These two concerts from Montreux in 1991 and 1992 catch Tori Amos right at the start of her solo career. The first, from July 1991, was filmed a few months before the release of her "Little Earthquakes" album and the second from July 1992 followed a few months after. There is a fascinating progression from one year to the next as she grows in confidence and skill as a live performer, buoyed by the critical and commercial success of the album. Naturally most of the songs are taken from "Little Earthquakes" but there are also rare songs from her various EPs released across the two years which didn't make it onto the album including her distinctive takes on Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" and "Thank You" and Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

2008-11-02 -- 5/5:: Amazing Tori
That is so amazing that this woman continue to be that good and that original even in 2008. Its hard to believe that this record was made in 1991-1992, another epoch, another time, another culture, and it still sounds as fresh as it sounded back then and absolutely not outdated. Bravo, Tori, bravo!

2008-10-30 -- 2/5:: A bittersweet document
"You gotta do something when you don't have a band" says Amos after singing "Song For Eric". On her live performance in 1991, she's better off without it. Her piano playing is top notch and her singing serves as a proof that she can translate songs into a live atmosphere and still make them sound like they do on the record (this was, however, before the release of the magnificent "Little Earthquakes"). In another instance, she mentions how she played "Leather" for a record man. His initial response was: "If you play this, you'll never have a career". What really brings things down is the second disc. No one can tell what happened in that one year in which Amos turned into an acclaimed artist, but she was no longer playing in her living room, that's for sure. Both her piano playing and her singing are pretty disappointing here. Where in 1991 she played the songs rigidly and in sync with the studio versions, in 1992 she changed her approach, overextending the words and punctuating the piano lines, making the listener feel uneasy. Even the classic "Me And A Gun" sounds stiff and lacks magic it possesses on the debut.

"Precious Things" and "Happy Phantom" sound pale when compared to their 1991 versions. Worse still, it seems as if Amos is indulging herself in this newly adopted technique. As a collection of songs, "Montreux" shows how inferior Amos has become in her live performances. She'll never reach this level of humility and excellence again. Her best days are long gone, miles behind her which makes this collection of songs a sad document, showcasing the person that doesn't seem to exist anymore. For all her fading glory, she's still a peculiarity of the 1990s songwriters, but her personality and creativity have changed drastically in the past sixteen years. This makes the two discs provided here a bittersweet set. It will either amaze you or bring a tear to your eye. Sometimes both, sometimes neither.

2008-10-28 -- 5/5:: Another happy Tori Fan
Like the OP, I go way back on my Tori collection and have everything she has put out that I can get my hands on. I last saw her perform in Albany NY during the ADP tour. She was incredible. I had to download one of each of her persona's from the tour shows. I admit she is way different now than she was in 91/92 as these shows clearly demonstrate. I LOVE hearing the old Tori as well as the new! In my book Tori can do no wrong. But, back to the actual recording - it is really good, but keep in mind it will seem different. The piano was certainly different during the 91 show. But her voice is the same old Tori that we all love. The version of Leather she sings in the 91 show is the BEST I have ever heard. Like the OP I was disappointed that the shows are not complete on the CD. But you can download the MP3 version to get the complete show. Just keep in mind that you can't buy the songs missing from the CD individually, so if you need the complete shows get the MP3. Me, I had to go and download the MP3 version after discovering my errors. So now I own both versions.

2008-10-21 -- 5/5:: go to amazon mp3 downloads to get the full album
hi. as you may or may not know, the usa version of the cd is missing 3 tracks that the dvd and uk cd have. to get the full concert i would recommend going to the amazon.com mp3 site and buy the full album (which includes the 3 missing tracks) as opposed to buying the hard copy cd.

the mp3 download is also cheaper than buying the cd.

2008-10-11 -- 4/5:: Nothing new, but very satisfying nonetheless.
First of all, thank you VERY MUCH to the reviewer(s) that mentioned the disparity between the U.S. and European releases. Having this in mind, I went to the Amazon UK website and purchased this CD there. It cost more once you converted over to U.S. dollars, but you get both CDs with the complete 19 tracks. Very helpful information!!

As I read on here, the Bosendorfer sounds different than what I'm used to, but it WAS the way she sounded back then on her recordings. While I've heard most if not all of these versions at one point over my long Tori following, this compilation is very welcome indeed. I too have lost a great deal interest in Tori's new music, so I welcome this CD to my vast Tori collection. I'd say avid Tori fans will be pleased with this CD for the most part, even if this is nothing new for them. However, if you've never heard Tori live from her early years, this blast from the past will surely impress.

I'm definitely going to buy the DVD next.