FEATURE:
Kate Bush: The Iconic Shots
PHOTO CREDIT: Bernard Fallon
‘Christmas Time’, 1978 (Bernard Fallon)
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I am a few days late here…
PHOTO CREDIT: Bernard Fallon
but, to salvage the remnants of Christmas to keep the spirit going for a little longer, this part of the series where I explore iconic photos of Kate Bush takes us back to Christmas. Some might quibble as to whether the photo at the top is ‘iconic’. I think it is, in the sense it is such an eye-catching and memorable photo. One might not even know about the series of shots Bernard Fallon took in 1978. Because I am soon marking the forty-fourth anniversary of her debut album, The Kick Inside (which celebrates that anniversary in February), I am interested in 1978 and everything Bush got up to that year. Many know that The Beatles had a packed 1967, though one can look at Kate Bush in 1978 and also wonder how the hell she managed to release two albums, promote her music around the world and still be able to have any energy or impetus to look ahead! I also want to bring in the article that went along with the photos. For Tune-In, Jan Etherington published a feature called Tales of Christmas Past. Bush was asked about her childhood Christmas experience, in addition to her career so far and what goes next. I am going to quote from that interview, before giving more of my thoughts about the photo I have selected as the very best from Bernard Fallon:
“IT'S a great compliment in a business where comparisons are a way of life and most things are derivative, that Kate Bush has emerged as an original. Her extraordinary first single "Wuthering Heights," which she wrote after watching the film on television, enabled Kate to move into the Number One spot for such an astonishing length of time that she practically bought the freehold. She'd barely vacated the premises when her second single "The Man With the Child In His Eyes," a haunting look at adolescent fantasy which she wrote four years ago, plus an album of her own songs, The Kick Inside, won her a gold record, proving that Kate Bush. far from being a one-hit wonder was definitely - something.
PHOTO CREDIT: Bernard Fallon
Still only 20, music has always been a part of her life. She began writing songs when she was 11 and grew up in a loving, caring family always ready with help, advice and encouragement. Her father, a doctor, plays well and one of her brothers, Paddy, makes and plays musical instruments and appears on Kate's albums. Her other brother, John, is a poet and writer and is married with two sons.
Only the slightest excuse is needed by Kate and her brothers for a family get-together and Christmas in the Bush household tends to be a Dickensian affair.
"I've always loved Christmas,"- she says. "It's a very special time. It has it's own special vibe. It's marvelous now, with my two nephews, seeing Christmas through a child's eyes. I remember getting a toy from my brother, Paddy, one year-- a little cooker. He broke it. He didn't mean to, but it's so heartbreaking when you're a kid. "We all get together as family for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day and because we're all so close, we have a terrific time. One thing I really love is the tree. It's wonderful to have a real tree in the house, the smell and colour is so beautiful. I really look forward to Christmas at home."
But for Kate, one thing's missing. Turkey is out. For four years she's been a vegetarian.
Kate's arrival on the pop scene came after a long period of waiting in the wings. EMI put her under contract three years ago after hearing a demo tape prepared by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. Very impressed, they felt, however, that Kate should spend some time writing before she was launched.
Kate found it a strange period of limbo.
"Once I got the contract I presumed things would happen. I didn't go on holiday in case they called me to do some recording. But nothing happened. Finally I decided to study dance because I felt at least that would be something progressive."
It was a wise move. Her classes in dance and mime with Arlene Phillips and Lindsay Kemp have added enormously to Kate's impact as a visual performer, although Kate found the lessons no easy task.
"There's an awful lot of dance training in mime and I found it very difficult because I'd never danced before. A lot of the other people in the classes were good and I was useless. I looked an idiot for months and I used to get so depressed and frustrated because I couldn't do it but challenge is very important to me and I was really tough with myself to carry on and stop looking a fool. If you don't dare a little you won't progress."
Her continuous movement on stage is one literal way in which she manifests her horror of remaining static as a musician and a writer. She had four years to get together the songs which gave her the initial impact”.
Success has given her many things. but it's taken away her time to herself.
"Sometimes I get really worried because I'm not sure if I can ever write another song. but that's often because I've not had enough time to get the flow going. It's very inspiring sometimes to write under pressure because you're in a very extreme emotional state and enjoying new experiences.
What I do find a problem, is actually being left alone to put it on paper. I can't remember the last time I was alone for any length of time, even a day. It must be well over a year. I miss being by myself very, very much but it's very difficult because you can't just ask people to leave, they don't understand.
When I was studying dance and writing songs I was alone a lot, but I was being so creative and I got so much done. I think it was probably one of the best times of my life: I was really happy."
Not that she's unhappy at the moment but she realises that one album doth not a legend make, even if it was a gold one, and her new album Lionheart will be very important. She's very happy with it, she feels it's a major progression.
PHOTO CREDIT: Bernard Fallon
"Writing songs is what I'm good at and I really do feel it's what I'm meant to do. What I'm here for. I can't think of anything else that would be as fullfilling and I would be happy to be just a songwriter, full stop. But there are always new beginnings. As soon as you climb one wall, there's another wall to climb. The first album was a showcase, a foot in the door if you like, and it's very important for me to change and improve. I think I can be reasonably objective about my own work and I was lucky to get the songs together for Lionheart. There are no special themes because I always treat each song as a separate entity and work on them one at a time but I think many other songs are much more up-tempo. I love rock songs but normally they're just three chords and I don't believe in that sort of writing. I like a really strong melody line and that was a technique to learn but l seem to have cracked it. It's pleased me, anyway."
She's confident enough to know when she's done a good job and appears to have all the necessary ingredients for survival and sanity in the music business. She also has all the strong characteristics of her Leo birthsign. It was she, for instance, as a young unknown, who over-ruled EMl's first choice and insisted that they release "Wuthering Heights" as her debut single.
"For me "Wuthering Heights" was the only single and I felt very strongly about it. Eventually they agreed, but it would have been terrible if it had failed after all the effort I had put into it”.
I really love the festivity of the photos taken by Bernard Fallon. There are a lot of great photos from 1978, though none that match the fun of the Christmas shots. Bush looked relaxed and in a good spirits. She was not even at the end of an enormously busy year. I can only imagine how much she was looking forward to Christmas that year! A chance to spend time with family and have some time off. 1979 was another busy year where she went from two studio albums to her huge The Tour of Life (that took her around Europe). Capturing Kate Bush in a relaxed and upbeat mood, the range of photos Fallon took are really incredible and memorable. I especially love that photo of her by the mantelpiece with a card in her hand. You get a few different angles of Kate Bush at Christmas. From smarter and more elegant clothing to her more comfortable and causal, it is one of the great photoshoots! I may return to these photos when I discuss The Kick Inside, ahead of its forty-fourth anniverssary. I will do a few more parts of this feature that explores iconic photos of Kate Bush. For this one, I wanted to go back to 1978 and highlight…
A late slice of Christmas.