Kate Bush

Josh, the Queen fans b/w 15-25 I know have Spotify lists of songs. The cousin who loves Queen and Harry Styles does know Styles albums because he's contemporary.

Josh in Chicago, not trying to call you a grandpa, but this has quite literally been the way most young people have consumed music for my entire life. When I realized at age 14 that I was often the only one who knew the catalog depths of (insert band name here), I was sort of shocked, but it made sense to me— I just figured I had a different relationship to listening than many of my peers.

I mean I also am an enormous nerd with a bit of a hoarding tendency so that helps too.

Grandpa-away, clearly there are lots of things about our collective ILX listening habits that set us apart from most. Age is just one.

I think one evolution is singles, or lack of singles. Growing up, mostly in the '80s, of course there were still singles, and the radio seemed very single-driven as well. Then eventually comes peak CD, and albums were where it was at, because often there functionally *were* no singles. Then comes a la carte streaming, but that's less about singles, per se, then about single songs, which is different, imo. Not the song picked by the label or artist to push or promote, just a platter of single songs that listeners choose to elevate based on ... stuff.

Yep, there were lots of people who just knew the songs they played on the radio or MuchMusic/MTV or movie soundtracks, taped songs from the radio, bought compilations of hits, etc. My parents were baffled as to why I would ever want to blow money on albums of rock music when you can just hear it on the radio.xp

About 10 years ago or more, a much younger cousin of mine took a bunch of the CDs I brought for her, ripped them into itunes and then DELETED the album names...

― Evan, Tuesday, June 7, 2022 9:23 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

In my experience, I've found people like that to be control freaks. Like the idea of being a fan of a band or singer and/or listening to a full album as being subservient to the artist.

To pivot, I know someone who loves music but will delete her entire Apple Music library to start anew. Thankfully they told me via text because my face would've gave them the "Really bitch?"

I used to wipe my iPod every few months to start anew, but never my whole library.

That's understandable. But I guess they felt overwhelmed by seeing that much music on their app. Like leaving the songs/albums there isn't going to hurt you, but whatever. They thought I was weird to just save an album on the app in case I wanted to listen later.

Huh. I just keep adding and adding. Not doing too much iTunes listening these days, but checking now it's at ... 108K songs, or 311 days of music?

I have 21 songs on my phone. I hate keeping shit on it.

Huh. I just keep adding and adding. Not doing too much iTunes listening these days, but checking now it's at ... 108K songs, or 311 days of music?

― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, June 7, 2022 1:08 PM (nine minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

amber is the color of your energy

It was research for my blog 311 Days of 311.

Well damn Josh, you got me beat. I'm just shy of 100k myself an have been kind of embarrassed by that, so it's nice to know there are people worse than me :)

Since the pandemic I've been working from home mostly and therefore getting to actually listen to my records, and honestly I prefer that. having such a large library means searching high and low for new stuff to get into and I spent way too much time trying to convince myself to like things rather than actually listening to what I did like. I'd never delete anything though, why would you do that??

actually wait, I did delete R. Kelly, cuz fuck him

I'd never delete anything though, why would you do that??

― frogbs, Tuesday, June 7, 2022 2:21 PM (two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

I don't want to listen to it anymore. If I'm not listening to new albums, I upload or download older tracks I'm in the mood to play; when the mood passes I hit delete.

I'm a hoarder by nature so having a lot of saved albums on Apple Music isn't overwhelming to me nor feel like a lack of control. I will go through my library to delete some stuff in a "What was I thinking saving that?" feeling.

I used to act all control freak about streaming. No rhyme and reason. But now I see DSPs like the old kiosks at music stores. It got to the point of having emotional attachment/anxiety over a tech resource was silly.

I don't want to listen to it anymore. If I'm not listening to new albums, I upload or download older tracks I'm in the mood to play; when the mood passes I hit delete.

― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, June 7, 2022 1:24 PM (twelve minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

well yeah I delete things off my phone all the time (mostly for space reasons), but I'm talking about removing it from your library altogether - like, deleting the files. or do people not have MP3 collections anymore?? :o

oh no no -- from my phone. I don't throw CDs in the trash.

