Sunday, June 14, 2015

Kate Bush:Cloudbusting In Clydebank...


Including The Whole Story I have 5 Kate Bush albums, 50 Words For Snow, The Sensual World, The Dreaming and Hounds Of Love being the other four. Earlier in the week I had been compiling a CD of my favourite female singers that included, amongst others, Bjork, Chrissie Hynde, Maria McKee and Harriet Wheeler. 20 tracks in total but no Kate Bush on there. Not really sure why as I have for many years been a fan of this most unique of performers. I can only assume it is because I haven't really listened to her for a while. Due to a chance meeting with a Kate Bush fan on Friday night, I have been listening to a fair bit of her over the weekend. Outside of the blogosphere I tend to find a lack of passion for music amongst quite a few people these days so it was such a joy to talk to someone with so much passion about music. Not really sure how we got onto the subject of Kate Bush, but her enthusiasm was so refreshing and genuine. We then got onto talking about Patti Smith, and she proceeded to sing the first couple of verses of Rock And Roll Nigger, not something you hear every night on the low level platforms at Glasgow Central Station. A perfect end to a great night seeing James King and The Lone Wolves live at Glasgow's CCA.

Anyway, back to Kate Bush. The 4 studio albums above have been on rotation this weekend and although I can find much to like on the first three listed above, it is Hounds Of Love that is the one for me. An album of two halves with all the wonderful pop songs, like Running Up That Hill, on Side 1 and Side 2 comprising a mini concept album, based around Tennyson's Holy Grail. In a year that saw great albums released from the likes of The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Fall and The Smiths, Hounds Of Love is worthy of its place at the top table. Highly original and experimental, this is Kate's masterpiece. Essentially an album about love, fear of love, all consuming love and the love of life itself, it has not dated at all since it was released 30 years ago. I don't think I have heard any other album that sounds anything like Hounds Of Love and that is one of the many reasons why it is still so beloved of so many people to this day.

So thanks to a complete stranger from Clydebank, who just happened to love Kate Bush, I have rediscovered an album that I fell in love with when it came out, and am away to compile Volume 2 of my favourite female singers, with some Kate Bush on it this time...


14 comments:

  1. Oh I love those chance meetings with strangers where you find common interests or just have great conversation, maybe never to see or speak to them again - your one sounds rather special! Kate is rather special too.



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    1. Hi C, good to have you back from your travels. Yeah, something about it was rather special. Those fleeting moments when least expected can sometimes stay with you for a long time...

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  2. Harriet Wheeler is a new name on me Scott and given the company she is keeping one to be checked out

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  3. I have always been pretty happy with my meager collection of the Whole Story, Hounds of Love and the 12" of Running Up That Hill. Your post has me curious about expanding that a bit. What would be your next suggestion?

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    1. Hi Brian, The Dreaming and The Sensual World would be the ones for me.

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  4. It has to be The Dreaming for me, her "I'm going mad" album as she calls it. Hounds of Love is a close second, mind. Love her, love her, love her.

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  5. I think there's a series out there, Scott, on "what you hear every night on the low level platforms at Glasgow Central". But before you do that, for me and CC, can you post something by Harriet Wheeler?

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    1. I think you could well be right George, it is certainly a rich source of material. I will do a short post later tonight on Harriet...

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  6. I'm going to post a piece on the first Sundays album in a week or two, if the Harriet Wheeler cravers can wait a little.....

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    1. Look forward to your post on their wonderful debut Robster, I'll whet their appetite with a short post tonight...

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  7. Hi Scott, you have now met 2 strangers over the last few days who are big Kate Bush fans. Great chatting with you today. I'll be a regular visitor to your blog, not just to read about the music but also to make sure you're using correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. And no inappropriate uses of apostrophes! (This may post twice as my first one vanished)

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  8. Hi Fiona, lovely to meet you today. Now that I have the grammar police reading the blog I shall have to take more careful with my use of the English language. Hopefully you will find some music you like, there is a fair bit of 80's stuff been posted over the last few years. Remember to pop in and say hi if you are in the city centre.

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  9. Hi Scott, it was great to talk music with you! Love it when you meet someone who totally gets what music can do to you! I love the 80's. Was reminded of Restless Natives by Big Country today. Do you remember the video of them on their motorbike being chased through the streets of Edinburgh? My mum was a country fan so I've a love of that too and what they seem to call Blue Grass and Americana too. Also Bruce Hornsby/Paul Brady/Nanci Griffith. Loads loads more!

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