FEATURE:
Kate Bush’s The Whole Story at Thirty-Seven
When Comes the Next Instalment?
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THE of only greatest hits collection…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in an outtake from The Whole Story shoot/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
from Kate Bush, The Whole Story arrived in 1986. Released on 10th November that year, I am going to explore 1986 a bit more. Such momentum still from Hounds of Love (1985), this was Kate Bush at her commercial peak and creative high. I am sure that there were plans for a greatest hits album before. There had been compilations. There have been some since. None that count as strictly greatest hits. Since 1986, Bush has released a lot of great music. I think many people still know her from Hounds of Love and Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God). On The Whole Story, there were ten hit singles. Also, and somewhat divisive, was Wuthering Heights recorded with a new vocal. That iconic debut single still sounds familiar, yet there is a slightly deeper vocal. I prefer the original. Bush felt the original was a little high/child-like/young. She wanted to sing the song from the perspective of the slightly older woman. I am going to continue in a second. First, the Kate Bush Encyclopedia provide some details about The Whole Story. Words from Kate Bush about it. What those reviewing it had to say:
“Critical reception
Roger Holland in Sounds (UK): "Over the last nine years and five albums, Kate Bush (...) has matured into quite the most sensual, expressive, and creative artist this country can now boast". Colin Irwin, Melody Maker (UK): "This glorious retrospective collection... she's playing a high-risk game, and more often than not her irrepressible flair, her instinct for a hook, and her gift for unusual and gripping arrangements carry her through."
John McReady, NME (UK): "More useful and more enjoyable than the constipated jangling of a hundred and one little lads with big mouths and even bigger clothes allowances. Such people are not worth a carrot. Meat or no meat, Kate Bush is streets ahead." Andy Strickland, Record Mirror (UK): "A monumental tribute to this craziest, coziest girl-next-door. (...) One of the most refreshing compilation LPs it would be possible to put together."
Kate about 'The Whole Story'
Yes, I was [against the release of a compilation album] at first. I was concerned that it would be like a "K-tel" record, a cheapo-compo with little thought behind it. It was the record company's decision, and I didn't mind as long as it was well put together. We put a lot of work into the packaging, trying to make it look tasteful, and carefully thought out the running order. And the response has been phenomenal - I'm amazed! (Kate Bush Club newsletter, Issue 22, December 1987)
It wasn't chronological because we wanted to have a running time that was equal on both sides, otherwise you get a bad pressing. In America, where I'm not very well known, they didn't realise it was a compilation! ('Love, Trust and Hitler'. Tracks (UK), November 1989)”.
I can understand why Kate Bush did not think a greatest hits package would be a good idea. It may give the impression her career had peaked and this was almost the end. Someone who wasn’t keen on looking back too much – at that point anyway -, the fact The Whole Story reached number one in the U.K. and was this massive success would have changed her views. Kate Bush’s 1986 was hugely busy! For those who wondered why it took Bush a while to release new music, the fact is that so much was happening between releases. This timeline gives us a sense of what 1986 was like for Bush:
“January 11, 1986
In the annual Sounds poll Kate is voted Best Female Vocalist of 1985.
February 10, 1986
Kate performs Hounds of Love live at the British Phonographic Industry Awards presentation. She is nominated for (but does not win) three awards: Best Album, Best Single and Best Female Singer.
February 17, 1986
The third single, Hounds of Love, is released in seven- and twelve-inch formats.
Kate records a duet with Peter Gabriel for his fifth solo album. The track is called Don't Give Up.
Kate abandons the plan to make a film version of The Ninth Wave side of the new album.
March 6, 1986
Kate appears on Top of the Pops to perform Hounds of Love.
March 19, 1986
For the making of the video for The Big Sky Kate assembles over one hundred fans on the sound stage of Elstree Studios.
Kate records a live performance of Under the Ivy at Abbey Road Studios for the 100th edition of the Tyne Tees TV programme The Tube.
April 4, 1986
Kate participates in the first of three Comic Relief shows at the Shaftesbury Theatre. She performs Breathing live and performs a duet of Do Bears Sh... in the Woods? with Rowan Atkinson.
April 5, 1986
The second Comic Relief show.
April 6, 1986
The third Comic Relief show.
May 25, 1986
Kate joins in the Sport Aid mini-marathon at Blackheath, South London, along with many other celebrities.
May 1986
The fourth single, The Big Sky, is released.
Kate does some session work for Big Country on the title track of their album The Seer.
June 16, 1986
The videos for the four Hounds of Love singles are released as a video EP under the title Hair of the Hound. It goes straight to the number 1 spot on the music video chart.
