FEATURE:
Masters, Mixes and Isolated Vocals
PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
A New Appreciation of Kate Bush’s Work
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ALTHOUGH it may seem like sacrilege…
to tamper with Kate Bush’s work, I feel there are revelations and recordings that provide one a new appreciation of her talents. I know there have been remixes of her tracks, though it is wonderful when we get isolated vocals and get to hear her songs stripped back. Looking at a recent article from Far Out Magazine - where they highlight a vocals-only version of Bush’s debut single, Wuthering Heights - has provoked wider speculation and curiosity:
“Though it may have been just the start of Kate Bush’s impressive career as one of Britain’s most unique and highly-valued artists, ‘Wuthering Heights’ will remain one of the singer’s landmark moments. Not only was it the first song to top the charts both written and performed by a female artist, nor was it just an indictment of Bush’s supreme skill as a songwriter, it showcased that Kate Bush was unlike anything the world had ever seen or, indeed, heard before.
Bush’s vocal dexterity has often been heralded as one of her defining facets. With a remarkable range, she was able to perform tongue and chord gymnastics that would make the Olympics blush. There are countless moments throughout her impressive canon where Bush has shown off just how flexible her instrument is, but perhaps no performance made a greater impact than ‘Wuthering Heights’. Below, we examine her isolated vocal track for the song and marvel at her talent.
Inspired largely by the BBC adaptation of Wuthering Heights instead of the Emily Bronte novel, the track that launched Kate Bush was written in the leafy South London suburb in the summer of 1977. As London was swollen with the vicious angst of punk, Kate Bush was creating a masterful pop record: “There was a full moon, the curtains were open, and it came quite easily,” Bush told her fan club in 1979.
Despite the TV adaptation providing the nugget of inspiration, the singer did lift lines straight from Brontë’s work as she uses Earnshaw’s plea “let me in! I’m so cold” among other quotations from the novel. It’s clear that Bush truly connected with the song, and in fact, the novel too. She told Record Mirror in 1978: “Great subject matter for a song. I loved writing it. It was a real challenge to precis the whole mood of a book into such a short piece of prose.”
Bush continued, “Also when I was a child I was always called Cathy not Kate and I just found myself able to relate to her as a character. It’s so important to put yourself in the role of the person in a song. There’s no half measures. When I sing that song I am Cathy. (Her face collapses back into smiles.) Gosh, I sound so intense. ‘Wuthering Heights’ is so important to me. It had to be the single. To me, it was the only one”.
Whilst I have written features asking whether there will be reissues of her albums with demos and extras, I am really interested in the construction of Bush’s music and looking at individual layers and components. There are quite a view vocals-only tracks online. The Wuthering Heights one is especially spine-tingling. Maybe not in the form of albums, but it would be interesting to be able to isolated vocals on other tracks of hers.
PHOTO CREDIT: Alamy
Maybe having instrumental versions of songs would showcase her compositions and the instruments that went into them. I would love to hear vocals-only songs from The Kick Inside and Lionheart (1978). I am really interested in the evolution on Never for Ever (1980). To be able to have some vocal and instruments-only versions of those tracks would be so intriguing. Perhaps it does slightly circle back to my thoughts regarding releasing early versions of tracks and putting some demos into the mix. Kate Bush is a complete songwriter, in the sense that she thinks about every aspect and makes sure they are as impactful and effecting as possible. Some may say that, therefore, it would be detrimental and a disservice to isolate tracks and mess with the magic. By contrast, I feel having a rare chance to remix and reimagine Bush’s work would showcase and underline what an original and always-brilliant songwriter she is. To be able to, say, have some of those songs from The Dreaming in a new state. I would be intrigued to go inside Sat in Your Lap (the album’s first single) and isolate the vocals and percussion. Similarly, it would be cool to discover what Get Out of My House (the album’s final track) sounded like if there was just the vocals or instruments. Having access to master recordings so that fans could go deep inside tracks would be such a treat! I don’t think we will see studio demos and outtakes – or at least anytime soon.
I am sure quite a few exist, though Bush would probably not be too pleased about them being out into the world! Rather than release new songs or ones that are not album-fit, it wouldn’t be anything like that. Having software where one could buy the original tracks and then arrange accordingly would allow us to hear Bush’s songs in a new light. I am especially captivated by the depth and beauty of Aerial’s second disc, A Sky of Honey. There are tracks in Bush’s catalogue where the vocals are especially strong or there are a couple of instruments that sound perfect on their own. It would prove to a dream for those who want to explore Bush’s music forensically. After hearing the isolated vocal of Wuthering Heights, it has opened my mind and made me wonder about the rest of her cannon. Thee are a select few artists whose work is so strong and arresting that would benefit from this sort of treatment. I think The Beatles and David Bowie might be on the same list. As much as I (and her fans) adore her music as it is, what worlds and possibilities could be ignited and opened up were we to have the potential to isolate vocals/instruments and reconstruct songs?! It is just a thought…although I know that other fans and followers of her music have held similar desires. The Wuthering Heights isolated vocal video shows that it only takes Kate Bush’s voice alone to…
CREATE shives and wonder!