It's great to hear some of the songs with a clearer sound, but other songs have been too tampered with. I didn't enjoy the track order and don't know why in hell's name they didn't include the original version of Professional Widow ( i know the remix went to nº 1 everywhere in 96, but this is about artistic integrity and Tori made one of her very few misteps here by not including the original version). The dvd is interesting even though Tori was filmed during soundcheck. On the whole it's not a paramount owning, but you find a lot to love here, anyway.

Tales Of A Librarian, once you get past the strange title, is a motley, 20-song collection commemorating the best of Ms. Amos. It's refreshing, mostly for this reason: Every Tori album rather has its own genre, and most of the songs take on a certain tinge -To Venus And Back is more electronica, Scarlet's Walk more pop, Little Earthquakes more seventies-influenced. Tales Of A Librarian includes songs from all her mini-genres, from pop to punk to piano. It also includes four new songs -Angels, Mary, Sweet Dreams, and Snow Cherries From France. Mary is arguably the best new song, with Sweet Dreams following closely behind. The beat-heavy, late-80s sound of the latter makes it easy to imagine it fitting right in on Little Earthquakes.

I can imagine I would enjoy this album more had it included Pretty Good Year, my favorite Tori song of all time, and I say this truly because I own copies of all her albums. But the songs it does include -Bliss, Tear In Your Hand, God, Precious Things are standouts-are reflective of a long and rich career in music.

What is most interesting about Tori Amos is how she never fears honesty and almost goes beyond revelation into the territory of inviting you into her inner heart where a stunning intimacy mingles with musical exploration. Her disarming lyrics are often veiled in almost innocent musical style, making her deliciously enticing.

I must admit, she looks very much like her real name: Myra Ellen on this album cover, which I love.

Tori Amos' sophisticated writing style is highly appealing although she seems to maintain a child-like beauty with her sweet silky voice. She seems to turn her life experiences into art painted in soft dreamy lyrics (Winter) and then honest and soul-baring questions (God).

Her voice can be whispery and sexy (Way Down/Baker Baker) and then almost scandalously rough (Professional Widow). Tori Amos is difficult to categorize and I think she likes it that way. Playful and child-like in Mr. "zee-ber-a" she pronounces words any way she wants.

"Baker Baker baking a cake
Make me a day
Make me whole again
And I wonder what's in a day
What's in your cake this time
I guess you heard he's gone to L.A.
He says that behind my eyes I'm hiding
And he tells me I pushed him away
That my heart's been hard to find"
~Baker Baker

As far as I can tell from this album, Tori Amos' heart is on display in this musical book of her thoughts. Snow Cherries from France is a sweet ending to an album that takes a journey through an artist's mind.

~The Rebecca Review

She's talented, her lyrics are amazing and her instrumentation is pretty intense. I like her work, but I really don't care for the album cuts--this is a perfect taste of Tori without getting bogged down in work that's really intense and possibly painful. Serious fans would call this CD "Amos Lite" but not everyone can handle Tori full strength all the time.

Tales of a Librarian by Tori Amos is a collection of the songs she feels the most closest to. It comes with a bonus DVD featuring three live performances of Honey, Pretty Good Year, and the gorgeous Northern Lad. These live tracks were recorded during sound-check before one of her concerts. Beautiful renditions, if you enjoy her live check-out Welcome to Sunny Florida. Tales of a Librarian has some great, classic tunes from Amos including: Me and a Gun, Way Down, Jackie's Strength, Bliss, Silent all these Years, Bliss, Spark, and many more. There is a new recording of Sweet Dreams, originally on the Winter import CD. 3 new songs include:Snow Cherries from France, Angels, and Mary. All great and lovely. I love the way she organized this album into the Dewey Decimal System (hence the title). What an original she is, pure genius. Get this if you are a true Tori fan!

Tori Amos. Wow. She continues to astound, she is the most talented singer songwriter in the musix biz today. Here on her last recording with Atlantic, she shines. It's basically a compilation of her greatest songs on one disk, with a bonus of two brand new tracks ( Angels, Snow Cherries From France) and a free DVD. Tori fans have been waiting for years to hear Snow Cherries from France ever since Neil Gaimon of the Sandman Comic series wrote about it in his online journal in 1996. To hear it is magical. Her lyric on Snow Cherries From France" That summer we travelled the world never even leaving his own back garden."
The song "Angels" is heavenly.
"The angels liberate your dreamscape til you can't remember to recall where your wings have gone..."
With classics like "Silent All These Years" and "Cornflake Girl" on here, this album is in a league of it's own. Tori Amos is the eternal mermaid, with a voice that will continue to enchant for years to come. And when we are all dust, this album will still be here. And people will still be listening to it because it's simply that good.
Enchanting songstresses of our day; Tori Amos, Corinna Fugate, Sara McLachlan, Fiona Apple, Paula Cole, enchanting...

