MisK

[ed@das.llnl.gov (Edward Suranyi)]

I've got a bunch of things for you this time:

1)  The new _Billboard_ is out.  "Love And Anger" has fallen to #2.
But, to compensate, here's some good news: the album is going back up!
It went up from #50 to #45, regaining its bullet.

The video for L&A is in the same positions as before at MTV and VH-1,
but now it's been added to "The Record Guide".  Does anybody know
what this is?  _Billboard_ says it's "Six half-hour shows weekly".

The nominations for the 1990 BPI Awards have been announced.  Kate has
been nominated twice: for Best British Female Artist and Best British
Producer.  Nigel Kennedy, whom we know plays on Kate's album, was 
nominated in the category of Best Classical Recording for his version
of Vivaldi's _The Four Seasons_.

2)  There's an article about Kate in the Winter issue of _Dirty Linen_,
a magazine published in Baltimore.  For those worried about copyright
infringement, I should say that this magazine says, "Excerpts and entire
reviews my be reprinted as long as credit is given to the author, artist,
or photographer and _Dirty Linen_ magazine."  I intend to do that.  Here's
the article:

Kate Bush:  In Focus
by John Anthony Wilcox

"Imagination sets in,
    then all the voices begin."
			 -- from "Fullhouse"

     Kate Bush.  In the U.K. and Europe the name invokes memories of a 
seemingly endless string of hits.  "Wuthering Heights," "Babooshka," "Sat
in Your Lap," "Running Up That Hill," "Cloudbusting," the list goes on and
on.  But in the States, it's a different story.  Here, La Diva Bush has
only obtained a small, albeit devoted, audience.  Her music is alternately
wistful, folky, gutsy, and passionate.  Perhaps it's the inability for the
public to pigeonhole her into one concrete style of music that has let
stardom elude Bush here.  No matter.  What Kate Bush the
singer/songwriter/performer/producer presents has very little to do with 
stardom and quite a bit to do with substance and storytelling.
     In a conversation I had with Kate Bush a while back, she mentioned
that she seldom, if ever, wrote in an autobiographical context.  She much
preferred creating characters, and the songs were stories either about
them or from their point of view.  One need look no further than her 
introduction to the public -- the song "Wuthering Heights."  She relates
the story of obsessive love from the viewpoint ot the deceased Cathy and
her beyond-the-grave love for Heathcliff.  Bronte would surely find no 
fault in Kate Bush's homage to her timeless characters.  "Wuthering 
Heights" was a prelude to Bush's debut album _The Kick Inside_.  The
album showcased a fragile, imaginative young woman and focused on delicate
piano (played by Kate) and lush arrangements to counterpoint Bush's
willowy multi-octave voice.  Her sophomore album, _Lionheart_, was much
in the same vein.  Perhaps *too* much.
     _Lionheart_ came across as a somewhat lightweight Xerox of _The Kick
Inside_ but with less substance.  However, for all its faults, the album
did contain a few gems among the pebbles.  "Fullhouse," "Wow," and "In the
Warm Room" are very strong compositions, and "Wow" in particular is to 
date the closest Kate has come to writing about herself.  This album was 
also backed by a brief but memorable tour that yielded both the _Kate Bush:
Live at the Hammersmith Odeon_ videocassette and the live EP  _On Stage_.
This would mark an end to a chapter in Kate's career, as the next release
brought us a new and different performer.
     1980 saw the release of _Never for Ever_.  With it, Bush took a more
active hand in every facet of her music -- from concept to arranging to
producing, she was in on every step.  The album opens with "Babooshka," a
tale of infidelity, and closes with "Breathing," a prayer for our Earth.
In between, _Never for Ever_ offers a cornucopia of styles, and an
impressive array of guests.  Look for contributions from Preston Heyman to
Mike Moran to Roy Harper (Kate would return the favor by appearing on 
Harper's _The Unknown Soldier_ disc that same year).  The album is full of
mandolin, balalaika, bodhran, and even a strumento de porco, thanks in no
small part to Kate's brother Paddy, a specialist in ethnic instruments.
     As big a step as _Never for Ever_ was from _Lionheart_, 1982's _The
Dreaming_ was a giant *leap* from _Never for Ever_.  A caustic, dark album
full of cynicism and shattered dreams, _The Dreaming_ puts aside Bush's 
inherent romanticism in favor of kinetic energy.  Bush whoops, snarls, and
quivers her way through the predominently percussive "Sat in Your Lap,"
"Get Out of My House," and "Suspended in Gaffa," to name a few.  But it is
the title cut that shows Kate Bush at her strongest, her most confident.
"The Dreaming" relates the plight of the Aborigines and is punctuated by
authentic digeridoo and Bullroarer.  Bush handles it all with sensitivity
and respect for all involved.
     By that time Kate was in full control of every aspect of her musical
endeavors and clearly loving it.  That buoyancy is reflected in 1985's 
_Hounds of Love_.  Side one of _Hounds..._ showcases Kate Bush, the quirky
pop princess in "Running Up That Hill," "The Big Sky," and the title cut.
Bright and poppish, they are full of color and sparkle.  They are
contrasted by "The Ninth Wave," a side-long concept piece.  Kate informed
me that "The Ninth Wave" relates a tale of a drowning person who
encounters their past, present, and future.  Cheer up, folks, there's a
happy ending.  Folkaholics should note that members of Planxty turn up on
this epic to provide some musical wonder to a section entitled "Jig of
Life."  Once again, another chapter in Kate Bush's story closes, and the
1986 retrospective _The Whole Story_ is a fine souvenir, collecting many
of her finest moments as well as a new tune, "Experiment IV".
     Which brings us to 1989.  After a lengthy hiatus, Bush came back with
_The Sensual World_.  It's clearly her most "global" effort to date,
incorporating rhythms and instrumentation from such diverse sources as the
Middle East and the Balkan countries.  One of the most well-known
Bulgarian groups, The Trio Bulgarka, provides authentic vocals.
Lyrically, Bush is delving more into relationships and less into creating
stories from whole cloth.  Songs like "Never Be Mine," "Reaching Out," and
"Between a Man and a Woman" are her most direct yet.  Curiously, she also
chose to include an older song, the delicate "This Woman's Work", which
originally appeared a few years back on the motion picture soundtrack to
_She's Having My Baby_ [sic].  Also, in a tip of the hat to her mentor,
Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, who was responsible for getting Kate her big
break, lends some blazing guitar to the album.
     It should be noted that Kate Bush doesn't lie idle between albums.
She's guested on several other artist's albums, as well as turning up on
the odd soundtrack or two.  Bush has also lent her considerable talents 
to several charitable organizations, most recently to the preservation 
of the rain forests.  This woman's work is clearly far from finished!

Accompanying this article is "Kate Bush:  An Extremely Selective
Discography".  This includes the seven albums, _On Stage_, four guest
appearances and three videocassettes.


3)  L&A moved up to #11 on KITS' playlist, but TSW fell off it completely.
KUSF, the station of the University of San Francisco, currently has Kate
listed third in their top ten artists.

4)  Vickie Mapes just told me about an article where Robert Smith of The
Cure lists _Hounds Of Love_ as one of his top ten albums of the 80s.

5)  The new issue of _Rolling Stone_ just came out, and there's *still*
no review!  Again, I ask if anybody knows how to get in touch with these 
people.

That's it for now, folks.

Ed
ed@das.llnl.gov