re: the top 100 colleKTables

[IED0DXM%UCLAMVS.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu]

KT News:
^^^^^^^^
The April '87 issue of Record Collector (the U.K. equivalent
to the U.S.'s Goldmine) has a cover article on Kate Bush collectable
records. The article is followed by a list of the "Top 100 Rarities".
Both are anonymously written. It will be of
interest to all KT collectors, but don't take it too seriously (the
way IED has), since it is also very inaccurate and plagued
by silly ommissions.

The article and list now follow. For the sake of clarity, however, IED
has broken his usual policy and inserted his annotations throughout
the text, in an attempt to dispel the effects of the article's errors
as soon as possible. IED's comments are between <> marks.

               Kate Bush: Top 100 Rarities
               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
       A detailed list of Kate Bush's most valuable
        collector's items from all over the world

The list of rare records at the end of this feature are proof of
Kate Bush's current stature in the world of record collecting. She is
undoubtedly one of Britain's most popular singer-songwriters, and she
has achieved consistent success entirely on her own terms -- refusing
to be drawn into dubious publicity campaigns or lengthy promotional
tours. Her recent duet with Peter Gabriel on "Don't Give Up"
showed that her popularity extends beyond the general public into the
musical community and -- as the early votes in this year's Readers
Poll have demonstrated -- she pulls her support from right across the
board, falling into no convenient faction or musical category.

Interest from collectors in all areas of her work has increased
dramatically over the last eighteen months, and many discs which
would not have been regarded as collector's items two years ago
are now changing hands for high prices -- notably the original
picture sleeve copies of her early U.K. singles. And like all the
other most collectable artists, her overseas picture sleeves, promos
and limited editions are very sought-after.

We have attempted to put together a definitive list of the 100 most
collectable Kate Bush items. In practice, of course, such a list
cannot be definitive; there is always going to be a South Korean
picture sleeve of "Wow!" or a Peruvian promo of "The Kick Inside"
to alter the odds. But we believe that our list represents all
the collectable items that are in general circulation -- which is
not to say that they are easy to find!

<This claim is just false. There are significant ommissions of
KT collectables which are as much in "general circulation"  -- both here
and in the U.K. -- as many of the items on the bottom half of the list
below; and many of these overlooked items fetch considerably higher
prices than some of those which have been included.>

At the top of our list is one of two interview albums issued by EMI-
America for North American DJs, to promote Kate's early LPs.
<One of these was actually made to promote HoL, hardly an "early" LP.>
"An Interview with Kate Bush" is much scarcer (and more interesting)
than the album at No. 5 in our list, which exists in greater
quantities -- presumably because it comes from the States, rather
than Canada.

As you will see, white label test pressings, white label promos
and ordinary promos take up a large part of this chart. But there
are also some much more unusual items. At No. 3, for example,
is a white label album called "The Early Years". This apparently
consists of demo recordings that Kate made before her first
release for EMI. A couple of years ago, an East German company is
believed to have got hold of the tapes, and prepared them for
release as an album. White label copies were pressed up, and
apparently went into local circulation. The album was immediately
withdrawn because of pressure from EMI's East German licensees,
however, and is obviously now a very sought-after item. We
know that collectors are willing to pay up to 60 Pounds for copies,
but we have not been able to trace anyone who has actually seen
a copy! If you own one, or can give us more details of the
contents and the presentation of the album, then please let us know.

<There may be a very good reason for the fact that no-one has ever
seen a copy -- namely, that the record may not really exist. Since
no-one has yet reported having seen this album, even after two
years, it seems less likely than ever that it was ever anything
more than a fictitious rumour. However, if it existed, it would
undoubtedly place not at No. 3 on the list of most collectable
KT items (at a paltry 60 Pounds!), but at No. 1. Since the
only consistent criterion for the relative placement of the items
on the list seems to be what some collector has said he would pay
for them, this writer knows at least three fans who have said they would
gladly pay $500 or more for a copy of "The Early Years"; and no wonder,
since this legendary record is supposed to include demos of original Kate
Bush material that has never been heard in any form -- a prize tantamount
to the Kate Bush collector's Holy Grail. The Canadian interview disc
and the U.K. white label test pressing of The Kick Inside are
ordinary in the extreme, in comparison. So how much credence can
the Record Collector's price ratings have?>

DISAPPOINTED

"The Single File", the boxed set of Bush singles issued three
years ago, is now a collector's item in itself, although at its
time of release it disappointed many fans, both with its
production standards and its failure to reproduce the original
picture sleeves. That has done collectors a favour, however, by
making it much easier to tell original pic sleeves from the reissues.

