We Become Panoramic - THE KATE BUSH RESULTS THREAD (ilm artist poll #24)

http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/2817/1334682634a859291167437.jpg

LOOK no one said I had to choose a favourite Kate Bush album, okay? No one said I HAD TO CHOOSE. No one said that.

― Bassment Jacks (Bimble...), Wednesday, October 11, 2006 5:03 AM (5 years ago)

Alternate titles subsequently thought better of:

IrgendPOLL in der tiefe
Suspended in Gallup
100% tracks by female artists

I was going to have a gallop through these to finish tomorrow, but forgot this was a bank holiday here. So I'm going to do albums and 50-41 today, and twenty each tomorrow and Wednesday.

But first: luncheon!

ALBUMS

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ea/Kate_Bush_Lionheart.jpg

7. LIONHEART (1978)
3 points, one vote

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9e/Kate_Bush_The_Sensual_World.jpg

6. The Sensual World (1989)
17 points, five votes

Suspended in Gallup

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b2/The_Kick_Inside_UK_cover.jpg

5. THE KICK INSIDE
23 points, five votes, two no.1s

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/14/Kate_Bush_Never_Forever.jpg

4. NEVER FOR EVER
32 points, eight votes

27 people voted for albums btw, it's fair to say that the big scorers are yet to come

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b4/Katebushaerial.jpg

3. AERIAL (2005)
71 points, seventeen votes, two no.1s

Come on The Dreaming. Kick that Hounds' arse.

i likes me some Aerial, but so far ahead of Never For Ever is kerazy

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/05/Kate_Bush_The_Dreaming_Cover.jpg

2. THE DREAMING (1982)
124 points, twenty-two votes, eleven no.1s

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/eb/Hounds_of_love.jpg

1. HOUNDS OF LOVE (1985)
135 points, twenty-three votes, twelve no.1s

Not troubling the scorers: The Whole Story, The Red Shoes, The Director's Cut, 50 Words For Snow

I'm going to get a spot of work done before starting tracks, but meantime: what should I do about youtube links? I want to link, but don't want to clog the thread up. I put youtu.be instead of youtube.com, is that right? Do I need to linkify it too?

Thanks for leading off with a Bimble quote. I'm glad he's with us in spirit.

Ismael, if you click the "share" button underneath any YouTube video, it will spit out a link that won't automatically bring the video into the thread.

Okay I've got one that ends _gdata_player, do I just paste that in and ilx does the rest?

Hmm, that I'm not sure; my techie skills are pretty sad. It seems the link they spit out with "share" is indeed just the regular link with the youtu.be substitution you mention above, now that I'm looking at it.

I'll play safe then rather than relying on cleverness. I'm doing this from my phone too, which adds another layer of things-to-go-wrong.

I expected the #1 and #2 spots to be a race between Hounds of Love and the Dreaming, but wasn't expecting Aerial to trounce Never for Ever so handily in the contest for #3!

TRACKS

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/4981/0049aerial.jpg

49. Aerial
102 points, five votes
Aerial (2005)
youtube

"Aerial" over "Never For Ever"? Wow.

Is that an equal 49th?

Aerial is completely incredible though - that's the one I've been devouring most this past week. I ended up with it as my no.1, though in fairness I could've had any of the top three there.

i think what's important is

I FEEL I WANNA BE UP ON THE ROOF

Yes xp, 49 is a tie, I'm not being eccentric. 46 is a three-way tie, and iirc 39 is a tie too; but I think above that they're all unique.

It hurt me not to vote for this track. Listening to it now, I should've just figured out a way to do it.

http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/3220/0049loveandanger.jpg

49. Love And Anger
102 points,  five votes
The Sensual World (1989)
youtube

think i dropped this from my ballot at the last minute :/

too low! guessing we'll see very little of The Sensual World or The Red Shoes then, & pretty much all of HOL.

I found a Sky of Honey's tracks even more problematic than the Ninth Wave's, as they are even more of a piece. Wonder if they might not suffer a bit as they end up being randomly chosen as placeholders for the entire album side.

Re. the albums, I tried really hard to reacquaint myself w the first three records. There may come a time that I love them -- the ballads, the theatricality of it all. But short of a few songs on Never For Ever, even with the re-listening these last few weeks, this isn't that time.

I've never gotten past the video for "Love and Anger," which was my introduction to Kate Bush. On another thread, I wrote this about TSW:

I'm still trying to get a grip on the whole thing, but the record opens very strong. On the whole, it still sounds a bit...overstuffed -- the video for "Love and Anger" indicated as much, featuring very LUSH optics, sparkly confetti and Dave Gilmour, who himself looks overstuffed.

Re. the albums, I tried really hard to reacquaint myself w the first three records. There may come a time that I love them -- the ballads, the theatricality of it all. But short of a few songs on Never For Ever, even with the re-listening these last few weeks, this isn't that time.

― Naive Teen Idol, Monday, August 27, 2012 8:37 AM (1 minute ago)

a selection of tracks from the first four albums = by far my favorite kate bush material

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/2025/0046laketahoe.jpg

46. Lake Tahoe
103 points, five votes
50 Words For Snow (2011)
youtube

http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/467/0046wakingthewitch.jpg

46. Waking The Witch
103 points, five votes
Hounds of Love (1985)
youtube

and there's my first to place. i must admit, my primary reason for voting vor this was "wake up man".

these song images are awesome, BTW.

love "waking the witch". witchy part always freaks me out.

Thanks. Some relate to the songs, some don't - I let my mind wander a bit while I'm doing them.

these song images are awesome, BTW.

well that was yesterday well spent

working fine here

The album covers were fine.

same

working here for me in Chrome

yeah they're good here, tho i'll admit to being completely flummoxed by them so far (but that's fine).

GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/5045/0046misty.jpg

46. Misty
103 points, six votes
50 Words For Snow (2011)
youtube

Fantastic effort, Ismael. Really enjoying this.

for a while this was my favourite from '50 words for snow', it's not quite now but it does encapsulate everything that's good about that album.

Voted for "Lake Tahoe". Glad to see it here!

I hardly know what to think about 50, I can hardly get a handle on it now. It's like it's drifting away from me, or I'm viewing it through frosted glass. Only Wild Man, Wheeler St and the title track carry any sort of weight for me beyond the odd snippet.

It'll make sense again in three months.

you've skilfully missed the best track on it there ik.

I voted for Wheeler Street. I don't think I'm giving too much away if I say it was just me.

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/9003/0045ohenglandmylionhear.jpg

45. Oh England My Lionheart
104 points, five votes
Lionheart (1978)
in concert!

Neither of the above are the 50 Words track I voted for, but I'm glad to see them. Sort of surprised "Witch" is so low, I think of that as a pretty iconic track. (But that could be because I first heard it on a mixtape my college girlfriend made me when we were first going out.)

i expected witch to finish much higher, too

I was amazed Oh England fell so low; it's irresistible. Not that I was one of the five, but why's it so unpopular?

i expected witch to finish much higher, too

I had a hard time voting for many pieces of "The Ninth Wave." They work so well together as a whole that saying one part or another was superior ended up meaning I only voted for one.

Gah, I didn't vote. Still, as I said, I would've been pretty much canon, so I'll use these results for some deep-digging hints.

Yeah, I could've pushed for votes a bit more, but I felt the way it was working out heads-only was producing quite an interesting list. I hope you find some things to your liking.