As a sampler and introduction to Tori's work, this is an interesting concept.
To anyone who's actually heard her work before, it's terrible.
Tori's music (well, at least at the time of this release) was aimed at a more alternative, rock-edged crowd; for some reason, though, all these songs were given a reworking as if they were slated for inoffensive AC radio release. If it was stacatto, it was filled in. If it was harsh, it was softened. If it was muddy, production is layered on liberally. Probably the ultimate irony is how many of the songs were originally radio singles and are only now being remixed after the fact. I have to wonder how they would've fared as these versions instead.
Basic verdict: many of the songs were ruined. The whip-crack on "Precious Things" that ends each chorus is barely a handclap now. The electronic modulation of her voice on "Spark" is gone, and apparently the original vocals were almost a raspy moan...no, that's not a good thing, she sounds more ill than intense. The remixed "Mary" is slowed to a snail's pace, doubly aggravating considering the original b-side is one of the rarer and better ones; "Sweet Dreams" is also dumbed down but at least the original mix isn't too hard to find. And yes, the much-maligned Star Trunk Funkin' remix of "Professional Widow" is horrendously out of place.
Still, it's occassionally interesting what they chose to bring out. You can now clearly hear her spoken biblical verse on the bridge of "God", and the barely audible background vocals on "Cornflake Girl" of "Til' the gold is gone, I know her so well" are brought to the forefront (bet you didn't even know they were there in the first place!) "Way Down" is slightly extended, with the choir given a few more lines.
The only songs that I consider worthy (not better, but not destroyed) are the slower orchestrated ones like "Winter" and "Jackie's Strength". I suppose purists will grit their teeth at how lush the strings have become, and while it's not a starkly emotional as the original subdued mixes, it's undeniably just plain pretty. Given that her recent albums have similarly become less edgy and harsh, it's not a bad segue for the music to come.
The novelty and sheer "WTF" factor may be worth the purchase for her long-time fans, but you're better off burning your own collection. For newcomers, it's an eclectic enough sampler that it can't hurt to give it a shot. It's seems unlikely that Atlantic will ever put out a true Greatest Hits for her, so you may as well take what you get.

I love the songs on the CD, I wish the few songs on the DVD were accessible to play in the car.

"Tales Of a Librarian" is NOT a greatest hits album. It just sums up her work with Atlantic Records since she left that label after "Strange Little Girls."
The songs are remastered and/or remixed so reguardless of what other people might say, this isn't the album you should start with. Get "Little Earthquakes" and go on from there. The remastered versions are good, but don't particularly improve on the originals immaculately. I think they're just nice to have for Tori fanatics like me. It is a very beautiful collection though. The two new songs "Angels" & "Snow Cherries From France" are great additions to her archives. But if it actually were a greatest hits, it would look something like this:

01. Silent All These Years
02. Cornflake Girl
03. Winter
04. Spark
05. Precious Things
06. God
07. Caught a Lite Sneeze
08. Professional Widow
09. Raspberry Swirl
10. Jackie's Strength
11. China
12. 1,000 Oceans
13. Past the Mission
14. Talula
15. Glory Of The '80s
16. Hey Jupiter
17. Crucify
18. Me and a Gun
19. Bliss
20. Pretty Good Year

It's really hard to decide what rating to give this CD. If I'm judging the songs themselves, it's a "what, I can only give 5 stars? It's BRILLIANT!" kind of album. However, if I'm considering the actual VERSIONS of the songs, it's a mix of good to disappointing.

What you'll think of this CD will really depend on whether you're a casual Tori Amos fan or potential fan - in which case you'll probably think it's great - or a more committed fan who feels a need to get almost everything she creates - in which case you'll probably be a lot less impressed.

The two brand new songs and the two entirely new recordings of old b-sides are all excellent. The 'reconditionings' of the other songs are highly variable.

Some of the songs, especially from Tori's debut Little Earthquakes, are noticeably clearer. This is definitely a good thing in 'Crucify', for example. But in many of her songs extra clarity is not automatically a good thing. It can be distracting and at the expense of atmosphere.

The worst offender is 'Bliss' - a song that DEPENDED on its heavy, exotic production and which simply sounds atrocious without it. 'Spark' loses some of its energy and impact as well.

The only reconditioned version I prefer to the original (and only by a small margin) is 'Playboy Mommy'. Many of the others are neither better or worse, just different. And, unfortunately, quite a few are distinctly worse.

If you are new to Tori, this is probably a reasonable way to sample her work. But if you fall in love with it, please seriously consider moving on to the actual albums. Ultimately they will give you a much better picture of her artistry. I'd recommend starting with the albums best represented on this collection - Little Earthquakes, Under the Pink and From the Choirgirl Hotel - before moving on to her really challenging work.

