Tray73
இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—
Re: Kate Bush
Kate Bush (Official Thread)
- Thread starter Tray73
- Start date
Tray73
இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—
Re: Kate Bush
The end of 1978 saw Kate rank high in the record sales result table, being the seventh best selling LP artist and having the eleventh best selling single of the year with Wuthering Heights. In November she had won three awards, one in recognition of the success of Wuthering Heights and the other two Melody Maker readers' poll awards - Brightest New Hope and Best Female Singer. Her first year in the public spotlight had been a huge success!
In January 1979, Kate began rigorous fitness training and dance and musical rehearsals for her first UK tour which kicked off beginning of April 1979. The tour was officially to start on April 3rd, with a warm-up concert the night before. The warm-up performance was a success but afterwards, as equipment was being put away, and last checks made to see if anything had been forgotton, lighting engineer, Bill Duffield, tripped and fell 17ft from the lighting galley onto the concrete floor below. Bill died in hospital a week later. He was just 21. Kate was devastated and the tour was almost cancelled, until it was decided that's not what Bill would have wanted. Kate announced later that month that a special benefit concert, with special guests Peter Gabriel and Steve Harley (who had been friends with Bill), would take place for Bill's family after the tour had ended, with proceeds from it going towards a trust fund for them.
Kate's UK tour was a great success and sold out nationwide. She received superb reviews, like this one from music mag, Melody Maker, on her Birmingham concert, "the most magnificent spectacle ever encountered in the world of rock". The shows were very elaborate and extravagant and had a bit of everything - music, dance, poetry (coutesy of Kate's brother, Jay), mime, burlesque, theatre and even magic tricks, and lasted around two and a half hours long.
A European tour followed and again she was rapturously received, people praising her phenomenal live performances. With such a succesful tour it is a bit of a mystery to me why Kate never toured again - this was her first and last tour, and she never even played another full show again.
Kate in concert at Copenhagen, her then-boyfriend, Del Palmer is pictured on the right playing bass guitar.
Another tour pic - Kate performing James and The Cold Gun
Two days after the end of the European tour the commemorative concert for Bill Duffield took place back in London. It had been two weeks previous to this that Kate had first met Peter Gabriel when he and Steve Harley had flown out to Kate (at that time in Amsterdam) to have a quick rehearsal for the concert. Kate and Peter would over the years collaborate on various occasions.
1979 was drawing to a close, the year had seen Kate go on her one and only tour and receive more awards, mainly British press and TV awards. Also, an interesting little snippet, she was asked to write the theme tune to the new James Bond movie, Moonraker, but turned it down as she was busy preparing material for her next album. Just after Christmas a Kate Bush TV special was shown in the UK, with special guest star, Peter Gabriel. Kate and Peter performed a version of Roy Harper's song 'Another Day', their first duet together.
Kate performing her Christmas track, December Will Be Magic Again (which
wasn't released until the following year & was an alternate version) on her TV special.
January 1980 and Kate was back in the studio, this time Abbey Road, to start work on her new album, Never For Ever. Kate was co-producer on this album, but would be the sole producer on all her future studio albums. One of the engineers, Jon Kelly, who worked with Kate through to Never For Ever, had said, "It was inevitable from the first day of walking into the studio that she enjoyed it so much that she'd eventually end up making her own records, doing completely her own things - producing and arranging and writing and recording all her own albums."
A Never For Ever promo picture
In the UK the single 'Breathing' was first to be released from the new album, a song inspired by a TV documentary Kate had seen on the aftermath of a nuclear war. I recall seeing the same programme (or something very similar) and being shocked to the core, and since I was only about ten at the time it really made a huge impact on me. I really couldn't understand why anybody would want to unleash such a catastrophic event on their fellow humans and the planet. I remember not getting much sleep that night, the horrors of what I saw going over and over in my mind. Hence I find Breathing such an emotive track, as I'm sure many others do. The song was actually later used by Greenpeace on an anti-nuclear album. Kate said of the song, "I think 'Breathing' is about violence just because it's so negative. And yet people seem to treat it on just a normal level. This baby that's being born has had perhaps several lives before ('I've been out before but this time it's much safer in') and is about to be destroyed inside its mother. It's living off its mother and its mother will die before it sees a day of life." The single failed to reach the top ten (a real surprise to me as it's one of my favourites), peaking at No.16.
