Best song on Kate Bush's Hounds Of Love

So I listened to this 12" version of "The Big Sky" for the first time in forever, and realized that midway through it has those same voices that show up in "Waking The Witch."

Which also made me think that Side One has always felt like a string of more conventional pop songs, while Side Two is this novella...but if this longer version of "The Big Sky" were on the album, it would make Side One just as much of a story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gemzegd0YZQ

better poll would've been what's the second best song lol

I've always preferred 'Cloudbusting' to 'Running Up That Hill', fwiw.

been really enjoying 'The Big Sky' lately. it works really well as a surprise drop in a DJ set

cloudbusting is the best song here. One of the finest uses of a minimal drum beat in a pop song ever and the train SFX ending is perfect

Are these the only 12" mixes she put out? Cause they're all damn good.

Cloudbusting (The Organon Mix) 6:33
The Big Sky (Meteorological Mix) 7:45
Experiment IV (12" Mix) 6:37

The 12" Extended Mix of Running Up That Hill is mainly louder drums and some dubby echo effects on the vocals. Probably of some use for 'club play' but loses atmosphere by bringing elements into sharper focus IMO. Actually the Instrumental on the other side works better and does retain some parts of the vocal.

Some of the Red Shoes singles had "12-inch" remixes, I think?

this is one of the finest kate bush remixes/covers i've heard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQxEVhyvA0I

(Under the Ice)

The 12" of "Hounds of Love" (the song) is close to being an entirely different song iirc?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R86V64GLq4

Right, that's from the "Hounds Of Love" 12", I forgot about that one. It's on the "This Woman's Work" bonus discs.

The "Running Up That Hill" 12" has a 5:45 extended version.

"The Big Sky" 7" has a 4:34 "Special Single Mix". Are any of the other 7" versions more than just an edit?

Oh, and it looks like those two I mentioned are on this CD single: https://www.discogs.com/Kate-Bush-The-Red-Shoes/release/1412937

It'd be neat if she did a tour where the set was just a 70-90 minute version of Running Up That Hill

Has there ever been a thread for extended
Mixes of 80s songs? There’s tons of dope extended mixes online of everything from kim carnes to the cars. Like the extended version of Drive is beautiful

this fuckin album

indeed :)

love this too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQxEVhyvA0I

with the under the ice samples

^ I love this track, too. I've seen The Field live a bunch of times and he always plays it; particularly great with a live drummer. There's something super uplifting about dancing to these samples of Kate's voice.

absolutely :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWaj8wU_qRg

https://thequietus.com/articles/26096-kate-bush-under-the-ivy-official-music-video

Pulled this up for a listen today and found that Spotify has a “2018 Remaster” version. Through headphones, the strings are much more distinct and the drums are intense.

how the hell did Big Sky only get two votes here?

we never understood it

Some surprises here, looking back;

And Dream Of Sheep 2
The Big Sky 2
Under Ice 2
Mother Stands For Comfort 0

Not so strange, those are mostly subtle mood pieces on an album with a lot of tracks and several better-known songs. If someone told me their favourite song on the record was "Mother Stands For Comfort", I'd respond, "Oh, you don't like Kate Bush?"

sad no love for waking the witch that's when shit really gets going

So i guess i don't like Kate Bush :(
Xpost

maybe I love Kate Bush AND Eberhard Weber

If someone told me their favourite song on the record was "Mother Stands For Comfort", I'd respond, "Oh, you don't like Kate Bush?"

i know, ILM is a safe space, it welcomes people saying daft shit in an authoritative register

but ffs

Love the radio-type sounds on that song.

the fairlight? yeah particularly the very final flourish that ends the song (and cuts out rather than fades)

Where, I ask, were all these supporters of "Mother Stands For Comfort" in 2007, when your vote counted?

I just think of it as the epitome of a breather/change-of-pace track. Also, for Bush/Weber fans, "Houdini" is a way more impressive song.

"Mother" is maybe my third-favourite song on the album, but that won't earn it any credit if that's true for everyone. Mods, please implement first-past-the-post voting

there aren't any bad songs on that album, but Mother is definitely one of the more subtle ones... what chance does it have stuck between the Big Sky and Cloudbusting?

it's a better song than the Morning Fog.

love "waking the witch" and "watching you without me"

A more controversial opinion is that this is the weakest of her first five records (though the best tracks on this are better than those on Lionheart.

this new reissue is ugly and preposterous, what on earth. I guess the prices are really for the artwork, but the artwork is...not good?

https://music.katebush.com/buy/hounds-of-love-lost-at-sea/

Re the conversation about "Mother Stands For Comfort" above, it would only be like top 6 for me, but I used to include it on a lot of mixtapes paired with The Blue Nile's "Automobile Noise" as a kind of mini-suite of found-sound synth balladry.

$300 for a vinyl reissue with no new songs or anything, that is pretty obnoxious... is it for charity or something?

it's not clear at all. apparently she had a limited artwork like this as part of a War Child charity, and this is another go at that, but I don't think these go to War Child. Plus...it's not the full album! Most of these configurations are for like...1/2 the album

more info on this page: https://www.katebush.com/hounds-of-love/

LED light. like PF's Pulse. c'mon Kate.

The Baskerville Edition is the first in the series of illustrated editions of the albums.

so she has a whole series planned

maybe this is to make the elevated prices of the colored vinyl reissues seem reasonable

it's all tacky af

No outtakes or 12 inch mixes (“The Big Sky” Meteorological Mix is outstanding)? Fuck this.

big agree there, beamish. stop neglecting remixes and long edits!

(lotta other 80s acts guilty of this schitt, too)

it's missing some stuff from the period, but this version is pretty hard to beat: https://www.discogs.com/release/7727012-Kate-Bush-Hounds-Of-Love

(and ya, this new reissue is gimmicky af)