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b. Catherine Bush,
30 July 1958, Bexleyheath, Kent, England. While still at school, the
precocious Bush was discovered by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, who was so
impressed by the imaginative quality of her songwriting that he financed
some demo recordings. EMI Records were equally taken with the product and
in an unusual act of faith decided not to record her immediately. Instead,
she was encouraged to develop her writing, dancing and singing in
preparation for a long-term career. The apprenticeship ended in 1978 with
the release of the extraordinary "Wuthering Heights". Inspired by Emily
Bronte's novel, Bush had created a hauntingly original piece, complete
with an ethereal, almost demented, vocal that brilliantly captured the
obsessive love of the novel's heroine, and her namesake, Cathy. It was no
surprise when the single rapidly reached number 1 in the UK and
established Bush in Europe. An attendant album, The Kick Inside, recorded
over the previous three years, was a further example of her diversity and
charm as a songwriter. A follow-up single, "The Man With The Child In His
Eyes", was typical of her romantic, sensual style of writing, and provided
her with another Top 10 success. Bush consolidated her position with a new
album, Lionheart, and during 1979 undertook her first major tour. The live
shows were most notable for her characteristically extravagant mime work
and elaborate stage sets. An EP from the show, Kate Bush On Stage, gave
her another Top 10 hit. After guesting on Peter Gabriel's "Games Without
Frontiers", Bush was back in the charts with "Breathing" and "Babooshka".
The latter was her most accomplished work since "Wuthering Heights" with a
clever storyline and strong vocal. Her next album, Never For Ever, entered
the UK album charts at number 1 and further hits followed with "Army
Dreamers" and "December Will Be Magic". At this point, Bush was still
regarded as a mainstream pop artist whose charm and popularity was likely
to prove ephemeral. Her self-produced 1982 album The Dreaming suggested a
new direction, with its experimental song structures, even though its less
melodic approach alienated some critics. A comparative commercial failure,
the album nevertheless proved to be highly influential on other 80s pop
musicians, and in particular on Gabriel's increasingly studio-bound work.
A two-year hiatus followed, during which Bush perfected a work that would
elevate her to new heights in the pop pantheon. The pilot single, "Running
Up That Hill", was arguably her greatest work to date, a dense and
intriguing composition with a sound uniquely her own. The album Hounds Of
Love soon followed and was greeted with an acclaim that dwarfed all her
previous accolades and efforts. By any standards, it was an exceptional
work and revealed Bush at the zenith of her powers. Songs such as the
eerily moving "Mother Stands For Comfort" and the dramatic "Cloudbusting"
underlined her strengths not only as a writer and singer, but most
crucially as a producer. The outstanding video accompanying the latter
featured Donald Sutherland. An entire side of the album, titled "The Ninth
Wave", fused Arthurian legend and Jungian psychology in a musical
framework, part orchestral and part folk. After this, Bush could never
again be regarded as a quaint pop artist. Following another brief tie-up
with Peter Gabriel on the hit "Don't Give Up", Bush took an extended
sabbatical to plot a follow-up album. In 1989 she returned with The
Sensual World, a startling musical cornucopia in which she experimented
with various musical forms, even using a Bulgarian folk troupe. The
arrangements were as evocative and unusual as her choice of
instrumentation, which included uillean pipes, whips, valiha, celtic harp,
tupan and viola. There was even a literary adaptation
la "Wuthering
Heights", with Bush adapting Molly Bloom's soliloquy from James Joyce's
Ulysses for the enticing "The Sensual World". The album attracted the keen
attention of the high-brow rock press and Bush found herself celebrated as
one of the most adventurous and distinctively original artists of her era.
A variety of artists contributed on The Red Shoes including Eric Clapton,
Prince, Jeff Beck, Trio Bulgarka and Gary Brooker, but the album was a
lesser work that indicated that Bush's standing as an innovative artist
may be on the wane in the 90s.
Discography
The Kick Inside (EMI 1978)****, Lionheart (EMI 1978)**, Never For Ever
(EMI 1980)***, The Dreaming (EMI 1982)****, Hounds Of Love (EMI 1985)****,
The Sensual World (EMI 1989)****, The Red Shoes (EMI
1993)***.
Compilations
The Whole Story (EMI 1986)***, This Woman's Work (EMI
1990)****.
Videography
Live At Hammersmith Odeon (PMI 1984), The Whole Story (PMI 1986), Hair
Of The Hound (PMI 1986), Sensual World (PMI 1990), The Single File (Music
Club Video 1992), The Line, The Cross & The Curve (1994).
Bibliography
Kate Bush: An Illustrated Biography, Paul Kerton. Leaving My Tracks,
Kate Bush. The Secret History Of Kate Bush (& The Strange Art Of Pop),
Fred Vermorel. Kate Bush: The Whole Story, Kerry Juby. Kate Bush: A Visual
Documentary, Kevin Cann and Sean
Mayes.
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