dates for American Doll Posse in major markets around the globe.
, Germany
, where Amos performed six songs solo on piano - "Silent All These Years" and "Leather" from 1992's Little Earthquakes
as well as four songs from the new album - "Velvet Revolution," "Father's Son," "Beauty of Speed," and "Almost Rosey."
The full band tour for American Doll Posse commenced on May 28, 2007 in Rome
, Italy
. The European leg of the tour ended with a show in Ra'anana
, Israel
on July 21, 2007. The Australian leg of the tour, which commenced on September 10 and lasted the rest of the month, was followed by the North American leg which began October 9. The tour ended on December 16, 2007 in Los Angeles
, CA
. Amos, using a Bosendorfer piano, Yamaha synth, and Hammond organ, was backed by Matt Chamberlain (drums), Jon Evans (bass), and Dan Phelps (guitar).
As hinted before the tour began, one of the four alter-egos, complete in her own unique wardrobe, opened each show, performing as many as seven songs, followed by a costume change with Amos taking over as herself for the remaining two-thirds of the show. Three exceptions were the San Diego and Los Angeles shows, where two dolls opened, and the Anaheim show, where two dolls opened and one of them returned for the encore.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
; it was released in 2007. Like her previous albums Strange Little Girls
Strange Little Girls
Strange Little Girls is a concept album released by singer-songwriter Tori Amos in 2001. The album's 12 tracks are covers of songs written and originally performed by men, reinterpreted by Amos from a female's point of view. Amos created female personae for each track and was photographed as...
(2001) and Scarlet's Walk
Scarlet's Walk
Scarlet's Walk is the seventh album released in singer-songwriter Tori Amos' solo career. The 18-track concept album details the cross-country travels of Scarlet, a character loosely based on Amos, as well as the concept of America post-September 11th . The album was the first released by Amos on...
(2002), American Doll Posse is a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
, which entails five female personae Amos developed based on Greek mythology. Musically, the album is a drastic departure for Amos. Having stated that the box set A Piano: The Collection
A Piano: The Collection
A Piano: The Collection is a five-disc box set spanning the first 15 years of the solo career of American singer and song-writer Tori Amos. Released on September 26, 2006 by Rhino Records as part of the contract Amos negotiated with Warner Bros., the set consists of classics, rarities, demos,...
(2006) was the summation of her previous work and the end of an era, the album elicits a new chapter in her career and is her heaviest, most rock-influenced album to date.
American Doll Posse serves as Amos's third and final album under her contract with Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, as Amos announced a year after the album's release that she would be operating independently of major record labels.
Track listing
Bonus tracks"Posse Bonus", "Smokey Joe", and "Dragon" were originally to be featured as bonus tracks on the limited edition version only, but were added to the full track listing of both versions prior to the album's release. "My Posse Can Do" is included on the DVD accompanying limited edition versions of the album, while the tracks "Miracle" and "Drive All Night" were available exclusively through different retailers, iTunes and Borders, respectively, as digital downloads for a limited time. In 2010, part of a demo disc for 1998's From The Choirgirl Hotel
From the Choirgirl Hotel
From the Choirgirl Hotel is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Tori Amos. A departure from her previous albums, it was more heavily produced and a very radio-friendly project featuring a full rock band sound . Upon its release in May 1998, the album debuted at US #5 and UK #6...
leaked online, including a previously unreleased track entitled "Violet's Eyes". The chorus of "Miracle" comes directly from this never completed demo.
Development
Following songwriting during and after Amos' five-month solo tour in 2005, recording sessions commenced in June 2006 with longtime collaborators Matt Chamberlain on percussion, Jon Evans on bass, and Mac Aladdin on guitars at Martian Engineering in CornwallCornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, like all of Amos' albums since From the Choirgirl Hotel
From the Choirgirl Hotel
From the Choirgirl Hotel is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Tori Amos. A departure from her previous albums, it was more heavily produced and a very radio-friendly project featuring a full rock band sound . Upon its release in May 1998, the album debuted at US #5 and UK #6...
