Album Reviews

In 1989 digital was all the rage. New vinyl records were on the verge of extinction. And Kate Bush remained silent - four years after her chart-topping album Hounds Of Love. Her famously loyal fans were literally chomping at the bit for the next release from the mystical chanteuse. The Sensual World was just around the corner. Would it be brilliant or bizarre?

In 1989 digital was all the rage. New vinyl records were on the verge of extinction. And Kate Bush remained silent - four years after her chart-topping album Hounds Of Love. Her famously loyal fans were literally chomping at the bit for the next release from the mystical chanteuse. The Sensual World was just around the corner. Would it be brilliant or bizarre?

Kate Bush is recognized as a somewhat eccentric musical visionary whose recordings either leave you swooning or running for the nearest door. She’s not someone who plays it safe, and her expressive trebly vibrato is arguably an acquired taste. When this sensitive songwriter connects, as she often does, she can win your heart. But should her unconventional style be a little too weird for your tastes, well you could easily be saying “next.” You might even go so far as to agree with Rolling Stone’s Dave Marsh when he wrote, “Sort of like the consequences of mating Patti Smith with a Hoover vacuum cleaner.” Ouch…

Regardless of the challenges her music may or may not present, it’s my firm belief that Kate’s albums, while admittedly eclectic, are exceptionally imaginative and worth spending time with to fully appreciate. She has proven to be one of the most creatively talented and emotionally rewarding British recording artists I’ve heard. When 1978’s The Kick Inside was released on EMI, I bought a Japanese import LP on the advice of a friend. Delicate, tender and innocent, Kate’s poignant lyrics and other worldly music captured my imagination. I became an immediate fan. Lionheart came right after and sounded more mature yet equally esoteric and adventuresome.

Never For Ever  (the first ever Number 1 album by female solo artist in the UK) and fan favorite The Dreaming marked her transformation from cult singer/songwriter to accomplished musical artist/producer/director. Then in 1985, after the cinematic Hounds Of Love was released at #1 in the UK, Kate took some needed time off. Her following album, The Sensual World, is reviewed here. The Red Shoes saw a more pop oriented effort four years later. Then she took some serious time off – twelve years. When Kate returned with Aerial in 2005, she confirmed what her adoring fan base already suspected. She still had it. The result was a sublime record that is simply mesmerizing in its introspective maturity and elegant assuredness.

The Sensual World thus takes center stage in Kate Bush’s repertoire. It was her biggest selling album in America and achieved gold record status. It may not be regarded as her best work, but it’s not far from it. Considerably more mainstream than the albums that came before but not quite as refined as later efforts, The Sensual World comes off as a product of the late 80’s - dense, weighty and a little wild.

Revealing her continued fascination with relationships, sexuality and love, The Sensual World is said to be Kate’s “feminine“ album. It also highlights her experimental interest in global music, as well as the use of a Fairlight digital sampling synthesizer she had been using since The Dreaming. Unfortunately, there’s always been a processed “coldness” to the sound of the original CD cut by Robert Ludwig at Masterdisk that has kept many audiophiles from embracing this record completely.

My short review is that the coldness is gone from the remastered Audio Fidelity LP. Elements that were previously buried in the complex mix are also allowed space to breathe. The only advantage the CD has at this point is the inclusion of the bonus track “Walk Straight Down The Middle.” You could stop reading right here and be secure in placing an order for this vinyl mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray, but I hope I don’t make it that easy for you…

“I turn to my computer, like a friend,” Kate tells us in her bittersweet song “Deeper Understanding.” Sonically, I’m not sure if it was the friend her music needed at the time. For all the emotionally charged lyrics and explosive instrumentation on The Sensual World, the production on the CD has always struck me as dynamically constrained. Reportedly the recording was mixed digitally. The original US Columbia vinyl with Townhouse DMM markings in the dead wax doesn’t offer much help. Yes, it’s a little better sounding, but sibilants are edgy and the soundstage is just as flat.

A UK pressing from the 1990 This Woman’s Work vinyl box set is a significant improvement. There’s at least some warmth and dynamics, and the multilayered soundstage is deeper and better resolved. Sibilants are more natural and controlled without being tamed completely. Davey Spillane’s pipes on the title track are more realistic, as are the drums, which now sound like they actually have some skins on them. But as good as that pressing is, it can’t hold a candle to this new reissue from Audio Fidelity, which Kate reportedly approved.

For the first time ever, the Hoffman/Gray mastering allows room for the listener to really get into the mix. As soon as the opening chimes enter on Side 1, you know something different is going on. As the song unfolds you experience a fuller, more three-dimensional presentation that is much more inviting. Sibilants are completely natural. Treble is extended and smooth. The midrange is rich and involving. Drums sound dynamically believable. Bass is taught and tuneful. In essence, it’s a whole new ball game.

