FEATURE:
It All Started with Lily…
Kate Bush’s Before the Dawn at Five
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MAYBE I should ration my Kate Bush-related features…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush performing on stage (in 2014) in Before the Dawn/PHOTO CREDIT: Ken McKay/Rex Features
to single figures next year but, when it comes to anniversaries and talking about important events, one just has to get involved. I will write one more feature – marking thirty years of The Sensual World in October – this year but I cannot believe it has been five years since Kate Bush brought the world Before the Dawn. I recall when tickets went on sale on 21st March, 2014. In fact, those were for fans who had signed up to her website: the general public had to wait until 28th March. I was not signed up to her website but, as I had to work the day tickets were available, I missed out. Tickets sold out in fifteen minutes! It is amazing to think that a concert run could sell out that quickly but, as it was thirty-five years since Bush hit the stage in such a fashion, one could understand the fever! The Hammersmith Apollo is a venue Bush has always had affection for. Not only does it have proscenium arches – it was formerly a cinema – but it is close to where she lives; she performed a few dates to end her The Tour of Life in 1979. The Hammersmith Apollo is a great space and one Bush clearly feels at home in. I will discuss her legendary tour soon but, in 2014, few were expecting Bush to return to the stage. Since 1979, she had played a few times but they were one-offs or rare appearances.
There had been nothing on the scale of The Tour of Life since 1979. That tour took Bush through the U.K. and around the world. In 2014, there was no way Bush was going to repeat that process. She loved the original experience but was fatigued by touring and the fact that, in many ways, it was like a touring circus: she would pack up the stage and props from one location and then they would be moved to the next – this was quite rigorous and, as she was not keen on travelling, this time around it has to be the one location. It meant there were no stresses regarding moving around and she could remain in a venue she knew and was familiar in. That said, as she discussed with Matt Everitt in 2016, she was terrified each night; the fear of remembering her lines and getting everything right did not elude her until the final performance! I will also talk about the live recording of Before the Dawn that was released in 2016 but for those who were lucky enough to be at one of the twenty-two shows in 2014 witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime thrill. You can find more information concerning The Tour of Life and the sheer effort that went into it. Bush has joked in interviews, as I said, that it was like a circus act. Such was the scale and grandeur of the tour that is left critics’ jaws dropped.
After releasing two albums in the space of a year in 1978 – her debut, The Kick Inside and Lionheart – there was a desire for Bush to control something; to have a big input into something this big. She felt her first two albums were okay but she did not have enough say and, maybe, they were not as good as they could have been. The preparations and rehearsals were rigorous. Unlike standard concerts of the time, The Tour of Life was replete with set changes, incredible choreography and a mix of mime, dance; the fantastical and poetic. Bush did not say much during the shows because it was a very planned and constructed set. If there was a lack of audience interaction, the performances could not be faulted. This was a spectacle that had not been seen perform; an extravaganza that took her work to new levels and broke new ground. The very nature of what a gig could be changed. Bush’s grand visions and groundbreaking nature – she was the first to use a wireless/head mic – inspired other artists and has gone down in musical history. There were a number of reasons why Bush did not take to the stage sooner. Her song, Albert, sort of changed her mind and gave her the courage to get back on the stage. Consider the effort and work required to realise The Tour of Life. The energy-draining sets were spectacular to watch but sapped Bush; she wanted to concentrate on making music and other stuff got in the way. There are other reasons why she did not tour again but something clicked prior to 2014.
Having been immersed in recording prior to Before the Dawn – she released Director’s Cut and 50 Words for Snow in 2011 – she was keen to try something new and move on. Whereas The Tour of Life took material from her first two albums (and the odd new song), the bulk of the material for Before the Dawn was taken from 1985’s Hounds of Love and 2005’s Aerial: two albums with concepts/suites that she could link and explore on the stage. There were similarities between The Tour of Life and Before the Dawn. With multi-media effects and a mix of shadows, dancers and puppets, it was another chocked and evocative set that also brought in filmed sequences – Bush spent three days in a flotation tank for filmed scenes played during the performance (she got ill as a result and got a ticking-off from her doctor!). Also featuring dialogue written by author David Mitchell, it was a typically bold and spellbinding Bush show. There were some flaws – some of the scripted, filmed scenes fell flat; not all of the set/props choices worked – but one cannot argue with the reviews. The Guardian had two tastes and, in both reviews, could not fail to be impressed by Bush. Kitty Empire’s review was full of praise:
“Other than the woofers and what sound like a few more tweeters in Aerial's birdsong passages, there has been precious little messing with Bush's music at all. Her energies have gone into staging the visuals that tell the stories of two song-suites, The Ninth Wave (about a woman lost at sea, and the horror of being parted from loved ones), from the 1985 album The Hounds of Love, and A Sky of Honey, the second half of 2005's Aerial (about the play of light in midsummer). At one point there are 20-odd people on stage. Subtle rearrangements can suit a voice that's lost its elasticity. That stage management is not needed here. At the end of three hours of untrammelled theatricality punctuated by skits (written by novelist David Mitchell), what is truly thrilling about Kate Bush's comeback is how little her voice – or her essence – have changed.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush photoed in 2005/PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton/National Portrait Gallery, London
This is an emphatically rehearsed production which draws heavily on moving scenery, startling stagecraft – a “helicopter” strafes the crowd in a botched rescue attempt during The Ninth Wave – and surprisingly scary costumes. Fish People is the handle of Bush’s website and record label, and the fish skeletons that populate the drowning dream sequences of The Ninth Wave are the stuff of gothic nightmares. Media are mixed. Infamously, Bush was filmed earlier at Pinewood Studios singing in a tank of water, buoyed by a blinking life vest, for this act. On the video she looks less like Ophelia, and colder and wearier than you might expect”.
Alexis Petridis was similarly blown away:
“For someone who's spent the vast majority of her career shunning the stage, she's a hugely engaging live performer, confident enough to shun the hits that made her famous in the first place: she plays nothing from her first four albums.
The staging might look excessive on paper, but onstage it works to astonishing effect, bolstering rather than overwhelming the emotional impact of the songs. The Ninth Wave is disturbing, funny and so immersive that the crowd temporarily forget to applaud everything Bush does. As each scene bleeds into another, they seem genuinely rapt: at the show's interval, people look a little stunned. A Sky of Honey is less obviously dramatic – nothing much happens over the course of its nine tracks – but the live performance underlines how beautiful the actual music is.
Already widely acclaimed as the most influential and respected British female artist of the past 40 years, shrouded in the kind of endlessly intriguing mystique that is almost impossible to conjure in an internet age, Bush theoretically had a lot to lose by returning to the stage. Clearly, given how tightly she has controlled her own career since the early 80s, she would only have bothered because she felt she had something spectacular to offer. She was right: Before The Dawn is another remarkable achievement”.
