FEATURE:
All the Love: Remastered
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at Abbey Road Studios (circa 1980)
Pushing a Kate Bush Podcast Forward
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THIS is not the first time…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush looking relaxed in 1978
I have talked about a Kate Bush podcast - and apologies for covering trodden ground. I was formulating All the Love before lockdown and, although I have not yet set up a recording space, the idea of putting one together is stronger now more than ever. In lockdown, I am seeing more tweets concerning Bush and her music; people comforted and strengthened by her incredible catalogue. I have heard more of her music on the radio and, whilst this is good, I think one of the problems is, with all radio stations, the narrowness regarding the music played. I am not against the big hits being played but, now, I think it is a perfect opportunity for stations to play lesser-spun cuts from her albums - as they are not mandated to play singles in the same way they would for a new artist. I realise other artists experience the same; radio stations only playing a few singles and the big songs we know. When it comes to Kate Bush, we never really hear album tracks.
IN THIS PHOTO: A still of Kate Bush in the Suspended in Gaffa video (1982)/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
A few songs from Hounds of Love are played (normally Cloudbusting, Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) and Hounds of Love). If broadcasters play songs from other albums, we might get Sat in Your Lap from The Dreaming; perhaps The Red Shoes from The Red Shoes, The Sensual World from The Sensual World, or Babooshka from Never for Ever – all of them are pretty well-known singles. For a punt, here are some great songs from a selection of her albums that warrant more airplay (some of these songs have never been played on radio): The Kick Inside: Strange Phenomena, Kite, Feel It and Them Heavy People; Lionheart: Symphony in Blue and Kashka from Baghdad; Never for Ever: Delius (Song of Summer), The Wedding List and The Infant Kiss; The Dreaming: Suspended in Gaffa, Leave It Open, Houdini (my favourite of her songs) and Get Out of My House…
Hounds of Love: The Big Sky, Under the Ivy (the B-side of Running Up That Hill), Waking the Witch and Jig of Life - Experiment IV; a non-album single from The Whole Story (1986) -; The Sensual World: Love and Anger (a lesser-played U.K. single) and Never Be Mine; The Red Shoes: Rubberband Girl, And So Is Love and Top of the City; Aerial: Mrs. Bartolozzi, How to Be Invisible and A Coral Room; 50 Words for Snow: Wildman and Among Angels - not to mention Be Kind to My Mistakes, Warm and Soothing, Sexual Healing and My Lagan Love from Kate Bush: The Other Sides (2019). I guess, if people are familiar with songs then they are easier to identity and they sink in faster. It is a shame that even bands as big as Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, as I have said a few times, are not really opened up more on the radio in terms of album tracks and rarer moments.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1989
Kate Bush seems to get defined by a few songs; she is an artist whose album tracks are spectacular; so many of them have never been heard on the radio and, because of that, people do not really go exploring and think about her albums like they would if non-singles were played. Also, looking online, and there is only really the one decent Kate Bush podcast around: the Kate Bush Fan Podcast has been running for a long time now, and it is hosted by Seán Twomey (no offence to any other Bush podcasts, of course). The man knows his stuff and, whilst the podcast covers pretty much everything related to Kate Bush – from specific songs through to periods of her career -, there are gaps to exploit. I love the podcast and, when it comes to knowledge and dedication, Twomey beats me. The man knows Kate Bush better than most people around, but I have never been a massive fan of the audio quality. I am not sure whether Twomey has a home studio or professional kit, but there is that homemade feel that I wanted to improve on. I am not taking a dig at the podcast, but it is important that I do not stray too close to the Kate Bush Fan Podcast when making mine.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in less than glamorous surroundings in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
I am not suggesting All the Love would be this shiny and hugely polished podcast, but sound quality and clarity is key. I think it is important that all the music and conversation is as clear and crisp as it can be. Also, although Twomey has contributors on his podcast, they do not often sit in the same room and dissect her albums (not that I have heard, anyway). Having heard I am the Eggpod and The David Bowie album podcast (more on them in a second), I know how wonderful it is when people discuss and pour over an album in proper detail! I love a podcast that is broad with an artist like Kate Bush because, to be fair, she is a lot more than just her albums. There is the live element, her sense of style and attachment to literature and cinema. Long may his Kate Bush Fan Podcast reign – it is one I tune into and really enjoy. I am not sure whether it is ever going to be possible, but the thought of involving Bush herself is tantalising. Whether she would ever conduct an interview is hard to say, but it would be a dream to hear from the ‘subject’ herself, as it were!
