Daniel Kemp's Album Reviews
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Kate Bush
 
HEAAAATHCLIIIIIIFF, IT'S MEEEEEE...
Albums
 
The Kick Inside (1978)
 
 
 
9/10
 
Producer: Andrew Powell
  1. Moving
  2. The Saxophone Song
  3. Strange Phenomena
  4. Kite
  5. The Man with the Child in His Eyes
  6. Wuthering Heights
  7. James and the Cold Gun
  8. Feel It
  9. Oh To Be In Love
  10. L’amour Looks Something like You
  11. Them Heavy People
  12. Room for the Life
  13. The Kick Inside
Kate Bush was discovered in 1975 when David Gilmour of Pink Floyd recommended her to record company EMI.  Gilmour immediately knew that she was a rare talent and on releasing this debut album Kate would soon reveal herself to be a true eccentric genius.  All of the songs featured here on The Kick Inside were written while she was a teenager and this includes the chart topping single Wuthering Heights, which had been released as a single prior to the album.  It established Kate as not only a unique talent but one who may even turn out to be indispensable.   Wuthering Heights was the first ever Number 1 UK single to be both written and performed by a female artist, an achievement not to be scoffed at.
 

I’m sure we’ve all heard Wuthering Heights and it’s a gleaming example of what is on offer throughout the entire album; lusciously composed pieces of music topped off with Kate’s unique vocals rising to the occasion and governing each song.  Songs that win more than my usual share of approval are the opening Moving and The Saxophone Song.  They both share extremely gorgeous melodies with equally charming vocals.  A surge of whale sonar instigates Moving before Kate swoops in and breaks the relaxed atmosphere with her youthfully exuberant vocal range.  The chorus is an utter delight, “How I moved, how you moved me, with your beauty’s potency.  You give me life, please don’t let me go, you crush the lily in my soul!”

 

The majority of the songs on the second side leave Kate with her piano and very little else in the way of other instruments.  These songs are the most intimate amongst the set and were no doubt written as Kate was becoming more sexually aware.  Take the latter section of Feel It’s leading verse, “Locking the door, my stockings fall onto the floor, desperate for more. Nobody else can share this, the glorious union, well it could be love, or it could just be lust but it will be fun.”  It is rare that an artist, especially one of such tender years, is so personal and revealing as Kate is here.  It is something to look back on in admiration and it is certainly to be cherished in the world of today’s manufactured pop icons.
 
Another favourite of mine is Oh to be in love.  The talented musicianship really shines through in the arrangements here and the chorus is one so sincerely heartfelt and full of life that I just want to fall to the floor and start weeping with joy.  Room for the life is equally exquisite; Kate wearing the heart of many women on her sleeve as she bears the longing that lies within to raise a child.  The closing The kick inside is also of astonishingly high quality.  Again, there is little more than Kate with a her piano but it is ever so poignant, you can almost see the piano keys rolling and beckoning you to become one with the song.
 

The entire album has an almost dream like quality to it and Kate’s magical voice evokes thousands upon thousands of emotions as one track runs into the next.  If you’ve heard and enjoyed Wuthering Heights then I can report that the entire album is full of such enchanting melodies and musicianship.  I can whole heartedly recommend this album to anyone with even a passing interest in Kate Bush.  I was worried that I was initially getting carried away, but after some earnest contemplation I concede that this is a definite masterpiece and a landslide victory for Kate Bush.
 
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Lionheart (1978)
 
 
8/10
 
Producer: Andrew Powell
 
  1. Symphony in Blue
  2. In Search of Peter Pan
  3. Wow
  4. Don’t Push Your Foot on the Heartbreak
  5. Oh England My Lionheart
  6. Fullhouse
  7. In The Warm Room
  8. Kashka from Baghdad
  9. Coffee Homeground
  10. Hammer Horror
The general opinion of Lionheart is that it was rush released to capitalise on the success that Kate Bush had just had with her debut, The Kick Inside.  Indeed, it was released just 9 months after The Kick Inside had first broken onto the scene.  It peaked at number 6 in the UK album chart and remains her only studio album not to make it into the top 5.  Now, far be it from me to lie to you, so I will happily be in agreement with the majority and concede that this is an inferior album to The Kick Inside.  Yet, only a fool would conclude that the album is without redeeming features.
 