I am a bit gutted not to have been in the audience for one of the Before the Dawn dates. Like me, go and buy the live album and you are treated to a pretty memorable experience. I love the excitement in Bush’s voice and the impassionate roar from the audience. The performances are tight, stunning and will stay with you for a very long time. Like the show itself, the Before the Dawn album received cracking reviews. Consequence of Sound had this to say:
“While it’s tempting to look at this as an endpoint — a final and well-deserved victory lap — Bush has described this album as “a rather big comma.” This isn’t the end, apparently, and nor should it be. If anything, Before the Dawn is living, breathing proof that Bush still has the creative prowess and unique sensibilities that made her a superstar in the first place.
Like most live albums, this is not essential listening for new or casual fans. However, for dedicated fans, both those who could and could not attend the run of shows, it is a reminder of the still very potent lust for life that Bush has always exhibited in her music, art, and personality. It’s a reminder that fear can be conquered in the most ambitious and uplifting way, that fear does not define who we are”.
Celebrating and remembering the incredible Before the Dawn makes happy because it was great to see Bush back on the stage. Many asked why she did not return sooner but there are reasons for it – including the fact she started a family and The Tour of Life was quite an exhausting experience. Whilst it is unlikely Bush will take to the stage again like she did in 2014, maybe there will be a gig in the future. Who knows? You can never rule anything out with Kate Bush but, whilst we wait to see where she heads next, let us remember the magical moment Kate Bush took to the stage…
IN 2014.
FEATURE: Flower of the Mountain: Kate Bush: The Uniqueness of a True Icon
FEATURE:
Flower of the Mountain
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in the photoshoot for Hounds of Love (1985)/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
Kate Bush: The Uniqueness of a True Icon
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EVEN though she has not released any new material…
PHOTO CREDIT: Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy
for eight years (or just shy of), I am always fixated by Kate Bush and the fact that, even now, there is nobody quite like her! If I repeat myself then I apologise (or do I?!) but, when it comes to Kate Bush, there is always relevance and angles unexplored. I am writing this for two reasons. For one, it is her birthday on Tuesday and, I hope, it means more of her music is played and dissected. Another reason for doing this feature is to explore the uniqueness of Kate Bush and her incredible catalogue and ask, with such a body of work under her belt, why so many people only associate her with a few tracks. I will start with that point, actually. I am a huge follower of radio and feel that it is still the essential resource when it comes to discovering new artists and those classic tracks. I am not sure whether there are station guidelines and strict rules but, when it comes to certain huge artists, you only tend to hear a small selection of their songs played. Take Kate Bush as a perfect example. You occasionally hear her songs played but, when you do, you just know it is going to be the same tracks – usually Wuthering Heights, Hounds of Love; maybe Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) or Babooshka. I understand one cannot play every song by every major artist but, when you think of Kate Bush, you think of this singular artist whose album tracks are as compelling as her singles.
Think about a song as intriguing and stunning as The Dreaming’s Houdini. Maybe throw in Symphony in Blue (from Lionheart) or, perhaps, a dash of The Infant Kiss from Never for Ever. We all know how brilliant Bush’s music is but I do not think she gets as much exposure as she deserves. So many great tracks are nestling on albums but do not get featured on radio playlists. That is a shame but, as I pitch a case for Kate Bush as this unique artist, go and buy her albums and discover just how fantastic she is. I do have a feeling we will hear news from Kate Bush at some point this year! It has been a while since 50 Words for Snow was released (in 2011), so I sort of think there will be movement. Listen to any Kate Bush song or see one of her videos and you cannot compare her to anyone! Her visual flair and inventiveness in front of the camera is striking; her music never sat with the sounds of the time and, when it came to lyrics, she was talking about subjects no other Pop artist was. From incest and menstruation her debut album, The Kick Inside, to warfare and nuclear destruction on 1980’s Never for Ever – not too bad considering, at that point, she was only on her third album! We have some pretty bold and daring artists in today’s music scene but, whilst none can really touch Bush for inventiveness and originality, there are artists who have shades of Bush.
PHOTO CREDIT: PA
This Variety article mentions U.S. artist Billie Eilish and asked whether she is 2019’s Kate Bush:
“Eilish is an outlier who arrived at a time of need: Despite her couture-in-a-blender look, her songs represent a move away from verses full of conspicuous consumption. Rather than focusing on the well-worn territory of interpersonal transactions — “Me!” “You!” “We!” — the 17-year-old vital and visual artist twists our notion of gender.
Neither Eilish nor Bush are ruled by men. Rather, they thrive in their own versions of femininity.
She officially proved herself as a pioneer when, at 19, she released her literary first single, “Wuthering Heights” — based on Emily Bronte’s gothic romance — which topped the U.K.’s charts for an entire month. In so doing, Bush became the first female artist to score a No. 1 hit that she wrote herself. She went on to become the first woman in the history of the British charts to have eight records simultaneously in the Top 50. (To put this achievement in context, she’s now trailing Elvis and the Beatles for having simultaneous Top 40 records; Presley had 12, the Beatles 11.) Not bad for an artist who only toured twice in her entire career — with a 35-year break in between”.
It is true that both Bush and Eilish are trained dancers; both sort of keep their music in the family (Bush’s brothers, Paddy (Patrick) and John (or Jay), worked alongside her whilst Eilish writes with her brother, Finneas O’Connell); both are non-conformists regarding sound and lyrical content and both artists create strong albums rather than bang out a few commercial singles here and there.
I love the fact that there are (clearly) artists taking a lead from Bush but, even when the best of the new breed are moving in Bush’s direction, none can penetrate her golden circle (that sounds weird but, hey, I think Bush would approve…I hope!). To me and so many others, Kate Bush’s music is transformative and sense-altering. I can be in a really bad mood and I find Bush’s songs evoke emotions and feelings nothing else can. I will not go as far to say she is some sort of tonic and cure but, when you want to escape and truly immerse yourself in music then put on one of her albums and the effect is staggering. I guess many people associate her with 1985’s Hounds of Love and, when it comes to her high-point, few would argue against it. On her first couple of albums, Bush was definitely unique in regards what she was writing about and the vast maturity she displayed. That voice, the central weapon, was higher in pitch (than it would go on to be) and there was this very distinct and unusual sound. In interviews, Bush claimed not to listen to a whole lot of contemporary music (anything from, say, 1980-ish and the years surrounding it) and listened to relatively few female artists – as she did not want to be influenced or lead in that sense; she listened to artists like Elton John, Pink Floyd and David Bowie.
PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
By the time Hounds of Love arrived, her voice moved in a different direction – slightly deeper, rawer and less flighty – and, as you’d expect, she was not about to go conventional and chart-friendly when it came to her tracks and concepts. This fascinating article from The New Yorker talked about Bush as an enduring talent and explained why Hounds of Love, and especially its conceptual second side, was a revelation:
““The Ninth Wave” is about a woman lost at sea after a shipwreck and awaiting rescue. As she floats in icy waters, she fights but intermittently succumbs to fitful sleep, longing for the ordinary human pleasures, wishing she had a radio (“I’d tune in to some friendly voices, talking ’bout stupid things”), and hearing the murmurings of her family, coaxing her back from the brink of death. The songs make poignant and musically ambitious use of spoken word and helicopter sounds, church bells and chopped-up vocals, Uilleann pipes and fiddles, and of a single whistle note at the end of “And Dream of Sheep.” The Irish folk musician Dónal Lunny said later that Bush had him play it over and over for three hours until it acquired the right “bend.”
