# To Venus and Back

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1999 double album by Tori Amos

To Venus and Back Studio album / Live album by Tori Amos Released September 21, 1999 Recorded 1998–1999 Venue various venues during her Plugged '98 tour Studio Martian Engineering, Cornwall, England Genre Alternative rock trip hop[1] electronica art pop Length 123:22 47:50 (studio) 75:32 (live) Label Atlantic (US) East West (Europe) Producer Tori Amos Tori Amos chronology From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998) To Venus and Back (1999) Strange Little Girls (2001) Singles from To Venus and Back "Bliss" Released: August 24, 1999 "1000 Oceans" Released: September 9, 1999 "Glory of the 80's" Released: October 11, 1999 "Concertina" Released: February 8, 2000

***To Venus and Back*** (stylised in all lowercase) is a [double album](/source/Double_album) by American singer-songwriter and pianist [Tori Amos](/source/Tori_Amos). Released on September 21, 1999, it comprises her fifth [studio album](/source/Studio_album) and first [live album](/source/Live_album). The first disc, entitled *Venus: Orbiting*, shows Amos increasingly experimenting with elements of [electronica](/source/Electronica) and [trip hop](/source/Trip_hop), and spawned the singles "[Bliss](/source/Bliss_(Tori_Amos_song))" (which peaked at number 91 on the *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))* [Hot 100](/source/Billboard_Hot_100)), "[1000 Oceans](/source/1000_Oceans)", "[Glory of the 80's](/source/Glory_of_the_80's)", and "[Concertina](/source/Concertina_(song))". The second disc, *Venus Live, Still Orbiting*, was recorded mostly during her *Plugged '98* tour in support of her previous album, *[From the Choirgirl Hotel](/source/From_the_Choirgirl_Hotel)*.

## Background

*To Venus and Back* was originally envisioned as a live album accompanied by an album of [B-sides](/source/B-sides) from previous singles, with a few new tracks added.[2] However, it was later decided that the B-sides and new material would not mix well as one cohesive album, so the idea was dropped and this portion was later expanded into a full album of new material. These songs, like many of her albums, were recorded at Amos' Martian Engineering in [Cornwall, England](/source/Cornwall%2C_England), and features the lineup of [Steve Caton](/source/Steve_Caton) on guitar, Jon Evans on bass, and [Matt Chamberlain](/source/Matt_Chamberlain) on drums. This marks the first of many of Amos' albums to feature Evans and Chamberlain, and the last of which to include Caton.

The album is sparser both in production and arrangement than *From the Choirgirl Hotel*, but is similar to its predecessor in that it features overt [electronica](/source/Electronica) influences and a relatively subdued piano sound. The songs find Amos's voice and piano subverted in a sonic maze of [electronic](/source/Electronic_music) washes and effects, and some tracks, notably "Juárez" and the epic "[Dātura](/source/D%C4%81tura_(song))" are largely built around these effects.

"Bliss", the first single from the album, became Amos' last song to reach the [*Billboard* Hot 100](/source/Billboard_Hot_100), peaking at number 91. The track also reached number seven on the [Canadian Hot 100](/source/Canadian_Hot_100), her highest peak up to that point and second-highest overall (after "[A Sorta Fairytale](/source/A_Sorta_Fairytale)" which peaked one place higher). Describing the song in an interview with *[Mojo](/source/Mojo_(magazine))*, she stated:

["Bliss" is] not just about the biological father, but also the authority figure, whoever it is that I put in that position. "Bliss" is really about control, and about certain things in our DNA that you can't use a strainer to get rid of. You can't separate completely from whoever made you, because they're a part of you.[3]

Other topics covered on the album include unsolved [murdered female maquiladora workers in Ciudad Juárez](/source/Femicides_in_Ciudad_Ju%C3%A1rez) on the [US–Mexico border](/source/United_States-Mexico_border) ("Juárez"), [hallucinogenic plants](/source/Hallucinogenic_plants) ("Dātura"), and [Napoleon Bonaparte](/source/Napoleon_Bonaparte) ("Josephine").

