FEATURE:
Kate Bush’s The Kick Inside at Forty-Five
Five Great Deep Cuts from the Album
__________
COMPLETED in August 1977…
I wanted to mark forty-five years of Kate Bush’s debut, The Kick Inside, with a run of features. Of course, I am going to pick them back up on the actual forty-fifth anniversary on 17th February. Featuring musicians such as Duncan Mackay, Ian Bairnson, David Paton, Andrew Powell, and Stuart Elliott of The Alan Parsons Project, The Kick Inside is a mix a teenage artist who was new and writing in a very original, bold, and fresh way, combined with a band who were experienced and brought their joint talents to the studio. It is a fascinating record that boasts two incredible U.K. singles in the form of Wuthering Heights and The Man with the Child in His Eyes. Although Strange Phenomena, Moving and Them Heavy People were released in other countries, I consider them to be deep cuts, owing to the fact they are not tracks played often here. Many in the U.K. may not be aware of them. For this feature, I am selecting five deep cuts from The Kick Inside people need to hear. Of course, listen to the entire album! This is a more a prompt to radio stations who either play nothing from The Kick Inside – Hounds of Love is the album that gets heaviest airplay – or they play the two U.K. singles. Below are five deep cuts that I think should be played more and known widely. Many Kate Bush fans will know these tracks already, though a lot of people will be new to them. Whilst they might not be my favourite deep cuts (Moving and Them Heavy People would be in there), these are the ones that need more exposure and have probably not been played on radio for many years (thanks to the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia for their resources and information about the songs). Here are five great deep cuts…
FROM a remarkable debut album.
______________
The Saxophone Song
“Song written by Kate Bush, released on her debut album The Kick Inside. Originally the song was recorded as a demo produced by David Gilmour in June 1975.
Kate about 'Saxophone Song'
I wrote 'The Saxophone Song' because, for me, the saxophone is a truly amazing instrument. Its sound is very exciting - rich and mellow. It sounds like a female. (Dreaming: The Kick Inside, 1978)
The song isn't about David Bowie. I wrote it about the instrument, not the player, at a time when I really loved the sound of the saxophone - I still do. No, I don't know him personally, though I went to his "Farewell to Ziggy Stardust" concert and cried, and so did he. (Kate Bush Club newsletter, November 1979)”.
Strange Phenomena
“Formats
'Strange Phenomena' was released as a single (in Brazil only) on a 4 track EP called '4 Succesos' in June 1979, also featuring the songs Wow, Symphony In Blue and Hammer Horror.
Kate about 'Strange Phenomena'
['Strange Phenomena' is] all about the coincidences that happen to all of us all of the time. Like maybe you're listening to the radio and a certain thing will come up, you go outside and it will happen again. It's just how similar things seem to attract together, like the saying ``birds of a feather flock together'' and how these things do happen to us all the time. Just strange coincidences that we're only occasionally aware of. And maybe you'll think how strange that is, but it happens all the time. (Self Portrait, 1978)
"Strange Phenomena'' is about how coincidences cluster together. We can all recall instances when we have been thinking about a particular person and then have met a mutual friend who - totally unprompted - will begin talking about that person. That's a very basic way of explaining what I mean, but these ``clusters of coincidence'' occur all the time. We are surrounded by strange phenomena, but very few people are aware of it. Most take it as being part of everyday life. (Music Talk, 1978)”.
Feel It
“Song written by Kate Bush. Three voice and piano tracks were recorded on one day for Kate's debut album The Kick Inside, of which only 'Feel It' made it onto the final selection.
Versions
There are two officially released versions of 'Kite': the album version and the live version from Hammersmith Odeon. However, a demo version from 1977 has also surfaced and was released on various bootleg cd's.
Kate about 'Feel It'
A song about a woman who is looking forward to enjoying a relationship with a man she has not yet explored. (Music Talk, 1978)”.
L'Amour Looks Something Like You
“Song written by Kate Bush in 1977, released on Kate's debut album The Kick Inside.
A "goose moon" or "goose month", mentioned in the song lyric, is a Native American term for the month (late March to late April) when the Canada goose returns from the south. Alternatively, the term refers to the full moon which appears during that period.
Versions
There are two officially released versions of 'L'amour Looks Something Like You': the studio album and the live version on the On Stage EP. However, a demo version from 1977 has also surfaced and was released on various bootleg cd's.
Credits (studio version)
Drums: Stuart Elliott
Bass: David Paton
Guitars: Ian Bairnson
Organ: Duncan Mackay
Credits (live version)
Drums: Preston Heyman
Bass: Del Palmer
Guitar: Brian Bath
Keyboards: Kevin McAlea
Synthesizer: Ben Barson
Electric guitar: Al Murphy
Backing vocals: Liz Pearson and Glenys Groves”.
The Kick Inside
“Song written by Kate Bush. First released on Kate's debut album The Kick Inside. The lyrics were inspired by a traditional folk song called "Lucy Wan". According to Paddy Bush, at the time of recording the song there were some experiments where actual sections from "Lucy Wan" were taken and processed and used in a very unusual way.
Kate about 'The Kick Inside'
The song The Kick Inside, the title track, was inspired by a traditional folk song and it was an area that I wanted to explore because it's one that is really untouched and that is one of incest. There are so many songs about love, but they are always on such an obvious level. This song is about a brother and a sister who are in love, and the sister becomes pregnant by her brother. And because it is so taboo and unheard of, she kills herself in order to preserve her brother's name in the family. The actual song is in fact the suicide note. The sister is saying 'I'm doing it for you' and 'Don't worry, I'll come back to you someday.' (Self Portrait, 1978)
That's inspired by an old traditional song called 'Lucy Wan.' It's about a young girl and her brother who fall desperately in love. It's an incredibly taboo thing. She becomes pregnant by her brother and it's completely against all morals. She doesn't want him to be hurt, she doesn't want her family to be ashamed or disgusted, so she kills herself. The song is a suicide note. She says to her brother, 'Don't worry. I'm doing it for you.' (Jon Young, Kate Bush gets her kicks. Trouser Press, July 1978)”.