original LotRR? Katetopia. +best/worst contrib. Whee.

[hart@corona.math.vt.edu (Heath David)]

I.

Is the *Donovan* recording of "Lord of the Reedy River" in print
anywhere?  I'd love to hear the original sometime, but haven't
found it on any of his albums yet. 

II.
 
Two weekends ago, I was fortunate enough to get to see the Total
Kate Integration videotape for the first time.  All of the people
who worked on this have my immensest gratitude.  That was just 
*great*, and now I'm wondering who I have to bribe to get my own. . .  

Those of you who haven't seen it yet really ought to.  

III.

Favorite Kate tracks:
 1. Breathing.  This was the first Kate Bush song I ever heard, on
    a Greenpeace compilation that I had bought for a Eurythmics track.
    I was so awestruck by what a moving song Breathing was that I
    rushed out and bought NfE that week.  I've been hooked ever since.
 
 2. This Woman's Work/Walk Straight Down The Middle
    I'm listing these together, since they appear consecutively on
    TSW, and so I tend to listen to them together.  The aching 
    desperation on TWW, followed by the we-made-it relief of WSDtM,
    really moves me and makes me feel really good, no matter how
    depressed I've been.  I know their juxtaposition wasn't part of
    Kate's plan for the album, but I relish it anyway.
 
 3. Suspended in Gaffa.
    Easily my favorite Kate video.  Gawrsh, I love this song, but
    can't explain why.
 
 4. Sat In Your Lap.
    More than any other Kate Bush song, this one makes me want to 
    get up and bounce around the room.  And as I grow older, I *need*
    to be filled with that kind of energy more often.  
 
 5. Not This Time.
    Like any Kate collector, I love discovering a b-side or an 
    unreleased track to add to my collection and to help fill the long
    gap between albums.  Although there were several b-sides from
    HoL, it took me a long time to track down this one.  And when 
    I finally found it, it turned out to be worth the wait.  There 
    were still a few months to wait before TSW came out, and I *so*
    needed a Kate fix.   :)
 
To anyone who's boggling that I didn't include anything from The
Ninth Wave on this list -- I *love* that album side tremendously,
but couldn't isolate any single track from it as being able to 
stand alone, all by itself, with these.  If I can cheat and count
The Ninth Wave as one long track, it'd be number one.  :)
 
 
Least Favorite Kate Tracks:
 
  1. Candle In The Wind (instrumental)/Shoedance:  I include these
     two digital turds together because they're products more of 
     EMI marketing than of Kate.  And I hate them both for the 
     same reason -- they are both so inferior to the 'regular' 
     versions of the same songs that it's unpleasant to sit through
     either of them.
 
  2. Symphony In Blue:  I confess I've never loved Lionheart as an
     album.  It has some exquisite moments, especially on side 2, but
     as a whole it has all the tell-tale signs of a sophomore effort.
     In particular, Symphony In Blue is the weakest opening track of
     any of her albums.  It fails to stir any mood in me, and it 
     doesn't leave me breathlessly anticipating the *rest* of the
     album as, for example, Sat In Your Lap does so well.  
 
  3. Between a Man and a Woman.  Ho-hum.  There's nothing particularly
     bad about this track, but there's nothing particularly good about 
     it either.
 
  4. You're The One:  The anti-Symphony In Blue.  Whereas that track
     introduces an album poorly and doesn't whet the appetite for more,
     this track is the blandest 'dessert' on any Kate album yet.
     
  5. Wow.  This isn't really one of my least favorite Kate tracks, but
     it's my least favorite Kate single.  I like the version on Hammersmith
     Odeon, though.
 

IV.

And for a variation on this theme:
 
Most Unfairly Maligned Kate Bush Song:  Eat The Music.  
  There's more dark humor in this song than in practically any other 
  song of hers, and a lot of it is overlooked by folks who dismiss the 
  song for its repetition.  It's not her best song, but it deserves 
  better than most people give it credit for.
 
Kate Bush Song That Could Be Most Improved By Shortening It
  (excluding 12" versions):  Mother Stands For Comfort

Kate Bush Song That Most Deserves A Video, But Doesn't Have One:
  1.  Coffee Homeground
  2.  December Will Be Magic Again

Kate Bush Song With The Most Intriguing Potential For A Heavy Metal Cover
  Version:  Get Out Of My House
 
Kate Bush Album Cover Most Revered By rec.arts.bodyart Readers:
  The Dreaming (hey, check out the metal in HER mouth . . .  ;)
 
Kate Bush Song Most Deserving Of Wider Release: Be Kind To My Mistakes
  (long version).
 
Heath