Kate Bush in Digital Audio

["James J. Lippard" <Lippard@HIS-PHOENIX-MULTICS.ARPA>]

 Performance:  9/10
 Sound Quality:  9/10

  Kate Bush's music has always come from the heart.  Although Hounds of
Love is a complex and richly layered work, it's no exception to the
rule.
  Since releasing the primitive but inspired The Kick Inside at the age
of 18, Bush has evolved into a kind of modern renaissance woman:
writer, producer, and Fairlight "player."
  Her lyrics go far beyond the expected pop music norm of adolescent
writing.  They have depth and are always interesting, even though some
of the meanings may be known only to Bush herself.  Bush isn't a "churn
it out no matter what" kind of artist; she has never followed the
album-a-year formula.  For this reason, her works tend to be creative
and unique.
  This does not, however, mean that Hounds of Love is for everybody.
Bush has always had a highly original and idosyncratic style that never
allows a listener's opinion to fall on middle ground.  But once planted,
the seeds of Bush's strange but seductive vocal melodies and harmonies
grow and ripen with each listen.
  Part of the success of Hounds of Love stems from its use of so many
different textures without compromising musicality.  These include
processed and/or layered vocals, unusual tones and sound effects,
traditional instruments, all manner of real and electronic drums and
percussion...the list goes on.  "The Big Sky" and "Waking the Witch" are
fine experiments in varying textures.
  Bush says she aimed for a perfect blend of the best acoustic and
electronic sounds on this recording.  Striving for acoustic perfection
she solicits the help of instruments such as fiddles, whistles,
bouzouki, uillean pipes, and dijeridu.
  On the electronic side, Bush skillfully explores the possibilities of
the Fairlight--that part keyboard, part computer which enables the
competent user to create a variety of sounds almost without limitation.
"Watching You Without Me," a song with a distinctly Eastern flavor, is a
gorgeous blend of acoustic bass and Fairlight.
  The sound quality of this disc is first-rate.  Part of this may be
attributed to Bush's sensitive approach to producing her own music,
competent engineering, and digital mixdown--all of which leads to a
clean and well-balanced recording.
  If you're tired of waking up to the same old CDs every morning, the
freshness of Hounds of Love will make your day.
       -- Hugh Hardy

Bush's most wonderfully eccentric performance yet.
     -- Scott E. Smith, Nashville, TN

Kate Bush:  Passionate and classy.  Analog, but fine anyway.
     -- Sugith Varughese, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

[From Digital Audio, January 1986]

Jim (Lippard at MIT-MULTICS.ARPA)