More Details

There has been some confusion about the various cable-related specials on Tori that have been popping up on cable TV. I wanted to give details on both of them and try to explain how they are different and how you can find out where they will broadcast in your local area. There are actually TWO different specials out there, BOTH under the Music Choice label. One is a Music Choice Concert Series special that is video and audio and is one hour long. The other is a half-hour audio-only special on various digital music channels called 'Tori Amos Sound Check'. Both programs have already been broadcast, but will be broadcast many more times in the days ahead on various cable systems around the United States.

Music Choice is a digital audio service, providing cable and DirectTV satellite customers with 54 channels of commercial free CD-quality music in a wide variety of music genres and original programs 24 hours a day. Music Choice also produces an exclusive concert series through a nationwide network of cable systems. This concert series is video and audio. Starting in late February 2003 and lasting into March 2003, Music Choice has offered two different Tori specials, the details of which are below.

Music Choice Concert Series with Tori Amos

Combining the excitement of live video performance with the visual power of television, the MUSIC CHOICE Concert Series features exclusive performances by a variety of today's hottest artists. Each concert is recorded live and edited, along with artist interviews, into a 60-minute program that is aired free by local cable affiliates across the country. Between February 24, 2003 and March 9, 2003, Music Choice has been showing a one hour Concert Series special with Tori.

The concert footage for this special was taped on November 14, 2002 in New York City at a special taping at Sony Studios. The main purpose of this taping was to gather footage for a Scarlet Sessions DVD that is scheduled to be released sometime in 2003. However, parts of the concert are being shown in other ways. In late December 2002, VH1 in the U.S. showed a 30 minute special simply called 'Scarlet Sessions' featuring 4 songs from this taping. The Music Choice Concert Series special in contrast contains 6 songs from that Sony Studios taping. (It includes all the songs showed by VH1 except for Mrs. Jesus and 3 other ones.) I earlier reported that this Concert Series special was something shown by Time Warner Cable. But it is also being shown by other cable systems as well.

Here are some details about this Concert Series program from Danielle:

It's from the same taping of the DVD that VH-1 showed, but they showed some different songs.

They aired:

A Sorta Fairytale
Take To The Sky
-commercial-
Video - Tori talks about the album (like from the ASF single)
Band Introduction
Cornflake Girl
-commercial-
Gold Dust "video" and Tori talks
Crucify
-commercial-
Tear in your hand
Taxi Ride

I have Time Warner Digital Cable in Manhattan and it was on Channel 94. It was an hour and it was free...the special WAS video and was very nice. They had some really nice shots of Tori, lots of close ups of her hands and face. (I even saw Marco in the audience!!!) At some points the sound was a little funny, it almost sounded mono, but for the most part it was good. They should air this lots more times so people should check their listings.

The Music Choice web site has a page about the Tori Concert Series show. On that web page you can also look for cable systems in your state that are showing this special.

'Tori Amos Sound Check'

This is a half-hour audio-only special with a mix of live songs (likely from the same Sony Studios taping mentioned above) and some songs from the album Scarlet's Walk.

Amy Komo has located this online schedule for various shows including 'Tori Amos Sound Check' that they claim on the Music Choice Schedules Page will be for the entire month of March 2003. Thanks also to missy42 for some of this info.

Transcript

Thanks to anonymous for sending this to The Dent:

starts playing intro (it was whatever the band plays as Tori walks onstage). A lady (we'll call her Polka, as I couldn't understand her name) starts talking through the intro.

Polka:
"Welcome to Music Choice Sound Check featuring Tori Amos, brought to you by Epic Records. I'm *sounded like Leeza Polka*. For the next thirty minutes we'll showcase Tori Amos' new release, Scarlet's Walk, as well as hear Tori perform live. Born Myra Ellen Amos in North Carolina, Amos was singing and playing piano in the church choir by the age of four. She began writing songs shortly afterwards and hasn't stopped since. This is A Sorta Fairytale live on Music Choice Sound Check.

plays A Sorta Fairytale

plays Taxi Ride (bleeped out the word "bitch")

Polka (over the beginning of Cornflake Girl): Tori Amos with a live rendition of Taxi Ride. The original version of the song can be found on Scarlet's Walk which can be purchased at musicchoice.com. Amos won a scholarship to Baltimore's Peabody Conservatory based on her piano playing prowess. It was there that she discovered rock bands such as Led Zeppelin while writing pop songs and performing in local bars. In her late teens Amos moved to LA to become a pop singer and released her first record, Y Kant Tori Read, in 1987. The 1991 EP Me And A Gun earned positive reviews and Tori's career took off. After building a fervent and loyal fanbase with Y Kant Tori Read and her sophomore effort Little Earthquakes, Tori released the platinum selling Under The Pink in 1994, featuring the hit God, and this song, Cornflake Girl, on Music Choice Sound Check.

plays Cornflake Girl

Polka (over a little bit of Pancake):
Scarlet's Walk is Tori Amos' latest CD featuring eighteen new songs and is available at musicchoice.com. You're listening to Music Choice Sound Check. Following 9/11 Amos toured through every state in America. That journey sparked the music found on Scarlet's Walk. She opens the album with this song, Amber Waves.

plays album version of Amber Waves

Polka (over the beginning of Crucify):
Thank you for listening to Music Choice Sound Check and special thanks to Epic Records for providing us with Tori Amos' music. We have time for one more so let's wrap it up with Crucify from Tori Amos' 1992 release Little Earthquakes.

plays Crucify (the end faded out)

Here is a report from Ryan Smith that gives general details about 'Tori Amos Sound Check':

Not sure if you had DirecTV or not, so I figured I would email you with the details from the MusicChoice broadcast. It was pretty disappointing I thought.

* Intro about "Myra Ellen Amos", which cuts into...
* A Sorta Fairytale (Live - full version)
* Taxi Ride (Live)
* Narrative about Y Kant Tori Read, Me & A Gun, and Under The Pink, which cuts into...
* Cornflake Girl (Live)
* Amber Waves (Album Version)
* Crucify (Live)

The announcer talked right over the cool piano intro to 'Cornflake Girl' that Tori's been doing on this tour. I was also disappointed that they played the album version of 'Amber Waves'. They censored the word "bitch" in 'Taxi Ride' which is surprising to me after the big Meredith Brooks hit when every station seemed to play it, including the MusicChoice stations on DirecTV. Crucify was the long version with just bass and drums throughout the verses, then piano on the chorus.

The narrator also mentioned something about Tori developing her "fervent and devoted following" after the release of Y Kant Tori Read, which was news to me, I thought that came with Little Earthquakes. Oh well :)