Track Listing

1. Horses
2. Blood roses
3. Father Lucifer
4. Professional Widow
5. Mr Zebra
6. Marianne
7. Caught a lite sneeze
8. Muhammad my friend
9. Hey Jupiter
10. Way down
11. Little Amsterdam
12. Talula
13. Not the Red Baron
14. Agent Orange
15. Doughnut song
16. In the springtime of his voodoo
17. Putting the damage on
18. Twinkle

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31755 in Music
• Released on: 1996-01-11
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

CD Description
Spirituality is tangled inexorably with power and patriarchy for Tori Amos. On Amos' third solo record, the Hawaiian volcano goddess Pele serves as her alter-ego, presenting a threat to Amos' ever-present, menacing father figures. On "Muhammad My Friend", she warns, "I know you've seen fire/But you've never seen fire/Until you've seen Pele blow". Amos is equally intrigued by other strong, angry females--on "Twinkle", she admires "a girl twice as hard" who reportedly killed aman.
In contrast to her words, Amos tends toward restrained, ethereal vocals; they occasionally verge on ferocity but never quite make it all the way. Her piano and harpsichordplaying is, by turns, delicate and passionate. Contrasts like those between confessional and enigmatic lyrics, and between an underlying sense of anger and a voice that holds backfrom truly expressing it, create an electric tension throughout BOYS FOR PELE.
PELE is the first record Amos has self-produced, and it branches out from her previous work, exploring more loosely structured songwriting and experimenting with the use of strings, brass and a gospel choir.

Customer Reviews

A bold, complex, eclectic work of musical genius
It is very difficult to write a review for this album. It is so dark, mysterious, and complicated that I can't pretend to understand all of the songs, but I have no problem hailing it as an original work of musical genius. Tori opens up her heart in so many ways that you can gain new insights each time you listen. This is, for the most part, a somber collection of songs. While I, as a man, love this CD, there are some places in which Tori seems to release some negativity toward men and failed relationships. I believe there is a strong female empowerment theme in these songs; even the unusual cover portrays a woman more than capable to rise above any man who approaches. More universally, though, Tori encourages every individual to strengthen himself/herself.

This album starts out slowly and quietly, as "Beauty Queen" begins with one note on the piano repeating itself; the song soon melds into "Horses," a more intensive yet relatively quiet song. Then the waves crash on the heavy, harpsichord-accompanied "Blood Roses," which seems to echo the bad end of a relationship and categorizes at least some men as "nothing but meat." "Father Lucifer" has a slow, easy melody that climaxes with a slight pandemonium of lyrics. Tori rocks the harpsichord with "Professional Widow," in which soft, lilting lines bridge emotional, intensive lyrical episodes. I love this song, but I imagine the message better relates to women than it does men. "Mr. Zebra" is a short track marking a transition back to soft, lilting music. "Marianne" is a somber song that seems to deal with the suicide of a friend. With "Caught A Lite Sneeze," Tori makes her own hate machine from memories of a failed relationship; this first single from the album is an infectious, masterful song. "Hey Jupiter" is a very slow, serious song which must be listened to closely in order to be truly appreciated--this one really hits you and grows on you over time. I was a little surprised when it was released as a single because it is so serious and slow, but there is no denying the song is incredible. "Talula" rocks, but it is slightly different from the version on the "Twister" movie soundtrack. The second half of the album is filled with slow, delicate singing and minimal accompaniment. Wondrous songs such as "Not the Red Baron," "Doughnut Song," and "Twinkle" do not tend to stay in my head too well because of their fragile composition, but they are more than worthy of a listen. "In the Springtime of His Voodoo" and "Putting the Damage On" form a nice yet sympathetic contrast to their more ethereal immediate counterparts.

This is indisputably a unique, eclectic album with almost 70 minutes of music. The real gems are "Caught A Lite Sneeze," "Talula," and "Hey Jupiter." The first two of these songs have a strong beat and a rock feel to them, but the beat-driven songs on here make up a significant minority. While much of the music is piano-based, Tori brings in all sorts of unusual instruments to her songs--the harpsichord and Bosendorfer piano are used extensively, whereas bass and drums make a forceful impression on select tracks such as "Talula" and "Merry Widow." This album is so unique and unusual that I can understand some people, maybe even a few Tori Amos fans, disliking it. This isn't music to pop in the stereo and start dancing to. Tori puts a lot into these songs, and she demands a lot from her audience in return because only the listener's attention can secure his/her comprehension and enjoyment. Finally, I will just say that you should not toss this CD aside if you do not like it initially; I myself had to listen to it several times before its magic really became clear to me.

'Boys For Pele' is just fabulous. Buy it.
I have listened to all of Tori Amos' albums (bar 'Y Kant Tori Read' and the forthcoming 'Scarlet's Walk') and 1996's 'Boys For Pele' was the third Tori album I encountered.
Well, yes, it does take a bit of getting used to after her 1992 debut 'Little Earthquakes' was so accessible and 1994's 'Under The Pink' so mysterious it drew you in. 'Boys For Pele' is unlike anything we have heard before from anyone. Truly original and in places breathtakingly beautiful, the album very much represents the fire in the creator's personality.
I first heard the album at the beginning of 2002 and eight months later it may well be better on my ears than in January. Kicking off with "Beauty Queen" and the delightful ballad "Horses", the album begins rather quietly and mysteriously. When it kicks into the sublime "Blood Roses", an energetic rant, you are completely gobsmacked. Tori includes harpsichord here and on many of the other tracks including several hits.
The lyrical side to Miss Amos travels down unexplored avenues for madness! Her lyrics can be hard to penetrate, but the music more than makes up for it. Tori includes church bells, harpsichord, bagpipes, brass bands - the lot. And to great effect.
'Boys For Pele' is also Tori's first self-produced affair and this is another factor to its brilliance. The odd "Professional Widow" was made into a chart-topping club hit in 1997, but the original is without doubt the better, making for possibly the most raw sounding song on the album.
'Boys For Pele' is quirky, gorgeous, odd, extreme, eccentric, beautiful, head-turning and magical all at once. It is so far Tori's most challenging and ambitious listen, but with a few good plays it will become a favourite.
"Cooling", a song meant to have been on this album, would have made 'Boys For Pele' even better but it is so special that maybe it is better left played live. You can hear that song on the live disc of 1999's 'To Venus And Back' album.
Tori would expand her muse on later albums, but 'Boys For Pele' is just fabulous. Buy it.

Give me peace, Give me love and a H-----
This album endlessly amazes me. I've had it for a number of years now and overplayed it dreadfully, but everytime I listen I hear something new. Tori goes from the sublime to the profane, from nightmarescapes to dreamscapes, effortlessly. The poems start off slowly, softly, gradually getting faster as we are led into the dark world of pele by the horses of the title. Pele is difficult to describe as it's such a mix of styles and styles that it sounds almost primeval. Tori herself says it was a musical journey to the 'dark place' and a way of battling a lot of her demons. It was recorded in an old church in Ireland and there is no doubt the sense of history and 'otherworldliness' comes shining through throughout the album. Don't expect it to instantly click with you, because it won't. I didn't like it when I first heard it but I perservered, and now its one of my favourite albums of all time. This is music when it become more than music and becomes an art form.