Re: LIONHEART

[ttuerff@primenet.com (Tom Tuerff)]

In article <v03007803ae808b689df1@[153.35.9.107]>, rabensam@earthlink.net
(Richard Bensam) wrote:

> shane wrote:
> 
> >I would like to ask some questions about LIONHEART.  I can see that it is
> >one of Kate's least popular albums, because the wonderful person who posted
> >his or her list of Kate albums in order of preference put it second to
> >last (by
> >the way, I loved your list and think everyone should do one, even though you
> >may have in the past);

That was me; thanks!

> >It was almost the last Kate album I bought this summer when I was purchasing
> >the seven major LPs.  

It was actually the second Kate album I bought, because back then, you had
to get them as imports and I took what I could get.

> >Based on the reviews I had read, I was prepared for
> >a boring, lyrically weak hodgepodge.  However, I must say that I don't mind
> >it at all.  While I would by no means place it near the top of my Kate list,
> >I don't think it is as bad as people make it out to be.  

Even the worst Kate is better than most people's best albums!

> >"Hammer Horror" is
> >one of my favorite Kate tunes, and I also like listening to "Symphony In
> >Blue", "Wow", and "Don't Put Your Foot On The Heartbrake."  In fact, the only
> >one I'm not overly fond of is "In The Warm Room."  Furthermore, the cover
> >is awesome, although that obviously has nothing to do with the music. 
I would
> >like to hear peoples' views on this album.

There is a limited-edition boxed version of this album called "Kate Bush,
A Lioness at Heart" which contains a wonderful book of all the pictures
Gerald Mankowitz took for the Lionheart sessions. It's well worth the
search.

It's interesting to note that (and I'm assuming here that you haven't
heard any of the early "Gilmour" boots) "Kashka," "Hammer", and the piano
triplets that show up in "Symphony" were all recorded by Kate on her early
demos, as was "Violin" from Never For Ever. "Hammer Horror," as a matter
of fact, has decidedly different lyrics on the final piece, and it's fun
to listen to the two to see what she changed. 

And to be honest, "In the Warm Room" is my favorite song on the record!

> 
> I'm with you.  I've never understood the low rating LIONHEART consistently
> gets from this crowd and, it seems, from Kate fans in general.   

I think it's because, in retrospect, we know she could do better, because
she eventually did--still ahead of her were Dreaming and Hounds of Love.

> There are
> some historical strikes against it.  It was made and released fairly soon
> after TKI -- "soon" by Kate standards; it was not released with unseemly
> haste by typical record industry standards

Ah, but they were bugging the shit out of her--that's what record execs do!

> -- and may have been composed of
> songs which had been written long before but didn't make the cut for the
> first album. 

See above.

> Kate herself has disowned a couple of songs she doesn't feel
> were up to her standards (a view I question).  But there are things to like
> about this album!  "Wow" and "Hammer Horror" to name but two.  

And they ended up being the singles, were they not?

> And where
> else would you find a delightful oddity like "Coffee Homeground"?  And
> there is a lush, warm acoustic sound in the actual recording which, IMHO,
> has occasionally been missing in later releases.

Credit Jon Kelly for that. Kelly, by the way, engineered Tori Amos's
"Little Earthquakes," which probably says a lot.

>  This album is very
> effective at setting a well-defined aural mood, the audio equivalent of
> getting under a blanket and curling up in front of a roaring fireplace
> while the snow falls outside.  Maybe that's not to everybody's taste, and
> you might not want a steady diet of it, but there are times when it really
> hits the spot on a cold winter night.
> 
> Make no mistake, this album is full of rich creamy goodness.  Think of it
> as comfort food.
> 
> RAB
I can buy that. I don't feel challenged by this album, but I can certainly
listen to it. However, even after all this time, it's one album that I
can't instantly hum all the tunes to; which means it's not making a big
impression on my mind. 

However, to each his own. Me? Hounds and Kick all the way!

TT 
> _______________________________________
> 
> Richard Bensam Home Page
> http://home.earthlink.net/~rabensam/
> 
> Gaffaweb: A Tribute To Kate Bush And Her Fans
> http://www.gryphon.com/gaffa/