On just a listen or two, the lyrics from “The Ninth Wave” worm their way deep. Take these, in which the woman, alone in the cold, dark water, imagines sheep in a meadow: “Oh their breath is warm / and they smell like sleep / They take me deeper and deeper / like poppies, heavy with seed.” Everything about those lines is right, down to the poppies, with all their layers of association: the field of sleep-inducing flowers in “The Wizard of Oz”; poppies as the source of opiates, and as symbols of remembrance for the dead, adopted after the First World War in Britain; poppies, which, because they have such wide, blowsy heads atop such tall, slender stalks, can look like they’re nodding off as they sway in a summer breeze”.
So many modern artists – and even some legends – sound too safe between albums; they never really push themselves and one wonders why that is. Maybe they are fearful of losing some of their fanbase or they might be aiming to keep a familiar sound in order to remain popular; maybe taking bigger risks further down the line. Kate Bush was moving tonally and thematically in every album. She was loathed to stand still and repeat herself. She never wanted to follow the commercial crowd and was (and is) this always-curious and ambitious artist who wanted to explore just how far she could take her music. Hounds of Love is the moment when her ambitions and life situation – she moved from London and set up her own studio in the countryside; after a tough period creatively and personally, she was definitely refreshed and revitalised – sort of meshed and peaked; there was this special time when everything sort of fell in line. Although albums such as The Dreaming (1982) are quite divisive, just listen to all the different sounds running rampant and consider how many other artists of the time were doing what Bush was! There were some great albums released in 1982 – no less Michael Jackson’s Thriller! – but there was nothing out there like The Dreaming; perhaps it was too experimental and intense for critics to handle. Even now, the album sounds mind-altering and, although Bush temporised and focused more for Hounds of Love, it goes to show that she was unique – in the space of two albums, it is almost like you are listening to two artists; or the same artist decades apart.
I will end this piece with a Kate Bush playlist – a slightly revised one; I have published others before – that shows how she evolved through the years. Not only has her music eluded convention and predictability but, when she arrived on the scene in the late-1970s, her demeanour and look was not exactly familiar and traditional. Whereas many artists then were embracing Punk and had a particular vibe, Bush’s more ethereal, mystical and spiritual bent caused some consternation in the press – as the article from The New Yorker explains:
“…(Graeme)Thomson (whose Kate Bush biography, Under the Ivy, is essential reading) contends that, at a time when musical camps were more fiercely armored than they are now (remember when people had to choose, absurdly, between punk and disco?), Bush got a bad rap from some music journalists for being a dreamy middle-class girl rather than an angry working-class bloke. There was grumbling about her tweeness, her witchy, unapologetic femininity. “Most of her records,” the jazz critic Richard Cook, writing about Bush in Sounds magazine, complained, “smell of tarot cards, kitchen curtains and lavender pillows.” That said, John Lydon—a.k.a. Johnny Rotten—loved her music. In a BBC documentary about Bush, from 2014, he allows that “a lot of my friends at the time couldn’t bear” Bush’s high-pitched, passionate warbling on “Wuthering Heights” and other early songs. “They just thought it was too much”—and, indeed, Bush is the high priestess of too much. “But that,” Lydon said, “was really what drew me in”.
Bush’s music videos, like her music, were fantastical and unique. Many people’s first exposure to Bush was the video for Wuthering Heights - a transcendent debut single that was backed with a video (two, actually) of Bush dancing in a dress; a simple but beguiling choreography that could not but transfix. Again, I look at so many modern artists and, whilst they might put out one or two truly moving and special videos, there is very little that catches the eye and stays in the mind. The first video I saw featuring Kate Bush was her single, Them Heavy People (from The Kick Inside). Maybe it is her facial expressions – exaggerated and playful – or the way she is moving – I was stunned as a child and this was, literally, the first time Bush’s music entered my mind. Go check out Bush’s videos because they are as inspiring and dream-like as her music. Everything about Kate Bush was original when she arrived in 1978 and, in 2019, I still cannot see anyone who comes close to capturing her essence and unique cupboard of potions, spells and scents. That said, as this article explains, so many modern artists have a lot to thank Kate Bush for:
“Little Boots joins a small army of musicians to have saluted Bush: everyone from Grimes to Florence Welch, and Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke to Outkast’s Big Boi has hailed her. “What caught me [about Bush] the most was, first, the production and the voice of course, but also the different meanings behind the stories she was telling,” Big Boi told Rolling Stone in 2011. New York-based Brazilian musician Yann similarly describes himself as a Bush super-fan.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
“If it wasn’t for Kate, I’m not even sure if I’d be a musician today,” he tells me. “The way she’s able to convey such vivid imagery through songwriting is masterful. The song and video that made me a huge fan at such a young age was Babooshka – the storytelling and visuals really mesmerised me. Growing up gay in a conservative culture as I did can be extremely isolating. Kate’s unapologetic weirdness felt like a safe space to me: she didn’t sound, look, dress, sing, or even dance like anyone else”.
We have just seen the annual flashmob: where Bush fans dress up as she did in the Wuthering Heights video:
“Inspired by a one-off flashmob organised by British performance artist Shambush in 2013, “The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever” has grown to become an annual event where people in over 30 cities unite to celebrate Bush’s most famous song and video.
“There’s something liberating about spinning with abandon dressed in a flowing red gown in a field, and I think that resonates on some profound level with her audience,” Belinda Burton, who organises the Sydney event, tells me. “I’ve heard people say time and time again that they would kick aside their lounge room furniture and spin to Wuthering Heights whenever it came on. For other people, they see it as a ‘reclaiming’ of their personal power from past relationship traumas. In an increasingly grey and punitive world, you could even say it’s an act of defiance. I know it’s an overused word these days, but there’s an authenticity to Kate Bush that’s inspirational. And I think that’s her legacy, really”.
It is clear that there is such devotion and love for Kate Bush! Another reason, I guess, for penning this piece now is because I can sort of sense the desire for new Kate Bush material. Maybe it is the political climate and the fact Boris Johnson is now Prime Minister; maybe it is the weather or the fact one always needs Kate Bush music. There is nothing on the horizon at the moment but, as an artist who normally released albums around September through to November, there is still time. If nothing comes this year then that is okay: just listen to what Bush has put out and you cannot help but marvel. I have not even mentioned her interviews and how engaging they are. Always full of intelligence, light and warmth, she is a fascinating and charming subject. She gave quite a few interviews when she released 50 Words for Snow and hearing the then-fifty-three-year-old discuss her music and comparing that with her earliest interviews is…well, you can hear the difference but that Kate Bush charm and beauty remains. In six days, it is her birthday so I hope there will be new articles and fresh appreciation for an artist whose career has spanned over five decades and, as I have stated, there is nobody quite like Kate Bush. In this very hot and sticky weather, it is best (if you can) to stay inside or as cool as possible – listen to some Kate Bush and that will definitely do you the world of good! Go buy her albums, go stream her music; watch her videos and read up about a woman who, since 1978, has delighted the world. It is clear that, when it comes to Kate Bush and her multiple gifts, she is an artist…
IMPOSSIBLE to rival.
