It's about time ...

[Wieland Willker <willker@chemie.uni-bremen.de>]

...to discuss the demos AGAIN!

"We must help the songs."

To prepare the field I would like to inject some stimulating quotes.
Sometimes I think these demos are KaTe's best recordings. Bu then my ears
ache under my headphones where I have stayed almost every free minute the
last couple of weeks to find the divine under the noise.  

Hey, hey... 
KATE BUSH
S   R   I

Best wishes
    Wieland

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Date: Tue, 14 Jan 1997 05:15:14 -0500
From: Richard Bensam <rabensam@earthlink.net>

I've heard about 25 to 30 unreleased songs or demo versions, which is by no
means all of the songs available, but for some reason the one that always
stays with me is "Keeping Me Waiting" a.k.a. "Keep Me Waiting" a.k.a.
"Stranded At The Moonbase."  I have no idea why this one should stand out
the way it does, but it is the one unreleased demo song that I'll hum to
myself constantly and try to imagine what it might sound like in a finished
version.  That said, I don't think it's as good as any of the finished,
officially released songs; none of the demos are.  Kate's instincts about
what songs were worth continuing to work on and develop seem to have been
very sound.

My number two choice of favorite demo song, if I get a second choice, would
be "Passing Through Air" which Kate herself could tolerate well enough that
it enjoyed an official release as a b-side, although it stayed in the
original demo form.

RAB

------------------------

Date: Tue, 14 Jan 97 17:43:29 +0100
From: Rolf.Peukert@Theoinf.TU-Ilmenau.DE (Rolf Peukert)

"Surrender Into The Roses" (also known as "Carmilla" or "Coming Up")
should have been on an album too. Actually I like it even better than
some of the "official" songs. But the other demo songs are almost
equally wonderful.

ciao,
Rolf

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Date: Tue, 14 Jan 1997 23:16:39 +0000
From: Julian Shaw <julian@dragonfire.demon.co.uk>

I'm glad you've raised this because anyone who hasn't heard these
songs is really missing out on some of Kate's most personal, haunting,
and beautiful compositions. What is even more startling about them is
that she hadn't even reached 20 years old when they were recorded.

Picking a favourite, for me, is easy, because "Dali" (a.k.a. "Ferry Me
Over") sent shivers down my spine when I first heard it, a reaction I
had not experienced for some while. I was so affected that I played it
again at least a dozen times, before moving on to the other tracks. In
fact I would go so far as to say that for me, personally, it is probably
my favourite song of all by Kate. I'm not sure why exactly, but there is
something particularly spellbinding about Kate's piano playing, and the
feeling of actually "being with her" due to the nature of the recording.
The fact that it's also a wonderful song probably has a lot to do with
it as well! :-)

Other songs (alternative titles in brackets) which I found particularly
moving were "Davy" ("While Davy Dozed"); "It Hurts Me" ("A Rose Growing
Old"/"Feeling Like a Waltz"); "Disbelieving Angel" - superb lyrics; "The
Craft of Love" ("The Craft of Life").....in fact, there are so *many*
excellent songs to be found on this collection that it is quite beyond
my comprehension why Kate decided not to pursue them. (BTW, the piano-
only demo of "Oh To Be In Love" is an absolute delight - I actually
prefer it (just) to the one that was released.)

As far as I am concerned there is no more beautiful sound in this world
than that of Kate singing, accompanied only by the piano, so the fact
that these songs will almost certainly never see the light of day
officially is not only a travesty, but a great loss to the world.

Julian
---------------------------------

From: ScottWeb <scwebb@npi.net>
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 1997 07:34:16 -0600

The Cathy "Phoenix Tape" demos are fantastic because of the intimate,
personal quality.  Kate's voice is more relaxed and natural than any of
the studio recordings.

My favorite is "Craft of Love" but equally remarkable are the early
versions of some of the future album cuts.  For example "Kashka from
Bagdhad".  We learn in this version that the person singing is debating
acting on their own gay feelings "what would I do if I was seen/what
would I do if they knew my true feelings?".  There's also a funny line
that must have later been revised: "except for the man who takes the
garbage out..."

The big question that I have about these songs is how a teenager, even
as intelligent and precocious as Kate, would know so much about life so
early.  The topics of aging, adultery, marriage boredom, homosexuality,
etc. are things I am still learning about at age 28.

-ScottWeb

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Date: Wed, 15 Jan 1997 18:25:07 -0500
From: Nic Ford <106503.760@compuserve.com>

As for the Cathy demos, "Ferry Me Over" & "Davy" are heart-stopping faves,
but let's face it, they're all so gorgeously moving ... if only for the
fact that it's Kate and her piano and when are we ever likely to get so
close to the spirit and intimacy of her performances (for those of us who
haven't seen her live) again?

Lots of love
Wendy
--------------------------------

Date: Thu, 16 Jan 1997 15:55:48 -0600
From: Darrell Henry <darrh@flash.net>

My top 5 Cathy Demos: (and not necessarily in this order!!)

1. Playing Canasta - a very pretty song with lots of emotion.

2. Lionhearts - I love the way she sings this although I'm not exactly
sure what her meaning is, even after reading the lyrics.

3. Keep Me Waiting a.k.a. Stranded at the Moonbase - When I first heard
this, I thought (and I'm sure most will agree), this was inspired by the
Apollo moon missions which were going on, (or maybe alsmost at an end -
I can't remember the time frame of the Apollo program :-|?), at the time
she must have written this. I think its a very unique song, almost
Science Fiction/Drama in its nature.

4. Goodnight Baby - So very romantic, beautiful, and haunting.

5. Scares Me Silly - Just because it sounds so un-Kate. When I first
heard it I couldn't believe it was written by her. After two or three
listens, its one I love to hear. Its so Cute.

Runners up - Ferry Me over and Camillia.

Of course this whole list is a sham. There's no way to pick a top list
of the demos because they're all perfectly wonderful. If I wrote this
tomorrow, it would be completely different.

I also agree that the slower demo version of 'Oh to be in Love' is just
as good as the album version.

---------------------------

Date: Fri, 17 Jan 1997 07:35:07 -0500
From: Rod Kratochwill <Rod.Kratochwill@itron.com>

I am hoping that Kate's early songs have the same 'life' as Jane Siberry's.
 The liner notes that Jane wrote for her CD _Teenager_ make me realize the
life that Kate's early Demo songs have:

"I'm not sure when I became aware of these songs wanting to finally be
recorded, but they must have been waiting nearby for a few months."

So we need to be talking to the songs.  Let the songs know that it is
getting to be time for them to be recorded.  Try to help the songs feel the
need to be recorded.

The timing is also just about correct...

"In recording these songs as a fresh 40 year old being"

And of course it will be just Kate and the Piano as I assume the songs will
help Kate feel the same way Jane felt...

"I found that I went right back into the same guitar playing, piano
playing, harmonies, and simple vocalizing of the times when I wrote and
played these songs.  Nothing extra was needed, wanted."

We must help the songs.

Rod
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