FEATURE:
(25th) December Will Be Magic Again
PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
The Kate Bush Christmas Gift Guide
___________
IF you need some late (or not)…
Christmas gift guides for the Kate Bush fan in your life, I wanted to recommend some ideas. Rather than select particular albums, there are some awesome sets of vinyl, in addition to books and some merchandise that can bulk up a stocking or look pretty tantalising under the tree! If you prefer vinyl or C.D.s, there is some choice when it comes to Kate Bush. I am going to post links to either, though when it comes to a Christmas gift that gives you a good overview of Bush’s work, the Remastered series from 2018 is a good investment. As her more obscure and rare tracks are as revealing and interesting as her albums tracks, Remastered in Vinyl IV is a treat. Alternatively, you can get The Other Sides. Here, we get remixes, some B-sides and cover versions that are well worth owning! Getting the first, second and third boxset gives you all of the studio albums. I would especially recommend the first part, as you get Bush’s The Kick Inside (1978), Lionheart (1978), Never for Ever (1980) and The Dreaming (1982). I feel that we see the biggest transition and change between these albums. If you are limited in terms of budget, that is the one to start with. You can pick the boxsets up for £50 on vinyl from HMV. Quite pricey but, as you get four studio albums, that is good value. As the third boxset included the double album, Aerial (2005), the cost is a little more. To complete the audio/vinyl/C.D. section of this guide, there is a purchase that every fan would love. In 2016, Bush released the live album of her 2014 residency, Before the Dawn. This is something that I can personally recommend. I have that set and, not having been at any of the gigs, I do get a sense of what it must have been like. If you have not got it or are looking for a lead regarding a Kate Bush-related gift, this is one that should be in your mind!
Prior to coming to books, there is a bit of a market when it comes to merchandise and Kate Bush goods. There is official merchandise that offers plenty of choice. The T-shirts are pretty cool! If you want some T-shirts and other cool (unofficial) merchandise, then Red Bubble is a good site to check out. I like what they have to offer, and I have bought from them before. Maybe complimenting a vinyl boxset with a Kate Bush T-shirt or print would be a nice bundle? Another side with a wide array of options is Etsy. They list prints, totes and a load of Kate Bush-related produce that is perfect as stocking fillers or a main present. I am looking at it now and am tempted to order myself a couple of gifts there! In addition to some rarer items, eBay provide some interesting and diverse options regarding merchandise and memorabilia. There is so much to pick from so, no matter if you have a new Kate Bush convert or a life-long fan in your life…they should be catered for pretty well!
Aside from a calendar for 2022 there are more than enough books on Kate Bush that are a perfect starting point for fans. The past year or two have been especially fertile regarding books about her. There are books out of print that would have been great to get, so having new releases is pleasing. It means that people can get a better insight into Bush. I would say getting Kate Bush: All The Top 40 Hits from Craig Halstead is a good buy. It pretty much does what it says on the cover regarding looking at all of her top forty tracks. There are a couple of track-by-track guides that, like the book above, goes into more detail regarding her songs. I have this one, Kate Bush On Track: Every Album, Every Song (On Track), and I can say that Bill Thomas does a good job providing details about her songs and some personal opinions. It is a just over a tenner - so it makes for a nice stocking filler. Released in February, Kate Bush: Song by Song from John Van der Kiste is the same sort of thing. There are differences between the two books, so buy both for the hardcore fan. For the more casual or new fan, I would point you towards Thomas’ book. That said, both are excellent and offer passion and great research. Laura Shenton released two great books about Kate Bush last year. They dove deep into two very different albums. Her take on The Kick Inside is fascinating. That is my favourite album, so I am a little biased. I would urge anyone looking for a good starter book to buy that, as we get feel what it was like for Bush recording her 1978 debut album; the impact that album had cannot be underestimated!
Bush’s fourth studio album, The Dreaming is also explored and dissected. Both books are around the £10 mark, so they make for good presents. I think both are equally good - although Shenton’s writing on The Kick Inside is particularly good. There is a ‘holy trinity’ of affordable books (I will end with a few that are a little dear) that everyone needs to ponder when deciding which Kate Bush books are worth buying. The first is her book of lyrics, How to Be Invisible, that presents some choice lyrics spanning forty years of a wonderful career. The fact that the book arrived forty years after her debut album was timely. It also allowed Bush plenty of choices when it came to selecting which songs to include for selection! Graeme Thomson’s excellent biography, Under the Ivy: The Life & Music of Kate Bush is a book I have bought several times and read so many times! It is a brilliant book that would be the one above all I would recommend if you want to know about Kate Bush from her childhood to 2014 (the book takes us up to her residency at Hammersmith). A book that is a bit more expensive (£40) is John Carder Bush’s – Kate’s brothers – KATE: Inside the Rainbow. This is another that is an absolute essential purchase! The great photos and commentary from Carder Bush mean we get to see this aspiring artist as a child. Through her album cover shoots and single artwork, it works up to 2011. Carder Bush’s recollections, notes and the pride he has for his sister makes it an emotional, informative and delightful read! WOW! Kate Bush by Gered Mankowitz is a selection of his photos of Kate Bush from 1978 and 1979 (many of which are previously unpublished) in a huge volume. It is £395 (plus shipping for international orders), so it is more of a luxury item. If you are a huge Kate Bush fan, this is a rare item that is more of an investment. The same can be said of The Kate Inside by Guido Harari. He photographed Bush between 1982 and 1993. His snaps are among the very best. I hope that the suggestions above are helpful if you know a Kate Bush fan and are wondering what to get. Even though there has been no music from her for a while, when it comes to vinyl, books, merchandise and other Kate Bush-related treats, there is…
PHOTO CREDIT: Mike Forster/ANL/REX/Shutterstock
NO shortage of choice!