FEATURE:
It Could Sing You to Sleep
Kate Bush’s Experiment IV at Thirty-Six
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NEXT month…
I am going to write an anniversary feature about Kate Bush’s greatest hits album, The Whole Story. One reason why it is such a special compilation is because it introduced me to Kate Bush, and specifically her remarkable debut single, Wuthering Heights. My family had the VHS copy of The Whole Story. It was a revelation! One thing that stands out about The Whole Story is that the VHS copy featured the video for Wuthering Heights, but the audio releases had a new vocal of Wuthering Heights. That has split fans through the years! Bush also released a single especially for The Whole Story. Reaching number twenty-three in the U.K. (and twelve in EIRE), Experiment IV is one of my favourite Kate Bush songs. A song that does not get played a lot or find the attention it deserves, maybe some feel it is a filler between the majestic Hounds of Love album of 1985 and The Sensual World of 1989. Instead, I think the song is magnificent and warrants much greater respect and time. I think Experiment IV could have featured on Hounds of Love and not stood out as weaker. Experiment IV was released as a 7" single and a 12" single. The B-side of the 7" single featured Wuthering Heights (New Vocal); the 12" single featured a 12" mix of Experiment IV along with Wuthering Heights (New Vocal) and December Will Be Magic Again.
I am going to round off with my thoughts about Experiment IV. As it was released on 27th October, 1986, I wanted to mark the upcoming thirty-sixth anniversary. A superb track that many new fans of Kate Bush might not know about, the Kate Bush Encyclopedia sourced an interview where Bush talked about the song’s video:
“This was written as an extra track for the compilation album The Whole Story and was released as the single. I was excited at the opportunity of directing the video and not having to appear in it other than in a minor role, especially as this song told a story that could be challenging to tell visually. I chose to film it in a very handsome old military hospital that was derelict at the time. It was a huge, labyrinthine hospital with incredibly long corridors, which was one reason for choosing it. Florence Nightingale had been involved in the design of the hospital. Not something she is well known for but she actually had a huge impact on hospital design that was pioneering and changed the way hospitals were designed from then on.
The video was an intense project and not a comfortable shoot, as you can imagine - a giant of a building, damp and full of shadows with no lighting or heating but it was like a dream to work with such a talented crew and cast with Dawn French, Hugh Laurie, Peter Vaughn and Richard Vernon in the starring roles. It was a strange and eerie feeling bringing parts of the hospital to life again. Not long after our work there it was converted into luxury apartments. I can imagine that some of those glamorous rooms have uninvited soldiers and nurses dropping by for a cup of tea and a Hobnob.
We had to create a recording studio for the video, so tape machines and outboard gear were recruited from my recording studio and the mixing console was very kindly lent to us by Abbey Road Studios. It was the desk the Beatles had used - me too, when we’d made the album Never For Ever in Studio Two. It was such a characterful desk that would’ve looked right at home in any vintage aircraft. Although it was a tough shoot it was a lot of fun and everyone worked so hard for such long hours. I was really pleased with the result. (KateBush.com, February 2019)”.
I am not sure why Experiment IV does not get more credit and focus. It is a typical Kate Bush song in terms of its subject matter. Few would write a song built around the idea of a secret military plan to create a sound that is horrific enough to kill people. Bush directs the video wonderfully, and I like how much attention and ambition was put into it. One of her best moments, it is one of those greatest hits singles that could have made it onto a studio album! I do think that it is one of those songs that sucks you in and affects you. I love the compositional sound. A bit different to anything she had done before, go and listen to the amazing song. It would be great to see a special release of Experiment IV with the track remastered, have remixes included and the video on a DVD. Showing that she was one of the most remarkable and original artists in the world, Experiment IV is this wonderfully strange and enticing song that I really love. I am glad Bush was happy with the music video and seems to really like the song. It is another gem that many people have not discovered. With violin from Nigel Kennedy, terrific percussion from Stuart Elliott and some keyboard/synth magic, Experiment IV is a rich song. I like the fact that Bush cameos a couple of times. The final shot where she climbs into a van and looks at camera has been turned into a GIF. She also appears as a ghoulish spirit who kills Del Palmer. It is a scene that could have come from Stranger Things. Made all the more ironic considered the role that show has played in getting Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) to number one this year! The lyrics are exceptional. My favourite section is this: “We won't be there to be blamed/We won't be there to snitch/I just pray that someone there/Can hit the switch”. Go and spend some time today with…
SUCH a remarkable song.