FEATURE:
Oh England My Lionheart
The Importance of Kate Bush’s Incredible Album Covers
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WHEN we think about….
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in an outtake from the Lionheart shoot in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz
Kate Bush’s album, there is the main focus on the music. As there should be. However, a great album cover gives us a window into what an album is about. The kind of sounds and stories that the listener can discover. Also, the strength of that central image. I recently published a feature that explored the cover of Bush’s 1978 debut album, The Kick Inside. With photographer Jay Myrdal taking the image of Kate Bush suspended from a giant kite, I would perhaps rank it lower than most of her other album covers. Lionheart was released in 1978. It is her second studio album. It corrects some of the issues with The Kick Inside. Bush, now, is the focus of the cover and not part of a large collage. Not shrunk or out of focus. Before getting to a few specific album covers, it is worth noting how they changed. Phases that occurred. There were multiple different covers for The Kick Inside depending on the country it was released in. Lionheart’s striking and intriguing cover was not replaced with a lot of variations. Bush very much at the core of her album covers until 1993. Her face very much the lure and main point of most of her album covers to that point. Definitely her image. 1993’s The Red Shoes was a pair of feet in red shoes. Whether it was the most appropriate image given the album title or Bush wanted to be less out of the spotlight, we saw less of Kate Bush for her following three albums. I would have thought Director’s Cut and 50 Words for Snow (both 2011) would have featured Bush at the front. One of the promotional photos from each album used as the cover. For the former, Bush holding aloft some film and inspecting it. For the latter, Bush dressed in fur (fake fur) and wrapped up warm against the elements. Both would have been more tangible and striking. However, I do feel that Kate Bush wanted her covers not to feature her. More concept and illustration rather than photography. From 2005, Bush featured less and less in her videos. To match her album covers, Bush’s visual representation was more imagined and artistic rather than personal and traditional. Many people love her latest three albums’ covers. They have a distinct aesthetic.
However, there are three or four album covers where she is the focus that stands in the mind and are more compelling than covers where Bush is not featured. Think about Lionheart’s cover where Bush is dressed in a lion costume and in an attic, sat in on chest with a glimmer of light coming through. The playfulness and connection to the title. Bush as a lion or lionhearted. Her brother John Carder Bush helped compose the set and shot. The photo taken by Gered Mankowitz. From further reading, that previous sentence might not be accurate. John Carder Bush came up with the concept, but it was Gered Mankowitz who controlled the shot and took the photo. Bush on a box/chest with a lion’s head on the floor beside her. Art direction and photography based on a design from Richard Gray. Bush said that we – her and Mankowitz/the crew – wanted to get across the vibe of a lion from within her. Her pose is playful but also lion-like. One gets an impression of an album that is curious, playful, strong, brave, maybe eclectic. I do think that you get some connection with the songs from the cover. Emotions and aspects of the ten tracks connecting in some way to the stunning Gered Mankowitz photo. Bush also revealed in an interview that her brother came up with this concept. That it was sort of comical. Lionheart can also connect to Richard of Lionheart (Richard I, known as Richard Cœur de Lion or Richard the Lionheart because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199). Steely, hard and dark, the cover was design to contrast impressions one might get of the word ‘Lionheart’. Bush wanted people not to quickly associate Lionheart with Richard I. Lionheart could mean ‘hero’. Bush sort of lamented the fact that word was used in so many songs. Lionheart remains one of the most fascinating Kate Bush covers.
Gered Mankowitz shot the cover at his studio and spent the day photographing Kate Bush. Mankowitz built the set and the shoot went on a long time. Bush’s natural curiosity, input, excitement and creative zeal meant that it was quite hard to get things settled. Taking a shot that was perfect. I could imagine Bush wanting to try different angles and wanting the light to be brighter or from a different perspective. Seemingly more involved in this cover shoot than for The Kick Inside – though Bush was quite involved but seems like an aside rather than the star -, once the cover shot was taken, there was a series of close-ups. The close-up shots of Bush’s hair looking red (or red-tinged) and the impression she was topless. The fact that we could not see any clothing in the shot. That slight allure. These shots could have been used as the cover but, instead, one of the shots was used on the back cover. Bush was aware that she needed to keep her photo in the paper and the publicity machine going. Bush also said how she acted up and played around because she didn’t want to have photos where she was miserable. Someone who knew that her image was going to be discussed, I think Bush being involved in photos like the one for Lionheart’s cover was an early glimpse of her visual aspirations. That would lead her to directing years later. Before wrapping up, I will look at the cover for The Dreaming and The Sensual World. I might reserve a separate feature for the cover of Hounds of Love, as it might be her most iconic and standout cover. More stunning and fascinating with every new album cover, the follow up from 1978’s Lionheart, 1980’s Never for Ever, has this wonderful and hugely imaginative illustration from Nick Price. This feature from 2023 argues that Never for Ever has the best album cover ever. The objects and visions that flow from under her dress. So many different meanings and levels:
“Album artwork serves as a portal into the soul of music. Acts like Kate Bush enrich this medium with vibrant colours, intriguing graphics, evocative imagery, and even thought-provoking text – it can hold the power to convey messages and themes that sometimes elude the music itself. Whether strolling through a record store or browsing online, the initial encounter often begins with the album cover.