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/9702/0044thefog.jpg

44. The Fog
105 points, six votes
The Sensual World (1989)
some ballet footage

Xpost - Oh England was the last track to drop off my list and if I did a top 20 next week it would probably be top 5. It's beautiful and unique, but the problem is that so is most of Kate Bush's oeuvre. Something has got to give, I am afraid.

i voted for one representative track from "9th Wave" and "Sky of Honey" cos i cdn't separate them properly, sensibly. for each i chose my (probably) fave bit. simple question of all the other songs i needed to vote for, as is not voting "My Lionheart". there are almost no Kate tracks i dislike, but man 20 votes is not a lot.

there's a real cottage industry in fan-made kate youtube videos, i actually quite like a lot of them. there's an animated one for 'among angels' that's just devastating tbh.

I hadn't realised 'til just now, they're great. I posted one on the voting thread for Constellation of the Heart, but I thought that was just a one-off.

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/9135/0043kingofthemountain.jpg

43. King Of The Mountain
113 points, five votes
Aerial (2005)
youtube

Huh. Love Aerial, but not a particular fan of KotM. It would be my 8th or 9th favorite track, probably.

I disliked it at the time as a single but it made my ballot.

This and Wild Man seemed like disappointing singles at their respective times, but what else could they have issued? It's not like Lake Tahoe or A Coral Room would have been burning up the airwaves.

I like how it has a bit of the Fairlight feel to it in the intro. And was it Marcello who wrote that great piece about how you've been waiting for Kate to come back for a dozen years and then when she finally does, you get this mysterious intro followed by a totally SKANK reggae guitar? I can't remember.

What is this Fairlight thing you're all going on about?

Yeah - just sounds like a cheap synth! Production on "Wild Man" is so good. Disarmingly mellow until that bonkers chorus.

Very surprised KotM made it! o_O

Loving all your your work IK, and am glad to be a part of the whole thing <3

(I don't think my #01 will place tbh)

Yes, thanks again IK!

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/4299/0042theinfantkiss.jpg

42. The Infant Kiss
117 points, six votes
Never For Ever (1980)
a rather splendid short

"programming the fairlight" is, for me, shorthand for kate bush doing whatever magical stuff she did all through the 80s. since I have no real idea what it entails.

Experiement IV, live on Wogan, backing band included TWO FAIRLIGHTS

infant kiss is so crepey

one of my favorites

love king of the mountain, too

live on Wogan is so Kate

but did anyone vote for the french version?

http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/6820/0041somewhereinbetween.jpg

41. Somewhere In Between
119 points, six votes
Aerial (2005)
youtube

Now this ... bliss.

Kate Bush and the Fairlight

And here is more than you need to know about the history of the Fairlight

Thank you. I'm all out of jpgs, that'll have to be it from me for the evening.

Thanks for all the hard work, IK. This is terrific stuff - I will now be watching KB fan videos for hours!

What is this Fairlight thing you're all going on about?

Awww, I'd hoped "Waking The Witch" would place much higher - I have no idea which parts of The Ninth Wave will get singled out. Fantastically demented Throbbing Gristle meets Fairport Convention vibe - "(YOU WON'T BURN) / Red red roses / (YOU WON'T BLEED) / Pinks and posies / (CONFESS TO ME GIRL) / Red red roses / Go down"

- great title
- two of my votes have placed so far, both off aerial
- cosigning the surprise at KOTM, aerial is mindblowing but every other song on it is significantly better than KOTM
- "waking the witch" juuust missed my ballot
- SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN SLEEP AND WAKING UP <3

i had "somewhere in between" on my ballot for ages. think i cropped it at the last minute in favour of "there goes a tenner".

my ballot was quite NFE heavy, but i couldn't find space for "the infant kiss" as much as i dig it.

I voted for KotM. I'll admit it doesn't have the depth of some other songs on disc 1 of Aerial. But (as the rest of my ballot will show) I much prefer K8 in that more simple, tell-the-whole-story-in-4-minutes mode. e.g. I don't care for The Ninth Wave at all; leave the Pink Floydisms to Pink Floyd.

My other placer so far is 'The Infant Kiss'.

I voted for Wheeler Street. I don't think I'm giving too much away if I say it was just me
If only I'd known! Seriously considered voting for this but assumed everyone else hated it.

Oh England and The Fog the only ones off my list so far. I didn't vote for anything off Aerial. I really need to give that record another go.

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/4189/0040momentsofpleasure.jpg

40. Moments of Pleasure
122 points, six votes
The Red Shoes (1993)
Director’s Cut (2011) (two votes)
video

where are you getting these images from ismael? they work really well. they're not from anything officially k8-related are they?

Just letting my mind go for a wander and seeing what gis comes up with really, plus a couple of more personal snaps from my own collection - I'm hoping a sort of Kate aesthetic will emerge somehow.

The Lionheart tune I regretted leaving off my list was "In Search of Peter Pan".

i'd have probably included "moments of pleasure" if we'd had 25-track ballots.

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/491/0039rubberbandgirl.jpg

39. Rubberband Girl
126 points, seven votes
The Red Shoes (1993)
video

Despite knowing better, I read that title as "40 moments of pleasure".

xpost

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/2867/0038delius.jpg

38. Delius (Song of Summer)
127 points, six votes
Never For Ever (1980)
performance

I didn't vote for it, but I really like "Delius" -- it has a very Duke-era Genesis feel to it.

"Rubberband Girl" = most underrated single

On US college radio at least it was the last bit of magic and weirdness before the post-grunge fog covered the landscape for the next 438 years.

I find the line "a rubberband holding trousers up" a very pleasing one

and she imitates a rubberband as well as she does a donkey

I always thought it was "A rubberband hold me trousers up."

It's "rubberband hold me trousers up", isn't it?

My main memory of that record is of it being premiered on Radio 1 and Simon Mayo saying something like "She's a bit mad, isn't she?" and then - HO HO - she walks into the studio.

xp

Maybe it is, though I'd be hoping to hear some strong cockney if it was.

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/7085/0036theregoesatenner.jpg

36. There Goes A Tenner
128 points, seven votes
The Dreaming (1982)
the marvellous video

Love the orchestral fretless interlude in this. As Savetherobot used to impress upon me when we were kids, Eberhard Weber is the secret weapon on The Dreaming and super important to the sound of this record.

Talking of accents!

"When we used to vote for him". One of my faves.

Xpost This album is what got me into Weber and ECM. So I'll always be grateful for that.

i love "there goes a tenner" though i'm not sure it quite made my ballot

a while back i realised that nicki minaj's english accent is performed in pretty much the same way as kate bush's cockney accent - like on surface it's a terrible terrible approximation of an "authentic" accent but these women know wtf they're doing and they are fucking with us because they can and it's fun, basically

(all of minaj's accents and bush's accents tbh)

I'm still on zero votes placing but it's a great list nonetheless!

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/8400/0036allthelove.jpg

36. All The Love
128 points, seven votes
The Dreaming (1982)
pretty lady, moody film

i thought "all the love" was the worst track on the dreaming for about seven years after i first heard the album (maybe because it's the most straightforward moment?) but when it clicked it really clicked, and it was on my ballot

So far a bunch of mine have made it in which gives me hope!

Two of the four Dreaming cuts that didn't make my ballot, but happy to see them because I love the whole record. "All the Love" is a great song about friendship -- not just what it means, but how to do it.

(I love the line about how her friends think she's up to "something weird".)

and up rears the head of fear in me

such a memorable line

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5244/0035snowflake.jpg

35. Snowflake
129 points, six votes
50 Words For Snow (2011)
youtube

and there's the best track off '50 words...'. i imagine that means nothing else from that album is making it now?

agree, i voted for it

i was spellbound by "snowflake" a lot when the album came out but i could not listen to it much less vote for it in august

This next is kind of the end of the introduction, in that it's the last song that's within a ballot of not placing. The gaps now mostly get bigger as we go up. Anyway...

