Tori's Primal Joy

Exactly one year ago, I wrote about the Tori Amos song God, specifically The Dharma Kayã Mix by Manchester band The Joy, a 12 minute blissful excursion into ambient soundscapes that was a bit of a radical departure for Ms. Amos at the time.

The post then moved on to The Joy's own bonafide classic, Shine, featuring the wonderfully talented and much missed Denise Johnson. Denise also appeared on Primal Scream's epic track Screamadelica, which ironically didn't make it on to the classic album of the same name.

The original post included YouTube links to the featured songs, so I'm revisiting them with today's selection, albeit with a slight twist and tweak.

The selection is topped and tailed by Tori Amos, starting off with a song that I didn't feature last time, Raspberry Swirl, taken from 1998 album From The Choirgirl Hotel. Andy Gray, perhaps best known for replacing Steve Osborne as Paul Oakenfold's production partner in Perfecto and in turn responsible for the theme to reality TV show Big Brother, delivered a clutch of remixes for the single release, including this downtempo version.

 

The Joy's Shine is up next, not the 27 minute Hyperphoria Mix referenced in last year’s post but the Samadhi Mantra Mix, also remixed by The Joy's core of Ali Fletcher and David Tolan and coming in at a brisker 16 minutes. 

 

From Shine to Screamadelica, but not as you know it. The original Andrew Weatherall production is a sheer joy, digging a groove for nearly 11 minutes. However, I'm saving that one for another time. Here, Mark Vidler aka Go Home Productions adds (his own) guitar to provide a blistering, kick ass version that comes in at a neat 5 minutes. Naturally, Denise Johnson's vocals are more than a match for this different setting, soaring effortlessly above the riffs. This version originally appeared on 2005 online bootleg compilation Screamixadelica.

 

Last but definitely not least is the remix that (re)started this post, The Dharma Kayã Mix of God by Tori Amos, every bit as good as when I first heard it, nearly three decades ago.

 

1) Raspberry Swirl (Scarlet Spectrum Feels) (Remix By Andy Gray): Tori Amos (1998)

2) Shine (Samadhi Mantra Mix): The Joy ft. Denise Johnson (1994)

3) Screamadelica (Go Home Productions' Skreamadelikka Mix By Mark Vidler): Primal Scream ft. Denise Johnson (2005)

4) God (The Dharma Kayã Mix By The Joy): Tori Amos (1994)

Tori's Primal Joy (41:37)

Sometimes You Just Don't Come Through

Tori Amos released the single God in the UK in 1994, the fourth to be lifted from her second album, Under The Pink. The law of dimishing returns applied for each single: Cornflake Girl reached #4, Pretty Good Year #7, Past The Mission #31; God managed just 2 weeks in the UK charts, with a peak of #44. 

The 12" and CD single feature remixes from Carl Craig and CJ Bolland, each offering a different but effective take, with the focus remaining on Amos' vocals. I picked up the CD single from the bargain bin shortly after it dropped out of the charts, initially attracted to the striking cover by Dave McKean, then the two (of three) Carl Craig remixes featured. However, on first play the standout track was the epic Dharma Kayã Mix by The Joy, over 12 minutes of blissed out beats and rhythms, again built around the vocals. I'd also bought The Joy's (re-released and remixed) first single Shine prior to this, mainly on the strength of Denise Johnson's appearance. Looking back now, I can read lots of comparisons to Primal Scream, particularly the Andrew Weatherall-produced track Screamadelica (also featuring Denise Johnson) from the Dixie-Narco EP. I get it, but it does The Joy a slight disservice. With God, the Balearic-indie influence really suits Tori Amos' vocals and takes the song on a completely different and (in my opinion) more interesting journey. Amos would eventually score a #1 in the UK in 1997 with Armand Van Helden's remix of Professional Widow, but this is the 'lost' classic.

 

God (The Dharma Kayã Mix By The Joy) (12:37) (1994)

 

Shine (Hyperphoria Mix): The Joy (27:09) (1994)

 

Screamadelica: Primal Scream (10:50) (1992)