Y Kant Tori Read was a 1980s synthpop band, fronted by singer-songwriter Tori Amos. The band released one album, also called Y Kant Tori Read, which was largely unsuccessful; Atlantic Records abandoned promoting the record completely after only two months of release. The band originally consisted of Amos, Steve Caton, Matt Sorum (later of Guns N' Roses), and bassist Brad Cobb. They worked with record producer Joe Chiccarelli, and Kim Bullard, later of Kajagoogoo. The name comes from an incident in Amos's childhood where she was asked to leave the Peabody Conservatory because she refused to read sheet music. (More from Wikipedia)
Her first foray into music was to front a rock band called Y Kant Tori Read; their sole album release was also called Y Kant Tori Read (1987) and sold very few copies. (Remarkably, Tori Amos still didn't lose her recording contract with Atlantic Records). Many years later, I saw an original copy of the album at a record collectors show in San Francisco; it was priced at $115. After holding it awhile, I remembered coming across a copy at a used record store (also in San Francisco I think but before I moved there). It was priced rather high ($8 or $10), and I wondered why I had never heard of it. I passed on the purchase and thought of it (and others that got away) often over the years, but I don't dwell on it anymore: Y Kant Tori Read would have gone through Hurricane Katrina like all the rest.
(February 2014)
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