FEATURE: The Misunderstood Child: Kate Bush’s The Dreaming
FEATURE:
The Misunderstood Child
PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
Kate Bush’s The Dreaming
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IT is interesting looking at Kate Bush’s career...
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari
and how she went through these different, remarkable phases. The Dreaming is an album that split opinion when it was released. Fans who really got what she was doing loved the album – Bush experimenting and taking control of production – but many critics were not a fan of the shifting moods and the sense of the eccentric. To be fair, she hinted in the direction of The Dreaming’s sound on the previous album, Never for Ever. I do feel like 1982 – when The Dreaming was released – was a key year when Bush had been working with other producers and felt, more often than not, a cog rather than the person controlling the machine. 1980’s Never for Ever was a success and contained incredible singles such as Babooshka. It was a bold step from her previous album, Lionheart (1978), and we were seeing this confident and extraordinary artist growing and spreading her wings. One of the reasons The Dreaming gets negative press from some is because of the sheer intensity of the music. Whether it is the rush of Sat in Your Lap, Get Out of My House or the sense of heartache in All the Love – it is an album that consumed a lot of Bush’s time and energy. In 1981 and 1982, Bush was working hard on the album and, with newer technologies such as the Fairlight at her disposal, it gave her music fresh possibility and horizons.
If previous albums were more accessible and straighter, The Dreaming was Bush taking everything in; ranging from songs about aboriginal Australians (The Dreaming), crime capers (There Goes a Tenner) and escapology (Houdini). Taking on production responsibilities, Bush was working all hours and, to be honest, her health and well-being sort of took a beat-seat to the demands of the music. Her diet was not great and she was threatening to burn herself out. One can hear every morsel and ounce of Bush in The Dreaming. Upon its initial release, there was a mixed reception. Some were confused by the experimental tracks and how there was not a cohesive, singular sound. Others struggled to get behind the different sounds and instruments played – The Dreaming was definitely a busy album! Prior to The Dreaming, there was this feeling that Bush was being controlled to an extent; she was not 100% happy with her work or, at the very least, wanted to have a greater say. She wanted a rawer sounds that, whilst it was shaping up in Never for Ever, it was fully realised through The Dreaming. I think The Dreaming is one of Bush’s most exciting, varied and rewarding albums. There is this split between spiritual desires and the quest for love; songs about history and a sense of the classical and a great balance between fun and serious – the track order is perfect as to allow the listener breath when needed. Maybe critics were looking for a hit like Wuthering Heights or Babooshka: The Dreaming does not boast anything like that.
Those who are a bit unsure of The Dreaming highlight how much of a shift there is from Never for Ever in terms of songs and the general tone. EMI were not thrilled The Dreaming took two years to see the light of day (that was considered a long time back then!) but look at artists today and how long they take between albums – and how the resultant release is not nearly as striking and busy as The Dreaming. This review from Pitchfork highlighted how The Dreaming was a turning point for Kate Bush; a stunning work that is much less about commercial sense and more of a truly personal vision:
“The Dreaming was a turning point from Kate Bush, pop star to Kate Bush, artist: a fan favorite for the same reason it was a commercial failure. Part of the Athena myth around Bush is that she arrived to EMI at 16 with a huge archive of songs, and from this quiver came most of the material for the first four albums. The Dreaming was her first album of newly composed work and for it, her first real chance to rethink her songwriting praxis and to produce the songs on her own. Using mainly a Linn drum machine and the Fairlight CMI—an early digital synth she came to master in real time—she cut and pasted layers of timbres and segments of sound rather than recording mixing lines of instruments, a method that would later be commonplace among the producer-musician. At the time, it was still considered odd, especially for a first-time producer, and especially for a young woman prone to fabulous leotards.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: Steve Rapport Photography
All this excess is her sound: a strongly held belief that unites all of the The Dreaming. Nearly half of the album is devoted to spiritual quests for knowledge and the strength to quell self-doubt. Frenetic opener “Sat in Your Lap” was the first song written for the album. Inspired by hearing Stevie Wonder live, it serves as meta-commentary of her step back from the banality of pop ascendancy that mocks shortcuts to knowledge. A similar track, “Suspended in Gaffa,” laments falling short of enlightenment through the metaphor of light bondage in black cloth stagehand tape. It is a pretty queer-femme way of thinking through the very prog-rock problem of being a real artist in a commercial theater form, which is probably why it’s a fan favorite”.
The Dreaming was the lead-up and first signs of what Hounds of Love would contain. After The Dreaming’s release, Bush moved to the countryside (and away from London); she took up dance again and changed her diet. She set up her own studio and, in the idyllic surroundings, created this masterpiece that is considered her finest work. There were reservations among those at EMI whether Bush should produce another album. Given the fact The Dreaming was not a huge commercial success and took a while to arrive, there were raised eyebrows – she proved everything wrong when Hounds of Love arrived in 1985.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: Steve Rapport Photography
I think The Dreaming is vastly underrated because it is crammed with texture and sounds. It is a busy album but one that never overwhelms and pushes one away. So many albums fall flat after a few listens but The Dreaming is one that unfurls and reveals new beauty after a few plays. Songs like Houdini are lush and graceful - almost classical and traditional -, whereas Sat in Your Lap and The Dreaming are more frenetic and charged. Bush married the technology and breakthroughs of the early-1980s with something more traditional and sparse. Listen to the real thrill and scares one hears on the album closer, Get Out of My House. This house, as Bush says, contains her mistakes and madness. Bush said The Dreaming was sort of her going a bit mad so, in a way, the closer seems like a perfect distillation of The Dreaming: the madness and intensity demanded but such confidence, talent and originality. Bush could have released something commercial that pleased the label but, instead, we have this very modern-sounding (it still sounds modern today!) record that was the work of an artist pushing boundaries and challenging conventions. Look at other albums released in 1982 – including Michael Jackson’s Thriller and ABC’s The Lexicon of Love – and there was nothing like it around. In terms of Pop, Madonna was emerging and would release her eponymous album the following year. The likes of Duran Duran and Yazoo were in the charts in 1982 so one can understand why critics were a bit taken aback by The Dreaming!
Many had followed Bush closely in 1978 and maybe were not expecting a leap like The Dreaming. Bush won back many with Hounds of Love and, without The Dreaming, Hounds of Love would not have happened. That may sound obvious but I mean Bush was moving away from convention and other producers; she was assuming more responsibilities and, whilst The Dreaming took a lot out of her, you can tell this record meant so much to her. This is the always-curious and ambitious artist letting her imagination run wild. In 2019, can one say we have any albums out that are as daring and bold as The Dreaming!? Sure, there are great albums around but nothing quite as eye-opening and hypnotic as Bush’s fourth. I think The Dreaming is one of those albums that took a while to resonate and win favour; modern critics have been kinder and underlined its importance. Drowned in Sound, back in 2016, had this to say:
“Perhaps the greatest joy of the record, though, comes from immersing yourself in the narratives that Bush presents, and realising how her words and the music have a symbiotic, almost dependent relationship. The Ninth Wave (her conceptual mini-record about a person drifting alone in the sea at night that formed the second side of Hounds Of Love) would later demonstrate that Bush could write a beautiful, focused narrative over the course of song cycle. But the individual tracks on The Dreaming show off some of Bush’s most fascinating short stories, spanning an ambitiously large range of subjects – it’s at times difficult to believe that she suffered from writer’s block.
