Monday, January 31, 1994

Tori Amos’ sophomore album, Under the Pink, released

Under the Pink

Tori Amos


Released: January 31, 1994


Peak: 12 US, 11 UK, 5 CN, 17 AU


Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.3 UK, 2.3 world (includes US and UK)


Genre: adult alternative singer/songwriter


Tracks: (Click for codes to singles charts.)

  1. Pretty Good Year (3/19/94, 7 UK)
  2. God (1/29/94, 72 US, 44 UK, 1 MR)
  3. Bells for Her
  4. Past the Mission (5/28/94, 31 UK)
  5. Baker Baker
  6. The Wrong Band
  7. The Waitress
  8. Cornflake Girl (1/22/94, 4 UK, 12 MR)
  9. Icicle
  10. Cloud on My Tongue
  11. Space Dog
  12. Yes, Anastasia

Rating:

4.100 out of 5.00 (average of 5 ratings)


Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album:

“After sharing personal and emotional accounts on her stunning debut, Little Earthquakes, Tori Amos stirs those sensations up for an eclectic yet beautiful account of female security on Under the Pink.” AMG She “continued to offer piano-driven rock songs with religion, gender, and sexuality. However, the album is generally regarded as being more abstract and less directly confessional than its predecessor.” WK

Being a woman, she’s always in question of her actions, calling out and interrogating the opposite sex for her own pleasure. But it’s not necessarily with a scolding tone. She’s playful with her signature piano accompaniment, but allows for a twisted mess of guitars, violins, and bass loops, which are quite enigmatic like Kate Bush as well.” AMG

Cornflake Girl was released as the first single in Europe and the second single in North America. It was a #1 hit on Billboard’s alternative rock chart and “became a mainstay of Amos’s live performances early on.” WK The song features a “catchy piano solo” WK and “reggae-inspired guitar rhythms.” WK It was marketed with a “darkly humorous US video as well as a more abstract black and white UK one.” WK

In North America, God was released as the first single and became her first chart entry on the Billboard Hot 100, although at a measly #72.. The song features “Steve Caton’s dissonant guitar work…paired with the frank lyrics ‘Do you need a woman to look after you?’” WK Both singles are “are sultry and provocative, depicting that she's everything but shy” AMG and “solified Amos’s place among the canon of 1990s alt rock musicians.” WK

Baker Baker and Bells for Her are aching with ballad-esque beauty, but the seething The Waitress sparks Amos’ inner devil. She’s quaint at first, but rages into a scalding vocal queen. It makes her even more a pioneer for female originality and independence.” AMG

Under the Pink is typically melodic, but it contains a heavy desire. Amos is still breaking into something more definitive as both a woman and a singer/ songwriter. The lyrical imagery is much more wide open, something that will become Amos’ ever-changing swan song.” AMG


Notes: A double-disc version of the album was released at the end of 1994 with B-sides from singles from Under the Pink and Little Earthquakes. Tracks: 1) A Case of You 2) Honey 3) Daisy Dead Petals 4) Sister Janet 5) Sugar 6) Take to the Sky 7) Upside Down 8) Flying Dutchman 9) Here in My Head (live) 10) Black Swan 11) Little Drummer Boy (live)

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Other Related DMDB Pages:


First posted 3/24/2008; last updated 6/3/2022.

Tuesday, January 25, 1994

Paul Carrack: A Retrospective

First posted 10/12/2020.

A Retrospective: 1974-1990

Paul Carrack

A Brief History: Rock singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Paul Melvyn Carrack was born on April 22, 1951 in Sheffield, England. Record Collector said, “If vocal talent equaled financial success, Paul Carrack would be a bigger name than legends such as Phil Collins or Elton John.” WK In the mid-‘70s, Carrack fronted Ace, singing lead on their 1974 hit How Long (#3). Then he served as the keyboardist for Roxy Music in the late ‘70s before launching a solo career which was occasionally interrupted by stints with Squeeze (Tempted, 1981) and Mike + the Mechanics (Silent Running, 1985; The Living Years, 1988). He found solo success with I Need You, Don’t Shed a Tear, and I Live by the Groove. You can see a list of his Top 30 Songs here.

Below are the studio albums covered on this page. Albums are by Paul Carrack as a solo artist unless noted otherwise.


The Studio Albums:
  • Ace Five-A-Side (1974)
  • Ace Time for Another (1976)
  • Ace No Strings (1977)
  • Nightbird (1980)
  • Carlene Carter Blue Nun (1981)
  • Squeeze East Side Story (1981)
  • Suburban Voodoo (1982)
  • Mike + the Mechanics Mike + the Mechanics (1985)
  • One Good Reason (1987)
  • Mike + the Mechanics The Living Years (1988)
  • Groove Approved (1989)


Compilations:

The above compilations are spotlighted on this page. The snapshots of the studio albums indicate all songs featured on either compilation, noted with the codes above. Appearing after song titles are, when relevant, the date the song was released as a single and its peaks on various charts. Click for codes to singles charts.


