FEATURE:
One Last Look Around the House Before We Go…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush captured in 1985 during the Hounds of Love video shoot/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush (from Kate: Inside the Rainbow)
Discovering Kate Bush B-Sides, Collaborations, Covers, and Those Rarer Tracks
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I will drop a couple of the tracks in…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1980 during the Army Dreamers video shoot/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush (from Kate: Inside the Rainbow)
and link to as many as I can throughout, but I wish I could put together a playlist of Kate Bush’s B-sides, rarities and lesser-known tracks, as it makes for fascinating listening! There are plans to release a new collection of John Lennon tracks as we approach his eightieth birthday (in October). There are some who say that there are already essential collections available for Lennon fans, and this is just cashing-in on his legacy and birthday. I think it is important to remember artists like John Lennon, but I wonder whether the Gimme Some Truth. album offers anything new or unexpected. There are reasons why a new Kate Bush compilation would be welcomed. In terms of the songs one hears of hers on the radio, you pretty much get a few singles from Hounds of Love, one from Aerial, a couple from The Dreaming, and Never for Ever, and the odd song away from that. Rarely does one hear deep cuts, and there are so many tremendous songs that people are missing out on! Also, as I have said numerous times, this year is a big one in terms of anniversary. Not only do Never for Ever, and Hounds of Love have big anniversaries next month (forty/thirty-five); it is Aerial’s fifteenth anniversary in November, and a great Kate Bush compilation, This Woman's Work: Anthology 1978–1990, was released on 22nd October, 1990.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Mirrorpix
It would be understandable to mark thirty years of that packages with a revised album that draws in tracks from 1990-2011 (when her last album, 50 Words for Snow, was released). Whilst there is great call for a new Kate Bush album, I think there are a lot of her tracks one hardly hears that would slake our thirsts and desires for the time being. I sort of sit on the fence as to whether a new greatest hits should be released. What you would tend to get is the best-known songs, and very little in the way of the rare and under-exposed. Through this feature, rather than compile together a suggestion for a new compilation, I will draw people’s attentions to some great albums that are already out there. They act as brilliant accompaniments to the studio albums available, and I do hope someone can put together a playlist that combines songs found on these albums. That brings me to another point: the lack of lesser-known Kate Bush tracks on Spotify. This Woman's Work: Anthology 1978–1990 is not available on Spotify, and I think there are only a few of the tracks I am about to mention – that are not on her albums – that one can find there! Another great Bush collection, The Whole Story, came out in 1986, and that was a year after Hounds of Love – many might feel that a year after Hounds of Love’s thirty-fifth anniversary, we can look ahead to a new album (The Whole-r Story?!). It is amazing to see all the tracks that Kate Bush appears on, either her solo work, or on other artists’ work.
For those who are just used to hearing Bush’s better-known songs on the radio, or for those who fancy a deeper dive and bigger picture, I would recommend a few choice compilations. The Other Sides was released on 8th March, 2019, and it is the latest revision of her work. Maybe it is not as comprehensive as the 1990 compilation, but there are plenty of highlights:
“CD 1
1. Running Up That Hill [12" version]
2. The Big Sky (Meteorological Mix)
3. Cloudbusting (The Orgonon Mix)
4. Hounds Of Love (Alternative Mix)
5. Experiment IV (Extended Mix)
CD 2
1. Walk Straight Down The Middle
4. Lyra
6. Experiment IV [video version]
10. Running Up That Hill 2012 Remix
CD 3
2. One Last Look Around The House Before We Go
7. Humming
9. December Will Be Magic Again
10. Wuthering Heights (New Vocal)
CD 4
1. Rocket Man
6. Brazil (Sam Lowry's First Dream)
9. Candle In The Wind”.
In terms of buying, I would urge people to go for the vinyl rather than the C.D., as I think the sound quality is better, and one gets a different listening experience when hearing The Other Sides on vinyl. On the second C.D. – I will use the C.D.s as a reference – there is the excellent Be Kind to My Mistakes. This song was originally written for the soundtrack of the movie Castaway (1987) and released on the soundtrack album. The track also appeared as a remix on the single, This Woman’s Work, a couple of years later, and I think this is a track that many people do not know about. Also worthy of fond investigation is Under the Ivy, and Experiment IV. The former appeared as a B-side to Hounds of Love’s Running Up That Hill. Under the Ivy must rank as one of Bush’s best B-sides, and it is a shame that the track never made it onto Hounds of Love as it is remarkable, and I think it is too strong to be overlooked! Again, I have not heard this track on the radio, but it is one of Bush’s most beautiful releases. Experiment IV is more energised and eerie, and it was released on 27th October 1986, ahead of The Whole Story’s release – it was a new track especially for that compilation.