The phrase “it’s as if hearing the album for the first time” is a tired cliché. But here it’s actually appropriate. The drum sound is so much more realistic that David Gilmour’s stunning guitar solos on “Love And Anger” and “Rocket’s Tail” get a little buried in the mix. Bass is now something you can actually hear and feel on “This Woman’s Work.” The previously bright “Reaching Out” becomes even more transcendent with warm detail and hardly a hint of harshness. Background vocals gain a new presence that is unified with the rest of the recording, which is spread out over a deep and convincing soundstage. Subtle vocal inflections are now easily discerned. Finally, the music is allowed to envelop you as it was intended. Did I say I like this album?

My copy of the 180-gram LP pressed on virgin vinyl at RTI is silent and flat. The fully laminated gatefold cover makes the original jacket look like an afterthought. Bottom line - Audio Fidelity has produced a winner with this Kate Bush LP, much like they did with their Hounds Of Love reissue last year. Here’s a short synopsis of that superb release:

Recorded to analogue tape in the mid ‘80s with the vinyl format in mind, Hounds Of Love is split into two parts. The first side of the record is a bit more accessible with five powerful pop tunes that display all of Kate’s quirky charms. Included are some of her best-known songs like “Running Up That Hill,” “The Big Sky,” and “Cloudbusting.”

The second side is much more reflective and is titled “The Ninth Wave.” Filled with tension, climax and release, it is a continuous song cycle that is richly textured and immensely moving. Inspired by a Tennyson poem, Kate thematically weaves a haunting web of intrigue, isolation, and salvation with breathy vocals. Her music has never been at once so intimate, ambitious, ethereal and universally resonant. This critically acclaimed record is a sonic tour de force.

The Audio Fidelity LP of Hounds Of Love is once again the one to beat. As a bonus, it’s been pressed on grey marble vinyl just like the original US Capitol limited edition. In making comparisons, I listened to my original Japanese CD, UK LP, Japanese LP and Simply Vinyl LP of this title (I told you I was a fan). The result is as revealing as it is educational. What was previously a “cold” sounding record has been given newfound warmth without sacrificing detail. Once again, percussive reproduction on the Audio Fidelity reissue trumps all others. The marching “Cloudbusting” and rhythmic “The Big Sky” are transformed from muddy dirge to driving unstoppable force.

There’s also an added fullness to the lower midrange that adds weight to the proceedings. Treble is airy, smooth and clean without any of the brightness found on other pressings. Although the Japanese CD and Simply Vinyl LP are very satisfactory on their own, they cannot compete with what Steve Hoffman, Kevin Gray and Audio Fidelity have made here - a beautiful mastering and near silent pressing housed in a unique gatefold jacket. By the time Side 2 ends, there will probably be little question in your mind as to which LP you will be playing from here on. Music rating for this LP is a solid 9. Sonics are top notch at 10.

Is there nothing more anyone could wish for? With over 26 minutes of music on Side 2, it would have been nice to have an Audio Fidelity CD or 45 RPM of Hounds Of Love as well. Then there’s the rest of the Kate’s catalogue to consider. Here’s hoping Steve and Kevin get to remaster the remaining titles. In the mean time, with only 5,000 pressed of each title, it’s still not too late to pick these up.

Are we done yet? When it comes to Kate, it doesn’t pay to get too comfortable. A recent revisionist release called Director’s Cut features some of the songs on both The Sensual World and The Red Shoes re-recorded with new vocals and instruments by Kate and others. In addition, the original The Red Shoes album has been remastered in its entirety and is available as part of a 3 CD deluxe set. Reportedly, Kate never liked the hard-edged sound of the digitally recorded The Red Shoes and felt the newly remastered version has a warmer, fuller sound.

She’s right of course. The re-mastered The Red Shoes is like listening to a different record. Rather than working with the original digital master, Kate went to a back up analogue multitrack, and the results are much better for it. The “new” songs from The Sensual World also sound less clinical, but are different recordings than the ones reviewed here (the re-named title track has lyrics from James Joyce as originally intended). Still this release will be very appealing to dyed-in-the-wool fans. 

In the final analysis, Kate Bush is a highly original artist who has been monumentally influential in the emergence of several 90’s female alt-rockers, including Bjork, Alanis Morissette, and Tori Amos. If you have not yet explored her music, Kate’s inventive lyrics warrant your attention, and her deeply personal compositions can draw you into a unique magical world. Audio Fidelity’s mastering of The Sensual World has made accessibility to her lush yet dense soundscape a lot easier. It’s now up to the listener to take the time needed to get there. It is worth the journey and the wait.