In essence, this artistic facet offers a distinctive avenue for self-expression that transcends the boundaries of the album’s sonic landscapes. While an artist may assert their psychedelic inclinations through their music, there’s something uniquely resonant in the use of vivid hues and retro-futuristic visuals, coupled with imagery that frequently hints at multifaceted dimensions. This visual medium communicates more about the essence of a record than mere word of mouth ever could.
As a pioneer of theatrics and pyrotechnics, it comes as no surprise that the artwork for many of Kate Bush’s albums evoke that precise level of extraordinary: her debut album demonstrated this beautifully with its depiction of Bush holding onto a large dragon kite, gliding across a vast, all-seeing eye. Even Hounds of Love exhibits a profound sense of tensity with Bush’s voluminous hair and dramatic yet soft purple hues. However, the album that encapsulates her entire essence and arguably stands as one of the finest in the realm of music due to its profound relevance and unparalleled creativity is undoubtedly Never For Ever.
The initial two albums had established a distinctive sound that permeated every track, characterised by opulent orchestral arrangements complementing the live band’s presence. Never for Ever, however, diverges considerably in stylistic diversity, ranging from the direct and energetic ‘Violin’ to the nostalgic waltz of the chart-topping single ‘Army Dreamers’. Bush’s artistic inspirations from horror literature and cinema were once again prominently featured on this album, with songs like ‘The Infant Kiss’, which tells the story of a governess who grapples with adult emotions for her young male charge, possessed by the spirit of an adult man.
By extension, the cover art features a striking design that reflects the creative essence of the album and all of its messy yet stunning inclinations. Designed by British photographer and graphic designer Nick Price, who collaborated with Kate Bush on several of her album covers, the image depicts Bush in a surreal and ethereal tableau. Evoking an intriguing sense of mysticism and surrealism, various animals emerge underneath her dress, including a yellow-eyed owl, a black crow, and a pair of white doves.
This visual representation perfectly mirrors the album, both in terms of its sound and context. The artwork exudes a dreamy and otherworldly quality, aligning seamlessly with the album’s thematic explorations and diverse musical journeys. The project serves as the quintessential example of using music as a conduit for fantastical storytelling, illustrating the conflicting forces of good and evil that manifest within us and how these entities present themselves to the external world.
It’s an inevitable aspect of the human experience – the convergence of inner and outer worlds – and the cover’s depiction of the intricate and omnipresent nature of emotions and the darkness within is astounding. As Bush explained herself, the image represents “an intricate journey of our emotions: inside gets outside, as we flood people and things with our desires and problems. These black and white thoughts, these bats and doves, freeze-framed in flight, swoop into the album and out of your hi-fis. Then it’s for you to bring them to life”.
When coming up with the idea, Bush gave Price direction, but it was ultimately his choice to apply his vision following a simple instruction to convey light and dark themes. What he created firmly resonated with Bush’s inner world, echoing the artistic influences she held dear. One such influence was the Renaissance painter Pieter Breughal, whom she once said would be the artist she would most like to embody. Bush cited his ability to capture reality in a fantastical yet profoundly beautiful and elemental manner and found his depictions hauntingly evocative.
Another artist she admired was the late 1800s illustrator Arthur Rackham. The woman featured in his work, ‘Undine in the Wind’, bears a striking resemblance to the figure of Bush depicted on the cover of Never For Ever, right down to the detail of both figures standing on their toes. Price’s artwork also parallels the paintings of 15th and 16th-century artist Hieronymous Bosch, sharing similarities such as encompassing style, the use of colour, and the exploration of dreamlike and nightmarish subject matter.
Beyond the front cover illustration, the back continues its thematic thread, featuring Kate Bush in flight alongside ominous black vampire bats. The French picture sleeve for the ‘Breathing’ 7″ vinyl single also portrayed her as a bat. On side-A of the original vinyl release label, however, she is depicted as a graceful white swan, abstract concepts that were also featured in the music videos for ‘Delius’ and ‘Babooshka’”.