On the rarest of the early picture sleeves, "Wuthering Heights",
the EMI logo on the back cover is round, while on the reissue it
is square. The same applies to originals and reissues of "Wow".
With "The Man With the Child", the differences are more difficult
to describe; but the reissue has much less clear printing than the
original, and is obviously a copy of a sleeve, rather than the
original artwork. There are similar differences on the other reissues;
for example, the reissues of "Hammer Horror" have square-edged
paper-folds on the back, rather than the round edges of the originals.
In some cases, these minor differences can make a variation of
several hundred percent in the values of originals and reissue
copies.

"Kate Bush On Stage", the four-track set taken from her first
and only concert tour, is responsible for several entries in our
list of rarities. The set originally appeared in demo form as a
double-pack in a gatefold sleeve, and the first few copies of the
standard release followed the same format. Most copies exist as
a single four-track EP in a gatefold sleeve, however,
with original copies having a
card cover rather than the paper used for the reissue.

<This last distinction between original and reissue is true for most of
the Single File singles, and is a much easier way to tell one
from the other than the tiny differences in corner-cuts, etc.>

RUMOURS

There are rumours of a British 12" issue of this EP, but no copies
appear to be in circulation. Overseas, however, there are several
very collectable variations. The most sought-after is the
Japanese 7" edition, which comes with a pull-out insert. Close behind
is the Canadian 7" edition, contained in a gatefold sleeve which was
itself placed within a 12" outer sleeve. Both these versions sell
for about 12 Pounds. Other collectable variations include the Dutch
and French 12" singles, plus a double-pack version issued in Portugal.
In some other countries, such as Germany, however, the four-track EP
was eventually issued in a single sleeve, rather than a gatefold
package.

Three flexidiscs are very popular with collectors. Eastern European
countries have produced many collectable flexis, and in Kate
Bush's case the rarest is a one-sided Russian disc of "Babooshka"
in blue vinyl. A similar Belgian flexi given away with a magazine
sells for about 12 Pounds, while the Japanese Fan Club issued
a version of "Let It Be" unavailable elsewhere; this now sells for
about 25 Pounds.

All the prices listed here are for records in Mint condition, and
reflect recent selling prices of rare Kate Bush material in this country.

TOP 100 KATE BUSH RARITIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

  1. An Interview with Kate Bush (Canadian promo LP,
     EMI America SPRO 282).............................125 Pounds

  2. The Kick Inside (UK white label test pressing
     in folder cover with photos & biography)...........80 Pounds

  3. The Early Years (East German white label LP,
     withdrawn because of copyright problems)...........60 Pounds

  4. The Kick Inside (Japanese test pressing with
     photos and insert).................................50 Pounds

  5. Self Portrait (U.S. Promo LP
     EMI-America SSA 3024...............................40 Pounds

<Note: This interview LP includes cue-sheets.>

  6. The Single File (EMI KBS 1; boxed set of
     singles, numbered limited edition).................40 Pounds

<Note: If it's important that the set be from the numbered
limited edition, then what is the relative value of the later
unnumbered edition? This more common version of the boxed set isn't
even included among the top 100 on the list, even though it is still
a highly sought-after item -- indicating that the compiler of this
list was not aware of the existence of a later unnumbered edition.>

  7. Wow! (Canadian promo single, yellow vinyl..........40 Pounds

  8. Symphony in Blue (Canadian promo single,
     blue vinyl)........................................40 Pounds

  9. The Kick Inside (German test pressing with
     photos and insert).................................35 Pounds

 10. The Kick Inside (UK picture disc LP)..............30 Pounds

<Here again, the compiler apparently is unaware of the
difference in appearance and price of the original issue
of The Kick Inside picture disc LP and the later, more
common reissue, which doesn't even crack this "top 100",
even though it is certainly more sought-after than some
of the items near the bottom of this list.>