(1998). Due to the musical composition and nature of the album, Amos' principal band mates were present in the recording studio from the beginning of the recording session. After a month of tracking work, Amos continued editing and recording for the remainder of the year, as well as working on the promotion for her career-spanning box set A Piano: The Collection
A Piano: The Collection
A Piano: The Collection is a five-disc box set spanning the first 15 years of the solo career of American singer and song-writer Tori Amos. Released on September 26, 2006 by Rhino Records as part of the contract Amos negotiated with Warner Bros., the set consists of classics, rarities, demos,...
. Mixing work was completed by February 2007, and the album title was announced through a press release on February 20.
Prior to its release, Amos revealed that the album is political in nature:
While Amos had hinted that she may bring back both the harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
(last used on Boys for Pele) and the Wurlitzer
Wurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
(used on Strange Little Girls and Scarlet's Walk), only the latter appeared on the track "Dark Side of the Sun". Before the album's release, she made several comments about bringing a "warrior woman" out, as well as stating that the record would be a very different chapter from what has come before.
The Doll Posse
The "American Doll Posse" of the title consists of five different female characters that Amos developed, representing different aspects of her own personality:Posse members
| Posse doll |
Mythological derivation |
Attributes | Songs | Covers in concert |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isabel (HisTORIcal) | Greek goddess of the hunt Artemis Artemis Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"... |
Photographer and is the most outwardly political | "Yo George", "Mr. Bad Man", "Devils and Gods", "Almost Rosey", "Dark Side Of The Sun", | "Sweet Dreams", "In The Springtime Of His Voodoo", "Tombigbee", "Virginia", "Scarlet's Walk", "Sweet Sangria", "Mountain", The Exorcist The Exorcist The Exorcist is a novel of supernatural suspense by William Peter Blatty, published by Harper & Row in 1971. It was inspired by a 1949 case of demonic possession and exorcism that Blatty heard about while he was a student in the class of 1950 at Georgetown University, a Jesuit school... theme "Part One", the Velvet Underground song "New Age", which Amos had previously covered under her own name in 2001 |
| Clyde (CliTORIdes) | Greek goddess of the underworld Persephone Persephone In Greek mythology, Persephone , also called Kore , is the daughter of Zeus and the harvest-goddess Demeter, and queen of the underworld; she was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the underworld.... |
"Wears her emotional wounds on her sleeve, but remains idealistic. She is looking at the effects of not being a whole person. She is trying to figure out what she believes in and she is dealing with having been disappointed in her life" | "Bouncing Off Clouds", "Girl Disappearing", "Roosterspur Bridge", "Beauty Of Speed", "Miracle" (with Tori) | "Little Amsterdam", "Black-Dove (January)", "Juarez", "Little Earthquakes", "Upside Down", "Mary" and the Lloyd Cole Lloyd Cole Lloyd Cole is an English singer and songwriter, known for his role as lead singer of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from 1984 to 1989, and for his subsequent solo work.-Early life:... track "Rattlesnakes," which Amos had previously covered under her own name in 2001 |
| Pip (ExpiraTORIal) | Greek goddess of war, wisdom and strategy Athena Athena In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is... |
Confrontational "warrior woman" | "Teenage Hustling", "Fat Slut", "Body and Soul" (with Santa), "Velvet Revolution", "Smokey Joe" | "Bliss", "Cruel", "The Waitress", "Blood Roses", "Me And A Gun," "Professional Widow", "Suede", the Neil Young Neil Young Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation... song "Heart Of Gold," which Amos had previously covered in 2001 |
| Santa (SanaTORIum) | Greek goddess Aphrodite Aphrodite Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia.... |
Sensual and passionate | "You Can Bring Your Dog", "Secret Spell", "Body and Soul" (with Pip), "Programmable Soda", "Dragon", "My Posse Can Do", "Drive All Night" | "Cruel", "God", "Sugar", "She's Your Cocaine", "Hoochie Woman", "Raspberry Swirl", "Bug A Martini", "Sweet The Sting", the Brazilian traditional song "Carnival" |
| Tori (TerraTORIes) | Greek goddess Demeter Demeter In Greek mythology, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains, the fertility of the earth, and the seasons . Her common surnames are Sito as the giver of food or corn/grain and Thesmophoros as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society... and god Dionysus Dionysus Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete... |
Caricature of the artist herself, with promotional images released depicting the character holding sage and with a Bible Bible The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations... in one hand and the word 'shame' scrawled across the other |
"Big Wheel", "Digital Ghost", "Father's Son", "Code Red", "Posse Bonus", "Miracle" (with Clyde) | — |
Posse blogs
As part of the marketing campaign, a series of blogs written by each character circulated on the Internet on various websites, with fans invited to "hunt" for the blogs. The blogs were updated during the tour through the end of 2007.Critical reception
Singles
"Big WheelBig Wheel (song)
"Big Wheel" is a song written and recorded by Tori Amos. It was chosen as the first single from her album American Doll Posse. However, multiple radio stations rejected "Big Wheel" because the acronym MILF is repeated in the bridge of the song...
