Kate Bush: Klassik or Dudd

The Dreaming is still good. Only the mumbly "Watching You Without Me" stands up off the much-slighted "Ninth Wave" section of Hounds Of Love - extra points to Danny Thompson for making the double-bass sound just like the ubiquitous fretless sound of the mid- 80s (like, why?). The singles off that are mostly umimpeachable.

I find everything on The Sensual World unlistenable save for the title track. I keep seeing The Red Shoes for tiny amounts of money on CD... worth a shot?

However, from The Sensual World I would strongly defend "The Fog" (the way the floods of sound drift in as she sings "Is this road big enough for the both of us?" is lovely) and "Rocket's Tail" before Gilmour's guitar solo ruins it. And of course "This Woman's Work" is to some extent undeniable.

I'm glad you like Hounds Of Love Gareth. If you decide to get another Kate Bush album I would say The Dreaming is the one to get. Those two are the only essential purchases in her collection, really.

Actually Tim (backpedalling furiously), I'll kinda go along with the above, save the last sentence. Still find it mawkish. This was not my initial reaction in 1989, when I thought the whole thing was a masterpiece (even the one about dancing with Hitler). I really liked hearing "Rubberband Girl" on the radio in '93 but never considered getting the LP.

any thoughts? it's a beautiful song

Actually, it is quite lovely. Perhaps Lionheart is being unfairly ignored. The song in question is the one with hand-written lyrics on the inside of the gatefold, some nice recorders, a harpsichord and the highest harmonies outside of a Stina Nordenstam LP. If I was really clever I'd link to an MP3 of it for Nick's benefit. But I'm not.

I hate her. Hate hate hate.

(My very-personal thing about The Dreaming: I simply cannot listen to it without strongly associating it with the abridged and illustrated version of Oliver Twist I read over and over as a child. This wouldn't be significant except that The Dreaming is the only Kate Bush record I do that with; I think it's the theft aspect of "There Goes a Tenner.")

And I am listening to my first ever Kate Bush (sure, she's been on in the background and parties but that's not the same) - 'Running Up That Hill' is brilliant. Every time she starts into the chorus my forearms just jelly up ("if I only could make a deal with God") - the weird-strange pronunciation of God, giving it more portent than it should, reminding me of Sophie Ellis Bextor, and all the while the drums rumbling away underneath, carrying her along. I'm about to go and put on the Hounds of Love.

Where should I (and if you know my tastes, bear those in mind), go next to find more Kate Bush stuff? I like the more pop song deals than the more freakish stuff like that song "The Dreaming" (if I'm thinking of the right song).

I hope she will soon escape from the spaceship which has kidnapped here and taken her to outer space, and return to Mother Earth to start working on some new music.

The new album's in the can, too, apparently.

When I want to get weepy-eyed, I play Kate Bush. "This Woman's Work" is a heartbreaking song, as is "Cloudbursting" ("we're cloudbursting, daddy" *sob* *sob*) and "Running Up That Hill". I think some of her material is a bit quirky, but all of it is flavored with a tiny bit of melancholy (or sensitivity) that make the songs absolutely lovely in a "reach your heart with a feather light touch that manages to shatter it in thousands of tiny pieces" sort of way.

*sighs* Once again, classic.

At the moment The Dreaming stands as my absolute big favorite, in fact, completely and utterly coincidentally, I'm listening to it right now! Wooh!

She manages to bring together quirkiness, pure pop niftyness and, ah, yeah, I guess that's it. I wish one of these so-called "Kate Bush wannabes" would be remotely near as good. Tori Amos' Little Earthquakes was good for a few listens, but it faltered under closer scrutiny. Some of these later girls, who seem to in turn be influenced by Amos, just plain suck. Damn them all!

Even if she does a mediocre album, I'd LOVE to see Kate Bush return to music. Hopefully the rumours of a new album are true this time. And hopefully frigging Nelly or whoever won't be guesting! Her voice still sounds pretty good, judging by the crap-quality MP3 I have of her guest spot on some Gilmour show last year.

(also new FT articles shockah)

Tori Amos - if I were Kate, I'd sue. Hideous woman.

definitely expected that mental image upon re-opening this thread

"Running Up That Hill" from the same place:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwQQbfJFc5U

pretty sure the clips are about five years apart.