I have been listening a lot to Chris Shaw’s I am the Eggpod, which features guests (usually in a studio/room with him; they are communicating via the Internet at the moment) who talk about a particular albums from The Beatles or a solo album from one of the band members. It is an excellent listen and, not only is the audio quality wonderful; Shaw and his guests go through an album track by track. There is also The David Bowie Albums Podcast which, like I am the Eggpod, features a guest chatting about a Bowie album in depth. Whilst Kate Bush has released fewer albums than The Beatles and David Bowie – 2011’s 50 Words for Snow was her tenth and most-recent release -, she has released E.P.s and other albums (greatest hits, and albums of rarities) that would be ripe for exploration. One other reason for wanting to do my own Kate Bush podcast is because there is a gap in the market. There have been one-off podcasts and other broadcasts which have shone a light on her music, but they have been archived. At the moment, there is very little out there dedicated to Kate Bush and her work. Even though she has not released music for a long time now, there is always this fascination around her – who knows; one day she might put out her eleventh studio record!
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush captured for the Lionheart album in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Manowitz
It is a shame radio stations do not really dig that deep regarding her music. There are so many brilliant tracks that never get played. I think a podcast like All the Love would sit alongside the Kate Bush Fan Podcast and, as there would be relatively few episodes, it would be fairly cost-effective to run – I shall come onto that a bit later. Outside of podcasts, there has been very little in the way of Kate Bush coverage in terms of radio or T.V. documentaries. In fact, I think the last documentary to air was the BBC’s The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill in 2014. I know one can watch it on YouTube and, whilst it was necessary, the fact it was only an hour long and had some flaws (one or two superfluous, non-musical guests; no real revelations and new information), means that there is an opportunity for someone to come along and make a properly detailed and comprehensive Kate Bush documentary – it is also something I have been trying to get off of the ground. All the Love is designed to provide these ten or more episodes that put one of her studio albums at the centre. That is not to say the only thing that will be featured is a song by song assessment: there is the period before and after the album’s release that provides conversation and illumination. Take, for example, Lionheart and the fact it was a slightly rushed album – she released it a matter of months after The Kick Inside (this is a good accompaniment to the album; I also can’t believe she advertised watches in Japan around the time of The Kick Inside!): her phenomenal and underrated debut, in 1978. It is such a wonderful album that, to this day, I am being surprised by in so many different ways.
IN THIS PHOTO: A colourful Kate Bush snapped in Amsterdam in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Barry Schultz
I do not mean to rant on too much about 1978 - a lot of the photos in this piece are taken from 1978 and 1979 -, but it was a huge year and I think it gets overlooked - one area that will be focused on in the podcast. I will move on shortly but, as Kate Bush is the artist I adore more than any (apart from The Beatles) and The Kick Inside is my favourite album ever, this is the main reason I want to get a podcast started (listening to her speak in 1978 truly melts me). Bush released two albums in 1978, and she was busy promoting The Kick Inside around the globe. In this feature, we learn about a phenomenal busy six months for the young artist:
“Following the release of The Kick Inside, Kate Bush undertook an astonishingly busy 6-month promotional campaign. In addition to topping charts and appearing on what seemed like every TV program in the UK, Bush did an extensive amount of traveling, visiting West Germany, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, France, the United States, Canada, and Japan. One could unpack any one of these tips individually, but they mostly consist of Bush performing songs from The Kick Inside. As Dreams of Orgonon is a song-by-song blog, we analyze episodes in Kate Bush’s career through the lenses of new songs as they come. Bush’s promotional visit to Japan in June of 1978 not only offers a couple songs we haven’t heard her sing before, even if they are covers, but it gives a chance to see what Kate Bush does when she’s not doing Kate Bush things”.