The follow-up single, Babooshka, a song about a wife testing her husband's loyalty, was released in June and became Kate's most successful single since Wuthering Heights, reaching No.5 in the UK charts. Outside the UK the single was released in December and was a top ten hit in most of Europe, Canada and Australia. However Kate still failed to make much of an impression in America, and Never For Ever and Kate's second album, Lionheart, still hadn't been released there.
Never For Ever
Released 8th September, 1980
Track List
01 - Babooshka
02 - Delius (Song of Summer)
03 - Blow Away (For Bill)
04 - All We Ever Look For
05 - Egypt
06 - The Wedding List
07 - Violin
08 - The Infant Kiss
09 - Night Scented Stock
10 - Army Dreamers
11 - Breathing
Highest UK chart position: 1
Never For Ever was finally released in September, nearly two years since Lionheart. The album went straight into the charts at No.1, making Kate the first British female solo artist ever to top the UK album charts and to enter the album charts at No.1. (I think I forgot to mention - sorry! - that Kate had also been the first female to write and perform a UK No.1, with Wuthering Heights).
Many songs on the album deal with loss - from faith, innocence and identity, to loss of life. Indeed the third track, Blow Away, is dedicated to Bill Duffield, who had died in the tragic accident the previous year. It's a strange song - a whimsical reflection on death and it mentions a host of deceased muscians including Keith Moon, Buddy Holly, Sid Vicious and Sany Denny. I rememeber reading once that Kate believes in the paranormal, and talking of life after death she once remarked, "I don't see how anyone can really say what happens when our body dies. There's no way of knowing where the energy goes." My sentiments exactly!
In addition to the videos from this album I've already posted, here's a couple more - two songs (along with Breathing, Army Dreamers and Babooshka) I like the most from this album.
The Infant Kiss
Egypt
The end of 1978 saw Kate rank high in the record sales result table, being the seventh best selling LP artist and having the eleventh best selling single of the year with Wuthering Heights. In November she had won three awards, one in recognition of the success of Wuthering Heights and the other two Melody Maker readers' poll awards - Brightest New Hope and Best Female Singer. Her first year in the public spotlight had been a huge success!
In January 1979, Kate began rigorous fitness training and dance and musical rehearsals for her first UK tour which kicked off beginning of April 1979. The tour was officially to start on April 3rd, with a warm-up concert the night before. The warm-up performance was a success but afterwards, as equipment was being put away, and last checks made to see if anything had been forgotton, lighting engineer, Bill Duffield, tripped and fell 17ft from the lighting galley onto the concrete floor below. Bill died in hospital a week later. He was just 21. Kate was devastated and the tour was almost cancelled, until it was decided that's not what Bill would have wanted. Kate announced later that month that a special benefit concert, with special guests Peter Gabriel and Steve Harley (who had been friends with Bill), would take place for Bill's family after the tour had ended, with proceeds from it going towards a trust fund for them.
Kate's UK tour was a great success and sold out nationwide. She received superb reviews, like this one from music mag, Melody Maker, on her Birmingham concert, "the most magnificent spectacle ever encountered in the world of rock". The shows were very elaborate and extravagant and had a bit of everything - music, dance, poetry (coutesy of Kate's brother, Jay), mime, burlesque, theatre and even magic tricks, and lasted around two and a half hours long.
A European tour followed and again she was rapturously received, people praising her phenomenal live performances. With such a succesful tour it is a bit of a mystery to me why Kate never toured again - this was her first and last tour, and she never even played another full show again.
Kate in concert at Copenhagen, her then-boyfriend, Del Palmer is pictured on the right playing bass guitar.
Another tour pic - Kate performing James and The Cold Gun
Two days after the end of the European tour the commemorative concert for Bill Duffield took place back in London. It had been two weeks previous to this that Kate had first met Peter Gabriel when he and Steve Harley had flown out to Kate (at that time in Amsterdam) to have a quick rehearsal for the concert. Kate and Peter would over the years collaborate on various occasions.
1979 was drawing to a close, the year had seen Kate go on her one and only tour and receive more awards, mainly British press and TV awards. Also, an interesting little snippet, she was asked to write the theme tune to the new James Bond movie, Moonraker, but turned it down as she was busy preparing material for her next album. Just after Christmas a Kate Bush TV special was shown in the UK, with special guest star, Peter Gabriel. Kate and Peter performed a version of Roy Harper's song 'Another Day', their first duet together.
