Re: Boxed Set Info Request

[nrc@cbema.att.com (Neal R Caldwell, Ii)]

> Really-From: charly%altos86.Altos.COM@vicom.com (Charly Rhoades)
> 
> I'm not a reader of this newsgroup normally, but I just
> heard of a Kate Bush boxed set from another source and when
> I checked rec.music.gaffa it seems I may have missed the
> initial swell of excited discussions regarding it.
> 
> Are we talking about the same set here???  The one I heard of is
> called _This_Woman's_Work_, and is an eight-disc set that includes
> "all UK releases of Ms. Bush and 2 CDs of singles, B-sides, etc."??

That's correct.

> If this is the same set that everyone is recovering from,
> can somebody email me a synopsis of the discussions on it,
> or at least give me their (humble) opinion of it?  How much
> of her recorded output does it cover?  Is it being released
> domestically, or only in UK, or both?  If both, any difference
> between them?  How much $$?

The Anthology of Kate's work contains nearly everything she has
released so far.  There are a few tracks missing, mainly different 
versions of songs that already appear in one or more forms in the 
set.  It is not available domestically except as an import.  The price
has most commonly been from $150 to $200 in the U.S..  This is steep
but is roughly what you would pay for eight separate import CDs.

Some folks here on rec.music.gaffa, many of them huge Kate Bush fans,
have called the Anthology a rip-off.  Some have gone so far as to lace
that nomenclature with colorful adjectives.  

They object to the fact that there are no new tracks and that some 
tracks have been omitted.  I think it's supposed to be a collection
of her recorded works and new tracks have no place in it anyway.  I
also feel that virtually all the tracks which some think should
have been included were either not sufficiently different from those
tracks that were included to justify their addition, were not of
sufficient quality for her to want them associated with her works
(mainly her live performances at various benefits, and usually through
no fault of hers), or were simply not appropriate for inclusion in a 
collection of her work (duets with other artists, for instance).

Some have complained about the simple presentation of the set.   There
is only a booklet of very nice pictures and a set of stickers to go
along with the set.  I certainly agree that they could have included
more information about the songs themselves and certainly should have
included the lyrics to the B-sides.  I disagree with those who feel
that a biography should have been included.  Kate has always insisted
on focusing on here art and not on herself and while we might be
interested in her life story it is not really relevant to this
collection except as an influence on her music.    

The biggest complaint has been the price.   Dealers are charging what
they market will bear.  Here in the US that has always been the case
with imports.  

> I like what Bush I've heard, and have always thought of buying
> some of her work, and this set might be a good way of covering
> a lot of ground at once.  Thanks for your indulgence.

This certainly would be a large investment if you're not certain that
you will enjoy most of Kate's work.  Personally, I think this set
represents the finest music produced in the last two decades.  You
may feel differently.  

The advantage of investing in the Anthology rather than buying her
releases individually is that not only do you get the two B-side
CDs full of material (as of now) unavailable elsewhere but you also
get the definitive version of each original release with original
lyrics and album art. 

Best of luck with whatever you decide.


"Don't drive too slowly."                 Richard Caldwell
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