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/2091/0034hammerhorror.jpg

34. Hammer Horror
131 points, seven votes
Lionheart (1978)
live version

great pic.

didn't know that abt Eberhard Weber!

and there's the best track off '50 words...'.

Yup. My only vote from the album (even though I like much of it).

I still don't own Lionheart...

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/1080/0033theweddinglist.jpg

33. The Wedding List
145 points, seven votes
Never For Ever (1980)
live!

There Goes a Tenner was my #21, sigh. It's got so much going on in it.

Amazing - that live vid. Mick Karn, Townshend, Phil Collins and KB stunningly beautiful.

That *is* Collins?! I was just chuckling at how unglamorous the band looked.

Kate's top falls off at 3:30 btw, but she carries on like a trooper.

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/2231/0032wow.jpg

32. Wow
162 points, nine votes
Lionheart (1978)
at San Remo

Loving this poll very much.

One more then I'm going to break for an hour or so to get something to eat and retrieve a couple of photos.

http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/6875/0031howtobeinvisible.jpg

31. How To Be Invisible
163 points, eight votes
Aerial (2005)
women looking nice

I'm queueing these up on Spotify as they appear and thinking "yeah I could have voted for that".

STAND IN FRONT OF A MILLION DOORS
EACH ONE HOLDS A MILLION MORE~~~~~~

A spotify playlist's a thought, I should probably get to work on that.

No non-album tracks yet, I see... I can only really imagine one placing at this point.

spotify playlist

An Endless Sky Of Honey appears to only be available in one piece, hence its appearing first for Aerial. If Kate's new to you, please do not be put off by the 42-minute opening track.

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/3964/0030deeperunderstanding.jpg

30. Deeper Understanding
172 points, eight votes
The Sensual World (1989)
video

A couple of personal photos now. This is the inside of my first computer, who moved on recently: we really did have a deep understanding.

"The Wedding List" was a song I hadn't heard before this -- it ended up on my ballot.

Love the Director's Cut version of "Deeper Understanding" -- for the life of me, I can't figure out why everyone was so up in arms about the new version. I thought her kid singing through the Auto-Tune was powerful and the Gadd drums were great (as they have been on her last two recordings).

Damn - i totally blanked on this one. Would've been on my ballot.

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/2754/0029undertheivy.jpg

29. Under The Ivy
175 points, eight votes, one no.1
b-side to Running Up That Hill (1985)
on the tube

this is such a good time of year to be doing this - it felt very autumnal when i woke up this morning and i definitely associate Kate's music with the feeling of a british autumn... the weather turning colder, days getting shorter and in the past going back to school etc.

wasn't that the first track she recorded in her new home studio?

One of mine. What a beautiful track.

ok - I'll stop with the annoying play by play. Back to work.

I have never heard that. It's really nice.

oh man!

I had no idea this would chart so high – one of my top fifteen.

it was the last entry to make my top 10. pretty devestating.

I see this was on the HoL reissue, is it collected anywhere else?

on the This Woman's Work box set but that's looooooong out of print

It really is gorgeous. I had it on the Hounds reissue but I didn't really think it worked there. Alone, though, it's devastating.

That's my little 'un rocking those dungarees btw - I figured that if Bertie gets to appear on Kate's albums, then Ismaelito should get to grace this poll.

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/2851/0028pulloutthepin.jpg

28. Pull Out The Pin
178 points, nine votes
The Dreaming (1982)
youtube

The sample of a truck driving past in this track has always made me scratch my head. It seems random but somehow fits perfectly within the dense aural jungle of the song.

Pull Out The Pin was another late victim in my cull to get down to 20 tracks. It was probably my favourite Bush track for a couple of years after the album came out.

Now wishing I had put Under The Ivy even higher than I did. It's a startlingly beautiful song.

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/4755/0027houdini.jpg

27. Houdini
187 points, nine votes
The Dreaming (1982)
with Tony Curtis

i think i only voted for one from 'the dreaming' in the end, looks like they're all going to show at this rate.

Pull Out The Pin way too low.

"Houdini" was super high on my list. Kind of a perfect example of why "The Dreaming" is so great : Fairlight textures blending seamlessly with organic instruments (including Weber's lovely melancholy basslines) and KB putting her voice into the service of several personalities/mindstates. Outstanding and still awes me to this day, almost 20 something years after first hearing it.

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/2217/0026babooshka.jpg

26. Babooshka
198 points, ten votes
Never For Ever (1980)
performance

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/5182/0025moving.jpg

25. Moving
199 points, ten votes
The Kick Inside (1978)
live in Tokyo

"Pull Out the Pin" and "Babooshka" both potentially dodgy concepts turned into great little stories on the strength of her writing and singing.

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/5092/0024sunset.jpg

24. Sunset
238 points, eleven votes
Aerial (2005)
youtube

If noöne's got anything to say about this one, I give up. It's the most gorgeous.

I wish I could, but I really find the second disc of Aerial to be very anemic. If Nocturne would have been added to the first disc, Aerial might've been the best thing Kate has ever done.

That being said, happy with how this poll is working out til now :)

Great work with the pictures and all too!

Great pics Ismael!!

Adore "Sunset" so much.

I love the piano fills in the first half, how every one's a slightly different variation

TBH I really need more smooth jazz vibes in my life.

Have we ever done a Sea of Honey vs a Sky of Honey? Because I think I've always been for Sky.

one of my favorite songs from Aerial

This was my no.2, and I was tempted to put it higher.

"sunset" and "pull out the pin", two more of my votes. the latter really is one of those songs you feel ONLY kate could pull off - she skirts parody so much, with the vocal treatment and the odd orientalisms and so on, but she takes it so seriously and executes the concept with such focus that you're right there with her.

"sunset" is absolutely gorgeous, it's where aerial starts to become really transcendent - a sky of honey is such an incredible achievement. her use of language on that disc is so satisfying, the way the words and rhymes slot together.

I feel like I'm only just getting to know it, it's so rewarding on every listen

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/1599/0023motherstandsforcomf.jpg

23. Mother Stands For Comfort
253 points, twelve votes
Hounds of Love (1985)
youtube

Have we ever done a Sea of Honey vs a Sky of Honey?

hahaha, I think I've listened to a Sea of Honey maybe twice... Sky of Honey fifty or sixty times now, by my music player's count. Apparently the current CD/iTunes release has merged the entire suite into one track called An Endless Sky of Honey... would have totally made it my #1.

xpost YES.

Hooray. Another one!

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/5688/0022leaveitopen.jpg

22. Leave It Open
254 points, ten votes, one no.1
The Dreaming (1982)
contemporary dance
alternate
backwards

I remember erstwhile ilxor lj calling this something like 'the weirdest thing possible within a conventional song structure', and I think he had a point.

Aw, my #1.

oh awesome, I didn't think this was in contention - always got the impression it was fairly overlooked. it was in my top 3, certainly my #1 non-Aerial track. so out-there.

'Leave It Open' is brilliant...contains everything I love about KB...mad, funky and completely OTT...genius...

It was my no.4. I was surprised to have it so high, but it'd've been even higher had something else not edged it out on a whim.

One more for the evening, and it's one I was really disappointed to see fall just shy of the top twenty.

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/5115/0021jigoflife.jpg

21. Jig Of Life
257 points, twelve votes, one no.1
Hounds of Love (1985)
youtube

I put this moment here

Surely all 10 of the tracks from The Dreaming will chart? I can't see any of the remaining 5 tracks missing the list.

in an ass-backwards way, "leave it open" reminds me of tricky

My #10. Over... HERE!

I was the no. 1 for Jig. I have sometimes played that song 5 or 6 times in a row.

At first I thought it was basically a joke song, the kind of massive misstep that I might find charming but that objectively is kind of embarrassing. Kate's 'The Crunge', if you like.