Let’s work backwards for a change and start with the final song on the album, Hammer Horror, which was the first single to be released from the album.  The song is paying homage to the Hammer Films which were released back in the day and it is a rollercoaster of excitement and drama.  The song exists only to allow you the pleasure of experiencing the chorus, which is epic to say the least.  Kate sings in a lower vocal range than usual, while a flood of electric guitar and string sections all add to the performance of this classic.  It’s all very nice indeed and well worth seeking out. Unfortunately it only reached number 44 in the UK singles chart.
 

Second single, Wow, is almost as good.  The album version of Wow has an extended synthesiser introduction and for my money it is the definitive cut of the song.  The chorus is extremely stirring and Kate takes great pleasure in crying out, “Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow – unbelievable!”
 
In the Warm Room is probably my favourite song from the album.  It’s a really haunting ballad with superb imagery, summing up the infatuation someone has found with a seductive temptress.  Kate’s vocal performance is one of her best; the lyrics are quite fruity too, “she’ll let you watch her undress, go places where your fingers long to linger.”  Kashka from Baghdad is another great track.  The mysterious Kashka supposedly, “lives in sin with another man,” or so they say.  Kate’s really become a fan of the trusty synthesiser by now and it is plastered all over this song.  Her well thought out vocal acrobatics are used to bridge each verse to within an inch of perfection.
 
In my opinion this album actually gets better as it goes along, as I feel it is the opening duo of songs which are the weakest.  Symphony in Blue just reeks of doing things by the book, which isn’t something that I generally associate with Kate Bush.  It is built in a similar fashion to some of the slower ballads off The Kick Inside but it seems to lack any of their character.  Maybe it’s just me, but that’s the way I feel.  In Search of Peter Pan is the track I like the least from Lionheart.  It’s too plain for me and doesn’t engage or challenge the listener at all.  At times the piano is solid, but ultimately unremarkable.  Elsewhere, the tempo seems to speed up and then drop, without ever fully justifying the change in pace with regards to the musical side of things.
 

Penultimate song, Coffee Homeground, is an absolute corker.  It’s another slice of theatrical genius and confirms that Kate Bush is one of the most remarkable entertainers of the last half decade.  She sings in a most proficient German accent, “Ah, give me a chocolate? No thanks – you’ll spoil my diet, I know your game,” as she accuses her host of victimising her.
 

Lionheart isn’t Kate Bush’s best album.  Nobody has ever claimed that it is and I’m not going to start just such a trend now.  What I am going to tell you though, is that it is an album bursting full of thrilling ideas, which are more often than not fully realised and wonderfully orchestrated.  You have to love Kate, and if you don’t, then I’ll do your share of loving for you.

 
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Never for Ever (1980)
 
 
9/10
 
Producer: Kate Bush, Jon Kelly
 
  1. Babooshka
  2. Delius (Song of Summer)
  3. Blow Away
  4. All We Ever Look For
  5. Egypt
  6. The Wedding List
  7. Violin
  8. The Infant Kiss
  9. Night Scented Stock
  10. Army Dreamers
  11. Breathing
Never for Ever is Kate Bush’s third studio album and her first studio album to be produced by herself (together with Jon Kelly).  The album is far more musically diverse than the two albums which preceded it; this is most notably down to the inclusion of synthesizers and drum machines for the first time on a Kate Bush album.  Kate still retains her unique and individual song-writing style, but this is easily her most approachable album up to this point.
 

In terms of statistics, Never for Ever was Kate Bush’s first number 1 album in the UK.  Going one better, Never for Ever was the first album by any solo female artist to go straight in at number 1 on the UK album chart.  Other female artists had achieved this position but it was with compilation albums or in a group, not with studio albums of new material or as a solo musician.  Good at breaking records is our Kate.
 

The album opens with one of my favourite Kate Bush singles, Babooshka.  Musically it has little to fault, but it is the tale within which brings me joy.  The song records a wife’s desire to test her husband’s loyalty to her, so she takes on the pen name of Babooshka and starts writing him sultry letters in the guise of a younger woman.  The paranoid synths provide the perfect backing to Kate’s words, “She wanted to test her husband; she knew exactly what to do. A pseudonym to fool him, she couldn’t have made a worst move, she sent him scented letters and he received them with a strange delight!” It’s a striking recording and one of Kate’s most accomplished singles.
 

