FEATURE:
Dispelling the Myth of the Sophomore Slump
Kate Bush’s Lionheart at Forty-Six
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IN the first of two…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Aris
anniversary features around Lionheart, I want to do what I have done with other Kate Bush albums celebrating anniversaries. I want to take a look at Kate Bush’s words and also some critical feedback. Many see Lionheart as a far inferior version of The Kick Inside. Bush’s debut album came out in February 1978. Nine months later, she put out her second studio album. It would have been mad enough if there was no activity or commitments in between!. Bush would have been thinking about hoe she wanted to express herself on the second album. Taking time to write more songs and be more involved with the album. Think about big artists today, and very few put out two albums in the space of a year and also do promotion and everything else associated with the circus and never-ending rush that the music industry demands. In the case of Kate Bush, there was this instant and unexpected explosion after the release of The Kick Inside. An artist like nobody else, one can understand EMI wanting to capitalise on that. However, in their rush for commercial sustainable, profit and slightly milking their star, they forgot history. When Bush was signing with them as a teenager, there was this feeling that she could take some time to make music, and there was not this insistence that she would be in the studio or on tour. As such, The Kick Inside is an album that feels unhurried and organic. Even if the songs were taken from earlier days and years, the recording and production was not really set to a tight timeline. Lionheart felt like an album that was out quick to get a good chart position. Bush had time to write three new songs, though there is a feeling that there was too much pressure and expectation.
However, on 10th November, 1978, we did get the second studio album from Kate Bush. I am of the opinion that Lionheart is far beter than it is given credit for. In interviews and promotion around 1978, Bush was saying how she felt Lionheart as stronger than The Kick Inside. More representative of who she was and what she wanted. Rather than it being false confidence and hype, you can see where she was coming from. Two new songs, Fullhouse (how it is listed on the original album back cover, though it is named Full House on Spotify and YouTube) and Coffee Homeground are more experimental and darker than most of the songs on The Kick Inside. Reverberating with paranoia and a strange tension, perhaps they tapped into the psyche and mindset of an artist pushed and pulled around the world on promotion. I don’t think it is a bad thing. Consider 1982’s The Dreaming and the brilliance of the songs she created when she was going from studio to studio. Symphony in Blue, another new song, is a beautiful and mature cut that nearly tops everything on The Kick Inside. For an album that mainly consists of dusted off songs from the past, there are some genuine gems. Oh England My Lionheart, Kashka from Baghdad and Hammer Horror (the lead single from the album) are exceptional. The iconic Wow is one of her most revered songs. Apart from a slight feeling of underwhelm on one or two tracks – critics highlight Don’t Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake and In the Warm Room as being a bit average -, there is not much to fault on Lionheart. It pulled off the trick of sounding a bit like The Kick Inside and having similar dynamics and colours with some updated angles, stories and depths. Signs and suggestions of what could come from her third studio album. An artist, only twenty when Lionheart came out, who was so much more interesting than most of her peers!
I want to come onto some interviews where Kate Bush discussed Lionheart. Thanks to the Kate Bush Encyclopedia for being such a reliable go-to for archives and information! For a young artist who was optimistic and excited to put out a second studio album, she must have been dented and deflated by some of the reviews. Even if she distanced herself from Lionheart slightly years after its release, she was still happy about it when it came out. Despite not being involved as much with production as she’d like, she was more part of the process than The Kick Inside. Regardless, reviews like this must have stung:
‘Mature’ lyrics sung in that twee irritating schoolgirl-siren voice… Actually most of the time she’s nearer a vague British lineage – Barbara Dickson to Lynsey de Paul – than a Joni/Janis wonderland.
Ian PenmaN, NME, 25 November 1978
A product which is at best moderate, lacking and often severely irritating… The feel is often bland and soulless. Strictly MOR with a clever tinge. This is flat conceived silliness. I simply dislike it.
Chris Westwood, Record Mirror, 25 November 1978
I love her and I hate her and you all feel exactly the same way only you’re too unreal to confess the terrible crime. You have to take her seriously in spite of all the flying sneers and jeers. The songs themselves aren’t individually strong at all. It’s more the aura she creates.
Dave McCullough, Sounds, 25 November 1978
I think, in years since 1978, there is a feeling that Lionheart is far from a sophomore slump. A ‘difficult second album’. Even if it can’t match the heights of her later work, it is such an important album and proves how gifted, hard-working, diverse and passionate the teen Kate Bush was! It is interesting how Kate Bush spoke about Lionheart when it was released and a few years later:
“Maybe I’m a bit too close to it at the moment, but I find it much more adventurous than the last one. I’m much more happier with the songs and the arrangements and the backing tracks. I was getting a bit worried about labels from that last album; everything being in the high register, everything being soft, and airy-fairy. That was great for the time but it’s not really what I want to do now, or what I want to do, say, in the next year. I guess I want to get basically heavier in the sound sense… and I think that’s on the way, which makes me really happy.