 11. Lionheart (UK white label test pressing)..........30 Pounds

 12. The Kick Inside (U.S. promo copy with
     original cover design, EMI SW 11761)..............30 Pounds

<This is the "glamour" cover, still used by Harvest of Canada
today for its edition of The Kick Inside; and not to be confused
with the "country-western" cover, listed at number 48 on this
list.>

 13. The Man With the Child in his Eyes
     (U.K. white label test pressing)..................30 Pounds

 14. Let It Be (Japanese Fan Club flexidisc in
     picture sleeve)...................................25 Pounds

 15. Babooshka (Russian one-sided blue flexidisc)......25 Pounds

 16. Hounds of Love (U.S. LP on grey marble vinyl).....22 Pounds

<This is actually just a greyer marbling of the same
pink and grey colours used for the cassette and the "Canadian"
pink marble LP listed at number 27. In fact, there are
some U.S. copies with marble as pink as the Canadian ones.>

 17. Hounds of Love (U.S. white label promo LP with
     photos and biography, tied in ribbon).............22 Pounds

 18. The Dreaming (Japanese promo LP)..................20 Pounds

 19. Wuthering Heights (U.S. gold vinyl single).......20 Pounds

 20. Wuthering Heights (original U.K. picture
     sleeve single)...................................20 Pounds

 21. Kate Bush On Stage (original U.K. double-pack
     single in gatefold sleeve, NOT promo)............20 Pounds

 22. Sat In Your Lap (Canadian mini-LP, clear vinyl)..20 Pounds

 23. Sat In Your Lap (Canadian mini-LP, brown vinyl)..20 Pounds

<This mini-LP, also listed in different coloured vinyl at numbers
31 through 34, is not called Sat In Your Lap, but simply Kate Bush.>

 24. Suspended in Gaffa (U.S. 12" promo single).......18 Pounds

 25. Hounds of Love (U.S. marble cassette).............16 Pounds

 26. Never For Ever (U.K. EMI promo flexi single)......15 Pounds

 27. Hounds of Love (Canadian pink vinyl LP)...........15 Pounds

 28. Hounds of Love (U.K. one-sided 12" white label
     test pressing)....................................15 Pounds

 29. Experiment IV (white label test pressing with
     display box)......................................15 Pounds

 30. The Big Sky (U.K. picture disc single)............15 Pounds

 31. Sat In Your Lap (Canadian mini-LP, blue vinyl)....15 Pounds

 32. Sat In Your Lap (Canadian mini-LP, white vinyl)...15 Pounds

 33. Sat In Your Lap (Canadian mini-LP, red vinyl).....15 Pounds

 34. Sat In Your Lap (Canadian mini-LP, green vinyl)...15 Pounds

 35. The Dreaming (U.S. four-track 12" promo EP).......15 Pounds

<Again, this mini-LP is not called The Dreaming. Since
in this case, however, it has no title at all, The Dreaming suffices
to identify it.>

 36. Running Up That Hill (Japanese promo single)......15 Pounds

 37. Ne T'enfuis pas/Un Baiser d'enfant
     (Canadian single).................................12 Pounds

 38. Running Up That Hill (Argentinian 12" promo,
     backed with Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill").....12 Pounds

 39. Them Heavy People (U.S. mono/stereo 12" promo)....12 Pounds

<The U.S. mono/stereo 7" promo of The Man With the Child
in his Eyes is also quite collectable, certainly enough so
to have been included somewhere in this list.>