But its power has only grown and grown, it's like a terrifying monster now.

so many amazing bits of this track. fucking love it.

Love the way the fiddle mirrors and chases her vocal lines.

i could imagine stevie nicks singing 'jig of life'.

At first I thought it was basically a joke song, the kind of massive misstep that I might find charming but that objectively is kind of embarrassing. Kate's 'The Crunge', if you like.

But its power has only grown and grown, it's like a terrifying monster now.

I've been listening to The Ninth Wave a ton these last few days -- and completely agree with this.

let me tell you how terrifying it is to awake from a nightmare and realize that your cd player is playing "jig of life" on repeat

i think it's my least favourite from 'the ninth wave'. i'm fine with it placing so high though, maybe a little surprised.

i could imagine stevie nicks singing 'jig of life'.

― second only to popcorn (or something)

oh man!

ughhh why did i not put that one on my ballot??

Ach, why did I not see this Master and Commander/Jig of Life tribute in time?

glad to see "delius" and "hammer horror" do so well, two of my favorites. plus yes: "moving", "mother stands for comfort", "leave it open", "how to be invisible", "deeper understanding".

Jig of Life too low! Top ten at least. That "never, never, never, never, never let me go" line has the hairs on my neck going every time.

At first I thought it was basically a joke song, the kind of massive misstep that I might find charming but that objectively is kind of embarrassing. Kate's 'The Crunge', if you like.
But its power has only grown and grown, it's like a terrifying monster now.

K8 has quite a lot of these imo

Gotta say I do really like Jig but I think of it as a curio on HoL and am surprised to see it so high. But it does have an undeniable power...

though tbh I actually had v little idea about whether Kate's straightforward songcraft would be preferred here over the songs where she, like, turns into a mule or whatever

Love Jig of Life but regretfully left it off my ballot on account of feeling that 6 songs from HOL was probably enough.

i wish i'd been able to chime in on this as it unfolded. enjoying the spread of choices so far - a few of mine have placed, but my list is at home so i'm not wholly sure which. for once i don't really feel like taking issue with anybody else's choices :) tho i feel like some of the HoL tracks are probly gonna be a little over-rated as ever.

for once i don't really feel like taking issue with anybody else's choices

^ this. About 5 or 6 of these appear in my ballot, but I have absolutely no argument with the rest.

xp NV expresses my sentiments exactly.

Lots of things showed up in the 40-21 group that I agonised over having to cut, which is great.

The best thing about this thread though is it makes you want to go listen to K8! Which I will do now.

the time has come

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/9438/0020themanwiththechildi.jpg

20. The Man With The Child In His Eyes
264 points, eleven votes
The Kick Inside (1978)
1979 Christmas special

I figured this would be a lock for the top 10. Though IIRC it was around #20 on my ballot.

TOO LOW

the tune and phrasing on the line "his love to eternity" alone is better than most songwriters's careers

this just missed my ballot too, though more because i happen not to be in the mood for it around now than because it wouldn't be a top 10 lock in another month

I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE WROTE IT WHEN SHE WAS 13, etc

also the fact that this song has managed to mean something to me at 10 and at 40 even tho i'm no closer to getting it now is pretty neat

she found her voice ridiculously early, melodically and thematically. something about the specificity within archetypicality of dreams.

Top 5 for me. (Reinforced by having recently watched that amazing SNL performance.)

She wrote it when she was thirteen?!

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/9183/0019thebigsky.jpg

19. The Big Sky
269 points, thirteen votes (one vote for the Meteorological Mix)
Hounds of Love (1985)
video
meteorological mix

"the big sky" is about the only kate song i'll hate on. it's always, always felt pointless coming after "running up that hill" and "hounds of love" to me.

i like it well enough but it does feel a bit fluffy and inconsequential, surprised at its placing this high, it's definitely no "Mother Stands for Comfort" if we must place every HoL track

I basically agree with that. 'Sustained euphoria' is not something I can really get with in pop, with the possible exception of rave.

nb "fluffy and inconsequential" aren't really critiques but maybe this wd work better as an endless looping dance track than a fully formed Kate song

don't think i know the "Meteorological Mix" so maybe that fixes it

it's definitely no "mother stands for comfort"

my issue was that it always seemed to do what the two tracks before it did but...a million times less effectively

like for once kate's "ee-yeah ee-yoohhh" vocalisations seem a bit forced

"Pause for the Jet".

Love this, for me one of the highlights on HOL, love it's cluttered feel. One of the only times when she got the extended 12" mix right.

at this point i mourn the fact that nobody has made a fully KB sampled proper dance album ever

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/696/0018experimentiv.jpg

18. Experiment IV
272 points, thirteen votes, one no.1
The Whole Story (1986)
video

Yes! i was a bit worried this had missed out.

I was surprised to spot Hugh Laurie in the video, then I realised it also had Dawn French in a wig. Then I started looking for other celebrity comedians - pretty sure the guy in the straitjacket is Rory McGrath.

19. The Big Sky
269 points, thirteen votes (one vote for the Meteorological Mix)

hello!

the only downer about 'experiment VI' is that i only just discovered it and it was through the video so now i'm always going to associate it with dawn french in a wig.

xxpost

She was well in with the Comic Strip crowd, hence her supplying 'Ken' on the 'Comic Strip Presents...GLC'.

A close friends considers "Experiment IV" the best song she's ever created. I voted for it, and it's on my short list for best new songs on a comp.

Did The Whole Story invent that? To my mind it only became standard in the late 90s, before that Greatest Hits were greatest hits only.

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/3310/0017nightoftheswallow.jpg

17. Night Of The Swallow
286 points, eleven votes
The Dreaming (1982)
youtube

i've resisted posting this for too long now, but the Man With The Child In His Eyes makes me have to i'm afraid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJbjAwvRWLs

Did The Whole Story invent that? To my mind it only became standard in the late 90s, before that Greatest Hits were greatest hits only.

Sly Stone's greatest boasted a couple new ones in 1969 or 1970.

Here's a spinoff treat: Mná na hÉireann, an Irish song Kate did with Donal Lunny, who played on Night Of The Swallow

Dylan did that too on Greatest Hits vol 2 in 71, xp

ADORE "Night of the Swallow".

SPOILER: Mná na hÉireann didn't make the top sixteen

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/9131/0016anddreamofsheep.jpg

16. And Dream Of Sheep
294 points, twelve votes
Hounds of Love (1985)
youtube

ok that was my "9th Wave" representative. it's lovely is my only justification tbh

Sometimes that's all you need.

when Bush sings "LITTLE LIGHT....shiniiiingg..." it's goose pimple time.

;_; my number 5.

One of my favourite moments in recorded music:

"oh-oh I'll wake up!... to any sound... of engines..."

The tremulousness of that line gets me every time.

heh, night of the swallow was my #2... thought it would place a bit higher, to be honest.

was feeling a bit, er, sensitive the other night and i couldn't even think of 'and dream of sheep' without filling up.

whole track is so delicate and resigned and faintly indignant

it sits in my head waiting for those moments too

I had Night of the Swallow at no.3. The celtic influence on it sounds Scottish to me, where Jig of Life sounds Irish. No idea why - maybe if we have a musicologist here, he can tell me why I'm talking nonsense.

She was well in with the Comic Strip crowd

and Stephen Fry guesting on the last one of course

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/7163/0015armydreamers.jpg

15. Army Dreamers
342 points, sixteen votes
Never For Ever (1980)
she reminds me of Bowie here

making the corny uncorny once again, such a great arrangement and vocal for such a simple idea, like musically the flip of Scott Walker's "Hero of the War" except nothing but compassion instead of Walker's acid snark

Actually now you mention it, does any photo place do Panoramic pics nowadays?