The Dreaming is therefore tirelessly imaginative, asking the listener to submerge themselves in a wealth of illusory and semi-fictional realms. But it’s also remarkable for what happened behind the scenes as well. Bush had made steps into production before, on the EP On Stage and on Never For Ever, where she was aided by engineer Jon Kelly. Here though, she took the bold step to produce the entirety of the album alone. While she did collaborate to some extent with a few engineers (such as Nick Launay, who had previously worked with Public Image Ltd and Phil Collins), the control that Bush had on the record is plain to hear at every twist and turn. She extensively made use of the Fairlight CMI – one of the earliest workstations with an embedded digital sampling synthesiser – and a number of other state-of-the-art machines when recording.
The Dreaming, by contrast, remains the overlooked jewel in her canon. But while it may be challenging and uncompromising, it’s almost hard to imagine what Kate Bush would be like today if she hadn’t released it. A staggeringly bold step forward for her as a singer, songwriter and producer, The Dreaming was a milestone both for Bush herself and the wider world of music”.
The Dreaming was that wonderful bridge between the promise and bloom of 1980’s Never for Ever and the peak of Hounds of Love in 1985…
There is so much to enjoy with The Dreaming and, yes, it can be challenging at times and not every song is a success. The reason I think The Dreaming is underrated is because of the themes Bush addresses and how many sounds she brings to the plate. The Dreaming is so heady and fulsome; there is something for everyone and, to me, this was her most personal album to that point. Life would change noticeably for Bush post-1982 and she did undergo a sort of revival and refresh. Without the intoxicating madness and demands of The Dreaming, maybe we would not have got the Hounds of Love we have – a different-sounding record, perhaps. That time definitely gave Bush a taste of solo producing and it was clear that, from that point, she wanted to produce her own albums. If you are new to Kate Bush – where have you been?! – I would start with albums like Hounds of Love and The Kick Inside (1978) as they are more accessible. The Dreaming definitely needs to be in your thoughts. It is a remarkable work unlike anything else that can sit passion and love alongside the political and the plain insane! Any artist who ends an album with Houdini and Get Out of My House (very different songs that seem like they are from two different artists!) clearly warrants respect and appreciation. Maybe The Dreaming will not win everyone around but I still think it is seen as an odd child; a record that is a bit too scattershot and strange to truly grab the imagination. To me, The Dreaming is a record that opened a new world, not just for Kate Bush but the wider musical landscape. It is a fantastic album that, almost thirty-seven years after its release (it was released on 13th September, 1982), sound completely brilliant, underrated and…
UNLIKE anything else.
FEATURE: Director’s Cut: Is Now the Perfect Time for Another, Definitive, Kate Bush Documentary?
FEATURE:
Director’s Cut
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush (circa 1978)/PHOTO CREDIT: Mirrorpix
Is Now the Perfect Time for Another, Definitive, Kate Bush Documentary?
_________
ON Friday…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at her family's home in East Wickham, London on 26th September, 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Moorhouse/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Kate Bush fans were able to see a documentary that first went out in 2014. Broadcast on BBC Four on Friday, the original capitalised on the news that Bush was returning to the stage for a residency – her Before the Dawn show was a raging success and her first properly extensive performance since 1979. I am a huge fan of Kate Bush – if you hadn’t already guessed! - and I sort of regret not being able to see her perform in Hammersmith in 2014. Those gigs must have been something sensational and the reviews spoke for themselves. Everyone was raving, and so it was not a surprise that the BBC would want to make a documentary about her. The documentary, The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill, brought together celebrity fans (including St. Vincent and Tricky) and paired them with people who have worked with Kate Bush – including Del Palmer, David Gilmour and Sir Elton John. It was a huge boon getting all of these people together who paid tribute to Bush and shared their experiences. Lots of people tuned in and there were some healthy reviews for the documentary. The Guardian reviewed The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill and expressed their praise:
“Guests, contributors and soon even formerly ignorant viewers like me were in awe of the talent displayed and then intelligently discussed and dissected by John, Kemp and other respected experts, such as David Gilmour, Peter Gabriel, John Lydon, Tori Amos and Del Palmer, Bush's bandmate and partner from the 1970s to 1990s. Neil Gaiman was on hand to hymn her fearlessly literary inspirations and lyrics, from – of course – Wuthering Heights (from which she derived her first single, in March 1978) to Molly Bloom's soliloquy from Ulysses in the title track of her 1989 album, The Sensual World.
Bush herself appeared only in old interview footage – so young, so fragile, so shy, but full of the sureness and certainty that only talent brings – but what emerged was a wonderful, detailed portrait of that talent. Although it gave her precocity its full due (she had written The Man With the Child in His Eyes by the time Gilmour came to listen to her when she was 14), it also gave proper weight to her evolution and her later, less commercial, still astonishing work. Why it chose to close on a stupid jarring joke by Steve Coogan, I do not know. But the rest of it succeeded in making Bush and her work less of a mystery but no less beautiful for that”.
There is a lot to recommend about the documentary and it did get some things right. The raft of big names that were collected together is its biggest bonus. Having Del Palmer there – who has been with Bush since the start and still works with her – was a big asset and having everyone from Tori Amos and Stephen Fry sitting alongside David Gilmour and Lindsay Kemp (her former dance teacher) was terrific. Instead of it being purely celeb-driven, there were people in the mix who worked on Bush’s material and had that personal connection. I do like the fact that quite a bit of her work was featured and we got a nice span of interview archives.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
The fact that any documentary got made at all was an advantage and, rather than try to ride on the bandwagon in 2014, there was genuine intent and passion. For me, there were too many downsides and missed opportunities. The review above highlights how the documentary ended on a stupid joke. That seems to underline the documentary and some big mistakes. Why Steve Coogan was included so much baffles me and, fan through he is, he is hardly a big part of Kate Bush’s story. A lot of his ‘insights’ and words were not that revealing and fresh and he could have been omitted without too many people complaining. There were a couple of celebrity inclusions that provided little depth. St. Vincent and Tricky offered some good comments from a musician’s viewpoint and, whereas Bat for Lashes’ Natasha Khan was good value, the fact she said ‘The Hounds of Love’ rather than ‘Hounds of Love’ and was not sure about the name of a particular Bush song (it was the one with donkey braying, Get Out of My House) was a bit annoying – if you are a big fan then you get simple stuff like that right, you’d think. Guests shared their opinions on Kate Bush’s best songs and, rather than the songs being played in studios through speakers, they all whipped out their Smartphones and played these very tinny-sounding versions. It seems odd that this decision was made.