 40. Moving (Polish 'postcard' single).................12 Pounds

 41. Strange Phenomena (Polish 'postcard' single)......12 Pounds

 42. Saxaphone Song (Polish 'postcard' single).........12 Pounds

 43. Kate Bush On Stage (Canadian 7" gatefold sleeve
     in outer 12" sleeve)..............................12 Pounds

 44. Kate Bush On Stage (Japanese picture sleeve
     single with pull-out biographical insert).........12 Pounds

 45. The Man With the Child in his Eyes (Dutch
     single, with different picture sleeve to U.K.)....12 Pounds

 46. The Man With the child in his Eyes (Belgian
     single, with different picture sleeve to U.K.)....12 Pounds

 47. Wuthering Heights (Italian single with
     slightly different picture sleeve to U.K.)........12 Pounds

<Why is this single, whose only remarkable feature is its
Italian translation of the song's title (Cime tempestose),
placed so high up in the list, when the German
Wuthering Heights single, featuring an
article about Kate by one Dr. Biolek on the cover, is
ommitted? Ditto for the Spanish Sat In Your Lap, which features a
translation of the title (Sentada en tu Ragazo). These are certainly
as sought-after as the Italian Wuthering Heights.>

 48. The Kick Inside (U.S. original LP with
     different cover to U.K............................12 Pounds

<See note to no. 12.>

 49. Kate Bush (Belgian flexidisc with magazine).......12 Pounds

<What is on this flexidisc? Judging from the description in the
article above, it contains Babooshka. What else, if anything?

 50. Kate Bush On Stage (EMI promo double-pack
     single in gatefold sleeve)........................12 Pounds

 51. Wuthering Heights (U.K. promo single).............12 Pounds

 52. The Man With the Child in his Eyes
     (U.K. promo single)...............................12 Pounds

 53. The Big Sky (U.K. 12" promo single)...............10 Pounds

 54. The Kick Inside (Canadian LP with different
     cover to U.K......................................10 Pounds

<The "glamour" cover, same as that for no. 12.>

 55. Wuthering Heights (Dutch single with
     slightly different picture sleeve to U.K.)........10 Pounds

 56. Wuthering Heights (Polish single with
     same picture sleeve as U.S.)......................10 Pounds

 57. The Man With the Child in his Eyes (French
     single with picture sleeve).......................10 Pounds

 58. The Man With the Child in his Eyes (Japanese
     single with different picture sleeve to U.K.).....10 Pounds

 59. Wow! (French single with slightly
     different picture sleeve to U.K.).................10 Pounds

 60. Wow! (Belgian single with slightly different
     picture sleeve to U.K.)...........................10 Pounds

 61. Kate Bush On Stage (Portuguese double-pack
     single in gatefold sleeve)........................10 Pounds

 62. Running Up That Hill (U.S. 12" promo single)......10 Pounds

<This is as good a place as any to comment on the frequent
absurdity of the high prices paid for "promo" items. In
many cases -- such as this one -- the promo LP is no different
from the officially marketed LP, except that the promo
has been gold-stamped. In fact, the promo is sometimes
cheaper and less well made than the official marketed item;
usually its only claim to fame is its relative scarcity -- a poor
justification for its high price.>

 63. Hounds of Love (U.S. long/short 12" promo)........10 Pounds

<Note: this is not an edit of the LP track, nor is the long
version the same as the "Alternative Hounds" re-mix; rather,
it is the normal LP mix, backed with the same mix artificially
extended another 30 seconds by an American engineer.>

 64. The Big Sky (U.S. 12" promo of single mix)........10 Pounds

 65. Experiment IV (U.S. picture sleeve 7" promo)......10 Pounds

<Note: Both for no. 65 and no. 97, there is, as far as this writer
knows, no such U.S. 'promo' for the 7" single, as there is for the
12". These are simply the first pressings of the 7", which
were issued in picture sleeves. Also, if U.S. 'promo' 7"s of Experiment
IV and Running Up That Hill (see no. 97) are listed, then why
aren't their 12" counterparts-- authentic 'promos' these -- listed?>

 66. Moving (Japanese single with picture insert)......9 Pounds

 67. The Man With the Child in his Eyes (U.K.
     original picture sleeve single)...................8 Pounds

 68. Hammer Horror (U.K. promo single).................8 Pounds

 69. Babooshka (U.K. promo single).....................8 Pounds

 70. Wuthering Heights (Belgian single with slightly
     different picture sleeve to U.K.).................8 Pounds

 71. Ne T'enfuis pas/Un Baiser d'enfant (French
     Odeon single).....................................8 Pounds

<This single did not come out on the Odeon label, but
on the Pathe-Marconi label.>