If you are new to Tori Amos this is the best album to start with. When I first heard it I was shocked of the quality of the songs. I can't believe she isn't bigger or more famous, she's just completly brilliant. Every single one of this songs are excellent. She's a great lyricist, songwriter and pianoist. You must own an album by this genius.

When Tori Amos first entered onto the commercial music scene in the late 80's most people did not know what to make of her. Over a decade later, people still do not know what to make of her. She is one of music's most enigmatic, obscure, and left of center singer/songwriters. While, her first ever "Best of" collection, may not help anyone to fully understand her, it is the best place to be introduced to this crazy red head's music. Tales of a Librarian, features the singles: "Cornflake Girl", "Bliss", "Crucify", "Silent All These Years", and "God". It is also packed with fan favorites: "Precious Things", "Mr. Zebra", and "Playboy Mommy". This collection also features two B-sides and two brand new tracks. All in all this is a good summary of the first chapter in Mrs. Amos's career. However, it is just a summary. Many fans will agree that there are songs missing that shouldn't be. Also, the inclusion of the remixed version of "Professional Widow" interuprts the albums flow and seems to stand out like a sore thumb. However, this is an album that will help fans to reconnect with Tori classics and it will also create fans with those who are unfamilar with Tori Amos.

This is such an interesting collection... arranged in an even more interesting order. Leave it to Tori to write her own biography and use the colors of her catalogue to draw a history of who she is in her own words. I didn't like this collection because my vision of who Tori is does not match what I hear in the collection. To me, Tori was this fiery angry feminist with the power to squash all that is evil in the space between the hammer and the piano wire. This collection tells a different story. It is very much about 'the girl' and who she has been in the chronology of Tori's body of work. The versions you'll hear here are NEW and this is worth the purchase. It is great but not perfect, simply because it seems so reflective and subjective. I don't believe any one of Tori's fans would have made this same compilation if they were asked to present Tori to a Tori-virgin. This album is definitely more for the fans... another blood sample of who this woman is... in her own words.

Although I am not a fanatical Tori fan, I greatly enjoy listening to her music and have five of her albums and bought this collection anyway; even though the same songs featured here are on her other cds. One major complaint is that the bonus dvd was too short, and while the picture galleries were nice, the live songs were terrible. I thought her voice sounded raspy and strange compared to how enchanting it sounds on the albums. I have never seen her live in concert before, but if she sounds like that I don't think I ever will! I really hate to mention that she ruined the Northern Lad song by drooling at the end! (Something I didn't notice until the second time I watched it.) So as a result, I think the dvd was poor and never should have been included. The cd, on the other hand was not such a disappointment and while the remixed versions of Cornflake Girl, Spark, and Way Down were great, others such as Professional Widow and Sweet Dreams were inferior to the originals. The new songs Angels and Snow Cherries from France are pleasant and sweet enough but sound like they could be on Scarlet's Walk. The sound quality was good and the choice of songs were an excellent reflection of a decade or more long career, showing her emotional intensity, odd humor, and her somtimes whispering, sometimes ethereal voice.

Although there was some stuff left out from here later CD's, I feel that this best of is a great collection of Tori's work. The most intense music from her work was included here (e.g. Silent all these years), despite the fact that there are moments where it just seems glib (Mary, God). I don't know what to think about this genius, so me being a critic seems pretty unfair...all that I do know is that this woman sends me places with her music that no one else can, and there are just simply bone-chilling moments on this CD that is worth the price of admission...the DVD is a great bonus, but I kind of would have liked some live concert stuff versus the 'sound check'. Well, heck, it is still Tori and I liked it anyhooo.

I guess that fans like me are the ones that have helped propelled Tori into the star she is...and rightfully so, because she is one special woman. This collection is great for those that don't have all of her stuff, and want a composite of her work up to 'Scarletts Walk'. I am not sure that the bonus tracks are worth the price of admission - it is just up to you, the other mega-million Tori fans...All I can say is that this intense collection of music is not for the timid - it reaches out to ones ready to take on listening to lyrics about real life, love and pain - not the crap the floods the airwaves today...

I am not exactly a young guy (46), and hearing Tori brought me back to the 70's where I felt a lot of quality female singing and songwriting was happening. The years beyond that had their moments, but hearing Tori was a welcome relief to what seemed to me as becoming a battle-zone of angry and kind of crappy female singers....please don't get me wrong, as I still love Stevie Nicks, Linda Rondstat, Pat Benatar, Janice Ian and Joni Mitchell...guess Tori just brings me back, and forward at the same time...

Tales...just get it NOW!!!!

Tori Amos is a very tallented muisician, lyricist and vocalist. This is a very interesting compilation and she has catalogued the tracks according to the Dewey decimal system which is a blast since I went to library school and I have therefore used this system at work and during my studies. Amos writes some really good lyrics, but sometimes they go on and on and an editor could have been needed to make them less meandering. Even so they are quite well written and Amos is a very inteligent and beautifull woman. I love the book-let and the photos are state of the art photography and the idea to catalogue the tracks according to the dewey system is a stroke of genius. I love it that she has listed all the musicians and the instruments that they played on her records. This is a very good compilation of her many good and varied tracks.

Good...as in great songs. Lacking...as in lacking originality of more B-sides and much substance on the DVD. Basically, this CD was put out solely to conclude her contract with Atlantic. The DVD has very little, and almost all of the songs on the CD are from Little Earthquakes or Under the Pink. Why not more from Boys For Pele, Strange Little Girls, or Choirgirl Hotel? I suppose none from Scarlet's Walk due to the fact that it's on a different label. Although I must admit I love the new version of Professional Widow. It's simply incredible. All in all, a great CD for anyone new to Tori or familiar with only her hits.

Tori Amos is rightly considered as one of the most talented and unique singer/songwriters of the modern era, so it seemed only fitting that she should release a collection of her best material in 2003, some 11 years after her now-classic debut "Little Earthquakes." Tori has never been a 'normal' artist by anyone's standards, so of course she couldn't just put out your typical Greatest Hits record. She had to take her own personal favourite songs from her entire back catalogue and 'recondition' them for this collection! No one should moan at this, because wouldn't you rather have slightly different versions of these amazing songs instead of just the same song you own on all of Tori's studio albums?

This record, "Tales Of A Librarian: A Tori Amos Collection," was the first Tori album I bought back in October 2004. I haven't looked back since. This album was the reason I have purchased nine of her other albums, and is the reason I will continue to buy any album she puts out in the future! Tori's latest albums are usually highly-elaborate concept albums, and this collection is no different. Here, Tori adopts the Dewey Decimal Classification. American librarian Melvin Dewey invented a way of classifying books called the Dewey Decimal Classification system. This system, one of the oldest and most widely used, is used to arrange materials in the library for easy access. It divides knowledge into ten classes, with decimal subclasses, and catalogues material for discipline so the same kind of information is maintained together. The Ten Main Classes are:

000 - Computer science, information and general works
100 - Philosophy & psychology
200 - Religion
300 - Social sciences
400 - Language
500 - Science
600 - Technology
700 - Arts & recreation
800 - Literature
900 - History & geography

I personally feel that the 20 songs in this collection should have been arranged in order of this Dewey Decimal Classification, but then I guess that this would take the interest out of trying to categorise them. What Tori has done here is take 20 of her OWN personal favourite songs from her career. The songs which are most important to her are here. This could come off as a little self-indulgent, but alas, she has adopted the Dewey Decimal Classification system into this to justify her reasons. That's how elaborate she is (and her music). Also, another advantage of adopting this system is that we finally get to know the true definition of her songs. Well, the one's on this collection anyway....

As far as the material on this collection goes, Tori pays generous attention to her first two albums "Little Earthquakes" and "Under The Pink." Her third album "Boys For Pele" is shockingly mistreated here, but thankfully the best of "From The Choirgirl Hotel" is on offer. There's one song from "To Venus And Back," nothing from "Strange Little Girls" or "Scarlet's Walk," two 'reconditioned' B-Sides from early on in her career which were previously not available on any album, and two brand new songs.

From "Little Earthquakes":

"Precious Things" (920 - Collective Biography)
"Silent All These Years" (410 - Linguistics (414 - Phonology))
"Winter" (520 - Astronomy (525 - Seasons))
"Crucify" (230 - Christianity and Christian theology (234 - Salvation and Grace (Forgiveness)))
"Me And A Gun" (360 - Social Problems and Social Services (362.8 - Act of Rape))
"Tear In Your Hand" (110 - Metaphysics (110.113 - Cosmology (Philosophy of Nature)))

From "Under The Pink":

"Cornflake Girl" (170 - Ethics (177 - Ethics of Social Relations (Betrayal)))
"God" (230 - Christianity and Christian Theory (231 - God))
"Baker Baker" (640 - Home and Family Management (641 - Home and Drink))

From "Boys For Pele":

"Way Down" (150 - Psychology (154 - Subconscious and altered states))
"Professional Widow" (590 - Animals (595 - Spiders))
"Mr. Zebra" (700 - The Arts (704 - Special Topics in Art (704.0397 - Native American)))

From "From The Choirgirl Hotel":

"Spark" (500 - Natural Sciences (501 - Philosophy and Theory))
"Playboy Mommy" (610 - Medicine and Health (618 - Miscarriage))
"Jackie's Strength" (970 - History of North America (973 - United States History (973.922 - Early 1960's)))

From "To Venus And Back":

"Bliss" (120 - Epistemology (129 - Origin and Destiny of Individual Souls))

Reconditioned B-Sides:

"Mary" (360 - Social Problems and Social Services (363.7 - Abuse of the Earth)) *Cross-referenced with 220 - The Bible (226 - Mary Magdalene)*
"Sweet Dreams" (970 - History of North America (973.928 - Politics of Illusion))

New Material:

"Angels" (320 - Political Science (324 - The Political Process))
"Snow Cherries From France" (390 - Customs, Etiquette and Folklore (398 - Folklore))

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

I've decided, for once, not to focus so much on the music of this album because I've said everything that needs to be said about these amazing songs in my reviews of the albums they originally appeared on. Check them out for my comments. I thought it would be best to focus on how this collection is organised and hopefully shine some new light on why it's such an important collection for any true music lover. As you can see from songs such as "Sweet Dreams" and "Mr. Zebra," this classification system is extremely complex. I guess it has to be if it is to include everything that mankind studies and thinks or feels or acts upon. What Tori has done is said, "Look, these are how my songs fit into society." All these songs fit into the classification system somewhere, revealing her as a complex and multifaceted artist. This is definitely one of the best collections I have come across in a long time. It's also the most intricate and well-thought out. Tori's mind is ever-expanding and she wants to share her music with her audience. Indulge now. If you're a newcomer, start here. You're in for one hell of an experience.

I just bought this CD taking a bit of a risk; a $14 gamble to be exact. Prior to this all I had heard of Tori Amos was 'Cornflake Girl' which I quite liked. But it was the positive reviews on this very site that finally prompted me to purchase this CD. And here goes a slightly different review...

OK, I admit it might just be my taste in music. I'm not into the kind of classical-jazz influenced alternative stuff artists like Tori Amos, Ani Difranco.etc put out. When I heard Cornflake Girl I thought Amo's work would be truly original, but when I heard her other songs I just didn't come out feeling they were much more than derivative, somewhat boring songs.

The only standouts were 'Cornflake Girl', 'Cruxifix' and perhaps 'Mr.Zebra' but all the rest lacked a distinct melody and were just a trite dull. I'm not starting to question if Amos has any real talent, popularity aside. Nonetheless, if you're not a fan it may not to be your taste...but then again you may love it. It just a matter of taste I suppose.

The songs on this album are amazing. But if Atlantic was trying for a best of, they failed miserably. Only about half of these songs were released as singles, not to mention actual singles that were left off to make room for 6(?) tracks from "Little Earthquakes" - great album, but Tori fans have already bought two copies because they played the first one out. The DVD is abysmal. I was expecting concert footage; instead we got Tori running through 4 decent tracks during a sound check.

The two new songs and the two remake b-sides are nice. Not that they break any new ground and were probably included to entice old fans. But Tori fans are rabid. Any group of people as obsessed as them should want more, I would imagine. This is a pretty lame way to get out of a recording contract with Atlantic.

Overall: 5 out of 10.

The pacing is reflective of seeing her in concert, and this collection could've easily been a 2 CD set because there are a lot of songs from not just the studio albums but the concert and "Bee Sides" that would've been worthy contenders ("Mary" and "Sweet Dreams" did make it on here) as well as new songs unfamiliar to fans prior to this collection ("Angels", "Snow Cherries From France").

However, the collection of songs works from beginning to end, although "Professional Widow" is the dance remix and you have to wonder why she chose that one other than it was a huge hit, and for that matter, why wouldn't she have put "Blue Skies" on? If they were going to go by singles and videos, "Past the Mission", "China", "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Pretty Good Year", "Caught a Lite Sneeze", "Pretty Good Year" (although on the DVD),"Talula", "Hey Jupiter", "Raspberry Swirl", "Cruel", "In The Springtime of His Voodoo", "1000 Oceans", "Glory of the 80s", and the more recent "Strange Little Girls" and "A Sorta Fairytale". "Bee sides" like "A Case of You", "Sugar", and "Here in My Head" would've been nice as well. It would also be great to see a remix project featuring her songs.

But back to "Tales". The songs sound fine in the order she picked them, and there should be something for almost everyone here and takes people through a wild ride of emotions and styles of music. The fact that she included the stark disturbing acapella "Me and a Gun" (which is necessary as she was the one who started RAINN due to the overwhelming reaction of this particular song) is reflective of her shows: when she would do this song live, the venue would be extremely quiet, which adds to the song in its own way. I think that she rarely does this song live anymore because it is such an intense and personal song that would wind up losing something in larger venues or doing it too many times.

The DVD is nice and sounds great, but would have been better served as an extra to "Welcome to Sunny Florida" and the extra CD included on there might have made for a better "extra" here (or the Scarlet's Walk CD), and the second DVD would've been a great time to have put out "Complete Collection 1991-1998" and update it with videos from "To Venus and Back" and "Strange Little Girls" as well as putting the electronic press kits from 92-00, the performance seen on the "Little Earthquakes" video, and TV performances over the years.

Pearl Jam put out "Lost Dogs" to cover the rare live and b-side material, Tori had plans to put a similar release out but winds up making new CDs instead. Because she has done a large amount of cover songs in concert, unreleased, b-sides only available as imports, remixes, and out of print releases like "Y Kant Tori Read" (which should be released officially to beat the people selling bootlegs on Ebay) as well as some songs she recorded as a teenager, there's still a lot to be mined from her past which would be worth putting out in a box set.

Finally, the comparisons between Tori and Kate Bush... I would recommend Kate's "The Whole Story" to get with this one, but more so to hear 2 very talented artists that play piano and were both young prodigies in their own right, have similar influences but really don't sound much like each other.

Tori's established her own voice and style for a while now and continues to keep herself separate from others and open to new styles as well as finding a balance between the rock and roller playing arenas with a band and the girl and her piano in theaters. Not to mention that where Tori is the hardest working showperson in the business by touring relentlessly and has set the standard in meet and greets and keeps them coming back for more, it's been 25 years since Kate's actually done a show.

I'm a newcomer to Tori Amos' music, this being my first purchase of any of her music. I wasn't expecting much but by the first song's end I was sold. Her vocals are pristine and sincere with a grit that you don't get much anymore. Her piano playing compliments her voice perfectly. The piano isn't so loud that you have to strain to hear her voice, her vocals are put proudly on display. This will be, without any doubt, the first of many CDs I buy of hers.

Her writing could be considered somewhat controversial when she's singing about religion. This happens in several songs, those are indeed, some of the best songs though. God is probably my favorite track on this CD. It's a song that incorporates more than just a piano, but her lyrics are what stand out the most to me. Winter is a beautiful ballad, her voice is absolutely breathtaking here. Heartrenching is the best way to describe this song, you can truly feel her pain as she progresses through the song. Me And A Gun is another stand out merely for the fact that it's a capella. With touchy subject matter and a gorgeous voice how could this not be a stand out. Tear In Your Hand is a rather upbeat song. I really can't describe this song, I just love the way she throws her voice in the bridge, everything about this is ear catching.

The DVD is extremely minimal but it's a nice treat. The live tracks are taken from a private sound check. This is where she proves that her voice sounds exactly the same live as it does on a CD, the sound check contains three tracks with Northern Lad standing out the most to me. There are two audio tracks-Putting the Damage On and Mr. Zebra-and while you're listening you get to see some candid pictures of Tori and then photo shoot pictures. There is also a photo gallery and lyrics you can view at the main menu.

A few of the best songs on this CD are Precious Things, Mary, God, Winter, Crucify, and Tear In Your Hand. Every song is deserving of a listen or ten. This is a great collection of songs for newcomers like me so I reccommend this to everybody, I think anybody who is open-minded will find something that will captivate them in this disc.

There is a difference, a collection is a selective choice of songs that perhaps best suit the story of our Librarian. A Greatest Hits would be just that, an album of singles placed in a compilation. I to was very compelled to judge this as a flawed attempt to put out something to unite her Atlantic works, but it has an intent of reimagining the songs from their album counterparts. I can hear things that I never heard and the remasters probably helped to reveal hidden sounds and tones. I do feel that the album does touch too much on Little Earthquakes, but that is fine by me. Having been a fan of Tori from the beginning, there has been a transformation that has fueled her creativity. I must be the odd man out since I do like the remix of Professional Widow, but aside from that sudden change of pace, the album flows beautifully. The new songs bring us to the present although she stated that Snow Cherries from France took her years to finish. Her sound has changed tremendously. She is now married with child, but she still has more to say. No Strange Little Girls material on here and most likely since she didn't write any of the material nor Scarlet's Walk, but that is Sony material. So here we have it, songs placed together to rediscover and enjoy once again in a new light and life together as a catolog selected to by our Librarian. I must comment on the packaging which I feel was wonderfully conceived. She looks amazing in the new pictures and the lay out in the Dewey Decimal system was genius. The DVD was an added bonus which I do enjoy, but it is the album that makes it all worth it.

Tori Amos is one in a million. I'm so overwhelmed that I gave into temptation and surrendered to her music. Thanks to her college Sarah McLachlan, but Tori is more expressive and more constant.

This, as a new fan, is a great taste of Tori, it really makes me want to get the rest of her albums. I already now own her first three albums. The album starts of with a stunner "Precious Things", in my opinion Tori's best song, so much emotion and aggression and passion is conveyed through the lyrics, music and vocals.

Other songs which dragged me onto Tori include: her "Winter", "Pretty Good Year" -heard it on "Under the Pink", the poignant "Playboy Mommy", "Silent All These Years" and the amazingly reworked "God". I am glad Tori decided to do this type of compliation as it exemplifies what type of artist she is, instead of just her poppy hits, however, though it's suppose to represent her career and style it misses out "From the Choirgirl Hotel" and "To Venus and Back", with only a song from both. Very dissappointing since those 2 albums are one which recieved flawless reviews from "Rolling Stone" website.

I highly recommend this starting CD for any new fans like me, anyone who loves Sarah McLachlan or Alanis Morissette. I also have begun loving Bjork, as well as a bit of Fiona Apple, K.D. Lang and Portishead. Getting into the Adult R-rated-contemporary Pop and Trip-Hop styles. Bye It, I wasn't disappointed at all.

Although I love Tales of a Librarian I was disappointed at a few of the tracks. For instance, the remix of Professional Widow (instead of the original version) was a horrible choice (it sounds like some sort of rodent squeaking). Furthermore, where was Raspberry Swirl? And why couldn't she have put the orignal (non-tornado mix) version of Talula?

Given all the great songs Tori has recorded over the years, it's impossible to build a truly representative single CD greatest hits compilation of her music. However, "Tales of a Librarian" does a decent job of it. Many of the songs have been reworked, with the music being twisted or altered slightly here and there. For most artists who do this, the result is a failure. But Tori Amos pulled it off quite well. The alterations make the songs sound fresh and new again, without ruining them. However, there is one exception. The danced up remix of "Professional Widow" is a serious deterioration from the original. I also disagree with putting "Way Down" on the CD. It wasn't a strong track when she originally recorded it, and it's just out of place on this greatest hits compilation. Because of "Way Down" and "Professional Widow," I am unable to give the CD a 5 star rating. But, overall, this is a very good album. And the bonus DVD makes this a great value for the money.

Tori Amos is one of my favorite musicians, and so I had to add this to my collection just to have the best songs all in one place. Though some of the songs suffer in the remastering (Cornflake Girl is the worst of them, I think) I truly didn't notice any significant changes to most of these songs. And the new songs were quite good as well, my favorite being "Angels," which I thought was a beautiful road-song, and "Mary," an ode to Mary Magdalene.
I was, however, disappointed that Tori seemed to choose her own catalogue of songs here instead of using some of the more popular singles. I really wanted to see "Caught a Lite Sneeze," "Raspberry Swirl," and "Concertina" on here, but they are missing. There are at least a couple of songs on here that shouldn't be here at all. The dance remix of "Professional Widow" is downright awful, and "Way Down" is a throwaway.
All in all, I enjoy this collection very much, and at least she gave the same old songs a different sound for a collection, since so many Tori fans have all of her albums already.

This best of album from Tori Amos is a welcome addition for fans and people who want to check her music out have a nice introduction with this one. It's such a good thing that she choose to release all the songs on this compilation reconditioned instead of just putting some songs together and release them. I'm quite used to the "old versions" of all the songs that most of the new versions lose some of their power. Precious Things, Spark, Playboy Mommy, Cornflake Girl and God all suffer from that.

And there is the discussion of what to put on a best of. Tori choose some personal favourites instead of singles that got in the charts and you cannot please everybody but I just think that Boys For Pele is horribly represented. It was obvious a hard time for Tori so she didn't choose to include some of her more personal work from that album but the dance remix of Professional Widow??? Come on.

The two totally redone songs Sweet Dreams and Mary have improved over their original versions (B-sides from the Little Earthquakes era) Esspecially Sweet Dreams. It sounds so funky and Tori's voice has matured some and suits the whole message of the song perfect.

The new songs Angels and Snow Cherries From France are also winners. Angels sounds like something from the roadtripping Scarlet's Walk and Snow Cherries is a lovely classic Tori song with beautiful imaginary lyrics and a melody that will stick in your head.

1. Precious Things 4/5 Looses much of it's intensity from the original version.
2. Angels 4/5
3. Silent All These Years 4/5
4. Cornflake Girl 4/5
5. Mary 4/5
6. God 4/5
7. Winter 5/5 This is the only song that has improved after reconditioning. Beautiful Strings.
8. Spark 4/5 Background vocals are more audible but looses intensity.
9. Way Down 4/5 Extended gospel choir at the end.
10. Professional Widow 2/5
11. Mr. Zebra 5/5 Good to see this one on this compilation.
12. Crucify 4/4
13. Me And A Gun 5/5
14. Bliss 4/5
15. Playboy Mommy 3/5 The suddenly audible acoustic guitar seems out of place on this normally awesome song from Tori.
16. Baker Baker 4/5
17. Tear In Your Hand 4/5
18. Sweet Dreams 5/5
19. Jackie's Strength 3/5 The original is far superior.
20. Snow Cherries From France 5/5

It's unexplainable to describe such a SUPREME lead LADY of music, Amos songs are ART, records that can take you to places far and beyond, make you feel real or so surreal...it's a divine experience to own any Tori Lp, and a Greatest Hits it's sublime, there's no need to say more...Tori Amos Greatest Hits it's a most have to anyone who wants to learn how good music it's done. Thank God for Tori.

Tori Amos. I am so glad she is not locked up in some asylum!! She freakin' rocks. No. That is not strong enough. She is music, she makes me shiver. She makes me feel. She is without peer. This collection, this cornflake girl, she is like the Beatles only she is not on drugs. She really IS crazy. And its beautiful. She has so much talent its scary. She shatters convention and I say "don't stop". She wields the piano like a sword, cutting through the crap, and slicing the silence. Please buy this CD, money is a small price to pay for the transcendental...

As all Greatest Hits cds turn out, the hardcore fans will always say "....BUT THEY MISSED [insert fave song here]" i guess i am no exception, being raised on Tori Amos and Smashing Pumpkins, I guess you could call me a "hardcore" fan of both of them...and i think they are both lacking. So enough about that, heres my list of possible missing songs:
-Father Lucifer (so controversial)
-Caught a lite sneeze
-Hey Jupiter
-A sorta fairytale
-Raspberry swirl
-Cruel
-Winter
-Bliss
-I can't see New York (another controversial)
-Juarez

As for redone songs, Playboy Mommy has been perfected if thats possible and Professional Widow is interesting.....listen to it enough times and you will like it. Snow Cherries from France is my favourite unreleased song played on this album...why didn't she ever add this to any of her studio albums? Its worth listening to.

All and all, this cd is worth every penny...I will play it until my copy of the cd dies or cd players die first. haha enjoy!

I enjoy pretty much all the songs on this cd. Some of my favorites are Baker Baker, God,Bliss, And cornflake girl. Professional widow was a big suprise to me but i thought it was a nice change, and anyone with an open mind would like it. Yet again another perfect Tori CD!

TALES OF A LIBRARIAN isn't a mere compilation of greatest hits...in fact, it is lacking some. It is what Tori calls her musical "biography". She also has gone on to add that the twenty songs here consciously chose to be part of this collection, and that they chose their order as well. From anyone but her, this explanation would not suffice.

The fact that this is a biography and not a hits collection explains the lack of notable singles such as "Raspberry Swirl" and "Caught a Lite Sneeze". It also explains the inclusions of four songs not available on her studio albums--"Angels" and "Snow Cherries From France," 2 new compositions, and "Mary" and "Sweet Dreams" two B-sides from 1992 which were rerecorded specifically for this package.

The remaining 16 tracks have been touched up for their inclusion here. Most of the reworkings are subtle, while others are not. Some recordings don't sound as good, such as "Precious Things," which loses the power punch of its climax where the artist pounds away at her piano and belts "(those demigods) with their nine inch nails/and fascist panties tucked inside the heart/of every nice girl." Also, the added echo on "Bliss" is not a good touch.

However, other songs, such as "Cornflake Girl" and "God" sound even sharper with their updates.

"Playboy Mommy" now sounds even more heart-wrenching, as does "Tear In Your Hand," despite little noticable change. The added orchestration on the indescribably beautiful "Jackie's Strength" also works wonders for the track.

Some may be dissapointed with the version of "Professional Widow" included. It is actually a newly edited version of Armand Van Helden's "Star Trunk Funkin' Mix" of the track. The inclusion of a dance remix near the middle of the collection was in retrospect a wise move, since it gives a nod to an important apsect of the artist's career and picks up the pace of the disc.

Dissapointly, performances included on the bonus DVD were done during the soundcheck of the concert now available on the DVD release of "Welcome to Sunny Florida," and are dull and lifeless. Still, a nice photo gallery makes up for this deficiency.

"Tales of a Librarian" does deserve a place in the hands of every Tori Amos fan, as well as those who are not familiar with her and would like a place to start. If there is one CD of hers one ought to own, this is it.

beautiful music. although the lyrics sometimes clash with what i would normally look for, she is a talented, beautiful woman. nice stuff. if you like her, check out a band called copeland. http://www.thecopelandsite.com take care

Okay, first of all , I am a collecter of Tori Amos so anything new is awesome. I'll be honest here - if your a collector ..get it - its interesting to hear the changes she made. If your new to her music and want to hear Tori amos..go get little earthquakes or any before this one. Why are greatset hits the most popular hits? I really personally dont like the songs she picked for a greatest hit record! Maybe she didnt get enough because she could have made a cd that would sell millions. Her music is meant to be "complicated" and she picked a very "mellow" list. One of her BIGGEST accomplishements is to go to places weve never been and shes never been and take us there with her. Wheres the real hits like "horses, yes, anna, blackdove, little earthquakes, butterfly,flying ducthman, and the list could go on. Well, greatest hits usaully are not really greatest hits but otherwise its intersting to see what this artist is stirring up! They are beautiful songs just displayed different.