Kate performing her Christmas track, December Will Be Magic Again (which
wasn't released until the following year & was an alternate version) on her TV special.
January 1980 and Kate was back in the studio, this time Abbey Road, to start work on her new album, Never For Ever. Kate was co-producer on this album, but would be the sole producer on all her future studio albums. One of the engineers, Jon Kelly, who worked with Kate through to Never For Ever, had said, "It was inevitable from the first day of walking into the studio that she enjoyed it so much that she'd eventually end up making her own records, doing completely her own things - producing and arranging and writing and recording all her own albums."
A Never For Ever promo picture
In the UK the single 'Breathing' was first to be released from the new album, a song inspired by a TV documentary Kate had seen on the aftermath of a nuclear war. I recall seeing the same programme (or something very similar) and being shocked to the core, and since I was only about ten at the time it really made a huge impact on me. I really couldn't understand why anybody would want to unleash such a catastrophic event on their fellow humans and the planet. I remember not getting much sleep that night, the horrors of what I saw going over and over in my mind. Hence I find Breathing such an emotive track, as I'm sure many others do. The song was actually later used by Greenpeace on an anti-nuclear album. Kate said of the song, "I think 'Breathing' is about violence just because it's so negative. And yet people seem to treat it on just a normal level. This baby that's being born has had perhaps several lives before ('I've been out before but this time it's much safer in') and is about to be destroyed inside its mother. It's living off its mother and its mother will die before it sees a day of life." The single failed to reach the top ten (a real surprise to me as it's one of my favourites), peaking at No.16.
The follow-up single, Babooshka, a song about a wife testing her husband's loyalty, was released in June and became Kate's most successful single since Wuthering Heights, reaching No.5 in the UK charts. Outside the UK the single was released in December and was a top ten hit in most of Europe, Canada and Australia. However Kate still failed to make much of an impression in America, and Never For Ever and Kate's second album, Lionheart, still hadn't been released there.
Never For Ever
Released 8th September, 1980
Track List
01 - Babooshka
02 - Delius (Song of Summer)
03 - Blow Away (For Bill)
04 - All We Ever Look For
05 - Egypt
06 - The Wedding List
07 - Violin
08 - The Infant Kiss
09 - Night Scented Stock
10 - Army Dreamers
11 - Breathing
Highest UK chart position: 1
Never For Ever was finally released in September, nearly two years since Lionheart. The album went straight into the charts at No.1, making Kate the first British female solo artist ever to top the UK album charts and to enter the album charts at No.1. (I think I forgot to mention - sorry! - that Kate had also been the first female to write and perform a UK No.1, with Wuthering Heights).
Many songs on the album deal with loss - from faith, innocence and identity, to loss of life. Indeed the third track, Blow Away, is dedicated to Bill Duffield, who had died in the tragic accident the previous year. It's a strange song - a whimsical reflection on death and it mentions a host of deceased muscians including Keith Moon, Buddy Holly, Sid Vicious and Sany Denny. I rememeber reading once that Kate believes in the paranormal, and talking of life after death she once remarked, "I don't see how anyone can really say what happens when our body dies. There's no way of knowing where the energy goes." My sentiments exactly!
In addition to the videos from this album I've already posted, here's a couple more - two songs (along with Breathing, Army Dreamers and Babooshka) I like the most from this album.
The Infant Kiss
Egypt
Re: Kate Bush
Very well done Tray, you deserve a glass of the best cabernet after that post.
I'll finally get around to playing the two albums of Kate's I have tomorrow, takes me a while to catch up but I haven't forgotten about her.
That is a tragic story about the death of one of her crew, and shows her spirit and class that Kate with the help of her friends helped his family out afterward.
Very well done Tray, you deserve a glass of the best cabernet after that post.
I'll finally get around to playing the two albums of Kate's I have tomorrow, takes me a while to catch up but I haven't forgotten about her.
That is a tragic story about the death of one of her crew, and shows her spirit and class that Kate with the help of her friends helped his family out afterward.