Some feel it is not one of Bush’s best songs, but I think it is a fantastic song that I have only heard a couple of times on the radio. If you want a representation of Bush’s best work between 1978 and 1983, then The Single File 1978-1983 is for you. It was released in January 1984, and the tracklist is as follows:
“Tracklist
1A Wuthering Heights
1B Kite
2A The Man With The Child In His Eyes
2B Moving
3A Hammer Horror
3B Coffee Homeground
4A Wow
4B Fullhouse
5A Breathing
5B The Empty Bullring
6A Babooshka
6B Ran Tan Waltz
7A Army Dreamers
7B1 Delius
7B2 Passing Through Air
8A December Will Be Magic Again
8B Warm And Soothing
9A Sat In Your Lap
9B Lord Of The Reedy River
10A The Dreaming
10B Dreamtime (Instrumental Version)
11A There Goes A Tenner
11B Ne T'en Fui Pas
12A1 Them Heavy People
12A2 Don't Push Your Foot On The Heartbrake
12B1 James And The Cold Gun
12B2 L'Amour Looks Something Like You
13A Ne T'enfuis Pas
13B Un Baiser D'Enfant”.
We mainly get the better-known songs but, again, there are some real peals that one does not really hear about. I shall try not to recommend the same tracks twice, but Ran Tan Waltz, December Will Be Magic Again, Ne T'en Fui Pas, and Un Baiser D'Enfant are songs that should be spun a lot more. Ran Tan Waltz is a curious song. It was performed for her 1979 Xmas Special, and the tone of the song is rather comic, while switching traditional gender roles. A young husband is left home holding the baby while the wife is out drinking and philandering. Ran Tan Waltz was released as the B-side of the single Babooshka in June 1980. I do think that the song deserves airing, and it shows a different side to Bush. Some of her album tracks display humour, but this is a track that goes full-out – even if it does come off as a little silly! December Will Be Magic Again is a rare example of Bush releasing a non-album track as a single. The song was originally recorded in 1979 and premiered during her Xmas Special, but it was not officially released until 17th November 1980, when it was issued as the follow-up to Army Dreamers. It is not one of her best-known songs, and it has a seasonable appeal. I think, as a piece of music, it remarkably beautiful and one cannot help but engross themselves in the scenes Bush describes!
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush shot in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: Claude Vanheye
Ne T'en Fui Pas (the actual title is Ne t'enfuis pas, but it was misspelled on the singles), and Un Baiser D'Enfant are two tracks that I don’t think I have ever heard on the radio. The former is a song that was released in July 1983 in France and Canada. The song was originally released as the B-side of the singles, There Goes a Tenner (in the U.K. & Ireland), and Suspended in Gaffa in (Continental Europe). Ne t'enfuis pas tells the story of a woman, worried that her lover is about to leave, wrestling with her conscience over her plans to make him stay. Bush is not one who shies away from different accents and languages. Through her career, Bush has adopted various guises, and I think Ne t'enfuis pas is one of her tracks that should be heard by more people. Un Baiser D'Enfant is the B-side of Ne t'enfuis pas, and it is French translation of her song, The Infant Kiss, from Never for Ever. I think the French performance makes the original somewhat more stirring and moving! I wanted to write this feature to alert people to these gems, because I feel that people are buying her studio albums, and they might not even be aware of the wonderful tracks that were released as B-sides, or were included in compilations.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush photographed in 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush (from Kate: Inside the Rainbow)
I will finish by talking of Bush collaborating with other artists but, aside from some bootlegs, the best example of Bush’s rarer tracks being given exposure is on This Woman's Work: Anthology 1978 – 1990. I will also nod to some of her jewels between 1990 and 2011, but the final C.D. contains some terrific songs that warrant love. Here is the tracklist:
“1. "I'm Still Waiting"
2. "Ken" "Love and Anger" 7"
3. "One Last Look Around the House Before We Go"
4. "Wuthering Heights (New vocal)”
5. "Experiment IV"
6. "Them Heavy People (Live)"
7. "Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake (Live)"
8. "James and the Cold Gun (Live)"
9. "L'Amour Looks Something Like You (Live)"
10. "Running Up That Hill (12" mix)"
11. "Cloudbusting (Organon mix)"
12. "Hounds of Love (Alternative)"
13. "The Big Sky (Meteorological mix)”.
