spt1@ukc.ac.uk (Stephen Thomas) (03/26/91)
In many articles, many people say something like: >"_The Dreaming_ is, of course, *the* best album." >"Rubbish! _Hounds of Love_ is the only choice." >"No, _TD_ is *definitely* it!" >"It is not!" >"It is!" > <thump> "Ow!" > <bash> "Oh, you bounder!" >... Well, perhaps I exaggerate a little, and may attract a few flames for my little bit of whimsy above, but I really couldn't resist it :-). You see, in my own mind I can't place either _TD_ of _HoL_ above the others (although I do agree with the almost universal unspoken concurrence that these two albums are the most outstanding of Kate's work). In fact, I don't like giving supremacy to any of her albums. Now I'll explain why, in a roundabout way. In my room on campus I have some Kate posters (naturally). I have a 5 foot tall "Sensual World" album poster, which constantly tries to peel itself off the wall. I also have the "sand through the fingers" TSW single poster. And I have the obligatory poster of Kate in a leotard (also known as "Oh England My Leotard" to some people :-)). I don't have a _The Dreaming_ poster yet :-(, but I keep looking. But my favourite poster is one I find difficult to describe. Kate is looking very, well, manic is the word, I suppose. Her eyes are widened (a lovely shade of brown!), her lips an intense red, parted to reveal white teeth (surprise!). Drawn on the left side of her face in dark make-up are several lightning-like zig-zagging strokes. I like this poster because of all my Kate Bush posters, this is the Kate Bushiest. What do I mean by this? We all our own internalised views of Kate, formed as we got to know her work. This is why it is so interesting reading everyone's initial Kate experiences, because they are describing their own views. What I like about Kate is formed from my experiences of her, over the years. This is where I tell you about my Kate experiences, folks. I first heard her when she exploded onto the scene with "Wuthering Heights" all those years ago. I was a tender lad of 12 at the time, and as such was a far, far different person to who I am now. I can't remember what I thought of her at the time, although I don't recall disliking her, but I had other interests and responsibilities, so I didn't follow her career avidly. Occasionally, I would notice that she had something new out, but often I just thought she was just getting wierder, which was not something I liked, at the time. The next time I really sat up and took notice was when I saw the video for "Cloudbusting" on The Old Grey Whistle Test (or it may have been just Whistle Test by then), when she was being interviewed by Andy Kershaw (I think). I recall *really* liking that, and it is still one of my favourite tracks to this very day. Nevertheless, I was busy with my Bachelor's degree and she got pushed to the back of my mind, again. That situation lasted until about September '89, when I heard, and liked, "The Sensual World", the single. So much that I went out and bought it. Soon after I arrived at Kent to start my PhD and started reading rec.music.gaffa, and was hooked. I got _TSW_ first, and then over the next four or five months I got the remaining albums. The rest, as they say, is history. Most of my views of Kate, I think, stem from two sources. Firstly the videos of "Cloudbusting" and "Hounds of Love", which also coincide with memories of pivotal points in my life, and secondly from the "wierdness" I initially shied away from, and which I now think is utterly excellent. That poster I mentioned, if you are still with me, encapsulates my view of Kate. An original person doing original work. As far as the albums are concerned, the one I want to listen to depends upon how I am feeling at the time, so I don't really have a favourite, although it so happens that _HoL_ and _TD_ get played more often than the others. But, if I am in the mood for off-the-wall strangeness, my hand reaches unerringly for _Never For Ever_. I find that _Lionheart_ is a great album to work to. _The Kick Inside_ and _TSW_ are good albums if I am in a general sort of mood, whatever that means. There are few tracks I dislike - few, not none. Until a few days ago, literally, I didn't like "Violin". Then I found myself really getting into it as I was playing _NfE_. I just have to be ready for it. I still cannot get into "Walk Straight Down the Middle". Well, I've rambled on and on, and I'm not sure I have come to anything remotely resembling a conclusion. I suppose I take Kate how I find her on a day-by-day basis, and try not have any absolute opinions about her. How does that sound? Anyway, thanks for staying this far :-). Keep well, Stephen P.S. All the above has an implicit IMHO wherever appropriate, of course. -- | "You've been having a nightmare. | Stephen Thomas -------------------------| | And it's not over yet." | Email: spt1@ukc.ac.uk; Smail: Computing | | -- Roger Waters, "The Pros and | Lab, University of Kent, CT2 7NZ, UK; | | Cons of Hitchhiking" | Tel: +44 (0)227 764000 x 3824 |
hanson@HPCC01.CORP.HP.COM (Kent Hanson) (03/28/91)
I concur with your observations regarding the dynamics of one's Kate- relationship--at different times and in different ways and degrees, I have embraced different songs/albums: the bottom line and common denominator is, of course, Kate. I certainly envy your poster collection and wonder if you can shed any light on how I can track down any/all/some here in California. Some kind of catalogue, maybe. Hey, I always loved Violin, but why--it's a musical thing, the chords, the abrasiveness, the wildness (actually I prefer the Hammersmith version to NfE). But, about Walk Straight Down the Middle, hey, that one to me seals The Sensual World, like a farewell coda for the (to me) well-integrated and unified album...and what about in the chorus where she sings "It wasn't easy, though..." and "It hadn't started yet, ohhh" --that VOICE! kind of "nasal" kind of "ethereal"; and of course the trills at the end; and during each chorus the background arpeggios by the keyboard...well, that's what I like about that one. Not to mention that it does affect me beyond the objective, musical elements! Regarding "favorite albums", I really wonder why so few choose TSW, since it is, after all, the representative of the most mature Kate so far...it certainly gets to ME ... such discussions are fun, diverting, and help us get to know each other, the "invisible fraternity". Kent Hanson Hewlett-Packard Corporate Headquarters