" was released as the album's first radio single in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prior to the album's release. Multiple radio stations refused to give the song any air time because the acronym "MILF" is repeated in the bridge of the song. Despite the acronym, the single was successful on Triple A
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
radio. Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
re-issued the single with the "MILF" bridge replaced with Amos singing "MI-MI".
"Bouncing off Clouds
Bouncing off Clouds
"Bouncing Off Clouds" is written and recorded by Tori Amos and was the first European and second American single from her album American Doll Posse...
" served as the first single in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and as the second single in the United States. "Almost Rosey" was released as the third single as an internet-only release through MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
. Following the trend set by her previous releases with Epic as dictated by general music industry trends, all three singles released from American Doll Posse were promo-only singles, no commercial singles were produced.
Sales and chart performance
Upon its release in the US, the album entered the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
at # 5, selling 54,000 copies, making it her sixth album to debut in the US Top 10 Albums chart. Twenty-five percent of the first week's sales were digital sales, an increasing figure as per general market trends. The album remained on the Billboard 200 for six weeks with its final position at # 186 for the week of June 23, 2007, before falling off the chart. One year after its release, the album has sold 152,000 copies in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
.
The album's debut at # 5 is the same debut position as The Beekeeper (2005), but with American Doll Posse selling fewer units. This decrease in sales is partially explained by the overall decline of sales in the music industry. At the time of the album's release, overall music sales for 2007 were down over 16% than the previous year's sales.
Limited edition copies of the album were ruled to be ineligible for the UK Top 40 sales chart due to the inclusion of free art cards depicting each of the Posse members. According to an article on Amos' site, Amos chose not to issue a reduced packaging version of the special edition (as had been done with Scarlet's Walk
Scarlet's Walk
Scarlet's Walk is the seventh album released in singer-songwriter Tori Amos' solo career. The 18-track concept album details the cross-country travels of Scarlet, a character loosely based on Amos, as well as the concept of America post-September 11th . The album was the first released by Amos on...
). As a result, the album's UK debut at # 50 is based only upon sales of the single-disc standard version of the album.
The chart below lists the album debut positions (within the top 20) in major markets around the globe.
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Top 200 Albums (US) | 5 |
| Billboard Top Digital Albums (US) | 2 |
| Billboard Top Internet Albums (US) | 3 |
| European Top 100 Albums | 7 |
| Australian Albums Chart | 20 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 14 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 15 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 5 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 7 |
| German top-100 Albums Chart | 10 |
| Italian Top-100 Albums | 18 |
| Norway Albums Chart | 11 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 15 |
| Top Rock Albums | 2 |
Release history
As with Amos' previous releases under the Epic RecordsEpic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
label, American Doll Posse was offered in a limited edition, which includes two videos (a behind-the-scenes of her photo shoot and a slide show-style bonus track titled "My Posse Can Do"), an expanded booklet, and five postcards, one of each "doll".
iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
offered a free bonus track, "Miracle", and a Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. is an independent American ticket sales and distribution company based in West Hollywood, California, USA, with operations in many countries around the world. In 2010 it merged with Live Nation to become Live Nation Entertainment...
concert pre-sale code for anyone who pre-ordered either version of the album. Standard edition versions of the album purchased from Borders
Borders Group
Borders Group, Inc. was an international book and music retailer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company employed approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores....
included a code to download a different bonus track, "Drive All Night", while albums purchased at Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
were accompanied by a poster featuring the five "dolls".
The chart below lists the release dates for American Doll Posse in major markets around the globe.