Although Kate Bush’s trip to Japan was a little troubled - she was culturally out of her depth, she didn’t have her own band with her and, on 18th June, 1978, she, ironically, nervously performed Moving to an audience of 11,000 people at the Nippon Budokan for the 7th Tokyo Music Festival -, she did cover so much ground and get her music to so many people (Bush quickly grew to hate flying and travel as it took her away from the studio and sapped her). One can only imagine how bracing and unusual The Kick Inside sounded when it was released in February 1978. Although so few people rank The Kick Inside in the top-three Bush albums (it normally comes in fourth or fifth), I just adore the bones of it. The vocals - a source of division among critics at the time - are sumptuous, and the maturity and confidence throughout is dazzling. Wuthering Heights still sounds otherworldly to this day, and I cannot fathom how a thirteen-year-old Kate Bush managed to write The Man with the Child in His Eyes! I will talk more about The Kick Inside when I do a big Kate Bush feature close to her birthday but, for now, I shall move on…
Bush then finished the album and, the year after, took her massive, groundbreaking Tour of Life around Europe. Even before then, Bush was promoting and travelling a lot. It is amazing to think how much she packed in over such a short time! There are albums of Bush’s that get overlooked and passed by quite quickly. Whilst Lionheart and The Red Shoes (1993) might not be her finest moments, they are both really interesting albums that contains some terrific songs – again, they are not exploited by radio stations. The cost and location are things I have raised in previous blog posts. I would not consider pushing this podcast forward until after lockdown – in terms of getting a recording space set up -, but, as I am sequestered in a rather small house in Haringey, North London – where there is neither the space to record (and it is a very noisy area where it would be impossible to sound-proof adequately); it is not an ideal setting for a podcast -, I have to look at recording facilities around London. I realise the home-made podcast is more affordable and, at this time, how many people are doing things. I don’t think I can do justice to Bush and her music if I narrowed things back or slimmed back my ambitions - though, in terms of putting a pilot/test together, I may need to experiment at home and work on the format before developing it and bringing it out into the wider world.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 2005/PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton/National Portrait Gallery, London
Depending on the hourly charge, it depends on how many episodes I can record this/next year. Of course, it would be ideal to feature all of Bush’s ten studio albums, in addition to a few other key releases. Definitely, I want to cover off The Kick Inside, Never for Ever (1980), The Dreaming (1982), Hounds of Love (1985), The Sensual World (1989), The Red Shoes and Before the Dawn (the live album was released in 2016; Bush performed a sold-out run of gigs in Hammersmith in 2014). These albums are rich with interesting music, and there is plenty to discuss regarding the songs and the periods before and after the albums’ release. I would love to also feature Lionheart, Aerial (2005), Director’s Cut (2011) and 50 Words for Snow, but I am not necessarily going to run the episodes chronologically; there might be budget and time for all of her albums. In terms of cost, maybe running a ‘series one’ that focuses on five or six albums would be smarter and, if the podcast has legs and appeal, then branching out and doing a second series would be prudent. Monetising a podcast is a big consideration, so I may have to crowd-fund to get All the Love lit, and then look at sponsorship in order to generate some revenue. There are great and successful production companies like Cup & Nuzzle I have been looking at that would make for a nice home (for the podcast).
