Tori Amos - to venus and back

1999-05-15 / 1999-07-20 / 1999-08-11
1999-08-13 / 1999-09-01 / 1999-09-21

Atlantic Records press release
July 20, 1999

Tori Amos Set To Fly "to venus and back"

New Double-CD To Feature All-New Studio Album Plus Live Disc Recorded During '98 World Trek

"5 1/2 Weeks Tour" With Alanis Morissette Lifts Off August 18

"Atlantic Records has set a September 21 release date for the eagerly awaited new double-CD from Tori Amos, entitled "to venus and back." The set will feature an all-new full-length studio album, plus a second disc recorded live in concert during Tori's acclaimed 1998 "Plugged" world tour. Two new studio tracks from "to venus and back" are slated to go to radio: "Bliss," which will ship to alternative stations on August 6, and "1,000 Oceans," shipping to pop, hot AC and modern AC outlets in late-September.

"The release of "to venus and back" will come as the four-time Grammy-nominated artist's wraps up her 25-date co-headlining concert itinerary with Alanis Morissette. Dubbed the "5 1/2 Weeks Tour," the nationwide trek kicks off on August 18 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and concludes September 25 in Los Angeles, California.

"The studio disc of "to venus and back" will feature a dozen new Amos-penned and produced songs recorded with the members of her "Plugged" touring band-longtime collaborator Steve Caton on guitar, Matt Chamberlain on drums, and Jon Evans on bass - plus programmer Andy Gray, with Tori on vocals and keyboards. The "to venus and back" live disc was recorded during Tori's "Plugged '98" marathon world trek, which marked her first-ever tour with a full band.

"to venus and back" was first conceived as a collection of Amos rarities. "I had originally thought we were tracking stuff for the B-sides album," Tori told Billboard in the magazine's July 17 cover story, "and all of these songs kept coming. The writing gods decided to stop by, and you try and be there when the muse decides she wants to hang around with you."

"It became quite exciting because we had no idea we were cutting a new record," she says. "It just grabbed me by the throat, really. We ended up working around the clock and putting it together pretty quickly."

"In the feature, Billboard's Chuck Taylor praised Tori's new songs as being "tagged with the intense, soul-searching lyrics and complex melodies that the platinum artist's steadfast base of fans has come to live and breathe."

"to venus and back" is Amos's fifth Atlantic solo release, following "LITTLE EARTHQUAKES" (1992), "UNDER THE PINK" (1994), "BOYS FOR PELE" (1996), and "from the choirgirl hotel" (1998).

"In other Tori news, renowned designer Steve Madden has created a special shoe to benefit the Amos-founded Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). The RAINN shoe received its retail launch on July 1 at the 40 Steve Madden outlets nationwide. Inside every RAINN shoe box is a special letter from Amos, detailing the RAINN mission and its on-going need of financial support. A full 100 per cent of the proceeds from the sale of this shoe will go to RAINN.

"Atlantic Records and Steve Madden are also sponsoring a summer-long Tori Amos contest. The Grand Prize winner will receive tickets to the final concert of the Tori/Alanis tour in Los Angeles, as well as an opportunity to meet Tori after the show. Fans can submit entries by placing postcards in special ballot boxes found at all Steve Madden outlets.

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