Kate Bush - 2 NEW ALBUMS!

[Pyewacket]

The reviews have been insanely good. 4 and 5 stars from most critics, with only a few dipping down to three (and one giving it two).

It is nothing if not atmospheric. And some of the tracks, IMHO, are better than the originals. It's a more varied sounding album than any of Stevie's, for sure (Kate never sticks with straightforward rock -- you will find Madagascan, Celtic and African influences here as well as a nod to cinematic soundtracks and electronica). Overall, I like it, though it was never going to be the best-Kate scenario.

I get that it was important for her to do (she's said she did it for herself and that it has been something she's wanted to do for some time). But for me, I'd certainly have preferred a new album...and, not getting that, then an album of remakes of different songs. Some of these never thrilled me to begin with. As for production, well...it's interesting to me that most of these songs were written when Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan were at their heights of success...and now that Kate's redone them, a few sound like Tori and Sarah productions. Ah well -- I'm still recommending it because the weird pull of Kate is still strong with this one...and any album of Kate's is head and shoulders above those of most other artists.

1> Aerial
2> Hounds Of Love
3> The Dreaming
4> Bella Donna
5> Never for Ever
6> The Sensual World
7> The Kick Inside
8> Trouble In Shangri-La
9> Director's Cut
10> In Your Dreams
11> The Red Shoes
12> The Wild Heart
13> Lionheart
14> Rock A Little


25> Street Angel
102> Other Side Of The Mirror

[Maxd9]

I adore Kate, but so far I've been really disappointed with Director's Cut. I think the new version of 'Moments of Pleasure' is AMAZING and far better than the original (IMHO), but apart from that, I think most of the songs on DC have lost some of their power. Maybe it will grow on me, and there are only 2 songs which I REALLY dislike (Flower of the Mountain and Rubberband Girl), so perhaps I just haven't listened to it enough. Or maybe I'm just ready for a new album and my love for Aerial has made everything feel a little mediocre.

[Maxd9]

P.S - I just tried ranking Kate and Stevie's albums together, and I found it impossible. I think most of Kate's albums are stronger, more interesting and more artful than Stevie's, but I listen to Stevie far more often, and have a greater emotional reaction to her work. When it came to ranks, I just couldn't do it.

[Pyewacket]

Originally Posted by Maxd9

P.S - I just tried ranking Kate and Stevie's albums together, and I found it impossible. I think most of Kate's albums are stronger, more interesting and more artful than Stevie's, but I listen to Stevie far more often, and have a greater emotional reaction to her work. When it came to ranks, I just couldn't do it.

^ I know what you mean...it's hard to rank them knowing that Kate is more of a producer of her own work (and in that respect, more like a Lindsey Buckingham). For instance, in ranking their debut albums, it's hard to ignore the fact that Jimmy Iovine shaped Stevie's sound in a big way for Bella Donna (which I love) while Andrew Powell actually hampered Kate's vision for The Kick Inside (which is why she began producing her own stuff shortly thereafter). Both albums catch the essence of the performer....but in the end I ranked Bella Donna higher because it sounded more polished (i.e. better produced).

Kate doesn't have a Fleetwood Mac to co-inhabit her time, so there are fewer instances where there's filler on her albums. The instances where filler does appear (in both Stevie's and Kate's works) are the albums that I ended up ranking the lowest. Otherwise, I just ranked them according to which ones I listen to more often, rather than respect more. I think I respect The Dreaming above all, but I don't listen to it nearly as much as Aerial or Hounds Of Love.

[TrueFaith77]

Ranking Kate & Stevie - Director's Cut:

1. Tusk
2. Rumours
3. Fleetwood Mac
4. Hounds of Love
5. The Dreaming
6. The Kick Inside
7. Say You Will
8. Never For Ever
9. The Sensual World
10. Lionheart
11. In Your Dreams
12. Buckingham Nicks
13. Tango In The Night
14. Mirage
15. The Red Shoes
16. Bella Donna
17. The Wild Heart
18. Ariel
19. Behind the Mask
20. Rock A Little
21. Street Angel
22. Other Side of the Mirror
23. Director's Cut



To put it all in perspective. The Soundstage Sessions > Director's Cut

[Pyewacket]

Here's a quick (75 seconds) look at the gor-gi-mous packaging for Director's Cut. It's me totally geeking out (I just got it yesterday):





Some other quick tidbits:

The album appears to be on track to debut at #2 (behind Adele) on the UK charts! It was #1 for several days following its initial release, but Adele's now-17-week stay at #1 appears to be unstoppable.

A cool exchange between Kate and the German weekly Spiegel:
Spiegel: Do you know that you are revered by hip-hop titans like 2Pac, Wu-Tang Clan or Dr. Dre and many others?
Bush: I am aware of that, and I cannot do much more than to say I find it surprising and incredibly cool.

