Say what you like about Kate Bush, but she takes a good photo. I'm not just talking about her obvious physical attributes, which even a devout gay like myself can appreciate, but her spirit, aura, vibe - call it what you will. Over the years Kate has done hundreds of photo shoots from standard headshots to elaborate set pieces with costumes and props. Early in her career Kate was obviously learning on the job, which led to some photographs she may wish had never seen the light of day.... but, thanks to the Internet, they will live forever!
Famously, her launch photo, which appeared on giant posters across London, caused many a head to turn and car to crash... can you guess why?
Needless to say, this image was soon cropped!
Next, two of the planets most intelligent creatures get acquainted.
This one probably has something meaningful to say about the oppression of women in pop music...
Maybe they lost the bottom half of the outfit.
Found it!
It also comes in gold...
Kate liked this outfit so much, she decided to take her crocodile for a walk...
Ok, that's enough. Don't we all have some photos in our past we wish we could wipe from history? Just to prove these are the exceptions rather than the rule, here's one of my favourite early Kate pictures to savour.
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Despite the immediate success, there was a danger lurking for Kate Bush at the start of her career. The British pop charts have a long history of "novelty" hits, weird and wacky nonsense that would capture the public's imagination and then vanish in a shudder of shame and regret. Despite its musical brilliance, Wuthering Heights had some hallmarks of a novelty hit: unconventional subject matter, and Kate's vocal and performance was unlike anything we'd seen before. The next single was crucial as it would either alter that potential perception or confirm the idea that Kate was a kook.
Given Kate had proven EMI spectacularly wrong in their choice of debut single, she was given the choice of which track from The Kick Inside to release next in the UK. Perhaps aware of the potential pitfalls, Kate went with a completely different song, that she thought showcased her abilities as a songwriter: The Man With The Child In His Eyes.
For such a young woman, Kate had an amazingly mature insight into human sexuality and relationships. The song looks at an affair between a teenage girl and an older man, with Kate exploring what she saw as a peculiarly male ability to maintain a childlike innocence. Fan folklore claims she was as young as 13 when she wrote the song, though Kate herself said she was 16. Whatever the truth, that is remarkably young to write with such prescience about love and the male/female dynamic.
The song was another big hit for Kate, but bizarrely EMI had their way in other territories and followed up with their choice of second single, Them Heavy People. Although that's a great song, it would undoubtedly have pinned Kate as a novelty artist in the minds of UK record buyers. Proof, if any more was needed by now, that Kate had better instincts about what was right for her career.
Kate didn't perform the song on UK television during its release, as she was busy promoting her work around the world. UK viewers had to contend with Legs & Co performing the song on Top Of The Pops.
This travesty need not have happened. Kate had made her own video for the song, in which she cannily predicted the yoga craze, but failed to start a trend in sparkly leotards.
This is still for me the ultimate Kate Bush song. Kate's material is rarely covered by other artists, but this song has tempted everyone from Dusty Springfield to Hue and Cry to have a go. A truly timeless classic.
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When Kate Bush began writing songs as a young teenager she had one simple ambition: to make an album. She wasn't interested in fame and fortune, didn't care about chart positions and celebrity status, she just wanted to hear her music professionally produced and pressed into grooves on a piece of black vinyl. Her wish came true and The Kick Inside stands as one of the most individual and remarkable debuts in the history of pop.
It was a different time, the road to stardom for young artists did not lie in a gargantuan queue for an X Factor audition. EMI signed Kate at 16, alerted to her talent by Dave Gilmour, but chose to let her develop as an artist rather than thrust her into the spotlight at such a tender age. Can you imagine that happening today? This wise investment would pay huge dividends, as Kate amassed a vast number of songs to choose from and honed the dance skills that would have such an impact on how she presented her material to the world.
One of the joys of Kate's music is the weird and wonderful places she takes you to through her songs. She has a magpie ability to steal inspiration from a myriad of sources, from the everyday mundane to the deeply spiritual. A big misconception about Kate is that she is a creature of fantasy, when her songs are firmly rooted in the reality of our own world; it's just that Kate sees it in her own special way.
On The Kick Inside we move with whales, hang out in a seedy Berlin nightclub, fly high as a Kite, plead with gunslingers and drop our stockings on a parlour floor. Each song is perfectly crafted, every melody distinct and unique and unorthodox. Every lyric is honed, succinct, elegant. Kate's voice is at turns ethereal and visceral, she is channeling rather than singing.
The title track closes the album and is a touchstone of Kate's special talents. Kate plays the part of Lizie Wan, from the traditional ballad about an incestuous relationship between brother and sister. The kicking she feels is their illicit baby, growing inside her. It is haunting and beautiful and deeply unsettling. This breathtaking performance was from a special filmed for Dutch TV.
Incest, Brontëan ghosts, strange phenomena... Kate had arrived and music would never be the same again.