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush and Felice Fumagalli in Italy in 1982 preparing to promote The Dreaming
Once a record facility is set up and the format is worked out – I have been tinkering a lot and think I have it down -, there is the case of getting the guests. Budget-wise, a lot will go to record facilities and getting the rights to play her music (from EMI and Fish People (Kate Bush’s own label). It is like when you are a kid and you have a birthday coming up and you get excited sending out invites and seeing how many of your friends will R.S.V.P. – remember those simpler days?! I pretty much have a guest(s) in mind for the albums The Kick Inside, Hounds of Love (Bush herself gave a breakdown of Hounds of Love in a radio broadcast that was first aired in 1992) and The Sensual World. There are other big Kate Bush fans that I will do some more digging on to see which album would be best to chat about. I know journalist Laura Snapes is a big Kate Bush fan, and I love her review of The Kick Inside. It would be wonderful to chat with her about Bush’s 1978 debut, and dive into her lyrics and how she was such a revelation and unique explosion when she arrived. Actor Guy Pearce is another massive Kate Bush fan, and I know he loves her early work – maybe having him discuss The Kick Inside or Lionheart? It would be a big-budget booking – and probably won’t ever be realistic – but I know Björk counts The Dreaming as one of her favourite albums.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush photographed by her brother, John Carder Bush, in 1985
Author and writer Andy Miller has told me his favourite Kate Bush album is The Dreaming, and he has expressed interest in talking about that album. I am keen to feature people from various corners of the media, but having musicians involved would allow us to see how Bush has inspired her contemporaries. Of course, regarding The Kick Inside, I think David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) is also crucial, as he helped discover her and was the Executive Producer for The Kick Inside’s The Saxophone Song and The Man with the Child in His Eyes. (both songs were recorded in 1975) Part of each episode, I hope, would involve me interviewing (pre-recorded) those involved with her music – engineers, producers and musicians who played on her albums. Paddy and Jay Bush (her brothers), Del Palmer (her engineer and a musician who played with her before The Kick Inside (and dated her for many years) and Ian Bairnson (a fabulous musician who played with her a lot through her career) are names on my list. Before I mention the next few guests I am aiming to speak with, think about those who were in attendance during her Before the Dawn residency – a plethora of famous fans who could contribute or discuss her albums. Natasha Khan, Florence Welch, Anna Calvi, Alison Goldfrapp and Tori Amos saw Bush play in 2014, as did Cerys Matthews. St. Vincent is another huge Bush fan, and someone who could talk about her work with a real sense of identification and authority. Actors Stephen Fry (who contributed to her 2011 album, 50 Words for Snow) and Gemma Arterton (who is a big fan of Hounds of Love) were also at Before the Dawn. It is amazing to see the wealth of celebrities that flocked to see her back in 2014. I am not sure how many I can get involved with the podcast, but it would be interesting to hear their reflections and recollections of that once-in-a-generation gig/series of gigs.
One of Mark's fave vinyl possessions, his signed copy of The Sensual World by Kate Bush @RSDUK #RSDFillTheGap pic.twitter.com/q57wBvtVDf
— BBC 6 Music Studio (@6MusicStudio) April 18, 2020
There is ample choice when it comes to interviews and, when covering the Before the Dawn album, I think quite a few names would be able to express what it was like being at those gigs – of course, budget is another thing that might restrict my ambitions. The fact so many well-known people attended one of the Before the Dawn gigs shows how far and wide Bush’s popularity extends. Bush is a big fan of literature and cinema, so it is no surprise that so many from the worlds of stage, screen and literature wanted to see her perform. There are other guests I would like to bring into All the Love. Mark Radcliffe (BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music) is a super-devoted Kate Bush fan, and he has interviewed her a number of times. He could probably discuss her entire catalogue without much trouble, but I know he holds The Sensual World in high esteem. He interviewed Bush when she was promoting Aerial and 50 Words for Snow (and Director’s Cut), so he is someone I am very keen to have involved. His passion and knowledge of her music is infectious. Thinking about Mark Radcliffe links me to his BBC Radio 6 Music chum and co-host, Stuart Maconie (he recently featured on the David Bowie Albums podcast; Bush, interestingly, incorporated quite a bit of David Bowie-era Lodger on The Dreaming).