Ace Five-A-Side (1974):

Ace’s first album gave them a top-5 hit with How Long and started Paul Carrack on the road to fame.

  • How Long (11/9/74, 3 US, 1 CL, 20 UK, 63 AU) CC, 21
  • The Real Feeling 21


Ace Time for Another (1976):

Ace’s second album didn’t find the success of their debut. The failure of single, No Future in Your Eyes, to even chart after the success of “How Long” was a definite disappointment.

  • No Future in Your Eyes (48 CL) 21


Ace No Strings (1977):

This was Carrack’s third and final album with Ace. You’re All That I Need was released as a single, but didn’t chart.

  • You’re All That I Need (47 CL) 21


Nightbird (1980):

After fronting Ace and working with Roxy Music, this was Paul Carrack’s first solo album.

  • The Rumour 21


Carlene Carter Blue Nun (1981):

Paul Carrack dueted with Carlene Carter on these two cuts from her Blue Nun album.

  • Do Me Lover CC, 21
  • Oh How Happy 21


Squeeze East Side Story (1981):

After one solo album, Paul Carrack joined Squeeze as their keyboardist. He also contributed vocals to what is arguably the group’s best-known song.

  • Tempted (6/20/81, 49 US, 8 AR, 3 CL, 41 UK, 45 CN, 85 AU) CC, 21


Suburban Voodoo (1982):

After fronting Ace, working with Carlene Carter, and working with Roxy Music, this was Paul Carrack’s first solo album.

  • I Need You (9/4/82, 37 US, 20 AC, 22 AR, 30 AU) CC, 21
  • Lesson in Love (10/16/82, 33 AR) CC
  • Always Better with You CC, 21
  • A Little Unkind CC, 21


Mike + the Mechanics Mike + the Mechanics (1985):

After another solo album, Carrack returned to a group, this time one led by Genesis’ Mike Rutherford. Carrack and Paul Young shared vocal duties with Carrack singing lead on the top-10 hit Silent Running.

  • Silent Running (11/4/85, 6 US, 1 AR, 7 AC, 21 UK, 8 CN, 23 AU) CC, 21

The Carrack Collection

Paul Carrack


Rating:

3.828 out of 5.00
(average of 5 ratings)


Recorded: 1974-1985


Released: 1988


Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU


Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US and UK)


Genre: pop rock


Tracks: (1) How Long (2) Tempted (3) Do Me Lover (4) A Little Unkind (5) Silent Running (6) Lesson in Love (7) I Need You (8) Always Better with You

About The Carrack Collection:

Although released in 1988, this compilation doesn’t include Carrack’s solo top-10 “Don’t Shed a Tear” (1987) or his chart-topping song, “The Living Years,” with Mike + the Mechanics (1988). Instead this too-slim retrospective stops at 1985. Still, that does mean one gets How Long, Tempted, I Need You, and Silent Running all in one collection.


One Good Reason (1987):

After the success of Mike + the Mechanics, Carrack’s next solo album gave him the biggest solo hit of his career with the top-10 Don’t Shed a Tear.

  • When You Walk in the Room (5/16/87, 90 US, 48 UK, 7 AU) 21
  • Don’t Shed a Tear (10/24/87, 9 US, 36 AC, 5 AR, 60 UK, 33 AU) 21
  • One Good Reason (3/12/88, 28 US, 20 AR, 38 AU) 21
  • Button Off My Shirt (9/10/88, 91 US) 21


Mike + the Mechanics The Living Years (1988):

Back with Mike + the Mechanics for their second album, Carrack sang lead on this song which went all the way to the top of the charts in the U.S.

  • The Living Years (12/27/88, 1 US, 5 AR, 1 AC, 2 UK, 1 CN, 1 AU) 21


Groove Approved (1989):

Back with another solo effort.

  • I Live by the Groove (10/28/89, 31 US, 22 AC) 21
  • Only My Heart Can Tell 21
  • Battlefield 21
  • Loveless 21

21 Good Reasons

Paul Carrack


Rating:

4.168 out of 5.00
(average of 4 ratings)


Recorded: 1974-1990


Released: January 25, 1994


Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU


Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US and UK)


Genre: pop rock


Tracks: (1) How Long (2) The Real Feeling (3) No Future in Your Eyes (4) You’re All That I Need (5) Tempted (6) Do Me Lover (7) Oh How Happy (8) The Rumour (9) I Need You (10) Always Better with You (11) A Little Unkind (12) One Good Reasons (13) Don’t Shed a Tear (14) Button Off My Shirt (15) When You Walk in the Room (16) I Live by the Groove (17) Only My Heart Can Tell (18) Battlefield (19) Loveless (20) Silent Running (21) The Living Years

About 21 Good Reasons:

This update to The Carrack Collection adds classic songs like Don’t Shed a Tear and The Living Years. Somewhere between this overly-hefty compilation and the too-light Carrack Collection lies the perfect Paul Carrack compilation.


Resources and Related Links: