FEATURE:
Pulling Out the Pin
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush signs The Dreaming for fans at the Virgin Megastore, Oxford Street in London on 14th September, 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: Pete Still/Redferns
Kate Bush's The Dreaming at Forty-Three
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THIS album anniversary…
might get buried a little, as there are two huge Kate Bush anniversaries in September. Never for Ever turns forty-five on 8th September. Even bigger is the fortieth anniversary of Hounds of Love, which turns forty on 16th September. However, the album that fitted between the 1980 and 1985 releases is 1982’s The Dreaming. On 13th September, Kate Bush released her fourth studio album. If you consider Never for Ever as a bridge between her first two albums – The Kick Inside and Lionheart (1978) – and where she was heading and Hounds of Love as her apex and her most accomplished album as a producer, then The Dreaming was the moment that Bush entered a new world. Producing solo for the first time and experimenting more than we had heard before, many cite this as her least commercial album. In terms of the songs, there are few that are single-ready and as accessible as tracks on Never for Ever and Hounds of Love. However, I think it is one of her richest and most fascinating albums. Not only an audio representation of an artist pushing boundaries and utilising technology around her. I think The Dreaming provides a window into Kate Bush’s psyche around 1980, 1981 and 1982. How she wanted to push her sound forward but, at the same time, there was this stress, expectation and hectic workload. Releasing such a detailed and layered album solo as a producer and writing and performing all the songs. Bush was still promoting Never for Ever towards the end of 1980, but The Dreaming was already coming together at that point. She barely gave herself chance to rest. After Never for Ever reached number one, EMI would have been keen for Bush to follow that up with an album quicker than she did – though it was only two years until The Dreaming came out!
To highlight the brilliance of this album ahead of its forty-third anniversary, I want to introduce some features. I will start out with some extracts from a couple of 1982 promotional interviews. However, before I get there, I want to quote from an interview Bush was involved with in 1986. In the years since The Dreaming was released, when asked about the album, she looks back with some shock and surprise. Like she had gone mad. How there was all this anger. It was her being ‘an artist’. However, I think The Dreaming is one of her absolute best albums. As a songwriter and producer. Thanks to the Kate Bush Encyclopedia for their resources around The Dreaming. This interview is really interesting:
“I have no doubt that those who buy singles because they like my hits, are completely mystified upon hearing the albums. But if it comes to that, they should listen to itloudly!If a single theme linkedThe Dreaming, which is quite varied, it would be human relationships and emotional problems. Every being responds principally to emotions. Some people are very cool, but they are silenced by their emotions, whatever they might be. To write a song, it’s necessary that I be completely steeped in my environment, in my subject. Sometimes the original idea is maintained, but as it takes form, it possesses me. One of the best examples would be this song that I wrote on ‘Houdini’: I knew every one of the things that I wanted to say, and it was necessary that I find new ways that would allow me to say them; the hardest thing, is when you have so many things to fit into so short a space of time. You have to be concise and at the same time not remain vague, or obscure. The Dreaming was a decisive album for me. I hadn’t recorded in a very long time until I undertook it, and that was the first time that I’d had such liberty. It was intoxicating and frightening at the same time. I could fail at everything and ruin my career at one fell swoop. All this energy, my frustrations, my fears, my wish to succeed, all that went into the record. That’s the principle of music: to liberate all the tensions that exist inside you. I tried to give free rein to all my fantasies. Although all of the songs do not talk about me, they represent all the facets of my personality, all my different attitudes in relation to the world. In growing older, I see more and more clearly that I am crippled in facing the things that really count, and that I can do nothing about it, just as most people can do nothing. Making an album is insignificant in comparison with that, but it’s my only defense.
Yves Bigot, ‘Englishwoman is crossing the continents’. Guitares et Claviers (France), February 1986”.
Many critics were baffled by the dense soundscapes on The Dreaming. Wondering why the tracks were like they were. Wanting something perhaps simpler and less layered, maybe Bush took some of this on board for Hounds of Love. Though it is a layered album that is ambitious and widescreen, it is not quite as dense and smoggy as The Dreaming. More natural. Natural light. The Dreaming was originally released on L.P. and tape. Unlike Never For Ever, the L.P. was packaged in a regular sleeve, featuring the lyrics on the inner sleeve. In 2023, a smokey-colour vinyl L.P. was released. The first 1982 interview I am taking from is Karen Swayne's Kerrang! interview. I do love the fact Kerrang! were interviewing Kate Bush! It is quite a revealing chat. Bush stating how she wants The Dreaming to endure and be remembered:
“Were you pushing it more to create different sounds?
"In a way. But I probably used to push it more in other ways. I went through a phase of trying to leap up and down a lot when I was writing songs. I used to try to push it almost acrobatically. Now I'm trying more to get the song across, and I have more control. When I'm trying to think up the character is when it needs a bit of push."
Do you always try to put yourself in the role of a character, then?
"Yeah, normally, because the song is always about something, and always from a particular viewpoint. There's normally a personality that runs along with it.
"Sometimes I really have to work at it to get in the right frame of mind, because it's maybe the opposite of how I'm feeling, but other times it feels almost like an extension of me, which it is, in some ways."
You have been accused in the past of living in some kind of fantasy world. Would you say you refuse to face up to reality?
"Now. I think I do, actually, although there are certain parts of me that definitely don't want to look at reality. Generally speaking, though, I'm quite realistic, but perhaps the songs on the first two albums created some kind of fantasy image, so people presumed that I lived in that kind of world."
Where do you get the ideas for songs from?
"Anywhere, really. They're two or three tracks that I had the ideas for on the last album but never got together. Others come from films, books or stories from people I know. That kind of thing."
What about Pull Out the Pin, a song about VietNam? Was that something you'd always wanted to write about?
"No, I didn't think I'd ever want to write about it until I saw this documentary on television which moved me so much I thought I just had to."
The title track concerns the abuse of Aborigines by so-called civilised man. Where did that interest come from?
"That's something that's been growing for years. It started when I was tiny, and my brother bought Sun Arise [a hit of the early 1960s by Rolf Harris.]. We thought it was brilliant--to me, that's a classic record. I started to become aware of the whole thing--that it's almost an instinctive thing in white man to wipe out a race that actually owns the land. It's happening all around the world."
Do you hope to change people's opinions by what you write?
"No. Because I don't think a song can ever do that. If people have strong opinions, then they're so deep-rooted that you'll never be able to do much. Even if you can change the way a few people think, you'll never be able to change the situation anyway.
"I don't ever write politically, because I know nothing about politics. To me they seem more destructive than helpful. I think I write from an emotional point of view, because even though a situation may be political, there's always some emotional element, and that's what gets to me."
The thoughts and ideas are expressed through a variety of sounds, an adventurous use of instruments and people--from Rolf Harris on dijeridu to Percy Edwards on animal impressions! Kate has also discovered the Fairlight, a computerised synthesiser.
"It's given me a completely different perspective on sounds," she enthuses. "You can put any sound you want onto the keyboard, so if you go 'Ugh!', you can play 'Ugh!' all the way up the keyboard. Theoretically, any sound that exists, you can play.
"I think it's surprising that with all the gear around at the moment, people aren't experimenting more."
Whatever you may think of Kate Bush, you could never say that she's not been prepared to take risks. In the four years that have passed since her startling first single Wuthering Heights, she has grown increasingly adventurous and ambitious, creating music that she hopes will last longer than much of today's transient pop.
Of The Dreaming she says: "I wanted it to be a long-lasting album, because my favourite records are the ones that grow on you--that you play lots of times because each time you hear something different."
Never particularly a public fave, her last live shows were three years ago, and although she plans to do some in the future, they'll take at least six months to prepare. [Try six years and counting.]
She admits that she found her initial success hard to cope with at times.
"I still find some things frightening. I've adjusted a hell of a lot, but it still scares me. There are so many aspects that if you start thinking about are terrifying. The best thing to do is not even to think about them. Just try to sail through”.
I shall move on in a minute. I am trying to include interviews I have not sourced often. This Poppix interview appeared in the summer of 1982. I do wonder whether, when these interviews appeared, people who were not aware of Kate Bush were converted. It is interesting that she appeared in Pop magazines, but also more fringe publications:
“The album is entirely produced by Kate Bush, something she has never done before, her previous albums being co-produced by her and Jon Kelly. [Actually the first album was produced by Andrew Powell, and the second by Powell with the assistance of Kate.] So why did she decide to do the production of the album herself?
"After the last album, Never For Ever, I started writing some new songs. They were very different from anything I'd ever written before--they were much more rhythmic, and in a way, a completely new side to my music. I was using different instruments, and everything was changing; and I felt that really the best thing to do would be to make this album a real departure--make it completely different. And the only way to achieve this was to sever all the links I had had with the older stuff. The main link was engineer Jon Kelly. Everytime I was in the studio Jon was there to helping me, so I felt that in order to make the stuff different enough I would have to stop working with Jon. He really wanted to keep working with me, but we discussed it and realised that it was for the best." [Phrased with typical Bush delicacy.]
Sat In Your Lap, Kate's last major hit in the British charts, is also included on the album.
"We weren't going to put it on initially, because we thought it had been a single such a long time ago, but a lot of people used to ask me if we were putting Sat In Your Lap on the album and I'd say no, and they would say 'Oh why not?' and they'd be quite disappointed. So, as the album's completion date got nearer and nearer, I eventually relented. I re-mixed the track and we put it on. I'm so glad I did now, because it says so much about side one, with its up-tempo beat and heavy drum rhythms--it's perfect for the opening track."
You mentioned earlier that you wanted the album to be different, to be a change. Is that aspect of change particularly refreshing to you? Is it important for you to keep changing?
"Yes, it's very important for me to change. In fact, as soon as the songs began to be written, I knew that the album was going to be quite different. I'd hate it, especially now, if my albums became similar, because so much happens to me between each album--my views change quite drastically. What's nice about this album is that it's what I've always wanted to do. For instance, the Australian thing: well, I wanted to do that on the last album, but there was no time. There are quite a few ideas and things that I've had whizzing around in my head that just haven't been put down. I've always wanted to use more traditional influences and instruments, especially the Irish ones. I suppose subconsciously I've wanted to do all this for quite some time, but I've never really had the time until now."
Your songs are nearly always based around a story of sorts. Is it important for you to have a meaning behind your songs?
"Oh yes, I think it gets more and more so, because although on the first two albums the songs were always based on something, they weren't all that strong; but now I get more involved with the ideas behind a song, and I do my best to make the concept as vivid and as solid as I can. On the new album, for instance, there is a track about the legendary ecapologist Houdini. During his incredible lifetime Houdini took it upon himself to expose the whole spiritualist thing--you know, seances and mediums. And he found a lot them to be phoney, but before he died Houdini and his wife worked out a code, so that if he came back after his death his wife would know it was him by the code. So after his death his wife made several attempts to contact her dead husband, and on one occasion he did come through to her. I thought that was so beautiful--the idea that this man who had spent his life escaping from chains and ropes had actually managed to contact his wife. The image was so beautiful that I just had to write a song about it." [The full story is quite complicated, but Mrs. Houdini later stated that no such contact was ever made. Kate has indicated in other interviews--conducted presumably a bit later than this one--that she was aware of the dubious aspects of the story, but that the beauty of the concept and imagery were no less true for that.]
"Now that the album is completed, it doesn't mean that my work has ended. There are so many things that I want to do connected with music, and I want to do them as soon as possible. In fact, I see myself being pretty well committed for the next couple of years. I'd like to do a show with both this and the last album, and there are a few videos as well, but I just don't know if or when I'll get the time.
"As for tours, well, I haven't got any planned, but I'm beginning to think about it. THe last tour was so much effort, and it cost so much money, and we actually spent about four months rehearsing for it, so the thought of another one is a little bit daunting. It's such a big thing to commit yourself to--it's like a whole year taken out of your life. It scares me a bit”.
There are a couple of features that I want to come to before wrapping up. In 2022, Lauren Thorn wrote for Medium as to how The Dreaming has left its mark on the Pop work. A masterpiece album that is not as mad and alien as people think, it was Bush taking a different direction. It is the case that people expect artists to repeat themselves and we get comfortable with a particular sound. When they do something very different then we ask why and can’t connect with the album. It is only years later when you appreciate the brilliance of the album and that decision to move on. That is the case with The Dreaming:
“Produced entirely by herself, The Dreaming is a testament to Kate Bush’s creativity. At the time of its recording, she had already carved out a niche for herself with her first 3 albums. Songs like Babooshka and Wuthering Heights defined her as a theatrical, siren-like popstar, showcasing her hypnotic soprano voice and uniquely literary lyrics. Many of the songs for these albums were written over the course of her teen years, brought into EMI, recorded, produced, and then compiled into albums. The Dreaming was the first album for which Kate wrote entirely new material, thus allowing her newfound creativity and artistic freedom. To add to this, she handled all production and songwriting duties. The songs of The Dreaming have minimal credits, often only including background singers and Kate’s brother, Paddy. Kate used The Dreaming to fully capitalize on this independence, creating some of the most original music of the 1980s.
Upon its release, however, The Dreaming received mixed reactions. The consensus among critics was one of confusion and mild approval. Writing for Smash Hits, Neil Tennant described the album as “Very weird… obviously trying to become less commercial.” Melody Maker called the album, “initially… bewildering and not a little preposterous,” but admitted that if you would, “ try to hang on through the twisted overkill and the historic fits…there’s much reward.” It was not a complete commercial failure, but was Kate Bush’s lowest-selling album to date, remaining on the UK Hot 100 for only 10 weeks and peaking at number 3. Its lead single, There Goes a Tenner, did not chart at all in the UK. The Dreaming received only a silver certification. Bush seemed to view the album with an inkling of shame, referring to it as her ‘she’s gone mad’ album.
Despite its lukewarm critical reaction, The Dreaming was a pioneering work of pop music. It made extensive use of the Fairlight CMI, a synthesizer that would come to dominate the music of the 80s. With this new technology, Kate created a maximalist labyrinth of sound that captured the zeitgeist of the decade, despite the album being released only in its third year. There are hints of The Dreaming everywhere in 80s music, from Depeche Mode to Siouxsie and the Banshees, to The Smiths. And, although the album leverages the musical trends of the 80s such as New Wave and Post Punk, it still remains, firmly and fiercely, its own unique work.
Even now, The Dreaming’s influence can be heard in pop music, from radio-friendly hits to art-pop masterpieces. On her widely adored 2020 album Fetch The Boltcutters, Fiona Apple achieved many of the same feats Kate Bush pioneered on The Dreaming. The wild emotive singing, complex lyrics, and frantic clattering production express the same sort of feminine rage so potently articulated by Bush in 1982. On a much more accessible note, Lady Gaga’s Born This Way utilizes synthesizers in a similar way to Bush in 1982, creating an atmosphere of mania and density. MARINA’s 2010 single Mowgli’s Road borrows heavily from The Dreaming, with its quirky vocal performance and heavily percussive production. Artists such as Imogen Heap and Bjork have cited Kate Bush and The Dreaming as influences in their work, and her innovation set the stage for the success of artists like St. Vincent, Julia Holter, and Joanna Newsom. The Dreaming was even influential in Kate’s own career, allowing her to broaden her production skills and preparing her to create what is more commonly thought of as her definitive masterpiece, Hounds of Love.
The Dreaming was not a critical or commercial success. It was, however, a cultural one. While it seemed inconsequential upon release, its influence has seeped deep into the core of pop music. It has received a critical reappraisal as well, receiving positive reviews from publications such as Pitchfork and NPR. There will never be another album like The Dreaming, but there will be many more who try”.
On 13th September, Kate Bush’s The Dreaming is forty-three. It is an album that I really love. In terms of rankings and where critics place it alongside her other albums, it usually fairs well. Rough Trade ranked it second in 2023. NME placed The Dreaming fourth in 2019. Stating this is about “about adventure beyond borders”. In 2022, SPIN put The Dreaming in third: “Writing in in The Village Voice, Robert Christgau called it “the most impressive Fripp/Gabriel-style art-rock album of the postpunk refulgence”. A remarkable album from a music pioneer who went on to release six other albums that are all vastly different, The Dreaming is this fascinating middle point between Never for Ever and that older/early sound and Hounds of Love. Even if many critics rank the album high, I still think that The Dreaming lacks the…
RESPECT it deserves.