Bush is strict and passionate regarding sound quality and ensuring her music is as crisp and natural as possible. Having her rich and beautiful music bleached and distorted through technology was another poor decision. A couple more things got to me. The documentary was too linear and it did not deviate too much from the predictable and straight. At an hour-long, some albums were pretty much passed over; there were not enough interview and video inclusions and, considering The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill, was made off of the back of Bush returning to the stage, there was very little footage from her first live shows for the Tour of Life back in 1979. That groundbreaking live tour was a revelation and blew away critics back then. There is documentary and live footage of the shows and it is a shame that more was not included in The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill. With the BBC having direct access to the archives and their own material, why was so much omitted? The fact is that, at sixty minutes, you can just about skim the surface. I have tried to pitch a longer, multi-part Bush documentary to radio and T.V. producers but, each time, it is met with a bit of resistance. Many claim that, without Bush’s input, there is little attraction from them. That is near-impossible as Bush likes her privacy and there is no need to have her directly involved. Others say that the BBC documentary is conclusive and complete.
IN THIS PHOTO: A twenty-year-old Kate Bush/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
That might be true if you only know a bit about Bush’s work but, if you are a true fan, that statement is completely false: the documentary could have been much longer and there were some serious gaps! It sounds like I am dissing the BBC and reducing their efforts and, whilst The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill, is by no means long and deep enough, at least there is something out there in the world. Hearing musicians talk about Bush in such fevered and loving tones is heartening. There are a lot of pluses regarding The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill but, as five years have passed since it was broadcast, there is a lot of new ground to cover. Not only has Bush completed her Before the Dawn residency but she has also remastered and re-released her back catalogue and released a book of lyrics. This sense of retrospection and correction (Bush wanting all her albums to be out there and have this great sound) is understandable and it is sure to have attracted new listeners and pleased her existing fanbase. A lot has happened since 2014 regarding Bush’s live pursuits and her existing material. There will be many, myself included, curious to see where she goes next. This sort of begs the question whether now is the perfect time to mount another documentary. I think, if it expanded on what the BBC did and retained some of its better points (the quality of contributors) and redressed some omissions (made it much longer and scrubbed away its mistakes) then something properly authoritative could come about.
Many would have noticed The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill lacked a real in-depth look at her albums, videos and wonderful interviews. The Tour of Life coverage and footage is great and, rather than going chronologically and being too narrow, there is room for mixing things up and not being beholden to convention. A three-part documentary would be best and, in addition to bringing back the best guests of The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill (David Gilmour, Del Palmer and St. Vincent among them), there is a chance to bring new faces into the mix – including artists inspired by Bush (Florence Welch among them) and people who have worked with her since the start (family members, older engineers and producers would be great). There are these new projects and released (the book of lyrics and her back catalogue available on vinyl) and one imagines there are new stirrings and plans. Given the fact that, by the time the new documentary is out, there might be new material makes me thing now is the perfect time to strike. I have a bit of a sixth sense regarding artists releasing albums and I feel like a new Kate Bush album will arrive this or next year. It has been nearly eight year since her last album, 50 Words for Snow, so it cannot be too long until another release comes out way.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush takes a friend for a walk/PHOTO CREDIT: Claude Vanheye
With new additions and some improvements to be made, I think there is the potential to make a genuine striking, fulsome and complete Kate Bush documentary. I do like a lot of The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill but, for an artist who has been releasing music since 1978, there is a lot of ground to cover. I do feel like it is impossible to distil all of her magic and individuality into a single hour. For Bush, you need a few different parts that explore her songs, videos and live performances. Not only is it a great time for a new Kate Bush documentary to come about but I think there is always room for more than one study. I think there is this feeling that one (documentary) is enough but the likes of David Bowie have had several documentaries made about them exploring different aspects. Bush is no less intriguing and varied so I do feel like there is this desire and scope. It seems like, very soon, something new could come about and that will naturally lead to a wave of interest and huge buzz. There are few that want to interview Kate Bush more than I and I have read (several times) biographies about her. I feel like I have a pretty deep understanding about where she came from and what motivates her. The more you read about her, the more you realise there is so much to cover and endless scope.
Bush loves dance and film; some of her albums have not been properly explored and there are many different aspects of her music and personality that have not been brought to the screen. The excitement about Kate Bush never goes away and I do know that there are new fans coming through and others that have not experienced her music. People can seek out her records but I do think that an everything-under-one-roof approach would help bridge the gap. Lesser artists than Kate Bush have had more airtime dedicated to them and had more than a couple of documentaries made. I think that now is a great time to launch another project and, whilst Bush herself might not get involved, there are plenty around her that would lend their time. Until all of this happens – and I do hope that someone, somewhere gets the wheels going -, go look at Bush’s previous work and all the great interviews online. Her interviews alone are fantastic and always intoxicating. There is this whole world to explore and, the more you dig, the more in love you fall. I love everything she does and cannot wait to see what comes next. You can never tell what will happen with Kate Bush and that is what makes her unique and so captivating. There are numerous sides, angles and colours that have not been shown on the screen and, the sooner that happens, the better. I do recommend people look at the BBC’s The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill documentary but, as quite a bit of time has passed, it is now time to see Kate Bush’s story on the screen…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush shot in 2005/PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton/National Portrait Gallery, London
ONCE more.
FEATURE: Female Icons: Part One: Kate Bush
FEATURE:
Female Icons
PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
Part One: Kate Bush
__________
IT has been a bit of a strange week in general...
PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Moorhouse/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
what with one thing or another. Two British football sides, Liverpool F.C. and Tottenham Hotspur F.C., have made the final of the Champions League after trilling and unlikely comebacks (the media have dubbed both reversals ‘miracles’ but that belies sheer determination and, worryingly, suggests God had something to do with it!). Danny Baker has just been fired by the BBC and, elsewhere, there is the usual assault of political ineptitude and anger. It is my birthday today and, whilst I should be taking things easy, I am compelled to, once more, put Kate Bush onto the page. I should really stop promising each time – I don’t know why I do it – that this will be the last time I’ll post anything Kate Bush-related for a while. I love writing about her and, in a music world where there is nobody like Bush, it is always brilliant pushing her music to new people. I am always writing about sexism and gender inequality in music and, in a year where there is no sign of improvement and more cases of festivals ignoring women, we would do well to remember all the iconic women who have pushed music to where it is now. In future instalments, I will look at everyone from Madonna and Aretha Franklin through to Joni Mitchell and Beyoncé. It is a wide remit but I wanted to start with Kate Bush because, to me, she is the epitome of the unique and ever-striking artist.
