Love-Hounds-request@GAFFA.MIT.EDU (10/23/89)
Really-From: PMANCHESTER@ccmail.sunysb.edu
State University of New York at Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY 11794-3725
Peter Manchester
Religious Studies
632-7312
22-Oct-1989 09:38pm EDT
FROM: PMANCHESTER
TO: Love-Hounds ( _IN%love-hounds@gaffa.mit.edu )
SUBJECT: NEWSDAY review
'The Sensual World'
Kate Bush
(Columbia)
Kate Bush is one of the great enigmas of the rock world.
A self-taught musician and composer, she rocketed to fame 12
years ago, at 17, on her debut single "Wuthering Heights." Ever
since, she's attracted a worldwide following despite almost never
performing live and taking three years between albums.
"The Sensual World" is Bush's first album since her 1985
hit "Hounds of Love," and it picks up where the earlier record
left off (which doesn't mean it is as good a record). Her music
is still devoted to love and sexuality, but Bush's writing is
more stridently personal here, as she carries us through the
downbeat imagery of the title-track--a semi-sequel to "Running Up
That Hill"--and the self-explanatory "Love and Anger." Also
included is "This Woman's Work," a song of male regret over the
separation of the sexes, sung wrenchingly by Bush in the first
person.
Bush's lyrics here are even denser and more complex than
those on "Hounds of Love." On "Rocket's Tail," she sings about
being "dressed as a rocket on Waterlook Bridge," which should
send her fans scrambling by the millions for the old Vivien Leigh
movie "Waterloo Bridge," the way they did for "Wuthering
Heights." The album's production is equally dense, and that is
the album's major flaw--despite being her own producer, Bush's
voice is often buried beneath layers of instruments. Violin
virtuoso Nigel Kennedy, harpist Alan Stivell and Pink Floyd's
David Gilmour all guest on the record and their names are
impressive, but a cleaner mix would've been preferable.
Still, "The Sensual World," like its predecessor,
challenges conventional notions of sexuality, sex roles, and
romance--all of which makes her success and fandom, as a kind of
anti-Madonna, that much more startling. --Bruce Eder
(NEWSDAY Sunday 10/22/89, Part II, p. 19)
[Bruce should get himself a new stereo; I think the mix
and the whole production are utterly radiant. Of course I'm a
fan of the ORIGINAL mix of "Ne T'en Fui Pas". The fun is to
go swimming into the sound after her. Omnidirectional speakers
are a big plus.]Love-Hounds-request@GAFFA.MIT.EDU (10/24/89)
Really-From: adams@math.berkeley.edu (Jeffrey P. Adams) >being "dressed as a rocket on Waterlook Bridge," which should >send her fans scrambling by the millions for the old Vivien Leigh >movie "Waterloo Bridge," the way they did for "Wuthering >Heights." What? Is there a real connection here? -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jeff Adams adams@math.berkeley.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~