Tray73
இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—
Re: Kate Bush
Thank you LG, very kind of you Sir Well I may just treat myself to a glass of red this evening or tomorrow eve
Make sure you let me know what you think after you've had a chance to listen to them, I won't be too upset if they're not your cup of tea
Thank you LG, very kind of you Sir
Well I may just treat myself to a glass of red this evening or tomorrow eve Make sure you let me know what you think after you've had a chance to listen to them, I won't be too upset if they're not your cup of tea
jeffrey
Alive & Well & Living In
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2010
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Re: Kate Bush
Nicely done Tray - award yourself a pat on the back at once
Nicely done Tray - award yourself a pat on the back at once
Tray73
இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—
Re: Kate Bush
Thanks Jeffrey
Thanks Jeffrey
Tray73
இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—
Re: Kate Bush
A few more highlights from 1980...
Kate topped a number of Best Female Artist Polls, including those run by music mags NME, Sound and Melody Maker, and won more awards for Best Female Singer and Top Female Album Artist.
Peter Gabriel released his third solo album in May featuring Kate on backing vocals on the songs Games Without Frontiers and No Self Control. Another collaboration around this time was a duet with Roy Harper, You (the Game Part II), from Roy's album The Unknown Soldier, it also featured on guitar the person who had introduced Roy to Kate's work - Dave Gilmour.
Games Without Frontiers
No Self Control
You (The Game Part II)
In November the single December Will Be Magic Again, delayed from the previous year, and with a few changes, was released. The song didn't do too well climbing to just No. 29 in the UK charts and slipping to 32 by Christmas week. It hasn't featured on any of Kate's albums only the This Woman's Work compilation box set, however it has made many a Christmas compilation album and there isn't a year that goes by that I don't hear it playing somewhere during the festive season
So ended another hugely successful year for Kate!
The beginning of 1981 saw Kate take a well earned break for a couple of months before heading back to the studio to start work on her new album, The Dreaming. The single Sat In Your Lap was released in the summer, giving a little teaser of what to expect from the new album which would not be released until over a year later.
In July, with just a couple of days notice, Kate was asked to take David Bowie's place in the Prince's Trust Royal Gala. She sang The Wedding List, backed by Phil Collins on drums, Pete Townsend and Midge Ure on guitars, Mick Karn (Japan) and Procul Harem's Gary Brooker on keyboards. Towards the end of her performance she had a wardrobe malfunction when the strap on her dress broke - but she managed to not let it distract her in the slightest and just carried on as normal. Ever the professional!
After nearly a year and a half of work, The Dreaming was finally completed in May 1982, and released four months later.
The Dreaming was the first album Kate produced alone, and having full control meant she could experiment much more, and boy did she go to town! It's well known that Kate is a tad kooky and some of her songs downright strange but The Dreaming takes this to a whole new level! When it was released it had the reviewers and radio programmers scratching their heads it was so off-the-wall - I've heard Kate herself calls this her 'mad' album.
The album is dark, deep, scary, haunting, beautiful and at times cryptic! There's sounds effects galore, a cornucopia of musical instruments (including native ones like the didgeridoo - played by Rolf Harris! - bouzouki and uilleann pipes) and Kate makes good use of the instrument Peter Gabriel introduced her to - the Fairlight (digital sampling synthesizer). Some songs are little tales, ranging from a botched robbery (There Goes a Tenner) to a Vietcong stalking an American soldier (Pull Out The Pin) to escapologist Harry Houdini and his wife's attempts to contact him after his death. Vocally Kate excels, one minute she'll be singing in high register the next low, she screams, she shrieks, she grunts, she groans, she breys like a donkey (I kid you not!), you'll even hear her singing with a Cockney and Aussie accent. She uses her voice like an untamed musical instrument, yes it's weird but it's also wonderful and absolutely unique.
Kate at home playing the Fairlight
I've heard it said by some fans of Kate that The Dreaming is an acquired taste and not one for newcomers to her music. It's so long ago now when I first listened to the album I can't honestly remember my initial thoughts or if it took a few plays for me to get into it, all I know is it's a sparkling gem of an album and is my favourite by Kate - I could put it on repeat play for hours and not get fed up with it. It is going to be so difficult for me to pick just a few songs to post, as I pretty much love every track!
An eccentric, eclectic masterpiece
Pull Out the Pin (with Dave Gilmour on backing vocals)
Leave It Open
Night of the Swallow
Houdini
Get Out of My House
A few more highlights from 1980...
Kate topped a number of Best Female Artist Polls, including those run by music mags NME, Sound and Melody Maker, and won more awards for Best Female Singer and Top Female Album Artist.
Peter Gabriel released his third solo album in May featuring Kate on backing vocals on the songs Games Without Frontiers and No Self Control. Another collaboration around this time was a duet with Roy Harper, You (the Game Part II), from Roy's album The Unknown Soldier, it also featured on guitar the person who had introduced Roy to Kate's work - Dave Gilmour.
