FEATURE:
The 4K Treatment
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in the video for 1980’s Army Dreamers/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
Why Restoring and Upgrading Kate Bush’s Videos Would Be Timely
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I think that…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in the video for Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
the way Kate Bush has bene reissuing albums and keen on looking back means that there is still a window of opportunity for her to consider upgrading her music videos. Maybe it is not possible for all of her interviews and live performances to be cleaned up or upgraded to 4K. At present, there are no Kate Bush videos that have officially been given the 4K treatment. If you look at her official website, there are some music videos that are HD. The quality doesn’t look too and, but none have been taken from the original video source. Also, I can’t see any of those HD versions on her YouTube channel. I have heard interviews where Kate Bush has said how she would be open to seeing her music videos on a DVD. She has always loved videos and is very much drawn to the cinematic. I do wonder what is holding things back. There has been no statement from here where she has refused to touch her videos. The fact that there are HD versions of a selection of singles to coincide with the reissue of her studio albums means that it is important to her that they look sharp and appeal to people. As her music is now reaching young fans who will see her videos and this might be their first port of call, there is definitely an opportunity to do some 4K versions. Definitely Hounds of Love’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), Hounds of Love and Cloudbusting would look tremendous in 4K. They are popular tracks and the videos would have that extra sharpness and gravity. I also think that a few early videos such as Army Dreamers (Never for Ever, 1980) and Wow (Lionheart, 1978) would very much suit 4K. It might not be instantly possible for all of the music videos to be 4K.
Artists have committed to 4K. It is not the first port of call for most new videos – as it costs more than standard videos/film -, but it is something that happens when albums celebrate anniversaries or there is a certain call for them. In the case of someone like Madonna, her legendary and unique videos definitely look glorious in 4K. It gives them an extra boost and means that they are restored and preserved. It adds to the oriignal and I think will mean it is more likely people will discover and play the videos years from now. Whilst it is happening with legacy artists, it is not occurring as much as I would imagine. Maybe there is not a huge difference between HD and 4K to the naked eye. There are so many music videos where the original is not great quality. Even an HD version would add something to it. I feel that Kate Bush is an artist whose videos are always original and different. Some look pretty good in terms of their quality, though there are quite a few that need to get that upgrade. One would feel Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) should be first in line for 4K. A selection of, say, ten videos in a new 4K collection would be embraced by fans established and new. Kate Bush has the final say with all of this. She is not going to release a DVD of Before the Dawn for particular reasons. She has not said anything about keeping her music videos as they are.
The love Kate Bush has for her videos and work in general is evident. She has reissued her albums and is pretty open to retrospection. That has not always been the case. A lot has changed regarding Kate Bush’s mindset and appreciation of her older work. I would hope that, alongside other projects, there is commitment to sharpening some of her classic videos. Of course, there is that greater need for new material and something fresh from Kate Bush. Even so, as the audio for her albums has been remastered and attention has gone into that side of things, the visual has been largely overlooked. Aside from HD versions of a handful of singles, how about some of her biggest videos? Her YouTube channel does not have new uploads or anything that is an improvement on the original. For many people, seeing one of Kate Bush’s videos was eye-opening and highly memorable. I don’t think that it is the case that people are finding her through streaming. There are many who go to YouTube. Because of that, giving some of her videos a lick of paint would be sensible. With distinct storylines, scenes and visuals, a Kate Bush video is a thing of wonder. So many people would love to see videos for her singles…
FULLY to life.