Blow Away is your typical slow-burning Kate Bush piano ballad, but here it is transformed into something more with the clever use of synths and elaborate musical timings.  One thing I really like about the song is the way in which Kate structures the chorus; she seems to allow her words to dance in sync with the ringing bass and timed drum beats.  Egypt is heavily indebted to the sounds of its namesake.  It accurately recalls imagery of ancient Egypt and Kate’s overdubbed chanting in the background always leads succinctly into the chorus of, “I’m in love with Egypt!” In my opinion it is one of the album’s most atmospheric recordings and one of Kate’s best vocal performances as of yet.

 
The second side of the LP crashes onto the scene with the wondrous The Wedding List.  It is the most directly rock-oriented track on the album and Kate displays a great variety in her vocal range.  After the initial chorus the song takes a particularly chilling turn as Kate reveals her murderous desires, “I’m gonna fill your head with lead! I’m coming for you! When it’s all over, you’ll roll over!” Nothing like a woman scorned, eh?  I’m pretty undecided on Violin.  Sometimes I find it incredibly cool and very listenable, but at other times it can grate and it really drags out its running time.  I guess it all depends on how I’m feeling at the time.  It certainly does some pretty remarkable things musically; it seems to incorporate a great assortment of instruments and various musical techniques throughout.  I even find myself attracted to the ham-fisted guitar solo half way through.
 

The album ends with a double-whammy of Kate Bush greatness, featuring two of her most skillful recordings.  Army Dreamers is probably as political as Kate ever got and its quiet protests pack a far more weighty punch than any commercial protest song could ever hope for.  The song revolves around how unjust war is and how it changes the lives of those involved. But most importantly it is about a grieving mother, who is mourning the loss of her son and wrestling with her guilty conscience.  The song has a slow waltz-tempo and the musical backing is delightful, it kind of just gracefully glides into your subconscious during its 3 minute running time.  The lyrics are outstanding and truly touching, “Our little army boy is coming home from B.F.P.O., I’ve a bunch of purple flowers to decorate a mammy’s hero. Mourning in the aerodrome, the weather warmer he is colder, four men in uniform to carry home my little soldier!”
 

Breathing was the first single to be released from the album and it closes the album in an immense way.  Allegedly the song revolves around a child in the womb who is conscious that the world outside is being poisoned by fumes and that its mother is a smoker.  The subject matter is a little odd, I’ll give you that, but when has Kate not had a distinctive style?  The chorus, PEOPLE THE CHORUS, it is so emotionally dense thanks to the proficient backing, “Breathing – breathing my mother in, breathing – breathing my beloved in, breathing – her nicotine!” The song reaches a definite peak when Kate has a resurgence of disapproval after a subdued instrumental breakdown in the final third of the song; featuring all crunching guitars and Kate shrieking at the top of her lungs.  Man, I just love it something rotten.
 

While I still prefer by a smidgen the dizzying heights of her debut album, The Kick Inside, this is a first-rate addition to the Kate Bush cannon.  I loved her second album, Lionheart, but Never for Ever is just so much better.  It is such a vibrant recording full of ideas just waiting to burst out.  But most of all it is a marvellous insight into Kate Bush’s complex mind, and for this reason alone it is a must buy.
 
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The Dreaming (1982)
 
 
Producer: Kate Bush
 
9.5/10
  1. Sat in Your Lap
  2. There Goes a Tenner
  3. Pull Out the Pin
  4. Suspended in Gaffa
  5. Leave It Open
  6. The Dreaming
  7. Night of the Swallow
  8. All the Love
  9. Houdini
  10. Get Out of my House  

Released in 1982, The Dreaming is the fourth album by Kate Bush.  Kate had dabbled in production during her previous two albums, assisting where it took her fancy; although in the past she was always playing second fiddle to whoever was given production duties.  In a rather dramatic change of events, The Dreaming sees Kate Bush singlehandedly produce and design an album for the very first time.  The result is the sound of complete and utter artistic freedom.  Using her famed Fairlight CMI Synthesizer she created an uncompromising and intense album, featuring an intermingling of different musical styles.

 

Critics have a love-hate relationship with The Dreaming.  Many see her next album, Hounds of Love, as the definitive Kate Bush record, while others see that album as a compromise on initial premise and instead see this as her masterpiece.  Personally, I fall somewhere in between.  I adore Hounds of Love and that will always be the Kate Bush record I reach for first.  The Dreaming is simply too uncommercial for its own good and you really have to work for the enjoyment at first, but those of you who put in the effort will reap the bountiful rewards.