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional photo for The Red Shoes (1993)
His connection with and love of Kate Bush goes far back. I have been browsing an interview published in Q, where Maconie spoke to Bush about her work (she released The Red Shoes not long before the interview was published). I want to quote from a chunk of that interview, as he asks some very original questions – we got to learn new things about Bush:
“She is oddly disparaging of albums like Lionheart and Never For Ever now and even then seemed keen to leave this phase behind, perhaps understandably -- she had been given two years to write the songs for The Kick Inside and, allegedly, four weeks to come up with Lionheart. By 1982 she was under the influence of Peter Gabriel and the revolutionary drum sound of Phil Collins's In The Air Tonight. Determined to do something like this herself, she became locked into a hellishly expensive round of aborted studio stints, finally emerging with The Dreaming, easily her weirdest effort and one that effectively stalled her career, peaking at Number 3 (Never For Ever entered at Number 1) and spawning a batch of flop singles.
Wild rumours abounded, including the choice story advanced by the Daily Mail that she had ballooned up to 18 stone. This was patently untrue but she *had* ground herself down into a state of nervous fatigue, not helped by a reputed diet of junk food and chocolate. It was not the happiest of times.
You are famously uncynical. Or at least, you were. Has all that changed?
"I think it has. I think it's impossible to move through this business -- in fact, it's impossible to move through life without adopting a bit of cynicism. It's a protective and defensive thing. People are going to rip you off, they're going to stitch you up, and if you're cynical, it prepares you for the reality of this. It prepares you for things that, chances are, are going to happen to you (laughs)."
Do you ever lose your temper?
"Yeah. How can you be human and not? It's healthy for you. I used to see it as totally negative, when I was much more uncynical (laughs). I'm not so sure now. It's quite a motivator, you know."
Would you make a good therapist?
"I really don't know. When I was little, I really wanted to be a psychiatrist. That's what I always said at school. I had this idea of helping people, I suppose, but I found the idea of people's inner psychology fascinating, particularly in my teens. Mind you, it's probably just as well I didn't become one. I would have driven all these people to madness. I'm better off just fiddling around in studios."
What newspapers and magazines do you read?
"I don't, really. I find them all slightly biased and angry in their own ways, and generally I prefer the radio or the television, especially where news is concerned. I know the television is biased too, but it doesn't seem as sort of characterised as the press. And magazines I don't read at all, I'm afraid. I did for a while and found them quite boring and slightly manipulative. I thought a lot of magazines were trying to -- or if not trying to, then ending up, making you feel inadequate. I didn't think a lot of healthy things were going on in them. I had friends who got magazines regularly and they were getting more and more concerned about them, more and more obsessed with the articles and the quizzes. It took me a long time to grow out of The Beano, though, so perhaps I'm just not grown up enough for magazines".
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush captured on 28th August, 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: Andy Phillips
Before moving on, I want to link to a couple of other Maconie-Bush pieces. In 2011, he spoke about the enduring popularity of Bush, and why she continues to amaze and stand in a league of her own. He talked about her earliest work and Wuthering Heights; how could, someone who was essential a schoolgirl, conceive and deliver such affecting, original and against-the-times music? She has, as Maconie notes, endured for decades and continues to forge her own path. He was talking about 50 Words for Snow and how it is up there will the best stuff she has ever done - an album that sound completely different to any that she has released. Stuart Maconie penned a feature for the Evening Standard and discussed 1980s music – he highlighted Bush’s impact and influence:
“Bush transfixed a generation with her image and gloriously romantic musical style. ‘Wuthering Heights’ was as revolutionary as ‘God Save the Queen’, and those shock waves are still heard today in the music of Florence + the Machine, Bat For Lashes et al. By the mid-1980s she’d arrived at her mature style: dense, opaque, intense and oblique”.
