2 reviews and a Drukflame.

[chris@world.std.com (Chris'n'Vickie of Kansas City)]

    Hello, Chris here. First a review from "Hi-Fi News and Record Review"
(the British publication) the Dec. issue.

        Kate Bush 
	The Sensual World
        EMI CDP 7930 7 82
 
 At a private playback party which Kate Bush held earlier this summer, the
audience of friends and colleagues was stunned into silence by the end of
the first tape. Among those present was Nigel Kennedy, who plays on the 
album, and the Trio Bulgarka, there to here what Kate had done with their 
vocals. Kate looked genuinely surprised at the strength of everyones 
reaction, but she does have an uncanny ability to move the soul. "Sensual
World" may not have the obvious singles and instant appeal of "The Hounds
Of Love" but it washes over you like a great wave. Some tracks, like  
"Rocket's Tale" include some surprisingly heavy guitar from Dave Gilmour-
the man who introduced her to EMI. Other tracks are haunted by Davy 
Spillane's Uillean Pipes. The mixture of old and new works perfectly. The
songs are less clearly structured than those on the last album. At times
they seem to meander aimlessly, as with the eerie title track: but Kate 
Bush is a remarkable woman and this is a remarkable album. [ A : 1* ]
  
     ( "A" is for "Very Good" - their best rating - for recording,
       "1" is also for "Very Good" - for performance,  with a star
       "denotes outstanding quality" )

   They also have a nice interview with Nigel Kennedy.


  A review from "New Hi-Fi Sound" (also British) Nov. issue:

 
     LP
     Kate Bush: The Sensual World
     EMI EMD 1010

   Although neither a continuous piece, nor obiously conceptual, "The
Sensual World" takes its lead from the vocal and textural experiments on 
side two of Kate Bush's last album, "The Hounds Of Love".
   To this end she has looked to the folk scene, currently and rather 
ironically the best place to find real instrumental innovation these days.
Subsequently employed have been the services of bouzouki player Donal
Lunny (ex member of the superb Bothy Band and last heard on Elvis Costello's
"Spike" LP); Uilleann pipe player Davy Spillane (a prime mover behind Enya's
"Watermark" album); Celtic harp player Alan Stivell; and her own brother
Paddy Bush, who plays mandolin, whips (!) and a variety of obscure wind and
stringed instruments. 
   She has also used Trio Bulgarka, a group of female Bulgarian singers 
whose shrill,  wavering tones Bush contrives to imitate, often to rather 
embarrasing effect, on parts of the LP.
   Such a radical lineup of talent is augmented by violinist Nigel Kennedy
and original Bush mentor, guitarist Dave Gilmour, sounding far sharper than
on recent Pink Floyd work. With these and arrangers like Michael Nyman, it's
little surprise that "The Sensual World" boasts some extreme sounds and ideas.
Nor that at times it fails pretty dramatically.
   The title track is quite superb. Opening with a peal of church bells and a
great sweep of multi-layered keyboards, it simply builds and builds over a 
relentless, plodding beat. Bush half-chants a lyric that repeats and re-      
iterates unconnected lines until they develop into a powerful and erotic
Mantra. The debut single from the album, it repays repeated listenings if
only for wondering at how someone can glue such an expansive arrangement so
securely simply by moaning 'mmh,yes' at the end of each line. Draw your own
conclusions from that one.
   "The Fog" is similarly fascinating. Bush compares the shock of first love
to a childhood swimming lesson, her real-life father intoning the haunting
phrase: 'Just put your feet down, child, because you're all grown up now'.
   The tune develops from Davy Spillane's solo whistles into a middle section
of quite awesome beauty; Nigel Kennedy's tortuously brilliant fiddle-playing
pierces a great orchestral swell.
   The rest of the album, inventive though it may be, never quite matches the
power of these two tracks. Much of the fault lies with the underlying tone of
naivety and rural conservatism which seems to pervade the whole recording.
"Deeper Understanding", a song about a child's obsession with a home com-
puter is as weak and shallow as it's theme is hackneyed. And almost for the
first time ever - on a song entitled "Between A Man And A Woman" - Kate 
displays a frighting lack of nous about love and romance. 'It's so hard for
love to stay together,' she sings, 'with the modern western pressures'- she
seems to be witnessing, rather than experiencing, that pressure, however.
   Contrast this song with her classic "Running Up That Hill", and it's
easy to wonder whether Kate - the reclusive country girl, a star since her
early teens - gets her ideas from life or from some very good books.
   "Never Be Mine" restores some of the faith in her extraordinary talant.
It's first verse - an account of walking home through the burning stubble
and seeing her lover's face 'ghostly in the smoke' - could only be plucked
from real life, and brilliantly underlines the sense of a love lost in the
very moment that it's won. The vocal work of the Trio Bulgarka and the 
mournful tones of Spillane's Uilleann pipes combine quite beautifully here.
   "The Sensual World" is a highly sophisticated musical tapestry which will
take dozens of listenings to unravel and appreciate. At this stage, though,
it seems to lack the edge and sheer musical power of "The Hounds Of Love",
and depicts an artist, who for all her will to experiment, has become just 
a little too introverted and self-obsessed.
                                     Martin Townsend