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/5637/0014thedreaming.jpg

14. The Dreaming
346 points, fourteen votes
The Dreaming (1982)
going for it on German telly
RaiUno makes the uncorny corny

Fiorentina 1 Udinese 0 btw

I make our new work studies in my department watch the video for the Dreaming to determine if they are going to be a good fit for our office.

Dre-ee-ee-ee-ee-aa-aa-aa-aa-aa-tt-tt-tt-tt-tt-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-muh-muh-muh-muh-muh

PULL OF THE BUSH!

my issue was that it always seemed to do what the two tracks before it did but...a million times less effectively

I can see how you'd say that when comparing it to Hounds of Love, but Running Up That Hill? Really? The two songs are trying to do completely different things (gravitas vs exuberance maybe).

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/8489/0013satinyourlap.jpg

13. Sat In Your Lap
362 points, fourteen votes, one no.1
The Dreaming (1982)
video
demo

Everything about "Sat in Your Lap" is amazing to me -- the rhythm, the concept, the philosophizing, the jokes, and especially the towering bridge. "I MUST ADMIT..."

I had it #14, should've been top 10.

weird. as we near the top 10, i'm placing fewer of my votes. "the big sky" is the only one so far today.

A few thoughts:

And Dream of Sheep -- the song where Tori Amos was born, for better or worse, and historically my favorite from "The Ninth Wave." I read recently that Rolling Stone, in its HoL review in 1986, suggested that Barry Manilow could have quite the hit with it!

Experiment IV -- I absolutely love this, from the rocket snare to even what she does with the overtly *rock* guitar rhythms. But more than anything, there's something striking and mysterious about a woman with such a luxurious voice singing about secret military experiments. And the end with the helicopter is positively terrifying.

Only 5 of mine so far I think, meaning at least three won't place. Niggling feeling that "Aerial Tal" may be a casualty.

That's 8/10 for the Dreaming so far... I am assuming Suspended in Gaffa will make the cut, but will Get Out of My House? Will the donkey braying ensure a place in the top ten?

It's virtually impossible to choose a favourite moment from a career so strong, but this next one would have a good claim on mine.

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/7138/0012acoralroom.jpg

12. A Coral Room
401 points, seventeen votes
Aerial (2005)
youtube

and in the half-light

^^^^ my favorite Aerial moment

Mine as well

Wow, Aerial is making a really strong showing so far. Nice.

I didn't participate but I did a lot of KB listening this last week
"The Dreaming" (the song) is an insane bit of writing and I can't deal with it
Like, even when I was 11 I was like "this is weird and offensive to hear"
But "SEE THE LIGHT RAM THROUGH THE GAPS IN THE LAAAND!" holy god what a SONG!

that RaiUno clip is like the most wrongous staging possible

put your hand over the side of the boat

<3

the part where her voice cracks ever so slightly when singing "i can hear her singing" before the little brown jug bit almost brings me to tears every time

"sat in your lap" - in the right mood i enjoy this a lot, but it's also sometimes a bit much sonically, but i'm so taken with the sentiments behind it

'Sat In Your Lap' is a tremendous way to announce your presence at the start of an album, but man do I dislike 'The Dreaming' (the song itself).

"a coral room" was my higher-ranking 'aerial' vote, so gorgeous

http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/1341/0011thesensualworld.jpg

11. The Sensual World
(one vote for Flower Of The Mountain)
414 points, sixteen votes, two no.1s
The Sensual World (1989) / Director’s Cut (2011)
video

i was pretty disappointed with the 'flower of the mountain' version that got rid of the ooooooo yesss parts, which imo was what made that song

'Sat In Your Lap' was my no 1...a bit random really but my god what a way to start an album...gets me every time...

i do not approve of this image selection

wow. i like the track but placing this high is just crazy. also the Director's Cut version is maybe my least favourite Kate track aside from King Of The Mountain :-(

director's cut is mostly abominable though

Heh sorry xp. I originally intended a bodies-only version but it turned out a bit ... meatlike. Back to wholesomeness shortly.

Christgau re "The Sensual World": it could "give Henry James a boner."

I always loved that.

A Coral Room was my #2 -- I contemplated it for #1, but couldn't quite pull the trigger. Courtesy of Kate:

"The song is really about the passing of time... I like the idea of coming from this big expansive, outside world of sea and cities into, again, this very small space where, er, it's talking about a memory of my mother and this little brown jug. I always remember hearing years ago this thing about a sort of Zen approach to life, where, you would hold something in your hand, knowing that, at some point, it would break, it would no longer be there."

Into the top ten.

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/8673/0010helloearth.jpg

10. Hello Earth
439 points, sixteen votes, four no.1s
Hounds of Love (1985)
from Miami Vice

just look at it gooooooooooooooooo

I used to think "Hello Earth" was little more than a coda to "And Dream of Sheep" but these past few weeks I've come to love it. The Florian Fricke stuff is awesome -- and part of me wonders if that's Peter Gabriel is sampled in there somewhere as well.

Only demerit: I always think of that one line that goes "I get out of my car/And step into the night" as: "I get out of my dreams/And into my car..."

The first two ballots in had Hello Earth at no.1 (including my own) and I thought: ohhhhh... It got drawn back in soon enough, but that was quite the start.

director's cut is mostly abominable though

i listened to it last night and it was fun!

think of it as a live album

I didn't vote in this, but Hello Earth would have been my #1.

lol @ naive teen idol and also damn u! my number 3, i always think of it as 'the ninth wave' sibling to 'cloudbusting'. the chords sound similar but i'm not very good on formal/technical stuff so may be way off.

Listened to 'Hello Earth' earlier and instantly realised I made a mistake leaving it off my ballot. I would say that more than any other part of 'The Ninth Wave', I can't seperate it from 'The Morning Fog' which follows it.

I couldn't say what moves me most about it: the spectral vocals (both sections), the shifts in perspective from delicate to epic, the touch of the divine... It's an incredible thing.

Kate the astronaut, viewing earth from the moon, blocking it out with her hand. If there was ever an instance where the awe in the music perfectly matches those in the lyrics.

I started my ballot with this in the #1 spot.

mmmm yes

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/6496/0009breathing.jpg

9. Breathing
479 points, twenty-two votes
Never For Ever (1980)
video

This song has never really done anything for me as of yet.

Don't know how to put the video in links, so sorry for bombing the thread but this is a cringeworthy gem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNMw5Te8iCE&hd=1

In high school a friend of mine asked me for a tape with Breathing on it because he thought it sounded sexy and wanted to use it to get his girlfriend "in the mood." I refused and tore a strip off him verbally. Don't regret it.

There's plenty of Kate songs to get 'in the mood' but 'Breathing' isn't one of them.

there's always "Jig of Life."

"wake up love"

OK I know for sure 5 of the next 8, but curious about the other 3.

(and rooting for anything-but-R.U.T.H. as #1.)

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/4818/0008nocturn.jpg

8. Nocturn
503 points, twenty votes, three no.1s
Aerial (2005)
youtube

Listened to 'Hello Earth' earlier and instantly realised I made a mistake leaving it off my ballot.

― fun loving and xtremely tolrant (Billy Dods), Wednesday, August 29, 2012 10:43 AM (39 minutes ago)

yeah, it's the only thing i really regret leaving off my ballot. cut it cuz hounds of love was already overrepresented.

my no 1!

jeez, i like arial, but nowhere near as much as you all

TOO LOW

Thought Nocturn might be higher. Think i had it about third. Amazing piece of music.