I'd say Rumours is an exception as far as "no one discovers the album anymore." And I think the world-making of Hounds of Love could make that one catch on as well. (Somewhere I saw that "Cloudbusting" is charting somewhere.)

During the Napster era, I remember one of main complaints found in many news stories about Napster were that "people were forced to buy a whole album just to listen to one song", so I think this thing where people only listen to single songs instead of albums has always been the case for a lot of people.

yep

maybe this will also result in a proper revival of "experiment iv." if forced to pick a single favorite tune of hers, it's my frontrunner.

(lol never gonna happen)

My 17 year old son listens to a lot of music, but I'm pretty sure he has never listened to an album. It's all just individual songs off Spotify.

I love albums. Even uneven albums. Especially uneven albums?

I'm with you. But it doesn't seem to be how it works these days!

albums are for the 70s

Reached its peak as an artform in that decade, but still culturally important as a mode of consumption until the early noughties

Xpost

Is that 1970s or 70 year olds?

Same thing I guess.

I love albums. Even uneven albums. Especially uneven albums?

― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, June 7, 2022 5:52 PM (twenty-eight minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

if we’re complaining about the youngs, i’d like to register my distaste for the entire concept of “no skips”

to take it back to the thread topic, hounds of love is an obviously brilliant album, but do i listen to “waking the witch” every single time? no, but i wouldn’t erase it from existence, and its presence on the album doesn’t make it anything less than incredible!

maybe this will also result in a proper revival of "experiment iv." if forced to pick a single favorite tune of hers, it's my frontrunner.

― I'm ANTIFA and I vote. (Austin),

hi!

stealing moka's playlist idea, but with "experiment iv"

OH WAIT IT'S NOT ON SPOTIFY

I've never heard my neighbors playing loud music until last night when they were blasting this.

It’s really something when a song connects like that / has a big cultural moment

I do hope a lot of people discover the album as a result of RUTH's success. I was thinking yesterday that there are very few moments in pop music as chilling as when Kate sings:

"Watching storms start to form
Over America
Can't do anything
Just watch them swing with the wind out to sea"

I’m of the opinion that Bush’s best albums are Sensual World, The Red Shoes (Rubberband Girl incl) and Aerial

I have to skip when it’s an early song sung with a funny accent

Except her cover of “sex-you-wool healing” which I sometimes listen to when I want a laugh

I don't see "Heads We're Dancing" or "Between a Man and a Woman" being given prominent placing in a TV show anytime soon.

There is no greater sound than Kate coolly singing pi numbers over that Eberhard Weber bassline

"Heads We're Dancing" and "Big Stripey Lie" are often my favorite Kate songs.

Side 2 of Hounds of Love was the first time I found a set of songs that worked as literature. (Maybe The Wall did it for other people.)

The most subtle touch in this song, which I never noticed until I was teaching someone to sing it, is that sometimes when she sings the phrase "If I only could...", the downbeat comes on "if", and other times comes right after "could".

I had never heard "Cloudbusting" - it's a fucking jam

Eberhard Weber
― flamboyant goon tie included, Tuesday, June 7, 2022 7:11 PM

Eberhard Weber - C or D? + S&D

xpost: "cloudbusting" 12" version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MazbES_VMEY

having a sudden urge to listen to utah saints

When I heard the Futureheads do Hounds of Love I had never heard the original and didn’t realize it was a cover. I remember thinking it was way better than their other songs. HOL is probably my fave Bush jam.

Heh. Bush jam.

I had never heard "Cloudbusting" - it's a fucking jam

― subject matter expert (morrisp)

Yessss. Top 10 song of the 80’s for me. “Running up that hill” is obviously a classic but Cloudbusting and Hounds of Love are such underrated singles - but then again, even RUTH was also underrated at the time - hopefully this renaissance makes more people discover this album because it is fucking spectacular.

It's bizarre, it's Jubilee week, there was some story that the Sex Pistols "God Save The Queen" was going to be number one, but in actual fact it looks like its going to be held off by Kate Bush!

The most subtle touch in this song, which I never noticed until I was teaching someone to sing it, is that sometimes when she sings the phrase "If I only could...", the downbeat comes on "if", and other times comes right after "could".

― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, June 8, 2022 2:32 AM (six hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Yes! This is one of my favourite things about it.