The renditions of "Sugar" and "Purple People" on *Venus Live, Still Orbiting* come from a soundcheck. Both tracks were originally released as B-sides, the former on the "[China](/source/China_(Tori_Amos_song))" single, and the latter on the single for "[Spark](/source/Spark_(Tori_Amos_song))". The sole track recorded during the *To Venus and Back* recording sessions that does not appear on the album, nor as a B-side, is the nine-minute "Zero Point". Of the song's exclusion from the album, Amos has said that the song wasn't intentionally left off the album, rather an over-sensitivity about a certain gardening issue led "Dātura" to being included instead.[4] The liner notes of *To Venus and Back* state, "'Zero Point' - your time is coming", and the song was eventually released seven years later on *[A Piano: The Collection](/source/A_Piano%3A_The_Collection)* (2006).

## Tour

The album was supported by a short tour in 1999, the Five and a Half Weeks Tour, which Amos co-headlined with [Alanis Morissette](/source/Alanis_Morissette) beginning a month prior to the release of *To Venus and Back*. Many referred to Amos as the "[opening act](/source/Opening_act)" for Morissette because she always performed first; however, this was due only to the logistics of setting up a grand piano for performance. An Amos-only stint, the To Dallas and Back Tour, also took place, but promotional plans were cut when Amos suffered her third miscarriage in November 1999.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating AllMusic [9] The A.V. Club (favourable)[8] Entertainment Weekly B[7] NME (mixed)[6] Nude as the News (favourable)[10] PopMatters (6/10)[5] Q 11/1999 (p.116) Rolling Stone [11]

The studio disc of *To Venus and Back* is recognized as one of Amos's most [experimental](/source/Experimental_music) yet melodic, and received generally positive reviews. Some critics praised its originality, innovation and unpredictable song structures,[6][11] with one reviewer describing the album as having "some of the best vocals of her career, embedded in modern, special-effects-laden soundscapes that move from electronica-spiced [piano pop](/source/Piano_pop) and [hip-hop](/source/Hip_hop_music) to [ambient](/source/Ambient_music) space music",[12] while some begrudged the album because of its overuse of [electronic instruments](/source/Electronic_instruments) and lack of Amos's trademark simplistic sound,[5][13] most present on albums such as *[Little Earthquakes](/source/Little_Earthquakes)* (1992) and *[Under the Pink](/source/Under_the_Pink)* (1994).

The album received two [2000 Grammy Award](/source/2000_Grammy_Award) nominations: [Best Female Rock Vocal Performance](/source/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Female_Rock_Vocal_Performance) for "Bliss" and [Best Alternative Music Album](/source/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Alternative_Music_Album).[14]

## Commercial performance

*To Venus and Back*, priced higher than Amos's previous releases because of its two-disc format, sold 112,000 copies in the US in its first week and debuted at number 12 on the [*Billboard* 200](/source/Billboard_200), number 18 on the [Top Canadian Albums](/source/Top_Canadian_Albums), and number 22 on the [UK Albums Chart](/source/UK_Albums_Chart),[15][16][17] breaking her run of three consecutive UK Top 10 albums.

Two months after its release in November 1999, the album achieved [RIAA](/source/RIAA) Certification, reaching Gold and Platinum sales status simultaneously,[18] due to the release being a double CD set. *To Venus and Back* remained on the *Billboard* 200 for 11 weeks, with its final position at number 189 for the week of January 8, 2000, before falling off the chart.[19] As of May 2008, the album has sold 458,000 copies in the US, according to [Nielsen SoundScan](/source/Nielsen_SoundScan).[20]

## Track listing

All tracks are written by Tori Amos.

