The Sensual World

[nbc%INF.RL.AC.UK@mitvma.mit.edu]

The Sensual World - a View from the Isles

I have until now not entered the debate about _The_Sensual_World_,
preferring to have time to enjoy it and form a deep impression.
For me that process is not yet complete but I feel that some of the
comments people are making in this forum cannot be left to go
unchallenged and I want to make some points at this time. Needless
to say, what follows will be a personal viewpoint.

It seems that a large number of people are posting to Love-hounds
statements such as "_The_Sensual_World_ is a disappointment", or that "it
was not worth the wait", or that "it is not as good as _Hounds_of_Love_".
I can only think that such people have not really **listened** to the
album as opposed to being in the same room when it is playing.
Either that or they have been listening to a different album to me.
What is more, some people have gone as far as to use the terms
"substandard" or even "mediocre" when discussing _The_Sensual_World_.
Such statements are so patently trite and ill thought out that
one wonders whether the posters are merely acting as agents provocateurs
to generate controversy and flame-wars. One only has to look at what
other so-called musical artists are producing to realise that
_The_Sensual_World_ is a major work of art in the pop world (using that
term to include all popular music not just chart/MOR/AOR or whatever).

Pro rata, given the short length of time the album has been available,
I have listened to _The_Sensual_World_ more than any of Kate's other
albums and in fact I have not even felt the need to go back to
her other albums during this time (even though they remain great
musical masterpieces) as there is still so much more to appreciate
on _The_Sensual_World_.

As for the criticisms, such as those mentioned above; for a start,
I cannot see what the time gap between albums has to do with the
quality of the music. Four days or four years who cares - some people
work at different speeds: music does not come off a conveyer belt -
unless you happen to be Stock, Aitken and Waterman. It is an
irrelevance, and is no criterion on which to base a criticism.

Particularly galling are those postings which make comments comparing
_The_Sensual_World_ to _Hounds_of_Love_ or some other previous album.
Such rantings are inane and quite inappropriate to an artist like Kate Bush.
Like a great artist in any medium each work of art should be appreciated on
its own merits.

It would have been relatively simple (and no doubt profitable) for
Kate to put out _Hounds_of_Love_ - Part 2. But who the hell *really*
wants that. If you like _Hounds_of_Love_ or _The_Dreaming_ or whatever
that's great, so do I. But if that is all you want then go play the
damn things in a continuous loop. They had a style and feel that was their
own but surely one should be willing to open one's mind to new
challenges. One would not expect a painter having produced a critical
masterpiece to spend the remainder of their career churning out endless
copies in the same style.

We've already been lucky enough to have albums like _Hounds_of_Love_
and _The_Dreaming_ to listen to and now Kate has given us
something new and different. There are thousands of artists
who make album after album where you can put one on and not be able to
tell it apart from any of their others. In fact, in many cases it is
hard to tell individual tracks apart. Kate has produced six very
different (and in the case of the last three incredibly different)
albums. It is possible to put each one on and enjoy a totally
unique listening pleasure and then follow it with another, equally enjoyable,
but totally contrasting. We should all be celebrating this gift.

Now as to the claim that somehow _The_Sensual_World_ is an "inferior
album" or is "not the Kate we know and love" (who is it - Phil Collins
in a wig?). Perhaps those people who make such ill-considered claims
should ask themselves whether they have really listened to this album
without any preconceived ideas and prejudices - and then go back and listen
with an open mind. I will come clean and admit that when I first
heard the pre-release tape I harboured some of the doubts which are
presently filling Love-hounds bandwidth. Then I got the CD and I knew
that I should have had greater faith. The full revelation came when
I listened to the CD with headphones in the dark - totally relaxed
and absolutely no external distractions. Then the whole essence of
the album suddenly seemed to be revealed and the myriad of subtle
nuances on each fantastic track began to crystalise. Sounds crass?
Try it before you flame.

Listening like that it becomes clear why Kate has been saying that
this is her most personal album. Perhaps that is why some people
have been saying that certain lyrics are embarrassing or make them
cringe. They clearly hit too close to the bone. For instance, is anyone
prepared to honestly say that there are not people who are unable to
handle human relationships and so turn to their computer for solace?
Some members of this group possibly? Some of the simplest things in
life are the hardest to handle.

Some of the lyrics taken alone may not affect you but taken in the
context of the album and mixed with such beautiful music they
move me to tears. I don't know if that makes me feminine or lacking
in machismo (I can imagine some people already preparing to type
wimp in reply to this) but I can live with that, as long as I
still enjoy Kate's music.

It also amazes me that apparently intelligent people on this list
have written things like "if I could improve the flow a little bit" -
in between cutting up and re-arranging books no doubt! There *is* a
"wholeness" to this album that comes from repeated plays and allowing
the emotions in the songs to come through. It is these emotions that
link all the songs on the album, though narratively dispersed, and
entwine the receptive listener. So in one sense it would not destroy
the flow whatever order the songs were in because the links would
still be there, but quite possibly once the order was changed then
there would be a loss in other senses. However, since I have no intention
of veering from the path Kate has laid out on the album, I will leave
that for those who do not doubt the propriety of such actions. Perhaps
it is scientists who have been posting comments about changing the order
- never happy unless cutting things up and experimenting :-)

I do not *know* if The Sensual World is perfect but I *think* it is.

Enjoy the album.

Neil

P.S. The promised transcript of the interview in CD Review and the
remaining bits from International Musician will not appear for some
time as I am off for a week (no, it's not to avoid the flames!). If
anyone else wants to type them in in the meantime, then please do.