I don’t really think there are any songs on the album that are as close to Wuthering Heights as there were on the last one. I mean, there’s lots of songs people could draw comparisons with. I want the first single that comes out from this album to be reasonably up-tempo. That’s the first thing I’m concerned with, because I want to break away from what has previously gone. I’m not pleased with being associated with such soft, romantic vibes, not for the first single anyway. If that happens again, that’s what I will be to everyone.
Harry Doherty, Kate: Enigma Variations. Melody Maker, November 1978
[Recording in France] was an amazing experience. I mean it’s the first time I’ve ever recorded out of the country. And the environment was really quite phenomenal, I mean it was just so beautiful, it was so unlike anything I’d seen for a long while. And I think there was so many advantages to it, but there were a couple of disadvantages – the fact that it was so beautiful, you couldn’t help but keep drifting off to the sun out there, you know, that sort of thing. But you just didn’t feel like you needed a break, because the vibes and the weather and everyone around was just so good, you know, you didn’t feel like you were working. It was really, really fun.
Lionheart Promo Cassette, EMI Canada, 1978
It was a difficult situation because there was very little time around and I felt very squashed in by the lack of time and that’s what I don’t like, especially if it’s concerning something as important for me as my songs are, they’re really important to me. But it all seemed to come together and it was really nicely guided by something, it just happened great. And there were quite a few old songs that I managed to get the time to re-write. It’s a much lighter level of work when you re-write a song because the basic inspiration is there, you just perfect upon it and that’s great. And they’re about four new songs so they all came together, it was great. In fact, we ended up with more then we needed again, which is fantastic.
Lionheart Promo Cassette, EMI Canada, 1978
I had only a week after we got back from Japan to prepare for the album. I was lucky to get it together so quickly. But the songs seem to me, now, to be somewhat overproduced. I didn’t put enough time into them.
Richard Laermer, Kate Bush Touches the U.S. At Last, Pulse!, 1984”.
Prior to getting to a review of Lionheart from 2013, I want to bring in an interview from 1978. A promotional chat with Melody Maker that I have sourced before. Although there are clear comparisons between The Kick Inside and Lionheart, it is evident that, in a short time, Bush had developed and was very ambitious. Coming near the end of a year that could have broken her, you could feel an enthusiasm and the sense of an artist looking ahead at what is to come:
“There are similarities to the debut album. Lionheart is produced once more by Andrew Powell and, generally, the musicians who did the honours on The Kick Inside are recalled. Kate wants the connections between her first and second album to stop there.
For instance, her own band makes a slight contribution to the new album, being featured on two of the tracks, Wow and Kashka From Baghdad, and had it not been for a mix-up in the organisation, might have made a heavier contribution. It is, it appears, a sensitive situation, and one that Kate doesn't care to dwell upon, but she's still determined that, eventually, her own band--Charlie Morgan (drums), Brian Bath (guitars), Del Palmer (bass), Paddy Bush (mandolin)--will play a more prominent part in the recording proceedings.
On the subject of producing, it's significant that Kate is accredited as assistant producer and so is acknowledged as playing an active role in mixing the sound as well as performing. She takes an immense interest in recording techniques and states intentions to pursue ambitions in that area. There was, however, a problem in communication when she was involved in the production and her lack of professional lingo for various methods of recording often led to confusion and amusement in the studio.
"I feel I know what I'm talking about in the studio now. I know what I should hear. The reaction to me explaining what I want in the studio was amusement, to a certain extent. The were all taking the piss out of me a bit."
Overall, Bush was concerned that the new album should differ quite radically from her first. &ocq.Maybe I'm a bit too close to it at the moment, but I find it much more adventurous than the last one. I'm much happier with the songs and the arrangements and the backing tracks.
"I was getting a bit worried about labels from that last album: everything being soft, airy-fairy. That was great for the time, but it's not really what I want to do now, or what I want to do, say, in the next year. I guess I want to get basically heavier in the sound sense...and I think that's on the way, which makes me really happy.
"I don't really think that there are any songs on the album that are as close to .bf ital Wuthering Heights .pf as there were on the last one. I mean, there's lots of songs people could draw comparison with. I want the first single that comes out from this album to be reasonably up-tempo. <The first single was Hammer Horror .> That's the first thing I'm concerned with, because I want to break away from what has previously gone. I'm not pleased with being associated with such soft, romantic vibes, not for the first single anyway. If that happens again, that's what I will be to everyone."