Disc one – Venus: Orbiting No. Title Length 1. "Bliss" 3:42 2. "Juárez" 3:48 3. "Concertina" 3:56 4. "Glory of the 80's" 4:03 5. "Lust" 3:54 6. "Suede" 4:58 7. "Josephine" 2:30 8. "Riot Poof" 3:28 9. "Dātura" 8:25 10. "Spring Haze" 4:44 11. "1000 Oceans" 4:19 Total length: 47:50

Disc two – Venus Live, Still Orbiting No. Title From Length 1. "Precious Things" Little Earthquakes (1992) 7:37 2. "Cruel" From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998) 6:47 3. "Cornflake Girl" Under the Pink (1994) 6:31 4. "Bells for Her" Under the Pink 5:42 5. "Girl" Little Earthquakes 4:15 6. "Cooling" B-side to "Spark" (1998) 5:09 7. "Mr. Zebra" Boys for Pele (1996) 1:17 8. "Cloud on My Tongue" Under the Pink 4:58 9. "Sugar" B-side to "China" (1992) 5:10 10. "Little Earthquakes" Little Earthquakes 7:37 11. "Space Dog" Under the Pink 5:46 12. "The Waitress" Under the Pink 10:24 13. "Purple People" B-side to "Spark" 4:11 Total length: 75:32 123:22

### B-sides

Given the conditions under which the album was created, *To Venus and Back* is unique in that it does not have any studio tracks that serve as B-sides. Instead the album's singles are backed by live tracks recorded from the previous year's tour.

Title Length Single "Hey Jupiter" (live) 4:32 "Bliss" (1999) "Upside Down" (live) 5:47 "Baker, Baker" (live) 3:54 "1000 Oceans" (1999) "Winter" (live) 6:59 "Famous Blue Raincoat" (live) 5:25 "Glory of the 80's" (UK) (1999) / "Concertina" (US) (2000) "Twinkle" (live) 2:48

Following the theme of the album's second disc, which is composed of live tracks arranged similarly to an actual concert, the B-sides that appear on the album's singles are live songs performed solo with Amos on the piano. The chart above lists only the songs that were released as B-sides on singles from *To Venus and Back*.

## Personnel

- Tori Amos - [Bösendorfer](/source/B%C3%B6sendorfer) piano, synthesizers, harpsichord (disc 1 — track 4), vocals

- [Steve Caton](/source/Steve_Caton) – guitar

- Jon Evans – bass

- [Matt Chamberlain](/source/Matt_Chamberlain) – drums, percussion

- Andy Gray – additional drum programming on (disc 1 — tracks 6, 8, 9)

## Charts

Albums Chart (1999) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[21] 6 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[22] 17 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23] 13 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[24] 18 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[25] 24 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[26] 30 French Albums (SNEP)[27] 31 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[28] 11 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[29] 10 Scottish Albums (OCC)[30] 37 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[31] 49 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 27 UK Albums (OCC)[33] 22 US Billboard 200[34] 12 European Albums (Eurotipsheet)[35] 22 Singles Title Chart Position "Bliss" (1999) Canadian Hot 100 7 US Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales 16 US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay 89? US Billboard Hot 100 91 "1000 Oceans" (1999) US Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales 22 "Glory of the 80's" (1999) UK Singles Chart 46 Australian Singles Chart 81 "Concertina" (2000) US AAA 18 US Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales 48

## Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales United States (RIAA)[36] Platinum 1,000,000^ ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["To Venus and Back"](https://www.nme.com/reviews/1477). *[NME](/source/NME)*. September 12, 2005. Retrieved November 12, 2014. A two-CD set, one half is a live album and like all such self-indulgences it's mainly unremarkable. It does, however, with the addition of a full band, act as a compass for her new direction. Which mainly means trip-hop

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["From an interview with *Best*"](https://www.toriamosdiscography.info/item002511.html). *Best*. FR. October 1999. Retrieved October 7, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** From a 1999 interview with *Mojo*

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** *Tori Amos – A Piano: The Collection*. [Rhino](/source/Rhino_Entertainment). 2006. p. 34.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-popmatters_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-popmatters_5-1) ["PopMatters Review"](https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/amostori-tovenus). *Popmatters.com*. Retrieved September 21, 2024.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-NME_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-NME_6-1) ["To Venus And Back"](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-nme-1477-337363). *Nme.com*. September 12, 2005. Retrieved September 21, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Entertainment Weekly Review](https://web.archive.org/web/20081121175108/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,270855,00.html), *Web.archive.org*