 

First impressions aren’t good.  Such is the album’s uncompromising manner and Kate’s erratic eccentricity that one is initially left baffled by each song’s structure and left wondering where the hell the next Babooshka is.  Ironically, what had seemed far out on her previous album, Never for Ever, now seems tame in comparison and merely preparation for this thing.  I will never forget the crushing disappointment I experienced on hearing The Dreaming for the first time; it just didn’t seem fair to be subjected to such a difficult and complex album after the time I had spent falling in love with Never for Ever.  In time, I learnt to appreciate it and found The Dreaming a true artistic statement, full of diverse musical innovation.  It’s just that initial reaction which leaves a sour taste in your mouth.  However, after much debating and evaluation, I conclude that The Dreaming is Kate’s second best studio album.

 

So, what of the songs?  Well, nuts and passionate is probably the best way to sum them up.  Opening track, Sat in Your Lap, was the first single to be released from The Dreaming.  One of the album’s most successful songs, it runs along at a fair old pace, with a heavy reliance on percussion.  Kate’s voice seems to go through several different styles during this song; everything from technical brilliance to out-and-out screaming during the chorus can be found.  The lyrics deal with the general confusion of life and our unsettled nature, “I see the people working and see it working for them, and so I want to join them, but then I find it hurts me!”  It’s fantastic stuff.

 

There Goes a Tenner is primarily theatre.  The lyrics tell of a heist gone wrong, complete with a Cockney accent from Kate, which is to die for.  She successfully conveys the suspicion and dread that the perpetrator would be experiencing and it makes for one of the album’s most immersive tracks.  It is a film for the ears, mind and imagination.  Suspended in Gaffa seems to hark back to the ballads that Kate pioneered on her debut album, The Kick Inside, but not without a dash of peculiarity.  The chorus is extravagant, augmented by the synthesized string section.  Also relatively commercial, All the Love is a haunting ballad, full of grief and woe.  The sections where ethereal backing vocals build up towards the anguished chorus are simply delectable.

 

The title-track is crazed genius.  Why on earth it was released as single is beyond me.  Of an album packed to the brim with commercial suicide, Kate seems to have selected the least radio friendly track and decided to go with it.  I guess that is the mark of a true musician – willingness not to compromise.  Kate delivers social commentary on how the Aborigines had their homelands invaded by the whites.  A nod towards the backdrop of the subject matter, the song heavily features didgeridoo, played by, uh, Rolf Harris.  No joke.

 

The album sleeve illustrates the scenes portrayed in penultimate track, Houdini, as Kate clandestinely passes a secret key to her lover, which she has kept hidden in her mouth.  Again, her vocal performance changes in an instant, from beautiful ruminations to possessed screaming.  Once more, Kate surpasses all expectations and crafts a song that is in turn heartbreaking and chilling.  She seems to take those two extreme emotions, of sadness and of fear, and brings them together in unification.  Houdini is a rare achievement.  The record closes with Get Out of My House.  Kate’s shrill, bloodcurdling screaming is truly frightening, as she protests to her house being entered by force.  Some have seen this song as a euphemism for rape and violation - Kate certainly sings with the conviction of someone who is under such a threat.  Get Out of My House is a truly moving finale, one which sticks with you long after the album’s finished.  Easy listening it is not, but for crafting such a lasting mental image I have never found a sequel.

 

In no way should you run out and buy this as your first Kate Bush album.  You need to buy Never for Ever first and connect the dots. You simply must see what Never for Ever was leading up to, or else it is the equivalent to jumping into a cold shower and you’ll be left perplexed, befuddled and quite possibly frustrated.  Those of you who have bought Kate’s records from the beginning and have seen the entire story through will find this much easier to enjoy.  In my eyes it is an outstanding achievement.
 
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Hounds of Love (1985)

 Hounds of Love

10/10

  1. Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)
  2. Hounds of Love
  3. The Big Sky
  4. Mother Stands for Comfort
  5. Cloudbusting
  6. And Dream of Sheep
  7. Under Ice
  8. Waking the Witch
  9. Watching You Without Me
  10. Jig of Life
  11. Hello Earth
  12. The Morning Fog

Released in 1985, Hounds of Love is the fifth album by Kate Bush.  Arriving three years after her turbulent and frenzied previous record, The Dreaming, here we find Kate Bush at the peak of her career, as both a songwriter and performer.  The Dreaming had been a high-quality record but unfortunately Kate had taken a bit of a beating where album sales were concerned. Not only did she receive lacklustre sales but she had run up gargantuan fees while recording the album.  Possibly the greatest disappointment, however, was that The Dreaming had failed to resonate with many of her fans, as by even Kate’s standards it was inspiringly uncommercial, and ultimately alienated many listeners.

