FEATURE:
Between Hounds of Love and The Sensual World…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush being presented with the Best British Female Artist award by Ray Davies at the 1987 BPI (BRIT) Awards/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
Kate Bush’s 1987
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EVEN though there are…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush with David Gilmour and Peter Gabriel at Amnesty International’s Secret Policeman's Third Ball at the Palladium on 26th March, 1987/PHOTO CREDIT: Steve Rapport
not many photos of Kate Bush from 1987, it is a year that is pretty interesting. She released her fifth studio album, Hounds of Love, in 1985. The Sensual World arrived in 1989. Between then, apart from recording a new album, there were things happening. It was a period of transition for Kate Bush. 1987 was the final full year she was in her twenties. I guess, in terms of activity, there was a mix of post-Hounds of Love success and this new chapter with her sixth studio album. Thanks to this invaluable website for providing timeline around Kate Bush. Specifically in this case, what she was doing in 1987. I know that the greatest hits collection, The Whole Story, came out in 1986. The following year was when the VHS version arrived. That was my first exposure to Bush and her first single, Wuthering Heights. It seemed that 1987 was one of moving on but also recognition:
“Despite reservations by Kate herself, EMI resolves to release a video compilation of The Whole Story. Again, sales are enormous. The worldwide commercial success of the album is greater than that of any of her earlier albums.
Meanwhile, Kate dives into the recording of a new studio album.
To date, the main part of Kate's creative activity since the middle of 1986 remains a mystery.
February 1987
Kate appears at the 1987 British Phonographic Industry Awards, and this time wins the competition for Best Female Singer, despite the fact that the album for which she won was released more than a year earlier.
Kate also wins in the same category of the U.S. College Music Awards, and accepts the award in a brief comic film shot at her home in England.
Kate records an original song for the Nicholas Roeg film Castaway, called Be Kind to My Mistakes.
Bush must have been doing something through 1986. She was releasing singles still, though how much of The Sensual World was written and recorded is unknown. I can imagine a tour might have been speculated. There was a bit of success in the U.S. 1986 – which I shall cover in another feature soon –, which was quite interesting. Some personal appearances, involvement with Comic Relief, plus promotion around Hounds of Love. I suppose there was that transition from one album and the next. Rather than leap straight into her next album from 1986, it was a moment for a bit of calm. This being Kate Bush, she was still pretty busy! That British Phonographic Industry Awards win is both strange and deserved. Hounds of Love came out in 1985, so it is a bit odd that it gets recognised all that time later. That said, you still get that sort of delay at award shows now. Albums and songs out for a long time get rewarded. Kate Bush was also involved in the charity single, Let It Be. As part of the Ferry Aid group (a collection of artists from the U.K. and U.S.), I wrote about this before. The single was released following the Zeebrugge Disaster. On 6th March, 1987 the ferry MS Herald of Free Enterprise had capsized, killing 193 passengers and crew. It was a strange charity cause. It involved The Sun newspaper and a strange cover version choice! Even so, Kate Bush got involved!
That song for Castaway, Be Kind to My Mistakes, came after Bush turned down a role in the film. It starred Oliver Reed. The role eventually went to Amanda Donohoe. Given the nature of the role (which was quite sexual) and appearing opposite Oliver Reed, it was probably a smart idea that Kate Bush refused! Despite there not being new music and lots of activity through 1987, there was this continuation of charity work. As you can see below, Bush made this iconic appearance with David Gilmour:
March 28/29, 1987
Kate performs Running Up That Hill and Let It Be live with David Gilmour at Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Third Ball concerts.
March 1987
Kate does some session work for the second album by Go West, called Dancing on the Couch: she sings backing vocals on the track The Kind is Dead.
Kate also writes and records a song called This Woman's Work for the John Hughes film She's Having a Baby, which is finally released in February 1988.
late 1987
Kate agrees to lend her name to a new vegetarian campaign launched by the Vegetarian Society to publicise excessive cruelties within specific areas of the meat trade”.
Kate Bush News recently reported on there being a new version of the Go West song being released. Featuring Kate Bush on backing vocals, many fans might not know about it. Whether it was Peter Gabriel, Roy Harper or Go West, Bush did make some appearances as a backing singer (I forgot to mention Prince too):
“In 1987, English pop duo, Go West, issued their second studio album which featured the single The King is Dead with Kate on backing vocals. The story goes that Kate’s guitarist, Alan Murphy, was working on the album with the band in Denmark and asked Kate if she could do some vocals on the track. Kate obliged by sending tapes over to them to work with. Apart from her repeatedly singing the song title behind much of the second half of the track, at 1 minute 45 seconds Kate belts out:
“You let me in behind the lies, but you’re no use to me life size…”
This month, Chrysalis Records have reissued the album in a deluxe package on CD/DVD and on vinyl record and it features a new previously unreleased version of the song, The King Is Dead (12″ Long Vibe Piano Mix). We can hear more Kate backing vocals, in particular a striking moment at the 4 minute 37 seconds mark!
From vocalist Peter Cox on the band’s official site: “At one point Richard said that it would be great if we could get a female backing vocal on the song ..someone like Kate Bush’. Al (Murphy, guitarist) had played in Kate’s band for many years and said, ‘Why not just ask Kate?’ He called her – she graciously agreed, and we sent her the multitrack tape. It was quite the moment when we heard what she had done – we hadn’t given her any notes or guidance, just let her do her fabulous thing.” Richard Drummie of the band continues: “This song is about meeting a hero and your established perception of them being different from the reality. That’s not their fault.. ‘no one’s to blame.. but it immediately appeared as a poignant situation we could write about. We wrote the song really quickly”.
That pivotal moment of Kate Bush writing This Woman’s Work happened in 1987. After turning down a film role, this was a case of her giving her music to film once more. Perhaps more keen to be the other side of the camera, again, many may not know that This Woman’s Work was in a film before it turned up on The Sensual World. Kate Bush also allowing her name to be used for the Vegetarian Society campaign. If we had to sum up 1987, it is very much one of Kate Bush giving. A lot of charity work. Some interesting songs and creative bits. I remember the VHS for The Whole Story coming out. It was sort of the start of a very fascinating year. There was award recognition and some great little things she was involved with. After a hectic year in 1986 promoting Hounds of Love and finishing that off, there was this bridge before hew new album, 1988 would see her more immersed in The Sensual World. Kate Bush turned thirty in July 1988. I suppose there was thins feeling that, in the last year of her twenties, she would give as much back as possible. Bush was always charitable, yet it seemed 1987 was as much about giving something back. After enjoying so much success, we got to see this very benevolent and caring side. It was an interesting year to go into. Things would ramp up from 1988 and into 1989. Some real variety and standout moments, Kate Bush’s 1987 definitely…
HAD its highlights.