Short biography:
Short biography:
It may appear to be a surprising choice to include Kate Bush in a gallery of keyboard players. It is not easy to determine the influence of her keyboard playing on other musicians (her influence as a singer and composer can hardly be overestimated!), but the fact remains that she was one of the first musicians to experiment with computer keyboards, such as the Fairlight and the CS80. Furthermore, her piano playing is of a such effective beauty, that she just may not be skipped here.
Kate Bush was born on 30 July 1958 in London. As she grew up in a very musical family, she started playing the piano and composing at a young age. It is hard to believe, but the basis for songs as 'The man with the child in his eyes' was created when she was only 12 years old. When she was 14, she got in touch with David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, with whom she recorded several songs in his home studio. These and other early songs, which are available on various bootlegs, are mainly piano-based. Through Gilmour, Kate settled a recording deal with EMI in July 1976, and she prepared herself for a professional career in music. One of the ways to do that was to join the band of her brother Paddy in 1977, which was then renamed to The KT Bush band. In January 1978 the first single, Wuthering Heights, is released to ecstatic acclaim. As with many others, my (apparently long lasting) affection for Kate Bush' music sparked off the very first time I heard (and saw on TV) Wuthering Heights.
Her debut album, The Kick Inside, and its successor, Lionheart, are still close to the songs she wrote as a teenager: they are mainly piano-based with additional, rather symphonic, arrangements, partly because of the musical contributions of members from The Alan Parsons Project. The songs are not only characterised by breathtaking (vocal) arrangements, but also by their intimate, sensual, even sexually-oriented lyrics. This characteristic is extended to the third album, Never Forever, but musically, this album is a quantum leap forward for her. Influenced by Peter Gabriel, Kate starts experimenting with sounds combined with traditional instruments. Expecially the Fairlight proves to be a very useful instrument for those experiments (see the photo below). Kate is rewarded for this new approach: Never Forever is the first album by a female artist to top the British charts.
There was also a negative result: the musical change of direction and the rather traumatic experiences of her first and only tour led to the decision to become first and foremost a composer and studio musician. Many fans were not happy with this. Her fourth album, The Dreaming, turned out to be too demanding for many of them. It is a rather heavy album, without any soft songs and likewise arrangements. Kate also tried (a bit forcefully) to get away from her rather squeaky voice from her earlier albums. As a result, all the singles were a flop, and sales were down. But for those who stayed with her, The Dreaming is still considered to be a masterpiece, the album that made her an adult musician.
But she was able to turn the tide: the next album, The Hounds of Love (1985) was a big artistic ànd commercial success. On this album, Kate was able to combine the smooth feel of her early albums with innovative arrangements and sound experiments. Listen for example to the beautiful Mother stands for comfort, which combines sensitive lyrics to a rather cacophony of sounds. Pay special attention to the few piano sounds which give a very dramatic effect to the song.
It was not easy for her to come with a worthy successor to The Hounds of Love. It took four years to finish The Sensual World, her most feminine record, as she calls it herself. Not just because of the subjects of the songs (like in the title track and This woman's work), but also because of the contributions of the Trio Bulgarka, which add a new (and successful!) layer to the vocal experiments. The Sensual World is a good album, but one can argue that it is her first album that contain songs that are not of the highest standard anymore.
It took another four years to present the next album, The Red Shoes. It contains contributions from several prominent musicians: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Gary Brooker, Prince. Despite this, or maybe because of it, The Red Shoes is a somewhat unbalanced album. There are songs of a very touching beauty, such as And so is love, Moments of Pleasure and The Song of Solomon. But there are also some weaker compositions that rely mostly on striking arrangements, such as Eat the music, a song inspired by her vegetarian lifestyle. The album didn't sell well, which resulted in a radio silence on Kate's side, which has lasted until the present day. There are rumours that she started recording again recently. In January 2002 she took the stage again briefly, during a David Gilmour performance. Let's hope that she will be able to get in touch with her muse again after all these years. In the meantime, I'll put on the latest album by Tori Amos....
Short discography:
| LP's/CD's | Contributions: |
| The kick inside (1978)
Lionheart (1978) On stage (EP) (1979) Never for ever (1980) The dreaming (1982) Kate Bush (USA mini-LP, 1983) Hounds of love (1985) The whole story (1986) The sensual world (1989) This woman's work (1990) The red shoes (1993)
|
Lesley Duncan, Sing children sing (1979)
Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel (1980) Roy Harper, The unknown soldier (1980) Ray Shell, Them heavy people (1981) Zaine Griff, Figvres (1982) Big Country, The seer (1986) Peter Gabriel, So (1986) Ferry Aid (1987) Go West, Dancing on the couch (1987) Midge Ure, Answers to nothing (1988) Spirit of the forest (1989) Roy Harper, Once (1990) Soundtracks/other recordings
|
Favorite
songs:
Strange phenomena
The kick inside
In the warm room
Kashka from Baghdad
Another day (duet with Peter Gabriel)
Breathing
The empty bullring
Get out of my house
Mother stands for comfort
Never be mine
And dream of sheep
Hello earth
Moments of pleasure
The song of Solomon
Other webpages on Kate Bush:
Gaffaweb
The muse
Kate Bush news