 72. Interview (green vinyl picture sleeve single).....7 Pounds

 73. Interview (yellow vinyl picture sleeve single)....7 Pounds

 74. Interview (red vinyl picture sleeve single).......7 Pounds

 75. Interview (blue vinyl picture sleeve single)......7 Pounds

<These are bootleg seven-inch "fake-interview" colour-vinyl
disks. Why are they included in the list, when none of the
other bootleg items, several of which are now quite rare and
highly sought-after, are ommitted? For example, there are: a bootleg
cassette of Kate's Bristol concert, complete with incidental music and
John Carder Bush's readings; the U.S. bootleg albums Wow!,
Live in Paris '79, A Bird in the Hand, and Live in Europe
'79-'80; and two new U.K. twelve-inch picture-disk interview records.
All of these are certainly as collectable as the records
listed in positions 80 through 100 on this list.>

 76. Wow! (U.K. promo single)..........................7 Pounds

 77. Breathing (U.K. promo single).....................7 Pounds

 78. Army Dreamers (U.K. promo single).................7 Pounds

 79. Running Up That Hill (Spanish promo single
     in picture sleeve)................................7 Pounds

<Why is this promo alone described as being
in a picture sleeve? The notation implies that other promos
do not have picture-sleeves, which is
not always the case.>

 80. December Will Be Magic (U.K. promo single)........6 Pounds

 81. There Goes a Tenner (U.K. promo single)...........6 Pounds

 82. Running Up That Hill (U.K. promo single)..........6 Pounds

 83. Experiment IV (one-sided white label single)......6 Pounds

 84. Wuthering Heights (French picture sleeve single)..6 Pounds

<Why is this French single listed, and not the far more
sought-after French Breathing, which features a sleeve different
to both the U.K. and the German editions?>

 85. Hammer Horror (Japanese picture sleeve single)....6 Pounds

<Why are the Japanese Hammer Horror, Moving (no. 66) and
The Man With the Child in his Eyes (no. 58) singles listed,
but not the equally collectable Japanese singles of Babooshka,
Running Up That Hill, and Symphony in Blue -- the last of which
even features a different picture sleeve to the U.K. edition?>

 86. Hammer Horror (Italian picture sleeve single).....6 Pounds

<Again, why not the Spanish edition of Hammer Horror also?
Record Collector's compiler admits that this list is not truly
"definitive" because of the existence of so many foreign
pressings. But he/she then insists that the list
"represents all the collectable items that are in general
circulation," which is simply false. The list is very arbitrary,
and includes numerous items which are no more sought after than others
which have been inexplicably ommitted; no. 86 being a case in point.>

 88. Kate Bush On Stage (Dutch 12" single in
     picture sleeve)...................................6 Pounds

 89. Kate Bush On Stage (French 12" single in
     picture sleeve)...................................6 Pounds

 90. Breathing (German picture sleeve single)..........6 Pounds

<See note to no. 84.>

 91. Babooshka (Brazilian 33rpm picture sleeve
     single)...........................................6 Pounds

 92. Night of the Swallow (Irish picture sleeve
     single)...........................................6 Pounds

 93. Hammer Horror (Original U.K. picture sleeve
     single)...........................................5 Pounds

 94. Kate Bush On Stage (U.K. 4-track single in
     gatefold sleeve)..................................5 Pounds

 95. Running Up That Hill (U.K. gatefold sleeve
     single)...........................................5 Pounds

 96. Don't Give Up (with Peter Gabriel; poster
     sleeve single)....................................5 Pounds

 97. Running Up That Hill (U.S. 7" promo single).......5 Pounds

<See note to no. 65.>

 98. Hounds of Love (Canadian picture sleeve single)...5 Pounds

 99. Wuthering Heights (U.S. single with different
     picture sleeve to U.K.)...........................5 Pounds

 100. Wuthering Heights (Swedish picture sleeve,
      issued with U.K. copy of single).................5 Pounds


-- Andrew Marvick