Games Without Frontiers
No Self Control
You (The Game Part II)
In November the single December Will Be Magic Again, delayed from the previous year, and with a few changes, was released. The song didn't do too well climbing to just No. 29 in the UK charts and slipping to 32 by Christmas week. It hasn't featured on any of Kate's albums only the This Woman's Work compilation box set, however it has made many a Christmas compilation album and there isn't a year that goes by that I don't hear it playing somewhere during the festive season
So ended another hugely successful year for Kate!
The beginning of 1981 saw Kate take a well earned break for a couple of months before heading back to the studio to start work on her new album, The Dreaming. The single Sat In Your Lap was released in the summer, giving a little teaser of what to expect from the new album which would not be released until over a year later.
In July, with just a couple of days notice, Kate was asked to take David Bowie's place in the Prince's Trust Royal Gala. She sang The Wedding List, backed by Phil Collins on drums, Pete Townsend and Midge Ure on guitars, Mick Karn (Japan) and Procul Harem's Gary Brooker on keyboards. Towards the end of her performance she had a wardrobe malfunction when the strap on her dress broke - but she managed to not let it distract her in the slightest and just carried on as normal. Ever the professional!
After nearly a year and a half of work, The Dreaming was finally completed in May 1982, and released four months later.
The Dreaming
Released 13th September, 1982
Released 13th September, 1982
Track List
01 - Sat In Your Lap
02 - There Goes a Tenner
03 - Pull Out the Pin
04 - Suspended in Gaffa
05 - Leave It Open
06 - The Dreaming
07 - Night of the Swallow
08 - All the Love
09 - Houdini
10 - Get Out of My House
Highest UK chart position: 3
01 - Sat In Your Lap
02 - There Goes a Tenner
03 - Pull Out the Pin
04 - Suspended in Gaffa
05 - Leave It Open
06 - The Dreaming
07 - Night of the Swallow
08 - All the Love
09 - Houdini
10 - Get Out of My House
Highest UK chart position: 3
The Dreaming was the first album Kate produced alone, and having full control meant she could experiment much more, and boy did she go to town! It's well known that Kate is a tad kooky and some of her songs downright strange but The Dreaming takes this to a whole new level! When it was released it had the reviewers and radio programmers scratching their heads it was so off-the-wall - I've heard Kate herself calls this her 'mad' album.
The album is dark, deep, scary, haunting, beautiful and at times cryptic! There's sounds effects galore, a cornucopia of musical instruments (including native ones like the didgeridoo - played by Rolf Harris! - bouzouki and uilleann pipes) and Kate makes good use of the instrument Peter Gabriel introduced her to - the Fairlight (digital sampling synthesizer). Some songs are little tales, ranging from a botched robbery (There Goes a Tenner) to a Vietcong stalking an American soldier (Pull Out The Pin) to escapologist Harry Houdini and his wife's attempts to contact him after his death. Vocally Kate excels, one minute she'll be singing in high register the next low, she screams, she shrieks, she grunts, she groans, she breys like a donkey (I kid you not!), you'll even hear her singing with a Cockney and Aussie accent. She uses her voice like an untamed musical instrument, yes it's weird but it's also wonderful and absolutely unique.
Kate at home playing the Fairlight
I've heard it said by some fans of Kate that The Dreaming is an acquired taste and not one for newcomers to her music. It's so long ago now when I first listened to the album I can't honestly remember my initial thoughts or if it took a few plays for me to get into it, all I know is it's a sparkling gem of an album and is my favourite by Kate - I could put it on repeat play for hours and not get fed up with it. It is going to be so difficult for me to pick just a few songs to post, as I pretty much love every track!
An eccentric, eclectic masterpiece
Pull Out the Pin (with Dave Gilmour on backing vocals)
Leave It Open
Night of the Swallow
Houdini
Get Out of My House
Last edited:
Tray73
இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—
Re: Kate Bush
Cheers LG
Cheers LG
Sox
Avoiding The Swan Song
Re: Kate Bush
Tray an enchanting, eccentric, eclectic example of euphoric expression and no mistake.
Great write up as usual, Kate is a legend.
Tray an enchanting, eccentric, eclectic example of euphoric expression and no mistake.
Great write up as usual, Kate is a legend.
