News: The Sun Article (September 29, 2006)

The Sun (September 29, 2006)

Q. What does this album represent for you, looking back on your career?

A. Well, when you consider that, when Little Earthquakes was rejected by Atlantic Records in 1990, demanding that i erase the piano on all the tracks and replace it with commercial guitars, having a set called “A Piano” with 86 songs constructed from a piano is definitely sweet indeed.

Q. What surprises and memories did you unearth from the vaults?

A. Being able to have access to everything you’ve ever done, although some master mixes are missing, made me realise how fragile analogue tape is, especially if the record companies haven’t stored them in a tape library in the correct conditions. The engineers found recordings of forgotten songs, one from the Little Earthquakes era, a couple from Boys For Pele and Under The Pink, and I guess pretty much from every album to date. Listening back transported me to that time frame within seconds, the music acted as a sonic Tardis.

Q. You were one of the first stars to make the piano cool in pop music. How does that make you feel?

A. Guitar player friends of mine would always say “Hey Tor, things would have been so much easier if you’d been a guitar player” and I’d smile and say “Yes boys, but my axe is nine foot six.”

(Transcribed for Undented by Lucy and Saar.)