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*  OPINION WARNING!!! OPINION WARNING!!! OPINION WARNING!!! OPINION WARNING!!! *
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*  Warning! The following is an opinion!   (This warning is provided as a      *
*                                     public service for those unable to tell.)*
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    A note re: Drukman; the above review is an example of what is called
"criticism". The reviewer likes some things about the album and dislikes
others. Some of his statements are valid, and the ones that are not are 
mostly a result of ignorance. The part about her being "too introverted
and self-obsessed" is an example of what is called "constructive criticism".
   It is an arguably valid statement. "Reaching Out is SHIT!", while 
arguable (as has been demonstrated ad infinitum), is not what could be
"constructive" even by the the most desperate critic. Calling something
"Shit" is an example of verbel bankruptcy. Some people on .gaffa have stated 
that they like Drukman's typing (I just can't dignify it as _writing_).
  My own thoughts are that these folks just like to see him goad IED, so
IED will get amusingly irritated. These folks probably appreciate the 
Three Stooges too. Drukman can't possibly be as big a jerk as he seems
to be, as it is doubtful anyone like that could have survived adolecence.
He has stated that the model for his alleged "style" is the british music
press (NME, Melody Maker, Sounds etc., one supposes). I can't imagine a
more worthless and twisted role model than that pile of posers. 

      I've avoided most direct quotes from Drukman's drivel as any attempt
in the past, by anyone, to quote Drukman, no matter how completely,
has been greeted by cries of "out of context" form him. I've gone
back through past listings and in all cases _I've_ found the quotes have 
been well representive of the babble they've been taken from.
       Drukman,get a life.
       Preferably your own, rather than Julie Burchell's.*
   About Drukman's assertation that, if Kate was to make a song with
crunching guitars that could be called "Heavy Metal"...in one of his 
attempts to slam "Reachig Out", that such a song would also be "Shit".
It is possible that Kate might, at some point, do a song that could be 
called Heavy Metal. Note the presence of Jimmy Bain of "Dio" on "Leave It
Open". I despise HM. However if Kate did HM she would undoubtedly do HM
well. The worst part about all this, is that I'm told that Drukman's
intent is allegedly "humorous". That is so sad. Not one word of his has
been even slightly funny. I've read past love-hounds postings and have
found many funny things from many people. Not Drukman. Not unless you
find systematic negativeity, hatred and spite rib-tickling. 


      Well, I've said my piece. I have no intention to participate in a flame
war. Vickie, reading this, has told me that this is probably not a good idea
for a first posting to be like this, but I had to get this out. Drukman has
slammed too many good people for me not to say something as soon as I could.
 I've met a lot of Kate fans and generally they've been friendly introverts.
I don't think many of these people could respond to Drukman with the proper
level of vitriol necessary. Any hateful messages directed to me by Drukman
will be ignored. If he'd like to act like a civilized human being, we could
correspond. In his vist to Kansas City, (a mythical place somewhere between
Boston and California) Joe Turner (Hi Joe!) asserted that Jon Drukman is,
in fact, a nice guy. Andy is lucky to have IED as an alter-ego. Pompous?,
Yes. Overbearing?, Maybe so. But it doesn't matter what IED says, as I know   
Andy as well. Drukman hasn't given himself an exit. I'll say no more, for
now, on the subject of Drukman. I intend for future postings to much more
constructive. About "red chairs"...can you say ... tautotology? Can you
say ... metaphysical bullshit? Maybe this can be spun off to a new newsgroup
rec.silly.nonsense?

   *Julie Burchell: British music writer- see Pete Townsends "Jules & Jules"
                    and her review of "Never for Ever" entitled "Kate Grates".

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*    Disclaimer: These opinions are my own. They are not necessarly            *
*                 shared by Vickie. And vise-versa. So there.                  *
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Opinion over.
                             Chris Williams of,
                                                Chris'n'Vickie