Not one to be deterred by what one might call a few ‘snagging’ issues, Kate picked herself up, dusted herself down and began to step into the next phase of her career.  Kate built a private recording studio within the local vicinity of her home so that she could unhurriedly prepare her follow up album and work it to within an inch of perfection.  Always a publication to be on the ball, the NME published a ‘Where Are They Now?’ article on Kate Bush in August 1985, probing her past and questioning her future.  To the unsuspecting public it may have seemed that Kate’s career had been all but written off.  However, a mere two days later she premiered Running Up That Hill on The Wogan Show and everyone had their first taste of what Kate had quietly been beavering away on.  Subsequently, both the single and its parent album, Hounds of Love, would enter the top ten, the latter even managing to dislodge Madonna’s revered Like a Virgin album from the top spot.  ‘Where Are They Now?’ indeed.  Fools.

While distinctively being a cohesive whole, Hounds of Love is actually split into two halves, ‘Hounds of Love’ and ‘The Ninth Wave’, or respectively the A side and B side to ye olde vinyl owners (so no-one gets confused, from this point on when I say ‘Hounds of Love’ I am referring to the album as a whole, not the first half of the record).  The first portion of the album features some of Kate’s more accessible material and provided her with some of the biggest singles of her career, as each of the five songs explores different aspects of love as an emotion, be it the love of a parent (Cloudbusting), the love of the natural elements (The Big Sky), or the uncompromising love for a child (Mother Stands for Comfort).

The real enjoyment comes from getting involved with the music and revelling in their dense structures.  Take The Big Sky, for example, which on first listen grabs your attention with its lengthy, energized outro.  Repeated plays, though, find that it is its lyrics which deserve the real applause, as Kate relates one of the simplest pleasures in life - watching the clouds change shapes! “It’s changing in the big sky… this cloud says Noah, come on, build me an ark!”  And when Kate isn’t being entertained by the wonders of creation she is breaking our hearts with the likes of Cloudbusting.  Built around a heart wrenching string section, Cloudbusting sees Kate turning in one of her career defining vocal performances, as she injects high octane levels of raw energy into what is undoubtedly technical perfection, too.

The second side of the album features some of the most affecting pieces of music which I am yet to hear, beginning with the nightmarish songs Under Ice and Waking the Witch, and culminating in the semi-apocalyptic visions of Hello Earth.  For my money, the real value of Hounds of Love lies in The Ninth Wave, as it transcends genre and courageously makes a bold musical statement.  The predisposed pagan poetry of Jig of Life is another chance for Kate to flex her vocal chords, while the Irish influenced instrumentation infuses the music with a sense of wonderment.  As for lyrics, they don’t come much better than the verses found throughout the angelic Hello Earth, which is one of Kate’s best ever atmospheric pieces. “Go to sleep, little earth,” motions Kate, “I was there at the birth, out of the cloudburst, the head of the tempest,” possibly charting world developments from the Almighty Creator’s viewpoint.

The two songs which bookmark the ends of The Ninth Wave, And Dream of Sheep and The Morning Fog, are stellar examples of Kate’s ambition when it comes to arrangements.  Carefully peer inside their musical landscapes and you’ll be delighted by their complex structure, lavish backing vocals and delicate instrumentation.  One could go through these tracks with a fine tooth comb and still be discovering hidden elements, possibly even months after purchase.

The 1997 reissue of the album added a number of extra tracks, mostly remixes and B sides from the album’s singles.  I’m usually against such needless cases of repackaging but the 1997 pressing is worth it for the tear-inducing beauty of Under the Ivy – one of Kate Bush’s finest songs and she totally nails the art of the two minute musical hors d'oeuvre.

As you listen, you will discover that Hounds of Love has not endangered Kate’s artistic intent, of which had previously been flaunted throughout The Dreaming - it’s simply that the whole package is a lot more welcoming this time around.  I’ve had Hounds of Love for several years now and it will always hold a special place in my heart.  The songs consistently feature superb melodies, which are endlessly defined by Kate’s voluptuous and matured vocals, while the actual song structures themselves will have you foaming at the lips.  On all accounts, Hounds of Love is a must buy album and deserves a place in everyone’s music collection.
 
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