I'd always have said Nocturn was my favourite from Aerial, but when it came down to it Sunset and A Coral Room beat it easily (lol it was still my no.8)

my number 2 and yeah, too low. listened to it in the small hours when i was suffering insomnia a few years ago and it was like a warm blanket.

the fact that there is a Kate Bush song as good as Breathing that also features Roy Harper is possibly proof of God's existence.

speaking of roy harper!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKAOu37oMkM

^^^ this and xpost

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/2993/0007suspendedingaffa.jpg

7. Suspended In Gaffa
563 points, twenty-three votes, one no.1
The Dreaming (1982)
more goodies from German telly

ha! had no idea my love for this song was shared by so many

My #2! Possibly should have been my #1.

kate is astonishingly sexy in the live performance of this wearing the black dress. if i could have married one woman...

this was my only pick from 'the dreaming' i think.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2457/0006getoutofmyhouse.jpg

6. Get Out Of My House
570 points, twenty-four votes, one no.1
The Dreaming (1982)
youtube

yeeeeeeeeeeeees

I TURN INTO THE MUUUUUULE

that's the whole of the dreaming now, right? lol @ this batshit thing being voted the best

and "all the love"/"there goes a tenner" the worst :/

Is this the first poll when an entire (non hits) album has appeared in full?

and that was the moment my slim hopes of 'blow away (for bill)' making it flickered and died :(

yep, that's all of the dreaming.

woah Sat In Your Lap only at 13?! also; had no idea Aerial was THIS well regarded.

I haven't been on all the polls, but it's the first time I can recall a whole album placing. The Joshua Tree nearly did on my other one, but iirc it fell one short.

hahaha, thanks mothers of the disappeared!

It's pretty sweet watching a deep cut take off as the ballots roll in - this placed on a straight run of ten consecutive ballots in the middle.

am glad that The Dreaming made it in full, of all the albums it deserves it most i think even tho it's not the era i go back to most at the moment

most of my favorite kate bush songs are horror movies, so this one had to make my list

I haven't been on all the polls, but it's the first time I can recall a whole album placing

I thought this happened with several of the Neil Young albums...?

The mule part gets all the attention -- understandably -- but the whole song is wonderfully psycho. I am the concierge chez-moi, OH-nee...

and we all indirectly have stephen king to thank for it

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/3702/0005wutheringheights.jpg

5. Wuthering Heights
617 points, twenty-two votes, three no.1s
The Kick Inside (1978) (two votes for The Whole Story (1986))
debut performance

I voted for "Blow Away (for Bill) " as well : (

Surprised some of the stronger cuts from "Aerial"'s first side haven't made it in: "Pi", "Mrs. Bartolozzi"... (though I voted for neither. Would've done "Pi" if I had a choice.)

I haven't been on all the polls, but it's the first time I can recall a whole album placing

I thought this happened with several of the Neil Young albums...?

I don't think any of the Neil albums placed in full, but I'm pretty sure all of Innervisions placed in the Stevie poll.

I didn't vote in this poll, but this would have been my #1. Absolutely blew my mind when I first saw it on TV.

up there with the best debut singles of all time. thought it would place one or two higher though, but i can guess what beat it.

i'm getting a bit giddy that my number 1 might be the overall number 1 now, don't think it's ever happened on an ilm poll before.

came low in my poll and maybe shdn't've been there at all, or shd've been much higher, i dunno, i think i voted from "importance" slightly which is totally against my usual method. but it's unquestionably spectacular no matter what my relationship is to it on any one day

some of my absolute faves are not gonna make it

neither of my top 2 has placed yet

My intro to "Wuthering Heights" was the '86 version. Is it ok if I prefer it?

up there with the best debut singles of all time. thought it would place one or two higher though, but i can guess what beat it.

― Jamie_ATP, Wednesday, 29 August 2012 7:42 PM (29 seconds ago)

Yeah. I think I underrated this on my ballot as I figured it was a lock for the top three; love Tom's writeup on it for Popular:
http://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2008/07/kate-bush-wuthering-heights/

I was one of the #1 votes for "Nocturn" - everything I'd loved about Kate Bush ~The Ninth Wave with added balearic majesty; I think it was Tim in the OG Aerial thread that mentioned Talk Talk/Bark Psychosis/"Halcyon+On+On"/"Under The Sun" as reference points. I wish I'd had the chance to hear it at the end of some kind of Studio DJ set as the sun was rising.

we aren't here to judge

i'm really looking fwd to individual ballots, the order of some of this list has really surprised me (eg "suspended in gaffa" and "pull out the pin" respectively)

well, I am

For a horrible second I thought you posted 'will.i.am'

what poll you good people

As in, "good news, new KB album, bad news, produced by will.i.am"

I wish I'd had the chance to hear it at the end of some kind of Studio DJ set as the sun was rising.

you've just reminded me of that wonderful ewan pearson '...and so to bed' mix where he finishes with it, must dig that out.

ooh, link to that please

I wish I'd had the chance to hear it at the end of some kind of Studio DJ set as the sun was rising

I once saw Balearic Mike start off a boat party set with 'Nocturne', just as we started moving along the coast. It was a glorious moment.

xp i think i've got it on a cd somewhere, it's from several laptops ago. if i can find it, i will.

http://www.mixcloud.com/allezallez/048-and-so-to-bed-mix-by-ewan-pearson/

thanks

shd've withheld that until all the results were posted ;-)

ha!

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/6862/swork.jpg

4. This Woman’s Work
663 points, twenty-six votes, four no.1s
The Sensual World (1989)
video

TOO LOW

Bum. My number 1, which I can't listen to without shedding a tear.

there goes my number 1

i know you have a little life in you yet cue uncontrollable weepiness

ha i typed that before i saw Boksen's post <3

the last time I listened to this song I was rushing to pick up my kid from preschool while my wife was having a miscarriage in the hospital and I cried like a fucking little girl. and now I will always associate this song with that moment.

"this woman's work" might be The Most Moving Song Ever

oh Shakey

Tremendously moving. She really tapped into something when she created this song. Love the Director's Cut version of this as well. Voted for that one.

toyed with voting Director's Cut versions of this and "Deeper Understanding" but in the end i didn't specify cos it seemed too challopian

This blew up recently due to some film or something iirc? It was a lot harder to find nice clips to choose from

Six albums already represented in the top 10, that's a wider spread than I would have expected. (Tho I'm guessing none of my Red Shoes faves are in the top 3.)

Yeah. I think I underrated this [Wuthering Heights] on my ballot as I figured it was a lock for the top three

i figured it would be much more drastically underrated, pleased to see it finish so high

The vastly underrated Lionheart is still going to be vastly underratted, isn't it?

Kinda wondering if the top three is all gonna be from side one of Hounds of Love.

amazing how TWW was written *specifically for* She's Having A Baby and directly inspired by the script! something else to thank John Hughes for.

was it?! that's remarkable. add me to those who can't listen to it without welling up a little.

aye. from NME: "It was written for John Hughes' film She's Having A Baby. Really light comedy about this young guy who gets married, very much a kid. His wife is pregnant and it's alright until they get to the hospital and the baby's in the breach position.
That's the sequence I have to write the songs about and it's really very moving, him in the waiting room, having flashbacks of his wife and him going for walks, decoration... It's exploring his sadness and guilt, suddenly it's the point where he has to grow up. He'd been such a wally up to this point."

still blows my mind!

If she called me a wally I would kill myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MZWrEfB_VM

Kinda wondering if the top three is all gonna be from side one of Hounds of Love.

:(

Add me to the wellers-uppers. TSW gets knocked a lot for its sound, but this track is one hell of a production job - that's how to build a climax imo.