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["The A.V. Club Review"](https://web.archive.org/web/20111005022605/http://www.avclub.com/articles/tori-amos-to-venus-and-back,17924/). *[The A.V. Club](/source/The_A.V._Club)*. Archived from [the original](https://www.avclub.com/articles/tori-amos-to-venus-and-back,17924/) on October 5, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [AllMusic Review](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r429231), *AllMusic*

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** [Nude as the News Review](https://web.archive.org/web/20030114110420/http://www.nudeasthenews.com/reviews/497), *Web.archive.org*

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-RS_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-RS_11-1) Stovall, Natasha (October 14, 1999). ["To Venus And Back"](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/to-venus-and-back-103797/). *Rollingstone.com*. Retrieved September 21, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Morse, Steve (August 27, 1999). "'Venus' of the Road". *[The Boston Globe](/source/The_Boston_Globe)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-salon_13-0)** Goldberg, Michelle (September 22, 1999). ["Sharps & flats"](http://www.salon.com/1999/09/22/amos/). *[Salon.com](/source/Salon.com)*. Retrieved July 27, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Recording Academy Grammy Awards – Tori Amos"](https://www.grammy.com/artists/tori-amos/746). *Grammy Awards*. Retrieved October 7, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-UK_15-0)** ["TORI AMOS"](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/27268/tori-amos/). *Officialcharts.com*. November 23, 1991. Retrieved November 28, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** ["Mariah Scores 14th No. 1 Single"](https://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=950004). *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*. Retrieved August 2, 2007.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-AMG_Charts_17-0)** ["Tori Amos > Charts & Awards"](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p22040). *[Allmusic](/source/Allmusic)*. Retrieved July 27, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** ["RIAA Gold & Platinum Database"](https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH). *[Recording Industry Association of America](/source/Recording_Industry_Association_of_America)*. Retrieved August 2, 2007.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** ["The Billboard 200 – Chart Listing For The Week Of Jan 08 2000"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131009133834/http://www.billboard.com/charts/2000-01-08/billboard-200). *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_magazine)*. Archived from [the original](https://www.billboard.com/charts/2000-01-08/billboard-200) on October 9, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** ["Ask Billboard – How Many Dolls are in a Posse"](https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1045442/ask-billboard). *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_magazine)*. May 9, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Australia_Tori_Amos_21-0)** "[Australiancharts.com – Tori Amos – To Venus and Back](https://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Tori+Amos&titel=To+Venus+and+Back&cat=a)". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Austria_Tori_Amos_22-0)** "[Austriancharts.at – Tori Amos – To Venus and Back](https://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Tori+Amos&titel=To+Venus+and+Back&cat=a)" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Flanders_Tori_Amos_23-0)** "[Ultratop.be – Tori Amos – To Venus and Back](https://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Tori+Amos&titel=To+Venus+and+Back&cat=a)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_BillboardCanada_Tori_Amos_24-0)** "[Tori Amos Chart History (Canadian Albums)](https://www.billboard.com/artist/Tori-Amos/chart-history/CNA)". *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*. Retrieved August 2, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Netherlands_Tori_Amos_25-0)** "[Dutchcharts.nl – Tori Amos – To Venus and Back](https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Tori+Amos&titel=To+Venus+and+Back&cat=a)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Finland_Tori_Amos_26-0)** "[Tori Amos: To Venus and Back](https://www.ifpi.fi/lista/artistit/tori-amos/albumi/to-venus-and-back)" (in Finnish). [Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland](/source/Musiikkituottajat_%E2%80%93_IFPI_Finland). Retrieved August 2, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_France_Tori_Amos_27-0)** "[Lescharts.com – Tori Amos – To Venus and Back](https://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Tori+Amos&titel=To+Venus+and+Back&cat=a)". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Germany_Tori_Amos_28-0)** "[Offiziellecharts.de – Tori Amos – To Venus and Back](https://www.offiziellecharts.de/album-details-3056)" (in German). [GfK Entertainment charts](/source/GfK_Entertainment_charts). Retrieved August 2, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Norway_Tori_Amos_29-0)** "[Norwegiancharts.com – Tori Amos – To Venus and Back](https://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Tori+Amos&titel=To+Venus+and+Back&cat=a)". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Scotland_Tori_Amos_30-0)** "[Official Scottish Albums Chart on 2/10/1999 – Top 100](https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-albums-chart/19991002/40/)". [Official Charts Company](/source/Official_Charts_Company).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Sweden_Tori_Amos_31-0)** "[Swedishcharts.com – Tori Amos – To Venus and Back](https://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Tori+Amos&titel=To+Venus+and+Back&cat=a)". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Switzerland_Tori_Amos_32-0)** "[Swisscharts.com – Tori Amos – To Venus and Back](http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Tori+Amos&titel=To+Venus+and+Back&cat=a)". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_UK_Tori_Amos_33-0)** "[Tori Amos Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/Tori+Amos/)". [Official Charts Company](/source/Official_Charts_Company). Retrieved August 2, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Billboard200_Tori_Amos_34-0)** "[Tori Amos Chart History (*Billboard* 200)](https://www.billboard.com/artist/Tori-Amos/chart-history/TLP)". *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*. Retrieved August 2, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-35)** ["European Hot 100 Albums"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1999/MM-1999-10-09.pdf) (PDF). *[Eurotipsheet](/source/Music_%26_Media)*. Vol. 16, no. 41. October 9, 1999. p. 14. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [29800226](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/29800226) – via World Radio History.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-United_StatesTori_AmosTo_Venus_and_BackalbumCertRef_36-0)** ["American album certifications – Tori Amos – To Venus and Back"](https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Tori+Amos&ti=To+Venus+and+Back&format=Album&type=#search_section). [Recording Industry Association of America](/source/Recording_Industry_Association_of_America).