Before I talk about my experience of Bush and why her music connects so hard, one cannot accuse her of being idle and sitting on her hands. Since 2011’s 50 Words for Snow – her most-recent studio album – there has been some movement. In fact, a lot of her more recent activity has been retrospective and focused on her past. Director’s Cut, released in the same year as 50 Words for Snow, saw Bush rework some of the songs from her albums, The Sensual World and The Red Shoes. If not completely essential, that album did give Bush the chance to ‘correct’ some of the issues with songs that were recorded as digital technology was coming through. In 2014, out of nowhere, she announced a residency at Hammersmith with her show, Before the Dawn. It was only the second big live project of her career. In 1979, her only tour, Tour of Life, happened; taking her around the world, it was a masterclass in progression, ambition and theatre (watch this great documentary regarding the process). Thirty-five years later, Before the Dawn gave fans a chance to see her back on the stage, where she performed some of her best-known songs in addition to the song cycles from Hounds of Love (1985) and Aerial (2005). Last year, Bush released a book of lyrics, How to Be Invisible, and re-released/remastered her back catalogue.
Like any self-respecting Bush fan, I have snapped up as much of this remastered material as possible and revelled in the vinyl goodness of her masterful work. Whilst the last four or five years has largely been about looking back and, in a sense, fulfilling long-held demands and dreams (for fans at least), we look forward and wonder where she will head. 2011’s 50 Words for Snow was a critical success and a lot different to her earlier work. Rather than rely on tighter songs with emphasis on the voice, the songs (on 50 Words for Snow) were longer and boasted, I think, richer compositions. Alas, the new direction was a welcomed one and I feel, when new material does come, it will most likely sound similar to this rather than her earlier days’ material. So, then, when is a new album to come? With Bush, it could be anytime and arrive in any format. It is not going to be similar to Madonna and how she is parcelling-out her latest record, Madame X: lots of tweets, photos and offerings drip-fed and gradual. Bush will announce the album and then, maybe, a single will come out and that will be it until the record arrives. I have a bit of a knack for predicting when certain artists will release new albums – I got Madonna pinned with Madame X – and I have a feeling that Bush will release something in the autumn/winter (I might be wrong but it has been nearly eight years since her last studio album so one holds hope). Why rank Bush as a female icon of music?
PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
Just look at her influence and how she has impacted music since her arrival in 1978. One can draw a line from Bush to everyone from Tori Amos, Madonna; Björk, St. Vincent and Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine). All of these women have elements of Kate Bush and each are fiercely creative and powerful. Think about all the accomplishments and ‘firsts’ Bush has been responsible for. The aforementioned Tour of Life was a masterpiece that, with little bits of David Bowie added to the theatrical mix, it set a high standard of what a live performance could be. Including mime, scene changes and this immersive world, critics raved. Although she has not toured since 1979, her sole tour inspired countless artists in terms of performance scope and ambition. Bush helped invent the wireless head-microphone (used, famously, by Madonna) and her albums have broken records. Her debut single, Wuthering Heights (her only number-one), eventually made its way to the top of the charts and it meant, in 1978, Bush became the first British female to have a self-written song reach number-one. Her third album, Never for Ever, was the first number-one album by a British female artist. It is amazing to think it took until 1978 (1980 in the case of the album) for these records to be broken - but it gave impetus and inspiration to other women in the music industry. There are other reasons why Bush should be considered iconic. I listen to interviews (including gems such as this and this) she conducted through the years and you get this very warm, intelligent and compelling woman speaking so passionately. Her visual aspect and love comes out through her album covers, videos and live performances.
I have talked about Bush’s sole tour and her 2014 residency and all the brilliance she brought to the stage. Her album covers are consistently striking and original and her videos, more than anything, show what a wonderful eye she has for film, story and memorable moments. There are countless golden videos one can source but Wuthering Heights – where she wore a white dress and performed a beguiling dance (she wore a red dress for the U.S. version of the video) – stands out. The first video I saw of hers was for Them Heavy People (from, like Wuthering Heights, her debut album, The Kick Inside). The quirky and charming video beguiled my young mind. She grew more ambitious visually in-tandem with her sonic evolution. Hounds of Love’s Cloudbusting, Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) and The Big Sky are all unique and utterly wonderful. I especially love The Big Sky because it is so busy and colourful (there is one moment, at 0:40/0:42, where she gives the most beautiful smile you could ever imagine!). Bush has stated, in numerous interviews, how much she loved film and T.V. She has directed some of her own videos (including The Big Sky) and has created some of the most memorable videos of the past four-or-so decades. When it came to be being captured in front of the camera, there have been countless poses and looks that have stopped the heart. Whether being photoed by the press, an associate or her brother, John Carder Bush (I suggest you get his book of photos, Kate: Inside the Rainbow; also check out Graeme Thomson’s wonderful biography, Kate Bush: Under the Ivy), you just know Bush never phoned it in: every photo was a chance to be seen in a new light and provide something amazing.
Kate Bush is a complete artist and one who has always been fiercely independent. Right from the off, she knew what she wanted and trusted her own instincts. Famously, she fought her record company to ensure Wuthering Heights was released as a single. They relented. She also battled to have The Man with the Child in His Eyes as the next single. Again, they trusted her determination. As a teenager, new to the world of professional music, one would not expect such fight and exertion from an artist regarding their single releases. One does not see much of it these days but I know there are artists out there who have taken a Bush-like approach regarding their work and ensuing they are heard – rather than the record label having too big a say and releasing a single because it is more commercial-sounding and radio-friendly. Indeed, one could detect a seriously passionate voice and soul from the off. On The Kick Inside, Bush was unafraid to talk about sex in a very bold and open way. Men, throughout her career, were never cast as villains or accused: instead, they were seen as objects of desire and, as a curious artist, Bush wanted to explore men/sex in a very personal way. She discussed menstruation (Strange Phenomena) and incest (The Kick Inside); a grown man with an innocence inside of him (The Man with the Child in His Eyes) and the power of movement and dance (Moving) – uncommon back in 1978 but one feels doors were opened and minds altered by this very brave and unique artist.
IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images
Maybe there was a feeling from some, early in her career, that the songs were not addressing themes as big as war and politics. Even though her songs of love were hugely sophisticated and, at times, risqué, she did widen her horizons by the time of 1980’s Never for Ever – standouts Breathing (about nuclear war as seen from the perspective of a fetus) and Army Dreamers (about the waste of war and how young soldiers march to their deaths) were a world away from earlier tracks about love and desire. Many people focus heavily on Bush’s sublime voice and ignore her words. Buy her lyrics book, How to Be Invisible, if you can to see just how imaginative, creative and varied her lyrics are. At a time when a lot of mainstream artists were writing about love in a very ordinary way, Bush was proving to be an exception. Right from her debut album, you just knew there was nobody like her. Consider that some of the songs on The Kick Inside were written as young as aged thirteen (or a smidge earlier than that) and it seems scary she was that accomplished that young! Everyone has their favourite Kate Bush album and, to many, that honour belongs to Hounds of Love. I can see a case for the 1985 release being at the top of the public consciousness. In terms of confidence and quality, one cannot fault a moment on the record. In the summer of 1983, Bush moved out of London, set up a home-studio and took inspiration from her surroundings.