The two albums that come either side of Hounds of Love are 1982’s The Dreaming and 1989’s The Sensual World. They each have their own palette and emotional expression. Snapshots of Kate Bush at these distinct times. All three covers have Bush very much at the front. The cover for The Dreaming was shot by John Carder Bush. The image, Bush with a key in her mouth about to kiss Harry Houdini (played by Del Palmer with his back to camera), refers to the song, Houdini, and how Houdini’s wife Bess passes a key through a kiss so that the escapologist can use it to defy death. Classic Pop Mag publishes a feature in 2023 and mentioned the fantastic cover: “The Dreaming followed that September. It’s cover, taken by brother John Carder Bush at the family’s East Wickham farm home, depicted Bush as a glamorously-coiffured, Houndstooth-attired Mrs Houdini, passing her escapologist husband a key with a kiss. Sepia-tinted to look period, it was romantic but full of that crawling, Gothic ivy’s dark spaces, a scene redolent of Bush’s beloved painting, John Millais ‘A Huguenot’. That sense of fear, romance, history, fantasy and death. If Never for Ever seemed to be about this artist set free and unleashed with so many ideas and there was this fantastical element to the cover, there is something else going on with The Dreaming’s cover. Linking to one song rather than the entire album, I do feel that The Dreaming’s cover also extends beyond Houdini. Maybe this suggestion that Bush is herself trying to escape. If we think that her with a key in her mouth is solely about Houdini and her making sure he is safe, is there more to it? People have not really discussed the cover and different meanings. How it sums up The Dreaming and its emotional and visuals aspects. How one feels looking at the cover. Hounds of Love has this distinct vibe and meaning to me. The Dreaming pulls my mind in different directions. The same could be said of The Sensual World and its cover. Again shot by John Carder Bush, it is this beautiful image of Kate Bush with a flower in front of her mouth. On first glance, it is purely about romance and mystery. An alluring image that could link to sensuality and tease.
I do think that the flower by her mouth is as symbolic as the key in her mouth. If Bush wanted to conjure something nervy and anxious with The Dreaming, perhaps to represent how she was feeling or how this was a commercial gamble, maybe The Sensual World’s cover was Bush is new bloom. One of her most female and womanly albums; this new growth and purpose. It could also mean secrecy and keeping things in. We do not see her mouth. The fact that the flower is so large. Maybe to represent something obscuring her expression and true voice. The photo is in black-and-white, so there is this other possibility. Maybe a sense of mystery or a filmic nature. A dream or fantasy. Again, nobody really discusses the cover of The Sensual World. For The Dreaming and The Sensual World, I think the focal point is Bush’s mouth. There are similarities between the albums but contrasts too. A sense of maturity and elegance with The Sensual World. Romance and grace. I think this applies to the songs and gives a sense of what the album is about. New bloom and a new phase. Chaos, the unexpected and risk with The Dreaming. Even if the albums were only released seven years apart, Bush was in a very different place by 1989. I love all of her album covers, but feel that from Lionheart to The Sensual World inclusive is the finest period. The Kick Inside has its flaws and The Red Shoes is beautiful and visual impressive, but does not have Kate Bush in it. Aerial, Director’s Cut and 50 Words for Snow more about illustration and art rather than being about the artist.
I would love for there to be a more forensic look at all the album covers. Photographers like Gered Mankowitz and John Carder Bush together with artist Nick Price. Maybe fans talking about the covers and which are their favourites. I have done a feature ranking the covers before. I might revisit that in the future. As I say, I will spotlight Hounds of Love’s cover closer to the album’s fortieth anniversary in September. Here, I wanted to spend a bit of time with a few of Kate Bush’s phenomenal album covers. I think each has their own canvas and palette. They summon up different visions and interpretations. If one thinks Never for Ever has no single theme or focus and The Dreaming distinctly does, I would argue against that. Lionheart has so many depths and angles. The Sensual World makes me wonder about what the flower symbolises and the decision to shoot in black-and-white. How Bush’s face disappeared from album covers after 1989. Why it was not at the front of her debut album cover. There is so much to unpick and discuss. So much care was taken to get the cover images right. To give them their own voices and personalities. People have their favourites and reasons why. You cannot deny the power and iconic Hounds of Love. However, The Sensual World and Lionheart are underrated. Never for Ever combines Kate Bush being on the cover but not. Whether you like the covers post-The Sensual World. Bush having more artistic say with the covers. Not wanting to include her. Maybe she felt her being on the cover was too definitive and not representative of the albums’ stories and colours. Interesting. Too under-discussed in my opinion, the album covers are endlessly fascinating and detailed. I would really love to know…
WHAT other people think.