v t e Tori Amos Discography List of songs Studio albums Little Earthquakes Under the Pink Boys for Pele From the Choirgirl Hotel To Venus and Back Strange Little Girls Scarlet's Walk The Beekeeper American Doll Posse Abnormally Attracted to Sin Midwinter Graces Night of Hunters Gold Dust Unrepentant Geraldines Native Invader Ocean to Ocean The Music of Tori and the Muses In Times of Dragons Compilations Tales of a Librarian A Piano: The Collection Little Earthquakes – The B-Sides Live albums To Venus and Back The Original Bootlegs Legs and Boots Live at Montreux 1991/1992 From Russia with Love Diving Deep Live EPs Crucify Hey Jupiter Scarlet's Hidden Treasures Exclusive Session Flavor (Peter Rauhofer Mixes) Christmastide Singles "Baltimore" "Me and a Gun" "Silent All These Years" "China" "Winter" "Crucify" "Cornflake Girl" "God" "Pretty Good Year" "Past the Mission" "Caught a Lite Sneeze" "Talula" "Professional Widow" "Hey Jupiter" "In the Springtime of His Voodoo" "Spark" "Jackie's Strength" "Cruel"/"Raspberry Swirl" "Bliss" "1000 Oceans" "Glory of the 80's" "Concertina" "Strange Little Girl" "A Sorta Fairytale" "Taxi Ride" "Don't Make Me Come to Vegas" "Mary" "Sleeps with Butterflies" "Sweet the Sting" "Big Wheel" "Bouncing Off Clouds" "Welcome to England" "Maybe California" "A Silent Night with You" "Carry" "Flavor" "Trouble's Lament" "Cloud Riders" "Speaking with Trees" Other songs "Putting the Damage On" "Dātura" Videos Little Earthquakes Live from New York Complete Videos: 1991–1998 A Sorta Fairytale Welcome to Sunny Florida Fade to Red Live at Montreux 1991/1992 Tours 5 ½ Weeks Tour Night of Hunters Tour Gold Dust Orchestral Tour Unrepentant Geraldines Tour Native Invader Tour Related articles Piece by Piece Comic Book Tattoo Delirium Y Kant Tori Read Y Kant Tori Read "The Big Picture" "Cool on Your Island" "Blue Skies" RAINN The Light Princess Original Cast Recording

Authority control databases MusicBrainz release group

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [To Venus and Back](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Venus_and_Back) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Venus_and_Back?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.