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/5469/0003houndsoflove.jpg

3. Hounds Of Love
668 points, twenty-four votes, five no.1s
Hounds of Love (1985)
video

One of the reasons I suspect I didn't vote is that 'Ken' (a song written specifically for The Comic Strip) Is maybe my favourite and I would be crushed now it's not placing.

still getting excited!

i feel like this is over-rated in this context, but that cd be partly over-exposure. but nah, i don't buy it as the third best song of her career. still brilliant, obv.

aghhh. My #1. Great photo, IK! Would buy this single with that cover : )

Trying not to refresh this thread like it was an eBay auction ending.

This one was beloved of late voters. It had a terrible first third of the poll - joint ninth after twelve ballots - and thereafter went on a tear. When I went to bed on the brink of closing the voting it had climbed to fifth; the last three ballots lifted it into the top three.

Amazing photo!

Here's a cover version w/a choir (adorably) doing the "arf arf arf arf arf" backing vocals:
http://dudleybenson.bandcamp.com/track/hounds-of-love-the-awakening-live

and it had the most no.1s, so if I'd done a button poll instead then it's our winner

HoL was my #1 vote (and on certain days and in certain temperaments maybe just my favorite song, flat-out?)

that image is so perfect

This and the Bowie poll are the only ones I've voted in; two pop stars I grew up with (and KB was/is a star in the UK - that's the thing that perhaps isn't all that apparent to North American fans who discovered her by different means - she was Saturday morning kids' telly AND critical darling). I wonder if I'm the only 40something Brit to kind of ignore Aerial in all of this, just associating all her peaks with my own formative years. I mean, I do own the thing, and I'm definitely going to try again with it.

I think it's time

but first I want to say that it really was really close

(cue loud Linn drum roll )

( and Orch5 sample )

http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/839/0002cloudbusting.jpg

2. Cloudbusting
790 points, twenty-eight votes, three no.1s
Hounds of Love (1985)
video

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

i don't mean that. it's fine, they're all great. pull yourself together man.

Sterling work, IK. Big thanks. Great images throughout. Pleasure to participate.

but you don't know what's no.1 yet

It's Rocket's Tail!

"Heads We're Dancing"?

so that leaves "heartbrake" as the only possible #1, right?

The single with Peter Gabriel?

so many possibilities, but

http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/7124/0001runningupthathill.jpg

1. Running Up That Hill
800 points, twenty-nine votes, three no.1s
Hounds of Love (1985)
video

My number one, iirc. It's just perfect.

Fun poll! Glad to have added my two cents!

congratulations, you've just beaten the best song by anyone ever. i must admit i downgraded this a bit as i thought this may happen, how many points did my 11th place give it?

Kate's really big hits are also amazing songs that don't ever feel diluted by their exposure, IMO.

"Running Up That Hill" was played at a houseparty a few weeks ago and totally captivated the dancefloor.

brilliant poll!

and as this is the end, let's marvel at such an amazing video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp43OdtAAkM

This poll was an absolute pleasure, thanks very much to Ismael Klata for making it happen!

No, thanks to all of you - especially the early voters, it really took the pressure off

Some stats to emphasise just how close it was:

• the winning margin was ten points. That was actually relatively wide. As voting progressed, one or other opened up a larger gap on only eight of the last thirty-one rounds;
• at no stage did any track enjoy a forty point lead (i.e. a whole ballot's worth);
• these two traded the overall lead six times;
• they were tied after 32 of the 36 ballots;
• when I went to bed on the last evening, leaving voting open 'til morning, Cloudbusting led by two;
• had I been strict about closing voting at midnight, Running Up That Hill would've won it when balls' ballot came in with three minutes to spare;
• every single one of the 36 ballots could've been tweaked individually to give Cloudbusting the win.

We're all to blame, is what I'm saying

Wait - even if one didn't vote for "Cloudbusting"?

(referring to your last stat)

c'mon, who wouldn't vote for cloudbusting

I didn't and I kicked myself after turning my votes in. Total brain fart.

As was not voting for something like 15 other songs : )

The last stat - what I mean is, everyone could've either lopped eleven points off Running Up That Hill or given eleven more to Cloudbusting, and we'd've had a different winner. Nobody maxed out on C while ignoring R.

thanks ismael, fantastic poll.

(and i do actually love 'R.U.T.H.', it's a deserving winner, just not as much as 'cloudbusting'. i don't love anything as much as that tho tbh).

I just know that something good is gonna happen. Amazing poll/images! I'm fairly happy with my ballot, considering I threw it together in a panic (hopefully my vote for "Rubberband Man" instead of "Rubberband Girl" was counted, too much T.I. on the brain). I'm curious as to where "Under The Ice" and "The Morning Fog" placed, as I've been surprised by where the other The Ninth Wave tracks ended up ("Waking The Witch" was my #2, and I hadn't realised "And Dream Of Sheep"/"Jig Of Life" were so widely-loved).

When's cool to post our Picks?

I'm just about to put up the full list, then have at it

etc - nearly everyone mystified one of their tracks, you're not alone!

Full list. Asterisks are no.1 votes.

1. 800 Running Up That Hill (29 ***)
2. 790 Cloudbusting (28 ***)
3. 668 Hounds of Love (24 *****)
4. 663 This Woman's Work (26 ****)
5. 617 Wuthering Heights (22 ***)
6. 570 Get Out of My House (24 *)
7. 563 Suspended in Gaffa (23 *)
8. 503 Nocturn (20 ***)
9. 479 Breathing (22)
10. 439 Hello Earth (16 ****)

11. 414 The Sensual World (16 **)
12. 401 A Coral Room (17)
13. 362 Sat in Your Lap (14 *)
14. 346 The Dreaming (14)
15. 342 Army Dreamers (16)
16. 294 And Dream of Sheep (12)
17. 286 Night of the Swallow (11)
18. 272 Experiment IV (13 *)
19. 269 The Big Sky (13)
20. 264 The Man with the Child in His Eyes (11)

21. 257 Jig of Life (12 *)
22. 254 Leave It Open (10 *)
23. 253 Mother Stands for Comfort (12)
24. 238 Sunset (11)
25. 199 Moving (10)
26. 198 Babooshka (10)
27. 187 Houdini (9)
28. 178 Pull Out the Pin (9)
29. 175 Under the Ivy (8 *)
30. 172 Deeper Understanding (8)

31. 163 How to Be Invisible (8)
32. 162 Wow (9)
33. 145 The Wedding List (7)
34. 131 Hammer Horror (7)
35. 129 Snowflake (6)
36. 128 There Goes a Tenner (7)
37. 128 All the Love (7)
38. 127 Delius (Song of Summer) (6)
39. 126 Rubberband Girl (7)
40. 122 Moments of Pleasure (6)

41. 119 Somewhere in Between (6)
42. 117 The Infant Kiss (6)
43. 113 King of the Mountain (5)
44. 105 The Fog (6)
45. 104 Oh England My Lionheart (5)
46. 103 Waking the Witch (5)
47. 103 Misty (6)
48. 103 Lake Tahoe (5)
49. 102 Love and Anger (5)
50. 102 Aerial (5)

51. 099 Never Be Mine
52. 097 The Kick Inside
53. 095 π or Pi
54. 095 Rocket's Tail
55. 090 Blow Away (For Bill)
56. 087 L'Amour Looks Something like You
57. 077 Be Kind to My Mistakes
58. 076 The Morning Fog
59. 075 James and the Cold Gun
60. 067 The Red Shoes

61. 066 Mrs. Bartolozzi
62. 062 Egypt
63. 061 Wild Man
64. 061 Violin
65. 061 Them Heavy People
66. 057 The Song of Solomon
67. 055 Rocket Man (1991; from Two Rooms)
68. 054 Feel It
69. 053 Watching You Without Me
70. 053 Top of the City

