FEATURE:
More Room for the Life
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What Could the Rest of 2021 Hold in Terms of Kate Bush Treats?
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THIS is another case of speculation…
PHOTO CREDIT: Rex USA
when it comes to Kate Bush-related products. It seems that every time I put a feature of this nature, there is an announcement regarding a book or something else. Completely coincidental, though I like how there are people on the same wavelength! Rather than tread over ground I have covered regarding books, it does seem like this year will deliver more in the way of Kate Bush news – if not new music then definitely people paying tribute in their own way. Her fabulous single, Sat in Your Lap, is forty in June. Whilst we have not seen many singles re-released through the years, I feel Sat in Your Lap is such an important one in terms of Bush stepping into new territory and releasing a sound that we had not heard from before. I think that the book and magazine releases may be a bit limited for the remainder of 2021. I know we are only in April yet, with few big anniversaries this year, I would be surprised if anything came out. I know there is a photobook in the pipeline that we might see later in the year. I want to go back to my point regarding a documentary and a lack of appropriate love in that respect. Again, not to rehash old rants; I do think that there is a stumbling block and myopia when it comes to commissioners and taking on a new Kate Bush documentary. I recently pitched a radio documentary intended for the BBC that is different to the T.V. documentary that was broadcast back in 2014.
Rather than take a straight and chronological approach to her music, I was going to focus on her innovation, production and style. Much in the same way David Bowie has been covered in documentaries, this was going to be a deeper look at a musical genius. I came up against a response I have received many times: there is already a documentary out there so it is unlikely the BBC will take on another. With it being costly to self-finance such a project, I do feel that we will get something in the way of a documentary (whether on radio or T.V.) this year. This is me guessing, though the volume of books and magazine features about Bush this last year leads me to think that we will see a documentary. I think that it has a timeliness. Not only would the fortieth anniversary of Sat in Your Lap allow one to explore its parent album, The Dreaming (released in 1982), but the greatest hits collection, The Whole Story, is thirty-five later in the year. I don’t think that things need to be pegged to an anniversary. Not only are there going to be new article from journalists explaining why Bush means a lot to them; artists will tackle songs from her catalogue in their own inimitable manner. Gizelle Smith recently covered Bush’s 2005 single, King of the Mountain. I have suggested that a covers album would be a good idea. Not that I can spearhead it myself, although I think there will be a few more Bush’s covers that brings her work to new people.
In terms of what else could come, album re-releases is most likely. I have suggested that there are no big anniversaries. The Whole Story’s thirty-fifth anniversary is an important one, so I would not be shocked if there was a new version or an expended edition. The last time Bush released all of her albums in a package was back in 2018. As there has been a recent surge in interest and new evaluation of her work, one cannot write off the chance that there will be more packages. I am a hopeful fan when I predict what might arrive. Given the influx of books and magazine features about Bush this and last year, it would be unusual if there was a halt. It is exciting to think what comes next and whether we will get something in the way of an album or documentary. Nearly a decade since her last studio album, 50 Words for Snow, came out, there is this endless wave of love and fascination. It is unlikely anything new in the way of Bush music will come before the end of the year, though one can never rule it out! For hardcore fans and new converts, it is very exciting to…
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LOOK forward to see what comes next.