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
April 26, 2007 |
| Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
April 27, 2007 |
| Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... |
|
| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
|
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
|
| Ireland Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,... |
|
| Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
|
| Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
|
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
April 28, 2007 |
| Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
|
| Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... |
April 30, 2007 |
| Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
|
| UK | |
| USA | May 1, 2007 |
| Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
May 2, 2007 |
| Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
|
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
July 18, 2007 |
Personnel
- Isabel – vocals on tracks 1, 7, 11, 18, 20
- Clyde – vocals on tracks 3, 9, 16, 17, background vocals on track 5
- Pip – vocals on tracks 4, 8, 12, 19, 22, background vocals on track 15
- Santa – vocals on tracks 6, 10, 12, 14, 23, background vocals on track 3
- Tori Amos – vocals on tracks 2, 5, 13, 15, 21, background vocals on track 20, BösendorferBösendorferBösendorfer is an Austrian piano manufacturer, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha. The brand is known for producing pianos with a uniquely rich, singing, and sustaining tone...
piano on tracks 1-7, 9-10, 12-23, electric pianoElectric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
on track 3, Fender-Rhodes on tracks 7, 13, 23, upright piano on track 17, WurlitzerWurlitzerThe Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
on track 20, clavichordClavichordThe clavichord is a European stringed keyboard instrument known from the late Medieval, through the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras. Historically, it was widely used as a practice instrument and as an aid to composition, not being loud enough for larger performances. The clavichord produces...
on track 22, MellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
on track 23 - Matt ChamberlainMatt ChamberlainMatthew Chamberlain is an American drummer, producer and sound engineer. He is currently based in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...
– drums & percussion on tracks 2-7, 9-10, 12-13, 15-18, 20-23 - Jon Evans – bass on tracks 2-7, 9-10, 12-13, 15-18, 20-23
- Mac Aladdin – electric guitar on tracks 2-8, 10, 12-13, 15-18, 20, 22-23, ukulele on tracks 7, 11, electric 6 and 12 string guitars on tracks 10, 13, 18, 20, mandolin on tracks 11, 19, acoustic guitar on tracks 11-12, 15-16, 20, ebow guitar on 22
- Edward Bale, Matthew Elston, Holly Butler, Rosmary Bank – string quartet on tracks 9, 14
- John Philip ShenaleJohn Philip ShenaleJohn Philip Shenale is a Canadian composer, arranger, musician and producer based in Los Angeles. He has contributed his talents to over forty Gold and Platinum albums, and over thirty Top 40 singles. His work has also been associated with twenty-one Grammy Award nominations.-Background:Shenale...
– string arrangement on tracks 9, 14, brass arrangement on track 14 - Nick Hitchens – tuba, euphonium on track 14
Tour
The first live performance of the new material took place on April 10, 2007 for Radio Eins in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where Amos performed six songs solo on piano - "Silent All These Years" and "Leather" from 1992's Little Earthquakes
Little Earthquakes
-B-sides:The album is also known for its collection of B-sides. The four songs recorded with Davitt Sigerson that did not make it to the final version of the album were included on the singles released from Little Earthquakes....
as well as four songs from the new album - "Velvet Revolution," "Father's Son," "Beauty of Speed," and "Almost Rosey."
The full band tour for American Doll Posse commenced on May 28, 2007 in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The European leg of the tour ended with a show in Ra'anana
Ra'anana
Ra'anana is a city in the heart of the southern Sharon Plain of the Central District of Israel with a population of 68,300, . Ra'anana is bordered by Kfar Sava on the east and Herzliya on the southwest...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
on July 21, 2007. The Australian leg of the tour, which commenced on September 10 and lasted the rest of the month, was followed by the North American leg which began October 9. The tour ended on December 16, 2007 in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, CA
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Amos, using a Bosendorfer piano, Yamaha synth, and Hammond organ, was backed by Matt Chamberlain (drums), Jon Evans (bass), and Dan Phelps (guitar).
As hinted before the tour began, one of the four alter-egos, complete in her own unique wardrobe, opened each show, performing as many as seven songs, followed by a costume change with Amos taking over as herself for the remaining two-thirds of the show. Three exceptions were the San Diego and Los Angeles shows, where two dolls opened, and the Anaheim show, where two dolls opened and one of them returned for the encore.