She is acutely aware of the danger of being pigeon-holed, and is actively engaged in discouraging that.
"If you can get away with it and keep changing, great. I think it should be done because in that way you'll always have people chasing after you trying to find out what you're doing. And, anyway, if you know what's coming next, what's the point? If I really wanted to, I guess I could write a song that would be so similar to Wuthering Heights . But I don't. What's the point? I'd rather write a song that was really different, that I liked, although it might not get anywhere."
Have you heard her new single, Hammer Horror ? Now that's really different.
The major changes in the preparation for Lionheart was undoubtedly that Kate, over-burdened with promotional schemes for the first album, was for the first time left with the unsavoury prospect of meeting deadlines and (perhaps) having to rush her writing to do that. It was a problem she was having trouble coming to terms with at our last meeting, when she spoke in obvious admiration of bands like Queen--who came up with the goods on time every year, and still found time to conduct world tours.
But Kate insisted that she wasn't going to be rushed, and eventually the songs came along. In all, it took ten weeks to record the twelve tracks (ten are on the album), an indication of the meticulousness shown by Bush herself in exercising as much control as possible over every facet of the work. "I'm not always right, and I know I'm not," she says, "but it's important to know what's going on, even if I'm not controlling it."
I'll be interested to read the reviews of Lionheart . It'll be sad, I think, if the album is greeted with the same sort of insulting indifference that The Kick Inside met, when Kate Bush was pathetically underrated.
Lionheart is, as the artist desired, a heavier album than its predecessor, with Bush setting some pretty exacting tests for the listener. Kate's songwriting is that much more mature, and her vocal performance has an even more vigorous sense of drama.
Musically, the tracks on Lionheart are more carefully structured than before. There is, for instance, a distinct absence of straight songs, like the first album's Moving, Saxophone Song, The Man With the Child in His Eyes and The Kick Inside . Here, only Oh England, My Lionheart makes an immediate impression and I'm not sure that the move away from soft ballads (be it to secure a separate image) is such a wise one. As Bush proved on those songs on The Kick Inside, simplicity can also have its own sources of complication.
There is much about this album that is therapeutic, and often Kate Bush is the subject of her own course. Fullhouse is the most blatant example of that. <There is no evidence that this song is autobiographical.> On of the album's three unspectacular tracks musically (along with, in my opinion, In the Warm Room and Kashka From Baghdad ), it is still lyrically a fine example of ridding the brain of dangerous paranoias. The stabbing verse of "Imagination sets in,/Then all the voices begin,/Telling you things that aren't happening/(But the nig and they nag, 'til they're under your skin)" is set against the soothing chorus: "You've really got to/Remember yourself,/You've got a fullhouse in your head tonight,/Remember yourself,/Stand back and see emotion getting you uptight."
Even Fullhouse is mild, though, when compared to tracks like Symphony in Blue, In the Warm Room and Kashka From Baghdad, which exude an unashamed sensuality. Symphony in Blue, the opening track, is a hypnotic ballad with the same sort of explicit sexual uninhibitiveness as Feel It from the first album. "The more I think about sex,/The better it gets,/Here we have a purpose in life,/Good for the blood circulation,/Good for releasing the tension./The root of our reincarnation," sings Kate happily.
In Search of Peter Pan, Wow (running together on the first side) and Hammer Horror are are examples of Kate's strange ability to let the subconscious mind run amok in the studio. Wow is tantalisingly powerful and Hammer Horror (the single) is most impressive for the way it seems to tie in so many of the finer points of the first album and project them through one epic song.
That leaves three tracks, Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake, Oh England, My Lionheart, and Coffee Homeground . All of them with totally contrasting identieds but all succeeding in areas that many might have considered outside the scope of Kate Bush.
A few months ago, in the paper, Kate said how one of her musical ambitions was to write a real rousing rock'n'roll song and how difficult she found that task. James and the Cold Gun was her effort on The Kick Inside, and with Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake she has tackled the art of writing a roasting rocker on her own terms. Heartbrake (another piece of emotional therapy) might not be considered a rocker in the traditional sense of racing from start to finish but it's still one of the most vicious pieces of rock I've stumbled across in some time. The chorus is slow, pedestrianly slow. The pace is deceiving. It slides into the chorus. Bush moves into a jog. Then the second part of the chorus. It's complete havoc, and when it comes to repeating that second part in the run-up to the end, Kate wrenches from her slight frame a screaming line of unbelievably consummate rock'n'roll power that astounded me. A rather unnerving turn to Kate's music, I think”.