It was a pivotal and important move after a period of time that took a lot out of her – 1982’s The Dreaming was her first sole-produced album and, given its complexities, took a while to get made; she felt burned-out at the end - and a comparative lack off critical acclaim got to her. The Dreaming is this wildly eclectic and bold album overloaded with texture; 1978’s Lionheart was a bit of a rushed affair but contains some brilliant moments; The Kick Inside, as I shall explore later, is this wondrous and timeless debut. Not every song she touched turned to gold but one can detect conviction and passion in every move. The Dreaming is often seen as too out-there (even for Kate Bush!) but contains some of her best work to that point (Houdini and Get Out of My House, especially). Never for Ever is an underrated gem whilst her post-Hounds of Love work have plenty of brilliant moments. Bush herself loved Aerial. The double-album has a very natural feel. Songs, literally, talk about nature and birdsong; there is this very open and conceptual arc that immerses the listener and is miles away from something like The Dreaming. 1993’s The Red Shoes was the last album before a twelve-year gap but, despite it being a difficult period – her mother died around the time the album was released and she split with her long-time beau, Del Palmer (who still engineers her albums); poor reviews and an ill-fated short-film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve, all contributed – there were some wonderful songs in the pack (Rubberband Girl, the opening track, is one of the most buoyant and uplifting songs she ever released).
PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
What else to cover? I have covered the music itself and the lyrics; the wonderful videos and entrance than Bush provides. Many bemoan the amount of time it takes between albums. Consider if they were rushed or released quicker. One would not get the same quality and, as Bush has said, she writes very quickly but the actual recording takes longer. She has not performed a lot but, again, if she did that then we would not get as many albums. It is a hard balance but the sixty-year-old wants to make work at her own rate at her home-studio. She has a son, Bertie, and there is not the same pressure as there was in the first few years of her career – don’t forget that from 1978-1980 she released three albums, embarked on a worldwide tour and was constantly under the media’s gaze! I have sort of skimmed through her back catalogue but, in addition to me including an ‘essential’ list of Kate Bush songs in the playlist at the bottom, I urge people to check her music videos and, as much as they can, buy her records and experience the music in its truest, warmest form. Bush is someone who love vinyl and the tactile nature of an album. You just know that she takes every care to ensure that the finished record we receive is as good as it can be; that the sound is perfect and she has sweated blood and tears to ensure it is up to her standard.
Kate Bush is an icon because of how she has changed music and all she has achieved. Her influence is clear and ever-growing and you cannot compare anyone to her. Most legends sort of get reinterpreted by future generations but there hasn’t been anyone who has got close to updating Kate Bush or touching her quality. That is no slight to them: such is the power and brilliance of her music that it is unlikely we will ever see anyone like her again. Before getting around to my final point, I guess all I love about Kate Bush can be found in her debut album, The Kick Inside. Although she has, to an extent, distanced herself from the album (she felt it was a bit airy-fairy and not as raw/masculine as she’d like; she wanted to have more control and feels her later work is better), I think it is a phenomenal work. Not only is her voice at its most beautiful and tender; the songs are so bold and confident for a then-teenager. Anyone who can self-write every song and tackle subjects as unusual and hefty as incest; talk about love and sex in a very fresh way should be congratulated. The Kick Inside is my favourite album ever and the one I come back to time and time again. It makes me feel warmer and safer and, in a world that is becoming more unsure and tense, we need music that can provide support and escape! The fact of the matter I that all of her albums mean something different to everyone. I love Hounds of Love for my own reasons and we all have that different connection to Kate Bush.
PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Moorhouse/Getty
It has been a bit of a quiet spell for her – in terms of new material – but one feels it cannot be too long before an announcement of fresh material is out…don’t quote me on that as I have no super-powers at all; it is more a feeling, you know! Anyone who feels Bush is publicity-shy would do good to aquatint themselves with the interviews she gave in 2011 – for Director’s Cut and 50 Words for Snow. Most of the telephone interviews were with radio stations in North America whereas, when speaking with BBC presenters (this video shows that, where her and the BBC are concerned, there is this mutual love), most of the interviews were conducted at her home. Check out her interview with Mark Radcliffe about Director’s Cut and 50 Words for Snow. He had long-campaigned to have Bush on his show (he spoke with her, both times in 2011, as part of BBC Radio 6’s RadMac afternoon show, I believe) and speak with her and, when he first spoke with her in 2005 to promote Aerial, that long-held ambition came true! I love the interview Lauren Laverne conducted with her in 2011 (for 50 Words for Snow). She asked some truly great questions and there was a great, respectful rapport between them. Ken Bruce’s interview for Director’s Cut is also sublime. She has given BBC Radio 4’s John Wilson a couple of interviews and spoke with him about Director’s Cut and 50 Words for Snow (and in 2005, too) – again, like Radcliffe and Laverne, there is this very natural connection between them (listen to Jamie Cullum talk with her about 50 Words for Snow). Listen, also, to Matt Everitt talking with Bush about her residency, Before the Dawn, in 2016; the chat is the most-recent audio interview we have and sees her react to this monumental event (the album of the live shows was released in 2016).
There has been this near-eight-year gap between 50 Words for Snow and now…and we are all waiting with baited breath to see if anything will arrive this year. I have spoken to so many musicians, male and female, who count Kate Bush as an idol and follow in her footsteps. Over forty-one years since her debut album, she is still affecting artists and stunning the senses! I make no secret that one of my dreams is to interview Kate Bush. I know I would need to work for the BBC or have a bigger platform to get that opportunity and, when another album comes out, there will be a huge clamber to get Bush featured on everyone’s site/station/magazine. She commands this respect and love without having to put out an album every year. Who would want that sort of consistency if it meant a deterioration of quality?! When speaking with Matt Everitt in 2016, he asked her whether this (the live shows/album) was a full-stop. She, brilliantly, responded that it was more of a long comma. Quite. We have seen activity from her since then but nothing in the way of a new album. When she does release a new album, there will (we hope) be the slew of interviews and, whilst I will not be among the lucky asking her questions, it will be great to see what she has been up to and where her creative dial is now.
PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
So many of us grew up around Bush’s music and hold similar memories (who among us cannot count the Wuthering Heights video as a truly landmark realisation?!). I shall leave things here – there is birthday cake to be eaten! – but it is undeniable that Kate Bush is an icon and peerless artist! At a time when we struggle to overturn gender inequality and sexist attitudes, those in power should look to artists such as Kate Bush and appreciate all they gave us. There is a new generation of female artists emerging that owe a debt to pioneers such as Kate Bush and are being denied the chance to play on big stages because of rigid and close-minded festival organisers.
IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images/ALBUM COVER: John Carder Bush
Maybe this is an aside but I do feel like these iconic female artists have done so much and now, when female artists are king, the new generation are being held back. I wanted to start this feature to spotlight some of the iconic female artists who have given so much to music; who have inspired so many artists and continue to exert influence years down the track. Kate Bush is definitely among them and I cannot wait to see where she heads next. Knowing her and her music, there is no real telling what an album will sound like and what direction it will take us. There is no real rush but, in a world where there is so much negative music and a lack of real joy, the beauty and wonder only Kate Bush can provide…
IS sorely needed.