KATE BUSH - HOUNDS OF LOVE

Kate Bush has become one of those artists I find endlessly fascinating.  I've heard a lot of concept albums in my day and most of them completely fail.  But somehow, Bush writes the best of them.  I'm not entirely sure what the concept of "Hounds Of Love" is, but as a whole, this record is strong, cohesive and enjoyable from start to finish.

The problem I'm going to have reviewing this record is two fold...  1) most of what I take from this disc is what it sparks in my own imagination.  And I could write for hours about what thoughts I have when I listen to it or how I feel about it.  2) I have two versions of this record.  One of them has bonus tracks and that's the one I'll review since it includes the same tracks as the regular version.  Except, I only have the single disc version with me today.  So I have to go by my memory to review the 2nd disc.

One of the biggest hits from the album and one of Bush's most well known numbers is the first track on this disc.  'Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)' is a brilliant number.  If you haven't heard it, stop reading this blog, go to youtube or some other streaming site and play it.  It's certainly one of the strongest songs from the 80's.  'Hounds Of Love' is the second number.  This track was actually the first song I ever heard of hers.  There was an old radio program that I could pick up on Thursday nights if I put the radio in just the right place in my mom's bathroom.  It was called Rock Over London and it's from this program that I discovered so many different groups.  While many of the New Romantic bands were releasing heavily synthesized music, Bush's drum heavy blasting 'Hounds Of Love' was something new and different.  The imagery of love as a hound hunting you down is both powerful and primal.  Bush's lilting voice and musical sensibility allow her to use more traditional sounds and still sound cutting edge.  This is even more evident on the third track, 'The Big Sky'.  As broad and expansive as the concept of sky is, the song is just as grand and lifting!  It feels huge and encompassing.  The build is natural, strong and hugs you like a warm wet rain cloud.

'Mother Stands For Comfort' is a wistful tribute to mothers.  The song possesses a rather sad and lonely quality and yet at the same time, there's a feeling of acceptance.  You listen and feel like no matter what you do, your mom would still love you.  Everything in the song conveys this message.  From the lyrics to the punctuated piano playing.  If this were the cassette or vinyl version of the album, 'Cloudbusting' would be the final track on side one.  In a rather unique fashion, Bush title's the albums' sides.  Side one being "Hounds Of Love".  It reminds me of her later work on 'Aerial'.  She released a double disc and gave each disc a separate title.  This song, although one suspects the strings are actually programmed keyboard sounds, stresses the rhythm built around the pulsing orchestral movement rather than a drum or bass track.  The drums do come in eventually and add to the build of the track.  Once again, the song has a dramatic climax and drifts off into the distance as we here the sound of a train begin to chug and whistle as it leaves the station.  In a round about way, everything on this side deals with aspects of love.  'Running...' is about feeling what your partner feels.  'Hounds...' is about trying to escape love.  'The Big Sky' is about the grandeur of love while 'Mother...' describes the quality of love.  In this case, the love a child expects from its mother.  'Cloudbusting' is about the anticipation of love.  "I just know that something good is gonna happen..."

The second side is called "The Ninth Wave".  She gets the title from a piece by Tennyson called, "The Coming Of Arthur".  And this side also achieves an effect.  It starts with 'And Dream Of Sheep'.  A soft beginning that rings and lulls at the same time.  Bush sings about shutting out the world and dreaming of sheep.  She sings about the droning of engines, the hypnotic quality of the spoken word and how they lead her to the comfort and stillness of sleep.  Like the Tennyson poem, this song would be the first wave or first movement and it's soft, relaxing and yet steady.  But there's an urgency behind it.  In the waves coming up behind.  'Under Ice' takes the idea of sleep to a more permanent level.  The story of a skater falling through the ice and being trapped under the frozen surface.  'Waking The Witch' begins after a brief piece of music we'd call a segue today.  Untitled, this piece is tracked as part of 'Waking...' and summons the sleeping dreamer back to consciousness.  It's followed by a frightening deluge of sound.  While Bush sings nursery rhyme lyrics that sound strangely like spells, a darker, more sinister voice trumpets judgement, fire and brimstone like a priest condemning a witch.  The terrifying courtroom dialogue is unsettling and the church bells along with the loud drums all contribute to a very complex and disturbing song.  Another powerful number.  Very powerful.

'Watching You Without Me' is a softer, more heartfelt number describing feelings of separation and the need for understanding.  Once again the dominant sound of traditional instruments leaps to the fore.  'Jig Of Life' gets its frantic tempo from a fiddle playing rather aggressively throughout the song.  Again, you have a rise in sound.  A musical swelling.  The wave metaphor continues with another crescendo into 'Hello Earth'.  This one starts off as a simple minimalist ballad that has a wave building in itself.  The progression is dynamic and harks back to previous tracks through the background vocals.  At the end of this song, the album feels like it's had a natural conclusion.  But it's not over yet.  'The Morning Fog' kicks in with a major upbeat sound as yet completely unheard of on this record.  This is probably my favorite song on the whole album, but it's also the one track that feels out of place.  It just doesn't belong here.

There are six additional tracks on one of my versions.  The first of these tracks is 'The Big Sky (Meteorological Mix)'.  If you thought this song couldn't get any grander or sound more full, you've got another thing coming.  This lovely mix also features an additional part with people discussing the shapes of clouds and what they look like.  It's whimsical and fun!  'Running Up That Hill (12" Mix)' is fairly faithful to the original with some extended bits and a slightly different arrangement.  It's enjoyable as well.  Next up is the first of the single b-sides.  'Be Kind To My Mistakes' is an interesting number.  I like the song, but I don't feel like it's as strong as some of the other material on the record.  Still, it's pretty good.  'Under The Ivy' is a piano solo piece by Bush and she sounds lovely on it.  Of all the b-sides, 'Burning Bridge' is probably the track I most enjoy.  The drums start and you feel like you're listening to 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)', but then the music bursts forth and you know you're dealing with a much more positive and happy number.  Such a great tune!  The final number is a cover of a traditional tune.  'My Lagan Love' is an acapella track and Bush delivers a breathtaking version.

Over all, "Hounds Of Love" in any configuration or version is a must own.  It's a beautiful piece of work and an example of a songwriter who utilizes her strengths in every possible way to create a story.  She'd go on to do it even more successfully later on "Aerial" and "50 Words For Snow", but don't discount or write off this stuff.  It's just as brilliant, nuanced and meaningful.  My final words:  UNCOMPROMISING BRILLIANCE FROM A MAGICAL ARTIST!

KATE BUSH - HOUNDS OF LOVE
01. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)
02. Hounds Of Love
03. The Big Sky
04. Mother Stands For Comfort
05. Cloudbusting
06. And Dream Of Sheep
07. Under Ice
08. Waking The Witch
09. Watching You Without Me
10. Jig Of Life
11. Hello Earth
12. The Morning Fog
13. The Big Sky (Meteorological Mix)
14. Running Up That Hill (12" Mix)
15. Be Kind To My Mistakes
16. Under The Ivy
17. Burning Bridge
18. My Lagan Love