71. 052 Why Should I Love You?
72. 050 Under Ice
73. 048 Big Stripey Lie
74. 042 Night Scented Stock
75. 041 Lily
76. 040 Joanni
77. 040 In the Warm Room
78. 038 Bertie
79. 031 Symphony in Blue
80. 028 Something Like A Song (demo)

81. 027 And So Is Love
82. 026 All We Ever Look For
83. 025 Prologue
84. 025 One Last Look Around The House Before We Go
85. 025 50 Words for Snow
86. 024 Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake
87. 024 Coffee Homeground
88. 024 An Architect's Dream
89. 023 Oh to Be in Love
90. 023 Lord of the Reedy River

91. 022 December Will Be Magic Again
92. 022 Constellation of the Heart
93. 018 Prelude
94. 017 Snowed in at Wheeler Street
95. 017 Aerial Tal
96. 015 Heads We're Dancing
97. 014 Kashka From Baghdad
98. 012 Ken
99. 012 Don't Give Up

And the unloved:

 You're the One
 You want Alchemy
 Walk Straight Down the Middle
 The Saxophone Song
 The Painter's Link
 The Man I Love
 The Handsome Cabin Boy
 The Empty Bullring
 The Confrontation
 Strange Phenomena
 Show A Little Devotion
 Sexual Healing
 Room for the Life
 Reaching Out
 Ran Tan Waltz
 Passing Through Air
 Not This Time
 Ne t'Enfuis Pas
 My Lagan Love
 Lyra
 Kite
 In Search of Peter Pan
 I'm Still Waiting
 Fullhouse
 Eat the Music
 Dreamtime
 Candle In the Wind
 Burning Bridge
 Between a Man and a Woman
 Among Angels

My own ballot:

1. Hello Earth
2. Sunset
3. Night of the Swallow
4. Leave It Open
5. A Coral Room
6. This Woman's Work
7. Jig of Life
8. Nocturn
9. Suspended in Gaffa
10. Constellation of the Heart

11. Bertie
12. Running Up That Hill
13. How To Be Invisible
14. Get Out of My House
15. Snowed In At Wheeler St
16. Mother Stands For Comfort
17. Army Dreamers
18. Flower of the Mountain/The Sensual World
19. Wuthering Heights
20. Pull Out The Pin

1. Aerial
2. The Dreaming
3. Hounds of Love

Great poll, love the images, nice work - wish I hadn't been so busy the past few days and had time to chime in.

I had a blast doing this btw, thanks to you all. Special thanks to Or Something for drawing my attention to the cottage industry in youtube videos set to Kate's music - I'd been flicking through them without realising what was going on, but some really are excellent. I've linked where I've seen something good, but I'll've missed loads.

1.The Hounds Of Love
2. Houdini
3.Running Up That Hill
4. Night Of the Swallow
5. And dream Of sheep
6. Mother Stands For Comfort
7. Hello earth
8. Blow Away (for Bill)
9. Lord Of the reedy River
10. Jig Of Life
11. This Woman's Work (Director's Cut Version)
12. Moments Of Pleasure (Director's Cut Version)
13. Breathing
14. Under The Ivy
15. Egypt
16. Lake Tahoe
17. The sensual World
18. A Coral room
19. Wild Man
20. 50 Words For Snow

Albums:

1. The Dreaming
2. The Hounds Of Love
3. Never For ever

1. This Woman's Work
2. Nocturn
3. Get Out of My House
4. Night of the Swallow
5. A Coral Room
6. Cloudbusting
7. Experiment IV
8. Sunset
9. Top of the City
10. Jig of Life
11. Hello Earth
12. Pull Out the Pin
13. Breathing
14. The Infant Kiss
15. The Fog
16. The Song of Solomon
17. Moments of Pleasure (Director's Cut)
18. Aerial
19. Leave it Open
20. Why Should I Love You

it occurs to me i should've put "top of the city" higher, would've liked to see that place somehow

"Aerial Tal" was robbed, and I thought ILM loved animal noises :(

Anyway, my top 3 are among of my favourite songs by any artist and any of them could have been #1 on a particular day. Looks like three of my picks had no other voters, of which I'm only really surprised by "Kashka From Baghdad" which is my favourite track by far off Lionheart.

Hounds of Love
Suspended in Gaffa
This Woman's Work
Breathing
Jig of Life
Pi
Running Up That Hill
Cloudbusting
Pull Out the Pin
Wuthering Heights
December Will Be Magic Again
Sunset
Wild Man
Get Out of My House
Aerial Tal
Army Dreamers
Houdini
Kashka from Baghdad
The Coral Room
Egypt

01 Nocturn
02 Waking The Witch
03 Cloudbusting
04 Hammer Horror
05 Running Up That Hill
06 Under Ice
07 Hounds Of Love
08 The Morning Fog
09 The Big Sky
10 Hello Earth
11 Wuthering Heights
12 Wow
13 James and the Cold Gun
14 Mother Stands For Comfort
15 Aerial
16 Get Out Of My House
17 Big Stripey Lie
18 Be Kind To My Mistakes
19 Rubberband Man*
20 The Dreaming

*Girl

Threw this together at the last minute without much of a chance to listen to anything again, so it probably leans a little heavily on Hounds of Love, but there are worse fates.

Mine:

Songs

1. Under the Ivy
2. And Dream of Sheep
3. Army Dreamers
4. Suspended in Gaffa
5. Something like a song
6. A Coral Room
7. Pull Out The Pin
8. Mother Stands for Comfort
9. Hello Earth
10.Breathe
11.Running Up That Hill
12.Babooshka
13.Cloudbusting
14.The Song of Solomon
15.Delius
16.All The Love
17.This Woman’s Work
18.In Search of Peter Pan
19.Oh England My Lionheart
20.And So Is Love

Albums

1. The Dreaming
2. The Hounds of Love
3. Never For Ever

Not a lot of love for 'Something like a song', but that was to be expected.
Pity Kate never developed that gorgeous melody into a proper song/recording.

This poll was fun. Thanks Ismael!

Here's mine although now I wish I'd included 'Pull Out The Pin' 'All The Love' and 'Sunset'...whaddaya gonna do...

20.A Coral Room
19.King Of The Mountain
18.The Infant Kiss
17.The Night Of The Swallow
16..Wild Man
15.Pi
14.Somewhere In Between
13.Houdini
12..Breathing
11.The Wedding Kiss
10.The Sensual World
9.Cloudbusting
8.Wow
7.Leave It Open
6.Army Dreamers
5.Blow Away
4.The Dreaming
3.The Man With The Child In His Eyes
2.Wuthering Heights
1.Sat In Your Lap

3.Aerial
2.Never For Ever
1.The Dreaming

Cheers

Lee

my list was kind of 'canon', in retrospect

1. Hounds of Love
2. Wuthering Heights (original version)
3. Cloudbusting
4. Get Out of My House
5. Running up That Hill
6. Moments of Pleasure
7. The Dreaming
8. Hello Earth
9. Suspended in Gaffa
10. Breathing
11. Sat in Your Lap
12. This Woman's Work
13. Never Be Mine
14. A Coral Room
15. Love and Anger
16. The Kick Inside
17. Be Kind to My Mistakes
18. Nocturn
19. Snowflake
20. Under the Ivy

Albums:

1. The Dreaming
2. Hounds of Love
3. Aerial

my ballot -

1. Nocturn
2. Leave It Open
3. Aerial
4. Somewhere In Between
5. Be Kind To My Mistakes
6. Get Out Of My House
7. This Woman's Work
8. Under Ice
9. How To Be Invisible
10. Cloudbusting
11. Pull Out The Pin
12. Suspended In Gaffa
13. A Coral Room
14. Sunset
15. Mother Stands For Comfort
16. Breathing
17. Experiment IV
18. Hounds Of Love
19. All The Love
20. The Morning Fog