Director's Cut has been reviewed on the official site of the Catholic Church, which calls it "An album, away from the structures typical of pop-rock, yet endowed with great strength in communication: an excellent appetizer, waiting for a new album that is already [in the works]."

Other reviews (I don't know which of these has a four- or five- star system):

Kultura Pravda (Slovak): 5 stars “one of the best albums of this year”
Drowned in Sound (UK?): 7 out of 10 "a dazzling affirmation of Bush’s genius as songwriter"
Wirtulana Polska (Polish): 3 out of 5
The Sun (UK): 4 out of 5 "artistically satisfying...a dreamy bewitching treat with unexpected deviations from the original versions"
Sydvenskan (Swedish): 3 out of 5 “dramatic, multi-layered pop songs”
Record Collector (UK, I think): 2 out of 5 “the tracks feature ho-hum touches that largely result in reducing the songs’ power."
Scotsman: 4 stars "The resulting revamps are satisfying, rounded – and occasionally bizarre"
The Observer (UK): 3 out of 5 "a beguiling album"
The Metro (UK and Ireland): 4 stars "a brilliantly fresh approach...laced with heart-racing action"
Music Week (UK): "a strong album"
The Times (Will Hodgkinson, UK) 3 stars “interesting, but not easy to lose yourself in“
The Times (Dan Cairns, UK): 4 stars "To listen...is to be reminded that this extraordinary artist is without equal.”
News Of The World (UK): 4 stars "there’s a playful adventurousness here that’s more imaginative than most brand-new music."
London Evening Standard (UK): 3 stars "This Woman's Work stands tallest...she's taken from as well as given to Florence & The Machine"
Irish Times: 4 stars
Yahoo Music (US?): 5 out of 10: “a mis-guided attempt at modification"
The Vine (Australia): "these new versions are slinky and elegantly dreamy."
Daily Telegraph (UK): 4 stars "should really be enjoyed as a rare, live performance"
Word Magazine (UK): “Radical reinvention and unfettered weirdness.”
Financial Times (UK): 3 out of 5
Daily Mail (UK): 4 stars "a natural richness and sensuality."
Daily Express (UK) 5 stars "More Kate Bush is always a good thing"
The Independent (UK): 5 stars "Return of the Sensual Woman"
Guardian (UK): 4 out of 5 "faffing about of the most exquisite kind."
Q Magazine (UK): 4 stars
NME (UK): "very much the Son Of ‘Aerial’; full of silence, space and maturity. "

(these were quoted from http://www.katebushnews.com/ or the original sites)

[TrueFaith77]

Originally Posted by Pyewacket

NME (UK): "very much the Son Of ‘Aerial’; full of silence, space and maturity. "

Sadly, I don't disagree.

[Pyewacket]

Originally Posted by TrueFaith77

Sadly, I don't disagree.

Me neither. Good thing Aerial is at the top of my ranking.


Kidding. I think DC sounds nothing like Aerial, which is a brilliant album light on electronics. It sounds pastoral and light, as if fueled by Kate's happiness out in her country home. DC, on the other hand, re-invents a lot of songs about grief and heartbreak...but they're still those same songs about grief and heartbreak. It's darker. And musically, much edgier than Aerial.

[HejiraNYC]

I've finally allowed DC to seep through my pores via repeated listenings whilst running around over the weekend. I have to admit that I was a little put off initially, but I have grown to appreciate this set of songs as a unique work unto itself; never did I get the sense that these are songs pulled from two different albums. I was also initially a bit disturbed by Kate's vocal on "Flower of the Mountain;" it sounded like she was winded and out of breath, whereas she chirped like a jubilant swallow on the original version. But then after a couple of spins, I realized this was not the innocent little wallflower of yore; this mature version of Kate now is in the throes of passion; barely able to control her own breathing or pitch. Twenty-two years later she finally delivered a vocal that perfectly complemented the prose. I also love how she lowered the key to a few of the songs. I don't think it was a matter of not being able to hit the notes (she clearly still has the full range of her voice). Rather, it seems that she is trying to take a quieter, less shrill approach to these songs. So instead of yelping out a pierced high note, she either avoids the note or just kinda tosses out a lower note that fits in better with the mood of the song. Overlooked songs like "Never Be Mine" are positively radiant in this sparser, deconstructed setting. And "Moments of Pleasure," which was so overwrought and precious on The Red Shoes is now humble and reflective without all of the syrupy bombast. And it was genius to eliminate the chorus altogether and to replace it with a humming choir- it adds to the funereal-yet-hopeful theme of the song. Overall, I like this new Kate- less obsessed with perfection and more into setting a mood.

In any case, this is nowhere close to being a substitute for new music. But, as another reviewer has mentioned, this is as close to a "live album" as we are going to get from Kate. I'll take whatever I can get!