I don’t think that Lionheart is the worst Kate Bush album. She has never released a bad album. Far from being this weak The Kick Inside, it is a fascinating snapshot of this artist trying to move on from her debut but also wanting to retain some of that sound. If she had been given longer to record and write, who knows what Lionheart could have been! In the second feature, I will explore some of the songs from Lionheart. I think that it is an amazing and eclectic album with so many different wonderful stories. Perhaps the best track on the album is Symphony in Blue. The divine opener opens this toy box and treasure chest. Sumptuous and wise, we then treated to a blend of sweetness and fantasy alongside some darker moments and personal fear. An accomplished work that could have been even better than The Kick Inside was slightly let down by time pressure. It reflects badly on EMI that they did not give Kate Bush enough opportunity and time to record her second album. Regardless, I think it is a magnificent work. This review from 2013 offers positives that other do not afford the album:
“Ok, here’s the party line on Kate Bush’s second album Lionheart. It was the “difficult second album”; rush released too soon after her stupendous debut, The Kick Inside. The material was under cooked, it was recorded hastily. It was a commercial disappointment. Lionheart has always been viewed as the gawky, homely sister to The Kick Inside. It languishes in the same purgatory as Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk and Michael Jackson’s Bad. Those were all albums that were tasked with following up a monster critical and commercial smash; too much to expect of any mortal record.
However, what if The Kick Inside had never existed, and Lionheart had been her debut? Take away the baggage and the job of reviewing becomes a little more interesting.
Lionheart is not a perfect album yet its still a staggering achievement. Had it been the opening missive in Kate’s discography, jaws would have still dropped just as far. This record is a potent example of the complexity of Kate Bush and her audacious voice, charisma and songs. Had it been her debut, it may not have conferred upon her the instant mantle of “Icon” (as ‘Kick’ did), but that might have been a good thing.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz
Sure, Lionheart could have benefitted from more time in the bottle or… maybe not. Kate had all the time in the world to worry over The Dreaming. Was it a better record? I’ll let you know when I get around to listening to it as many times as I have Lionheart. Lionheart is a grower that is unique in her canon. Every track on Lionheart earns and rewards repeated visitations.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. The song “Wow” is a wonderful confection of fantasy/pop. Equal parts torch ballad and bubblegum, it was a smart and successful single that could turn the heads of tabloid writers and music critics alike. And “England, My Lionheart”, is quite simply one of the most beautiful and unique melodies ever written. Usually in pop song craft you can hear echoes of the familiar; even if the artist is stealing from him/herself. This song exists on a different plane. That the lyrics are penned by a teenage girl is stupefying and magical. Why this song hasn’t been declared Britain’s national anthem is beyond me. It still might someday.
The epic “Hammer Horror” could be the subject of an entire review unto itself. By 1978, the term “Rock Opera” had become devalued currency. “Hammer Horror” is definitely a rock opera (albeit a tightly compressed and edited version of the form). Kate whispers, wails, moans and rumbles like both a siren and natural woman. She’s got some burr in her saddle in the form of a stalker, ex-boyfriend, ghost, or some unholy permutation of the three. Whatever happened, it’s now an ever-present nightmare of the soul. The tinkling piano ending turns the neat trick of being pretty and dissonant at the same time. The delayed reaction gong crash signals a melodramatic end to a brilliant and melodramatic record, and the cover art will rock your world.
Elsewhere, things get more eclectic and esoteric. “Coffee Homeground” courts Cabaret and Broadway and elevates both forms. Lead track, “Symphony In Blue” evokes a heavenly cocktail mix of Carol King on ecstasy and helium. On this album, even more than The Kick Inside, Kate takes her voice to its full, death defying limits. Many argue it takes listeners to their limits as well. Like Dylan, Kate’s voice is her signature, money maker, and albatross all rolled into one. One must come to the party prepared to marvel at her athleticism and then dig deep into the music itself. The rewards are there. Kate Bush is not a passive listen. We’ve got Sade for that. No, Lionheart is a three ring circus of emotion, estrogen and technique. And you know what? EMI put it out at just the right time. I’m glad we got two albums documenting Kate’s eloquent, teen dream genius. Soon our little girl would all grow up to be a woman. Lionheart didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just a matter of the paint on her masterpiece hadn’t quite dried yet”.
On 10th November, it will be forty-six since Lionheart came out. It reached number six in the U.K. I am glad that, in an interview from 1989, Bush expressed how happy she was with Lionheart considering it was extremely rushed. I wonder how she feels about it now. With very few podcast episodes or articles written about Lionheart, we need to spend more time discussing its merits and importance. In my view, Kate Bush’s second studio album is…
A genuine gem.