I still need Kick Inside and the latter 4 albums. Total bummer that you can't get the 2 bonus discs of b-sides/rarities of This Woman's Work by themselves or even on mp3. That collection costs a fortune.

Even though it isn't nearly the best, Lionheart is probably my favourite, my appreciation of her really deepened with that album. Particularly for the utterly incredible "Wow"; "In The Warm Room" is great too.

That "Running Up That Hill" is a lot better in paper than in reality. Yikes.

On paper.

"I still need Kick Inside and the latter 4 albums. Total bummer that you can't get the 2 bonus discs of b-sides/rarities of This Woman's Work by themselves or even on mp3. That collection costs a fortune."

you can find them illegally easily enough, or if you send me a personal message.

It's not really a priority right now but it annoys me that those two discs don't have their own collection. How many people shelled out for that who didn't already have the studio albums in the box? I bet there is a YouTube playlist somewhere. Kind of hoping if I wait, a more complete collection will come out (I think it might have just been a alternate versions left off and I'm not really one to get excited about different mixes).

How much of it is worthwhile?

I've heard contrasting opinions on Cathy's Home Demos. Anyone here think it's worth getting?

I've also heard that the Japanese editions of her albums have superior remastering. Is this just collector bragging nonsense?

I have the japanese box set. It's been ages since I had the original US pressings but I don't remember there being any earth shattering difference.

Think it was the difference between the American CDs and the British EMI reissues with the bonus tracks. Sound on the American CDs is pretty awful – HoL in particular.

If you're a fan of her music the B-Sides/rarities are a must listen, I think. there are often some wonderful diversions from what she was doing on her albums of the time as well as surprisingly deep yet minimal pieces ("Under The Ivy", Donovan cover "Lord Of The Reedy River").

Penman on the return

I take a different view from his reading of Bertie, its a very well realized idea and the only thing I would listen to again from Aerial

Probably agree on the majority of the piece - not that bothered to check the records. It may reflect on both Kate and the piece too. Or myself.

It's the best, most on-the-money thing I think I've read about her. Thanks for the link!

the only thing I would listen to again from Aerial

seriously wtf

I've heard contrasting opinions on Cathy's Home Demos. Anyone here think it's worth getting?

it's definitely worth a download. there are a bunch of different editions of the same material, but the best sounding version I've heard online is Alone At My Piano (hope it's ok to link to that). that particular download is sped up slightly — every other version I've heard sounds unnaturally slow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ5ouR6p-gM

^probably my favorite unreleased demo track

just read the penman essay, it's typically great but I can't really hang with the iconoclazzzm here, as with the michael jackson piece where he indulges in similar tropes of the sole clear-sighted non-kool aid drinker: part of me can't help wondering, admit it, let's face it, &c. It's annoying when lesser challop-merchants do it and it's annoying from a writer as thoughtful and incisive as penman. That said, I agree with a lot of what he says, I just draw different conclusions (I adore aerial)

tbh felt relief reading his assessment of Aerial. I never managed to see what others saw in it

well nobody has to like anything! but defaulting to "risk" and "edge" as intrinsically valuable allegedly missing qualities is a bit lazy I think

I mean ok, punk orthodoxy would have an automatic antipathy towards certain moves yet some of those same critics now love kate for doing similar - maybe that's cause they were wrong and they now realise it! And the whole sting hypothetical, where if he wrote a song like "bertie" "we" would dismiss it out of hand - this is probably true, but that's a more trenchant criticism of "us" than the song imo.

And this is coming from a guy who very recently wrote a beautiful essay defending apparently "cosy" (but often unsettled) music, in the scott walker book. Or, you know, everything he says here could equally be applied to robert wyatt or whoever. I think he's getting at something, but it reads as empty contrarianism whether it is or not.

TPL reaches The Whole Story and wonders who's really listening: http://nobilliards.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/kate-bush-whole-story.html

Currently reading "Under The Ivy". It's breezy enough - like an extended Mojo artist bio but with great detailed descriptions of her recording process on each album. I also didn't know she was such a pothead haha.

15 years

But what the fuck do YOU think of the lass?

The accuracy

In honour of the fact that there is now one week left until the Oscars, here is Kate Bush as each of the ten Best Picture nominees. 🧵

— 𝕋𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕤 (@cinema_gay) March 5, 2023

Rest In Peace Del Palmer.