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1978 was a big year for Kate Bush. The success of Wuthering Heights and her debut album The Kick Inside meant that she became a regular on the radio and TV, not just in the UK, but across the globe. She would later look back on the treadmill of promotion she embarked on with some frustration, as it was keeping her from what she really wanted to do: make music. Her alleged reclusiveness really stems from this feeling that the music can best speak for itself, and with each successive album Kate has done less promotion.
However, that moment hasn't arrived yet and we are still in 1978. Despite a chronic fear of flying, Kate traveled far and wide this year, ensuring her songs would reach the widest possible audience. This included trips all over Europe, to Australia, New Zealand and, to cap the year off, her only live appearance on US TV on the famed Saturday Night Live.
Kate was also big news in Japan, where she represented Great Britain in the Tokyo Song Festival. She also had time to make my favourite of her many TV appearances that year, on the Japanese music show, Sound In S. If your image of Kate is one of a mystical aloof genius, then I may be about to shatter your preconceptions...
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Where else to start than with Kate's inimitable debut single, Wuthering Heights. The song is so indelibly stamped on the psyche of the British public that it is still common currency as a pop culture reference, 36 years after its release. Here are three things you probably know about the song:
It's based on Emily Brontë's novel of the same name, but Kate's inspiration was a scene from a BBC TV adaptation, rather than the book.
Kate's performances of the song usually included interpretive dance moves that became as synonymous with her public image as her high soprano voice.
It reached number one in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Australia and New Zealand, and was a substantial hit in many other territories (though not the USA).
Here are three things you probably didn't know:
Kate had to fight her record company, EMI, to release Wuthering Heights as her first single. They wanted the more contemporary rock sound of James And The Cold Gun.
Wuthering Heights is the first self-written UK number one single by a woman.
She was 19 years-old when the single was released.
For many fans, and indeed Kate herself, the success of Wuthering Heights is both a blessing and a curse. It is wonderful that one of Kate's songs has had such a deep impact on people, but also frustrating that it sometimes overshadows her other work. As a precocious seven-year-old boy I just simply loved it. I plagued my mother endlessly until she bought me a copy and then I would spend hour upon hour playing it and perfecting what I could remember of the spooky dance moves I'd seen Kate perform. Here is Kate on Top of the Pops in March 1978, which if memory serves, was the first time I'd laid eyes on her.
Later, as I discovered more of Kate's work the song slipped down my list of favourites, no doubt tainted by over-familiarity. Recently though, I have tried to hear the song again with those seven-year-old ears, and appreciate the wonder and excitement it generated back then.
For better or worse, Wuthering Heights will be for many people the ultimate Kate Bush song. Good job it's so utterly brilliant then! If you enjoyed reading this blog, please consider sharing it or linking to it from your Facebook, Google+ or Twitter account. You can post feedback below or to my Twitter account, @divasblogger. Sign up for alerts above or follow me on Twitter.
50 days from tomorrow, Kate Bush will step back on stage for her first headline concert in 35 years, entiled Before The Dawn. The surprise announcement in March sent the media into a frenzy and Kate's army of fans into meltdown. It was by turns the best and worst week of my life, as the euphoria of the chance to see my favourite artist perform live was balanced by a chilling terror that I might not be able to secure one of the precious tickets. I didn't get a good night's sleep the whole week before the tickets went on sale, with dreams of both success and failure toying with my subconscious mind.
The night the tickets went on sale I was at my computer at 2am waiting. This is not as mad as it sounds, as I'm living in Los Angeles now, and thanks to a difference of transatlantic opinion on when summer time starts, we were nine hours behind the UK rather than the usual eight. The tickets went on sale at 9:30am GMT. My hands shook, my heart was beating out of my chest and each second the computer hung motionless felt like an eternity. I got tickets in my basket, only for my credit card to be declined! This is the closest I have yet come to an aneurysm. Thankfully my back up card was accepted. I'd done it. I had tickets to see Kate Bush live. Finally the week of worry was over and the giddy joy could erupt unhindered. The adrenalin and endorphin rush ensured no sleep was had at all that night.
That hurdle over, it was now just a matter of waiting for the months to tick by. Thankfully, as a Kate fan of many decades standing, I have people to turn to for comfort and support who truly understood what this all meant . Both the legendary Homeground fanzine crew (now reborn online in conjunction with the excellent KateBushNews.com), and the more recent and admirably congenial Facebook community, FishPeople, gave fans a space to join and celebrate (and for those unlucky to miss out on tickets, sympathise and commiserate).
As you can probably tell, this is a big deal for me. This is not just another pop concert. This is a life event. The anticipation of the live shows has led me to reflect on my history with Kate and just why it is she means so much to me. In an attempt to explain to the bewildered, illuminate the curious and entertain the faithful, I have decided to put together a countdown to the return of Kate Bush: Live on Stage. Please join me as I count down the next fifty days and look back on Kate's career: the highs, the lows, the brilliant and the bizarre. Whether you're a paid-up member of the KT Bush Club or secretly stole your mum's copy of The Whole Story, I promise there will be plenty to enjoy.
See you tomorrow!