Hounds of Love passes the double platinum mark in the U.K.
October 20, 1986
Don't Give Up, the duet with Peter Gabriel of his song, is released as a single.
October 23, 1986
Kate participates in a personal appearance of the Comic Relief stars at the Claude Gill Book Shop, Oxford Street for the launch of the publication of the Comic Relief Book.
October 27, 1986
A new single, Experiment IV, is released in seven- and twelve-inch formats.
October 31, 1986
Kate appears on the BBC TV programme Wogan for the second time, giving a lip-synch performance of Experiment IV [with violinist Nigel Kennedy].
November 1986
Kate directs the video for Experiment IV, which is made on location at a disused military hospital in South East London and a street in the East End. The film features the Comic Strip regulars Dawn French and Hugh Laurie.
November 9, 1986
Kate interrupts the shooting of the Experiment IV video to attend a party at the Video Cafe organised by the Kate Bush Club and Homeground.
November 10, 1986
The Whole Story, the first Kate Bush compilation album, is released. It is promoted by the most expensive TV advertising campaign EMI has ever mounted. Sales are massive”.
As a convenient way of introducing new fans to her work, The Whole Story is a must-listen. It got terrific reviews. That is no surprise! Whilst not every song on the album was a massive hit, the songs are all distinctly recognisable and popular. Experiment IV was the new single released for the album. Out on 26th October, 1986, it reached twenty-three in the U.K. Prior to rounding off asking about another compilation, here is some information about Experiment IV. It is a song that many Kate Bush fans might not even be aware of:
“This was written as an extra track for the compilation album The Whole Story and was released as the single. I was excited at the opportunity of directing the video and not having to appear in it other than in a minor role, especially as this song told a story that could be challenging to tell visually. I chose to film it in a very handsome old military hospital that was derelict at the time. It was a huge, labyrinthine hospital with incredibly long corridors, which was one reason for choosing it. Florence Nightingale had been involved in the design of the hospital. Not something she is well known for but she actually had a huge impact on hospital design that was pioneering and changed the way hospitals were designed from then on.
The video was an intense project and not a comfortable shoot, as you can imagine - a giant of a building, damp and full of shadows with no lighting or heating but it was like a dream to work with such a talented crew and cast with Dawn French, Hugh Laurie, Peter Vaughn and Richard Vernon in the starring roles. It was a strange and eerie feeling bringing parts of the hospital to life again. Not long after our work there it was converted into luxury apartments. I can imagine that some of those glamorous rooms have uninvited soldiers and nurses dropping by for a cup of tea and a Hobnob.
We had to create a recording studio for the video, so tape machines and outboard gear were recruited from my recording studio and the mixing console was very kindly lent to us by Abbey Road Studios. It was the desk the Beatles had used - me too, when we’d made the album Never For Ever in Studio Two. It was such a characterful desk that would’ve looked right at home in any vintage aircraft. Although it was a tough shoot it was a lot of fun and everyone worked so hard for such long hours. I was really pleased with the result. (KateBush.com, February 2019)”.
Various compilations have been released since 1986. In recent years, we had The Other Sides in 2019. As part of her remastering series in 2018, The Other Sides is a selection of 12" mixes, B-sides and a selection of cover versions. There has been some retrospection. That is good to see. What I wonder if whether there is going to be a second greatest hits collection, given the fact a new generation are fans of her work. There are some who may only know her for one or two songs. I have raised this before. Bush may now only want to look ahead. That said, she has not been averse to looking back. 2011’s Director’s Cut was reworked versions of songs from The Sensual World (1989) and The Red Shoes (1993). Apart from the remastered albums, Bush also allowed Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) to be used on Netflix’s Stranger Things last year. She is selective about who uses her work. It is clear she wants it heard. I feel like there are some terrific tracks that are never played on radio. Bush is still defined by one or two hits by a lot of stations. It is insulting and reductive to think an artist as long-standing and diverse as Bush should only exist in the form of a couple of her songs. As we look ahead to the thirty-seventh anniversary of Kate Bush’s greatest hits album, The Whole Story, I do wonder whether there will be a next instalment. A great desire is out there for something from Kate Bush. If there is another studio album coming, a greatest hits release before then would be very welcomed! It has been a few years or so since Bush opened up her music archives. She doubtless has a lot of appreciation for young fans who are discovering her. A way of leading them to her amazing studio albums might be to give them a taste of the singles from those albums. Including some songs that were not on The Whole Story. Some newer inclusions. We shall see. If you need an introduction to the iconic Kate Bush, then The Whole Story is…
A great place to begin.