I am not sure whether 50 Words for Snow, Aerial, The Kick Inside or Hounds of Love means more to him but, in some form or the other, it would be valuable to have his experience and love of Bush’s music on the podcast. Not that Stuart Maconie and Mark Radcliffe need to go everywhere together, but the two of them have a great interest in Bush’s music, so perhaps they could appear together? They play quite a bit of her music on their BBC Radio 6 Music, and have no doubt introduced so many people to her albums. The two of them have been followers and fans of Bush for decades so, yeah, that would be a major coup having them involved - however small their involvement is. I am just thinking out loud, mind! Of course, all of this might come to nothing if I can afford guests or get things together but, as I said, it is nice to have a plan and, in the case of All the Love, it is a podcast that does not have too many close rivals.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: Pierre Terrasson
I have already mentioned Gemma Arterton, who I know has been a fan of Kate Bush for years. She loves Hounds of Love, I know, so she is keen in my mind when it comes to finding a guest(s) for the Hounds of Love episode. I also know musician and BBC Radio2 broadcaster Jamie Cullum spoke with Bush in 2011 (I cannot find the whole interview available to listen to; it used to be on YouTube), and they discussed 50 Words for Snow. As a Jazz musician, Cullum would be perfectly placed to explore and undress that remarkable album. One more potential guest that I have been thinking about is the superb author, broadcaster and writer, Pete Paphides. I know he is a big fan of her work (as is his wife: the writer, journalist and author, Caitlin Moran), and he was in attendance when Bush hit the stage in 2014. I am not sure whether he has a favourite of her albums – it might be another case of getting quite a few people to give their thoughts on Before the Dawn.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush on stage in August 2014 during her Before the Dawn residency/PHOTO CREDIT: Gavin Bush
Paphides has also written about The Sensual World (track), and, although he found some weaknesses on her 2005’s album, Aerial, it would be interested to hear his take on one of Bush’s albums – maybe Aerial – or her residency in 2014. I have read his brilliant book, Broken Greek, and he mentioned how he was at a Co-op department store on his birthday and browsing for a football kit. The Kick Inside was playing in full and he heard The Man with the Child in His Eyes play and was blown away. By the time Wuthering Heights came on, he had selected a kit! He also mentions how he was struck by the Englishness of the Lionheart album so, maybe, one of those two could be right for him. It is hard to know whether there are members of the media or the arts who have a favourite Kate Bush album, so it might be the case of throwing out an invite via social media and gauging reaction. For me, The Kick Inside is queen – it is my favourite album ever -, and I have not seen anyone in film, T.V. or radio (and all other areas) who specifically name-check that album as being their favourite. Maybe this is me being a bit too defensive, but this is an album that is hugely underestimated, so I do hope there are people out there who could chat about The Kick Inside and how important it is - though The Dreaming, Hounds of Love and The Sensual World would be easier to pair with people…probably secondary considerations after actually getting the podcast sorted and in a good format. Matt Everitt is someone I have omitted until now (not intentionally), but he was the last person to conduct a radio interview with Kate Bush back in 2016 – I am making it sound like Bush has gone missing and Everitt was the last person to see her safe and well! He interviewed her when she was talking about the album release of Before the Dawn…and I know he has been a fan of her work for years. It would be interesting to see which of her albums, if any, he has a special attachment with.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush climbing high in 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
I am spinning on a tangent – as I am prone to doing! -, but I think many of us are planning projects for when lockdown ends. I love podcasts that take apart an album because, more and more, people tend to hand-pick songs, and there is not a Kate Bush podcast out there that focuses on her albums and invites a guest to go through the tracks – I may be wrong, but I have researched far and wide. Bush is an artist whose albums are filled with unique gems, yet so few of them make their way onto the radio – most stations focus solely on the singles and the cuts we all know. I will stop blathering on in a second, but I have been trying for months to get a podcast/documentary kicked off regarding Kate Bush. I know there are so many people out there – well-known and regular fans alike – who hold Kate Bush very close to their heart, and it would be great to talk with them about her albums – rather than me going on and on and boring people! As I said near the start of this feature: Bush’s music is reaching out to new people at the moment, and it is providing a lot of comfort and joy. I am surprised there are not more Bush-related podcasts around so, in that spirit, I am determined to get activated and forward-thinking. All the Love, whilst it has been on paper and in my mind for months now, is a podcast I need to get moving…
WHEN lockdown is lifted.