14. "Experiment IV (12" mix)" "Experiment IV" 12" (1986) 6:48”
Those live performances are well worth hearing, as I don’t think we have heard anything from Kate Bush’s Tour of Life on the radio! The On Stage E.P. is remarkable, and I would love to hear one or two of the tracks played on the radio. I have highlighted the final tracks from This Woman's Work: Anthology 1978 – 1990, as it contains One Last Look Around the House Before We Go.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush shot in 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush (from Kate: Inside the Rainbow)
The song is an instrumental that was originally used on the soundtrack of the Comic Strip movie, GLC - it was later released on certain formats of the single, Love and Anger. Kate Bush has composed a few instrumentals; one can hear her Fruitopia commercials from the 1990s, for instance. I love One Last Look Around the House Before We Go as it not only is a stunning piece of work that evokes so many different emotions, but it seems to represent what this feature is all about: looking around the House of Kate Bush for gems and hidden treasures – something that is not done often! It is strange that Kate Bush’s This Woman's Work: Anthology 1978 – 1990, and Madonna’s The Immaculate Collection are both thirty this year – The Immaculate Collection was released on 7th November, 1990. These are important works from two music legends, and one might argue that both artists deserve new retrospectives. Maybe there have been enough collections and greatest hits packages for both, but I feel Kate Bush is an artist who creates as much magic away from the album tracks as she does on albums. The fact that so many of her album tracks are ignored is galling, but there are endless rarer tracks and treats that we never hear! I will end by throwing in a few cover versions that are worth exploration, but here is a list of some of her collaborations - and a track Bush contributed to the soundtrack of The Golden Compass:
“Peter Gabriel (1980, Charisma) – "Games Without Frontiers" and "No Self Control" (backing vocals with Peter Gabriel)
The Seer (1986, Mercury) – "The Seer" (Big Country featuring Kate Bush)
So (1986, Charisma) – "Don't Give Up" (co-lead vocals with Peter Gabriel)
"The King Is Dead" (1987, Chrysalis) – Go West (featuring backing vocals by Kate Bush)
Answers to Nothing (1988, Chrysalis) – "Sister and Brother" (co-lead vocals with Midge Ure)
The Comic Strip Presents...: "GLC: The Carnage Continues..." (1990) – "Ken", "The Confrontation" and "One Last Look Around the House Before We Go..."
Brazil (1992, Milan) – "Sam Lowry's 1st Dream/"Brazil"" (vocals with Michael Kamen and The National Philharmonic Orchestra of London)
Again (1993, Sony Music) – "Kimiad" (keyboards and backing vocals with Alan Stivell)
The Glory of Gershwin (1994, Mercury) – "The Man I Love" (vocals, with Larry Adler on harmonica)
Common Ground – Voices of Modern Irish Music (1996, EMI) – "Women of Ireland"
Emancipation (1996, NPG/EMI) – "My Computer" (backing vocals with Prince)
The Golden Compass (2007, New Line) – "Lyra"
Bush also provides vocals on Roy Harper’s You, but I would recommend people check out The Seer, and The King Is Dead especially. Perhaps it is her work with Peter Gabriel that stands out aside from the rest. Bush has worked with many other artists through her career, but I especially love her sparse-yet-effective turns on No Self Control, and Games Without Frontiers (from Peter Gabriel: Melt of 1980). Bush and Gabriel have similar mindsets, and it was Gabriel who introduced Bush to the Fairlight CMI – a piece of kit that would revolutionise her music! Those two tracks are quite well-known I guess, but it goes to show that Bush could effortlessly work with other artists and provide their music with something very special. Of course, it is her duet with Gabriel, Don’t Give Up (on 1986’s So) that most associate when they think of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel at Townhouse Studios, London, for the recording of Gabriel’s album, Peter Gabriel: Melt, in 1979
That said, the two of them performed a version of Roy Harper’s Another Day for Bush’s 1979 Xmas Special that is far too good to be ignored! I have never heard that played anywhere, and it is one of Bush’s best vocal turns! Songs post-1990 that are well worth airplay and digging include Show a Little Devotion. This song appeared as an extra track on the C.D.-single of Moments of Pleasure in the U.K., and on the C.D.-single of Rubberband Girl in the U.S.A. Into cover territory, and Elton John is someone who Bush has covered more than once. Candle in the Wind was one of the B-sides for her 1993 single, Eat the Music, and it was originally an outtake from the 1991 tribute album, Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin. One of the B-sides for the single, The Red Shoes, of 1993 is You Want Alchemy. It appears on The Other Sides, and there are a few other tracks I want to mention from that album before closing. The background to You Want Alchemy is quite intriguing:
“It was written and recorded after the completion of The Red Shoes and The Line, The Cross and the Curve. She sings about meeting a beekeeper, who launches into his awe, his reverence, his love for bees, which she first responds to with 'Is he some kind of nut, or what?' She doesn't get it, this fascination with bees. She seems to take a tender step into this man's private world, to open herself and feel and respect this lonely man's joys. She approaches with sympathy, and for a brief moment, she can share his vision, and see the alchemy. The music includes quotations of Debussy's 'Clair de lune' from his 'Suite bergamasque'”
The last songs I want to highlight that deserve radio love and greater exploration come from that compilation, The Other Sides, from the disc/vinyl named In Others’ Words. I shan’t mention them all, but I would give an honourable mention to Lord of the Reedy River (it is a B-side from her 1981 single, Sat in Your Lap). Three terrific covers/reinterpretations that are especially stunning are Rocket Man, The Man I Love , and Mna Ná Héireann. Rocket Man was the Elton John/Bernie Taupin song that actually did make it onto the Two Rooms album, and Bush directed its music video. I love the almost tropical/Caribbean vibe Bush lends the song, and I think it is one of the finest covers of Elton John/Bernie Taupin – showing she has a real love and respect for their songwriting partnership. The Man I Love is a truly stunning example of Bush taking her voice into a more Jazz territory – long before she headed more into that genre on 2011’s 50 Words for Snow. Kate Bush recorded a cover version of this song in 1994 for the album, The Glory of Gershwin, with Larry Adler on harmonica. The song was released as a single on 18th July, 1994 in advance of the release of the album. A terrific example of Bush straying from the traditional and tackling a piece of work that is lesser-known but important to her was her reading of Mna Ná Héireann. Here are some further details:
“Poem written by Ulster poet Peadar Ó Doirnín (1704–1796). It is most famous as a song, and especially set to an air composed by Seán Ó Riada (1931–1971). As a modern song, 'Mná na hÉireann' is usually placed in the category of Irish rebel music; as an eighteenth-century poem it belongs to the genre (related to the aisling) which imagines Ireland as a generous, beautiful woman suffering the depredations of an English master on her land, her cattle, or her self, and which demands Irishmen to defend her, or ponders why they fail to. The poem also seems to favor Ulster above the other Irish provinces.
Kate Bush recorded her rendition in 1995 for the 1996 compilation album Common Ground - Voices of Modern Irish Music. According to Donal Lunny, who contacted her for this contribution, 'She was very excited with the idea of singing the Irish in a way that Irish speakers would understand, and of conveying the meaning of the song through the sounds of the words. I helped as much as I could. She had Seán Ó Sé’s recording of Mná na hÉireann as reference. She was as faithful to the pronunciations as she could possibly be. It was with characteristic care and attention that she approached it. She did not stint one bit. Of course you’ll get people saying, `Oh, you’d know she doesn’t talk Irish straight off’. You wouldn’t know it straight off. I would defend her efforts as being totally sincere. No matter how perfect she gets it, she’s not an Irish speaker. This may rankle with some people'”.
It is hard to put all the underrated and rarer Kate Bush tracks into one compilation, and I would say that someone needs to get as many of these tracks on streaming platforms as possible! Some of her cover versions are, but there are tracks on YouTube that not even big Kate Bush fans have heard.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in the studio in 1985/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush (from Kate: Inside the Rainbow)
I think one gets a deeper understanding and the whole story of Kate Bush by listening to these tracks - in my opinion, the whole story cannot be told until one realises there was a lot more to her work than the famed and known singles! I think This Woman's Work: Anthology 1978 – 1990, and The Other Sides are useful companions to Bush’s studio albums, as there are so many different sides to her talent laid our bare. As three of her studio albums mark big anniversaries this year, and it will be thirty years since This Woman's Work: Anthology 1978 – 1990, I do think we should spend more time taking a closer look at those tracks one does not hear on the radio or seen discussed that much on social media. I still wonder whether Bush will allow bootlegs of her earliest recordings to get an official release, though one feels this is very unlikely! If you get time today, have a listen to the songs and albums I have recommended, as they reveal the fascinating other sides to a genius who seemingly had no limits or boundaries! I do hope that, as time passes, radio stations, fans and assorted others stop relying heavily on the heavy-hitting singles and realise that there is a whole world of Kate Bush’s music that is collecting dust or reserved to the superfans. There are so many treats, rare cuts and brilliant cover versions that deserve to be…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in November 2014 at the 60th London Evening Standard Theatre Awards - Champagne Reception/PHOTO CREDIT: David M. Benett/Getty Images
PLAYED a lot more often.