FEATURE:
A Diamond Kite
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in an outtake from the cover shoot of The Kick Inside/PHOTO CREDIT: Jay Myrdal
Kate Bush’s The Kick Inside at Forty-Five: Imagining an Expanded Edition
_________
ON 17th February…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz
Kate Bush’s debut album, The Kick Inside, turns forty-five. It is an album I am going to keep on writing about because, with every passing year, I discover something new about it. One of the things I have suggested or hoped for is an expanded or anniversary edition. It may be too late this year but, as it is such an important debut, surely there is scope and demand for a new release? The Kick Inside has been remastered before, but it still consists of the thirteen tracks from the 1978 original. Bush is someone who does not put out unused or unreleased material. That said, there is curiosity about the start of Bush’s career and that period leading to The Kick Inside. I know there are early recordings that are in demo form, but there are also photos and other things that mark a very important time in the career of one of the greatest artists ever. I have been thinking about this because, recently, Madonna announced she was embarking on a greatest hits world tour to promote her single, Holiday, which is forty this year. I suspect that there will be anniversary reissue of her eponymous debut album (which is forty in July), and there will be other bits too. As it stands, the two singles from The Kick Inside, Wuthering Heights and The Man with the Child in His Eyes, have not yet been remastered to HD.
A 4K rendering of each of these videos would be a compromise at least, plus the same for the video for the Japanese single, Them Heavy People. My last feature about this idea led me to talking about Kate Bush’s lack of retrospection. It would not be a case of every demo and early recording coming onto a new release. She herself cannot deny that her music has reached new fans recently, and any special release will be met with affection and respect. Of course, anything she was not happy with would not be included, but a vinyl reissue with six or seven unreleased tracks, plus special linear notes with a bit of history about the album. I don’t think there exists any photos from inside the studio when The Kick Inside was being recorded. Perhaps there are in Bush’s possession, but one of the great tragedies is the lack of visual documentation concerning the making of the album. We do have some great songs that are exceptional in terms of their beauty and quality. The forty-fifth anniversary of The Kick Inside is a big thing. After all these years, it is an album that still connects with people and holds this very special power. It is wonderful as it is but, of all Kate Bush albums, I feel this is the one that really deserves opening up and building on. Rather than raid the archives and go against the wishes of Bush, it would be an affectionate exploration of a classic album.
I know it was a hard task cutting down all the songs Bush had and just focusing on ones for the album. Producer Andrew Powell selected those that fit together. That is not to say songs left behind lacked quality. As I have said many times, Bush had already written songs like Wow (which would appear on the 1978 follow-up, Lionheart). This is what Bush said when it came to picking the thirteen songs that would form her debut album:
“There are thirteen tracks on this album. When we were getting it together, one of the most important things that was on all our mind was, that because there were so many, we wanted to try and get as much variation as we could. To a certain extent, the actual songs allowed this because of the tempo changes, but there were certain songs that had to have a funky rhythm and there were others that had to be very subtle. I was very greatly helped by my producer and arranger Andrew Powell, who really is quite incredible at tuning in to my songs. We made sure that there was one of the tracks, just me and the piano, to, again, give the variation. We've got a rock 'n' roll number in there, which again was important. And all the others there are just really the moods of the songs set with instruments, which for me is the most important thing, because you can so often get a beautiful song, but the arrangements can completely spoil it - they have to really work together. (Self Portrait, 1978)”.
I do like the fact there were certain specifications and dynamic considerations when it came to The Kick Inside. You can hear there had been a lot of thought regarding the flow and overall sound. If there was a new release – that would not necessarily tie to an anniversary; it would be simply to celebrate The Kick Inside’s importance – a new vinyl or C.D. could have a hand-picked selection of songs either recorded shortly before 1977/1978 or some slightly older ones. Also, in terms of photos, there are press images from when Bush was promoting The Kick Inside, alongside ones taken by her brother John Carder Bush from years earlier. Some would say all Bush albums are worthy or expanded editions, and I would agree. If there was only one that could be re-released to vinyl, C.D. (and even cassette), then the majestic The Kick Inside should be it. I wanted to expand on the feature I previously published about a Deluxe or anniversary edition. Having a clearer story and wider impression of The Kick Inside (forty-five on 17th February), would be a much-needed salute to…
A phenomenal introduction.