FEATURE:
Kate Bush Blows Away the Blues
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in London on 15th June, 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: Hulton Archive via Getty Images
The Fun and Incredible Atmosphere of Recording Never for Ever
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I didn’t bring this up…
when I wrote a series of features around the anniversary of Kate Bush’s third studio album, Never for Ever. Released on 8th September, 1980, there had been a lot of change and progression in her songwriting and production. In fact, Never for Ever was the first time Bush has taken the production reins. Producing alongside Jon Kelly – who was an engineer on The Kick Inside and Lionheart -, these two young and ambitious minds seemed to have a ball! I can only imagine how hectic Bush’s 1978 and 1979 were. 1978 consisted of her recording two albums, promoting around the world and barely getting a moment to enjoy her career. The Tour of Life in 1979 was a chance for Bush to tour the albums but do so more on her own terms. She had to put up a lot of her own money to stage and realise her visions. She lost quite a bit of money, yet the tour was a big success. Draining as that was, Bush was already working on Never for Ever by September 1979. A year before it came into the world, she was concocting new sounds and pushing her work to the next level. I will come to something I recently read in Classic Pop’s special about Kate Bush. They talked about Never for Ever and what the recording atmosphere was like.
Before coming to that, I want to bring in some quotes from Kate Bush, where she discussed the album. These were taken from the Kate Bush Club newsletter of September 1980. It is clear that, as a producer, she wants to distinguish her songs and give them all their own character and shape. Perhaps she felt her first two albums were homogenous or lacked any distinction and development:
“Now, after all this waiting it is here. It's strange when I think back to the first album. I thought it would never feel as new or as special again. This one has proved me wrong. It's been the most exciting. Its name is Never For Ever, and I've called it this because I've tried to make it reflective of all that happens to you and me. Life, love, hate, we are all transient. All things pass, neither good [n]or evil lasts. So we must tell our hearts that it is "never for ever", and be happy that it's like that!
The album cover has been beautifully created by Nick Price (you may remember that he designed the front of the Tour programme). On the cover of Never For Ever Nick takes us on an intricate journey of our emotions: inside gets outside, as we flood people and things with our desires and problems. These black and white thoughts, these bats and doves, freeze-framed in flight, swoop into the album and out of your hi-fis. Then it's for you to bring them to life. (Kate Bush Club newsletter, September 1980).
Each song has a very different personality, and so much of the production was allowing the songs to speak with their own voices - not for them to be used purely as objects to decorate with "buttons and bows". Choosing sounds is so like trying to be psychic, seeing into the future, looking in the "crystal ball of arrangements", "scattering a little bit of stardust", to quote the immortal words of the Troggs. Every time a musical vision comes true, it's like having my feet tickled. When it works, it helps me to feel a bit braver. Of course, it doesn't always work, but experiments and ideas in a studio are never wasted; they will always find a place sometime.
I never really felt like a producer, I just felt closer to my loves - felt good, free, although a little raw, and sometimes paranoia would pop up. But when working with emotion, which is what music is, really, it can be so unpredictable - the human element, that fire. But all my friends, the Jons, and now you will make all the pieces of the Never For Ever jigsaw slot together, and It will be born and It will begin Breathing. (Kate Bush Club newsletter, September 1980)”.
Paul Lester wrote in Classic Pop about Never for Ever. Whilst I knew about the songs and a lot of the finer details, I was not aware of the atmosphere and sense of fun that was being created in the studio. I think one of the reasons why the album took as long as it did was that there was a lot of joy among the hard work! Recording would often run into the small hours. Whilst Bush was quite exacting as times as a producer, she was also a real joy to be around. Recording moved into Abbey Road’s famous Studio 2. A space that The Beatles made famous, Bush had a notepad, where she dedicated a page to each of the tracks. On the page, she would write out requirements for instruments, effects, and harmonies. She definitely took to producing, but it is also something that she was very serious about. Quite methodical, diligent and focused, there was also a great amount of fun. If there has been too serious and work-focused vibes from Bush, you would have heard that sense of strain and lack of joy in the music. As it is, one can hear a sense of something special in the notes. The musicians, trusting Bush and given this fantastic environment, almost sound happy playing. That may seem weird, but you can feel a positive energy.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at the British Rock and Pop Awards, February 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: Mirrorpix
Never for Ever was completed with tender and caring hearts. Bush, somewhat modestly and self-deprecating, was a little dismissive of her own strength and value. “I am only little, a female, and an unlikely producer!”, she said. Appreciative of the musicians for their dedication, understanding and patience, Bush said how they all stood patience as she “squirmed and contorted” her way through explanations of the visuals and audio aspects. Jon Kelly had fond memories of the time recording. Although it would have been expensive to record at places like Abbey Road, Never for Ever was made a real home record. Decking the studio with flowers, plants and friends. Making that spaces warm, welcoming and homely, it is said that Bush’s tipples of choice were chocolate, cigarettes with a little bit of Courvoisier! Quite an interesting mix, one can almost smell and sense the vibe and aroma of the studio! I can picture Bush, after recording a track, sitting with her musicians smoking a cigarette, chocolate nearby, surrounded by some flowers and a jolly atmosphere. Although Never for Ever is a serious album, there is a sense of fun and frivolity in it. To get the glass sound effect we hear on the opening track, Babooshka, glasses were smashed on the stairs and fed into the Fairlight CMI – a groundbreaking technology that opened up so much for Kate Bush and her music. You can hear Never for Ever and feel and sense the respect and affection between the musicians and Kate Bush. Someone who always created a great environment to record in, I did not know about some of the little moments and details about Never for Ever.
I wanted to briefly revisit Never for Ever because of the fun that was evident during the recording. As a body of work, it ranks alongside Bush’s best. Going to number one in the U.K., Bush was the first female solo artist to enter the chart at number one with a studio album. It was also Bush’s first number one album. It went to show that, to an extent, if she struck the right balance between fun and focus and that was heard in the songs, the public would detect that. Also, by 1980, Bush was growing in terms of popularity and awareness. Bush was excited to produce. She said how “the freedom you feel when you’re in control of your music is fantastic”. She also observed that “as soon as you get your hands on the production, it becomes your baby”. Bush noted that you would do anything for your child and so she was incredibly committed to doing everything to ensure Never for Ever was not only as good as it could be. She took care of her musicians, and, in turn, they gave her a lot of respect, extra time and input. I thought I knew almost everything about Never for Ever, but Classic Pop’s new spread and deep dive into Kate Bush’s work taught me new things! It makes me appreciate the album even more and Bush’s work and methods as a producer. Alongside Jon Kelly, they shared laughs, cigarettes, long hours and good times. In a studio of flowers and home comforts, the magical and marvellous Never for Ever was created! An album that must have been a blast to be involved in, I think thew happy experience of producing inspired the musicians around her. It is most definitely…
SO rewarding and delightful to learn.