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I can still remember the first time I heard Buffalo Stance. Rarely has a record so instantly forced my attention and so quickly become entrenched in my music memory. The word "fresh" has a distinct connotation in the hip hop world, but this song and its performer were literally that: a blast of fresh sound and attitude in the dying days of pop's greatest decade. Central to the appeal was Neneh Cherry, who combined electric charisma with a confident, authorial vocal style. The debut album that followed, Raw Like Sushi, managed to live up to the promise of that extraordinary single and proved that Neneh was no novelty fluke.
The origins of Buffalo Stance are slightly peculiar. In 1986 a much touted pop duo, Morgan McVey, released their debut single Looking Good Diving to a less than ecstatic reception. It was a smooth cut of 80s boy pop (think Curiosity Killed The Cat), but to be fair was a bit more style over substance. Cameron McVey had got to know Neneh and asked if she'd provide a rap over the track for the B-side, Looking Good Diving With The Wild Bunch. If you've ever wondered what a Buffalo Stance is, it comes from the group of fashion trendsetters led by stylist Ray Petri and including Neneh and Cameron, who were known as the Buffalo group, hence a Buffalo stance is a particular type of fashion photography pose, made famous in the pages of the influential magazine The Face. Neneh would go on to become one of the magazine's key style icons.
The performance Neneh delivered transformed a humdrum pop song into an international smash hit, as the core ingredients of Buffalo Stance are all to be found in this extraordinary takeover. Morgan McVey were inevitably dropped after that one flop, but Cameron McVey knew that Neneh had raw talent and switched from pop star to producer and helped Neneh land a deal with Virgin. The two had also become an item and together they created the songs, style and sassiness that would make Raw Like Sushi an international smash. If you're looking for Cameron's credit on the album, he changed his name to the more hip hop-friendly "Booga Bear".
The magic touch in taking Buffalo Stance from B-side to worldwide hit was provided by producer Tim Simenon, whose own act Bomb The Bass was at the cutting edge of UK dance music. Simenon did not have to reinvent the song, just add the latest sounds and beats to make it current. The music video was a perfect introduction to Neneh as a performer; it was cool, cheeky and mesmeric.
Even better was her performance on the legendary UK chart show Top of the Pops, where Neneh rocked her very visible baby bump at a time when most still thought confinement was preferable for pregnant ladies. The single went to number 3 in the UK in December 1988 before going on to conquer the top ten in multiple territories, including number 3 in the US and number 1 in the Netherlands and her native Sweden.
There is a moment in Buffalo Stance that for me sums up the magic of Neneh Cherry. The song slows and Neneh sweetly sings:
Wind on my face, sound in my ears, water from my eyes and you on my mind...
That was when I fell.
That amazing debut was always going to be tricky to follow-up, but Neneh's next single would become one of my favourite songs of all time. Where Buffalo Stance was achingly trendy and insistent, Manchild was reflective and hypnotic. The song explores themes of masculinity under threat, not least from female empowerment, with the inherent truth of latent male immaturity laid bare. What makes it work though is the love in Neneh's voice. This is no lecture, it is a clarion call to men, willing them to overcome. The production perfectly sets the tone, providing a sensuous and lugubrious backdrop to Neneh's warm vocal, proving that Booga Bear had learned a great deal from hanging with the likes of Simenon. What makes the song for me though is the rap.
While Neneh was by no means the first female rapper to hit the pop charts, she was one of the first Europeans to do so and her style is markedly different from her transatlantic peers. There is an accessibility to Neneh's raps that make them almost conversational rather than confrontational. There is also a fluidity between her singing and her rapping which is rare in that genre, meaning that one flows into the other creating a single voice, not a competition. While the sung parts of Manchild are gorgeous and sensuous, it is the rap that is the heart of the piece. Instead of disrupting the song like many ubiquitous rap sections can, this rap is organically part of it, crystallising the essence of its message and speaking directly into your soul.
The music video was a stunning visual feast, featuring baby Tyson who had made an appearance since her Top of the Pops performance in utero and another electric performance from her mother. It was directed by the legend that is Jean-Baptiste Mondino and it perfectly captures his unique style. Mondino was also responsible for the iconic images of Neneh used on the album artwork and in The Face.
Manchild was another top 5 hit in the UK and across Europe, but somehow failed to make an impact Stateside. The third single, the poppy Kisses On The Wind did give Neneh another top ten hit in the US and helped the album into the Billboard Top 40. In the UK the album was an undisputed smash, peaking at 2. On tracks like Inner City Mama (the fourth and final single from the album) and The Next Generation Neneh explored the importance of motherhood and child-rearing, showing a thoughtful, connected and caring woman using her medium for more than creating radio-friendly hits. And there has rarely been a more compelling personal statement than the album closer So Here I Come.
It was pretty hard to avoid Neneh in 1989 (though why would you ever want to) and Raw Like Sushi was the soundtrack to my summer that year.Although Neneh's subsequent output has been sporadic, for a number of understandable personal reasons, nothing can detract from the enormous impact she made in her breakthrough year and the indelible impression of her debut album that showed Europe could produce female hip hop every bit as "fly" as the USA.
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