FEATURE:
December 25th Will Be Magic…Again
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush photographed in 1979 for her BBC Christmas television special, Kate/PHOTO CREDIT: TV Times/Future Publishing/Getty Images
so many people are getting their Christmas presents ordered. Of course, there are many Kate Bush fans out there. I am going to recommend a selection of websites and gifts that could suite the Kate Bush lover in your life. These are books, albums, merchandise and rarities/miscellaneous. I did a gift guide last year but, since then, there have been new reissues and merchandise announced. It is an exciting – if quite expensive! – time to be a Kate Bush fan. These book recommendations might be familiar and ones I have spotlighted before. It is worth coming back to them. There has not been a new Kate Bush book this year – in terms of biographies etc. -, other than Bush re-releasing her lyrics book (which I will recommend). I want to start out with four books that are a cornerstone. There are a selection of books by Laura Shenton that I want to highlight first. A great writer who has penned album dives into The Kick Inside and The Dreaming. One of the essential biographies about Kate Bush, Kate Bush: Under the Ivy (2019), is a wonderful and fascinating book from Graeme Thomson:
“This latest edition of Under The Ivy is fully updated to include analysis of Bush's stunning return to live performance in August 2014. Her run of London concerts was the most unexpected and eagerly awaited pop event of the 21st Century. An acclaimed study of one of the world's most enigmatic artists, Under The Ivy combines a wealth of new research with rigorous critical scrutiny. Featuring over 70 new interviews with those who have viewed from close quarters both the public artist and the private woman, this compelling biography offers numerous fresh perspectives on a unique and elusive talent. Under The Ivy examines Bush's unconventional upbringing in south London, the youthful blossoming of her talent and her evolution into one of the most visually and sonically creative artists of the past 35 years.
It focuses on her unique working methods and pioneering use of the studio on landmark albums such as The Dreaming and Hounds Of Love, her core influences and key relationships, her profound influence on successive generations of musicians, and her most recent releases: Director's Cut, on which Bush reworked 11 songs from her back catalogue, and 50 Words For Snow, her first album of new material for six years”.
Someone who knows Bush’s work more than pretty much anyone else, I know there is an audiobook available via Audible. I wonder, given everything that has happened since the publication, there might be a revision at some point. For any diehard or new fan, you need to get this book.
A brilliant Christmas present! In terms of wonderful Kate Bush biographies, I would also urge you to seek out Tom Doyle’s Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush:
“Kate Bush: the subject of murmured legend and one of the most idiosyncratic musicians of the modern era. Comprising fifty chapters or 'visions', Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush is a multi-faceted biography of this famously elusive figure, viewing her life and work from fresh and illuminating angles.
Featuring details from the author's one-to-one conversations with Kate, as well as vignettes of her key songs, albums, videos and concerts, this artful, candid and often brutally funny portrait introduces the reader to the refreshingly real Kate Bush.
Along the way, the narrative also includes vivid reconstructions of transformative moments in her career and insights from the friends and collaborators closest to Kate, including her photographer brother John Carder Bush and fellow artists David Gilmour, John Lydon and Youth.
Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush is a vibrant and comprehensive re-examination of Kate Bush and her many creative landmarks”.
In all cases when it comes to these books, you may find them less expensive on Amazon. I am linking to other sites as a personal preference, though do shop around so that you can get the best deal for you. A book released in 2015 that was recently reprinted and back on the market is John Carder Bush’s wonderful coffee table volume, KATE: Inside the Rainbow. I think, when it comes to any artist, photography give you a real insight. They are always fascinating and say something unique. Who better than her own brother to capture her at her most natural or comfortable:
“MUST-HAVE COLLECTION OF RARE AND UNSEEN PHOTOGRAPHS OF KATE BUSH.
WITH ESSAYS BY HER BROTHER, JOHN CARDER BUSH, ABOUT KATE'S LIFE AND CAREER.
Stunning and unique images from throughout Kate Bush's career including:
Outtakes from classic album shoots and never-before-seen photographs from The Dreaming and Hounds of Love sessions
Rare candid studio shots and behind-the-scenes stills from video sets, including 'Army Dreamers' and 'Running Up that Hill'
Includes original essays from Kate's brother:
From Cathy to Kate: Describes in vibrant detail their shared childhood and the whirlwind days of Kate's career
Chasing the Shot: A vivid evocation of John's experience of photographing his sister
'For me, each of these images forms part of a golden thread that shoots through the visual tapestry of Kate's remarkable career. Storytelling has always been the heartbeat of Kate's body of work, and it has been a privilege to capture these photographic illustrations that accompany those magical tales' John Carder Bush”.
With photos from her early career up to 2011, this is a great chronicle and loving selection of photographs from someone who knows Kate Bush better than anyone. For fans, you get to see behind the scenes snaps and some wonderful portraits. It is a beautiful book that you can treasure and keep for many years.
The final book that is well worth getting – and would make a lovely Christmas present – is How To Be Invisible: Selected Lyrics. This is Kate Bush choosing lyrics from a range of her amazing songs. It must have been an impossible choice narrowing things down. Rather than it being a dry collection of song lyrics, you do get this beautiful and detailed book with illustrations. It was republished this year featuring a new introduction from Kate Bush. You do really need to add this to your collection. I feel it is a perfect present for anyone just getting into Kate Bush who wants to know more about her music. Perfectly illuminating her wonderful and unique words:
“Selected and arranged by the author, How To Be Invisible presents the lyrics of Kate Bush in a beautiful new paperback edition featuring a new cover by illustrator Jim Kay.
'The greatest singer-songwriter of the past 40 years, whose work is complex, ethereal and filled with so many secrets that one can listen to the albums for decades and still discover new delights every time[...] there's not a spare word anywhere in Bush's work. Everything means something.' - Irish Times”.
Take a look here when you need guidance and a reference point for Kate Bush’s studio albums on vinyl. She did bring her albums back to vinyl in 2018. This new reissue is special, as there are specially designed/coloured vinyl by Bush. She has created new looks and vibes for each album. There is a whole range of Hounds of Love (1985) reissues that I will come to. It is hard to say which albums you should own. I would say that it is a personal preference, though many might go straight for Hounds of Love:
“All ten of Kate Bush’s studio albums are being re-released through her new label The state51 Conspiracy on vinyl and CD, with special coloured vinyl editions being available via independent record shops.
The Kick Inside (1978), Lionheart (1978), Never For Ever (1980), The Dreaming (1982), Hounds of Love (1985), The Sensual World (1989), The Red Shoes (1993), Aerial (2005), Director’s Cut (2011) and 50 Words For Snow (2011) boast new ‘Ecopak’ CD packaging with booklets and reseable poly-sleves. All CDs feature the 2018 remastering by Kate and James Guthrie.
The vinyl editions also use the 2018 remasters, but with new lacquers cut by Bernie Grundman. These have been pressed at the Record Industry plant in the Netherlands.
The ‘indie editions’ are pressed on coloured vinyl which is sympathetic to the original album artwork and feature new Fish People label designs and special OBI strips with the pressing date on them. They are protected in resealable poly-bag liners with a ‘Fish People Reissue’ sticker, bottom right. Refreshingly, these coloured vinyl pressings are described as “unlimited editions” and will be in production constantly. The only thing that will change is the pressing date on the OBIs.
Sadly, the first three albums are USA-only, which is why you won’t find them in the selection on the SDE shop. It’s worth noting that the Hounds of Love that forms part of this reissue campaign is not the “special presentation” we were promised earlier this year, so we have to presume that that will emerge at some point in the future”.
Maybe a very special Christmas present, there is this new and big focus on Hounds of Love. This is understandable. Last year, Stranger Things helped elevate Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) to the top of the singles chart and, with it, Hounds of Love also found a new audience. Even if these special reissues are quite expensive, they are more of an investment. Something we will never get again:
“Kate Bush has delivered on her promise of ‘special presentations’ of her classic 1985 album Hounds of Love with three new editions, none of which offers any new audio.
The Baskerville Edition is a gatefold vinyl presentation with entirely new artwork by Glasgow-based design studio Timorous Beasties (who delivered some of the illustrations for Before The Dawn). Inside the gatefold is a LED light (“little light…shining”) which doesn’t require batteries since it’s powered via a solar panel on the rear of the product! Oh yes. You can see clearly what the product is like from the video below. There are no bonus tracks or anything like that and indeed this edition uses the same 2018 remaster as the recently announced black and coloured vinyl reissues. Interestingly, ‘The Big Sky’ is no longer indicated as the ‘single mix’ even though it must be, if they are using the 2018 version. The Baskerville Edition is retailing for £138 from Kate’s newly-designed website.
The other two editions actually split the album in half. The Boxes of Lost At Sea Edition consists of two boxes, each containing one side of the album. Each disc features a UV printed illustration on white vinyl and a battery powered LED light. Kate says: “The idea was to create a hybrid of an album and a piece of artwork you could hang on the wall. They’re based on something I designed for an auction for the charity War Child”. (In 1993 Brian Eno asked Kate to contribute to an auction for War Child, and she came up with the idea of two identical box frames, each containing a flashing red LED with text on brass plaques). A donation will be made to War Child from each new box that is sold.
These boxes are £285 each, so that’s £570 for the album, although there’s a bundle edition of this hybrid album/art edition available which costs £500.
All three new editions of Hounds of Love will be released on 1 December 2023 via The state51 Conspiracy. They appear only to be available via Kate’s site. Don’t forget you can order the standard coloured vinyl indie editions from the SDE shop as an alternative to the above!”.
You can get more detail on these album reissues via Kate Bush’s official website. I will wrap up soon. There is a lot of cool merchandise that is available. Ranging in price, I think that every Kate Bush fan should be accommodated and satisfied. It is an amazing array of prints, goodies and T-shirts. Some real rare gems alongside playing cards and other bits. There are some other Kate Bush bits available here and here. You can get memorabilia and some other cool things here. There are options depending on your budget. Maybe you already have your Kate Bush-related gifts sorted out. If you need any more guidance and late inspiration, I hope that the albums, books and merchandise I have mentioned above help out. You may just want to get a gift for yourself. I am going to publish a few other Kate Bush features before the end of the year. I am going to predict what may lay ahead next year. What sort of things might come along. It is exciting to see how next year differs to this one. As it is almost Christmas, we are not far away from getting the now-annual Kate Bush Christmas message that she posts to her official website. A chance for her to offer thanks and provide reflection. For any Kate Bush fan out there, there are ample options and great gifts that can fit neatly…
UNDER any Christmas tree.