FEATURE:
Golden Threads and Treasured Pages
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a shot from John Carder Bush’s book, Cathy
Kate Bush’s Desirable and Sought-After Rarities, Collectibles and Expensive Treasures
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I have sort of covered this before….
but there is a bit of a disconnect when it comes to Kate Bush merchandise and items. No official website or source that collates all official releases, plus books and rarities. You can find various record, books and merchandise on various websites. Kate Bush’s shop offers some delightful and must-own goods. I wonder whether a superstore or big website will be created where you can link to everything Kate Bush. I bring this up as I have been thinking about Kate Bush products and attachments to her. I have most of her albums and many books/magazines dedicated to her. Of course, as I research a lot about her, I think I know most of what there is to know. When it comes to passing down some sort of legacy regarding Kate Bush and having keepsakes, there are things that I yearn to possess. I know there are Kate Bush T-shirts available on websites like Redbubble or Etsy. This wonderful out-of-print/stock T-shirt is among her most sought-after bits of merchandise. It is a gorgeous Never for Ever T-shirt. I am the sort of person that would love to start random conversations about Kate Bush. There are T-shirts available, yet not as many options as you’d think. Some rare T-shirts from way back that fans would love to see reprinted. Just as a way of displaying our love for Kate Bush on our chests, having an option of T-shirts would be amazing. I have been thinking more deeply about those high-price items and things that you can preserve and keep.
I think I have said this a few times before. If I had to name one item about Kate Bush that I would love to own and keep, it would be Cathy. It is available to own, yet it is quite pricey. The lowest price I have seen is about £250. It is a photobook featuring snaps of Bush as a child. Taken by her brother Jay (John Carder Bush), who is a professional photographer and continued to shoot Bush right up till 2011, they are so emotional and amazing. Before her career started and she became the artist we all know. These intimate and extraordinary photos of a verry young Kate Bush. Or Cathy. It is almost like a different time in her life. Before she became ‘Kate Bush’. Born Catherine Bush, that was shorted to Cathy. I guess with most photos taken in and around the Bush family’s home at East Wickham Farm, this is Kate Bush in the 1960s. A wild and wonderful decade, she was absorbing music, learning from her brothers and growing up at this amazing and changing time. I think that this is a book I would own but maybe not flick through too much, lest I damaged it or spilled something on the pages! It is a book I would cherish and pass down to someone. I think every Kate Bush fan has the dream list of what they would like to own.
PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
The reason I am revisiting this subject now is because, in my opinion, people do not really know Kate Bush. So many people I speak to have either not heard of her or they know her from one song. I do think that a deeper knowledge would compel them to find out more and listen more intently. If people know her from Hounds of Love and a particular song, then that means she risks becoming a novelty or one-song act in years to come. Of course, people should listen to the albums and see as many interviews as possible. In truly understand an artist or getting a fuller picture, books such as Cathy takes us way back. We can see where she grew up and what her surroundings were. There is a bit of a discrepancy when it comes to Kate Bush merchandise and what you have to pay. I know there is merchandise from 2014’s Before the Dawn that sells for a pretty penny. Auction sites where you can get 1st pressings and rare records. I still think that an online store where a whole range of rarities and great bits of merchandise, sold at a reasonable price, would increase this curiosity about Kate Bush. TikTok videos are spreading her music, though a whole new generation – and existing fans – who can buy Kate Bush T-shirts, get easy access to some very cool and important merchandise and goods would be awesome to see. I keep wondering about whether old-style T-shirts and merchandise from the 1980s and 1990s will come back. Whether a book like Cathy will be lowered in price so that it is more accessible to all fans.
In researching for Kate Bush features and heading back, I come across various merchandise that is either not in stock or is quite high in price. I feel there would be a real desire and demand if Never for Ever and Hounds of Love T-shirts were printed and back in stock. I feel, as time goes on, aside from vinyl and the music, it would be important keeping aside artefacts and wonderful items connected to Kate Bush. Many fans feel the same. Having Cathy on a bookshelf. Maybe having a coffee table book like Guido Harari’s The Kate Inside. Some cool and eye-catching T-shirts that you can have and cherish. Of course, there is a world of choice when it comes to rarities and what is available on auction sites. I know so many Kate Bush fans have a wish list of Kate Bush memorabilia/items. Given how many costumes she wore and how much stuff she wore and was stored somewhere makes me wonder how much is available somewhere or was discarded. Old lyrics sheets and some very valuable things that a fan would give their all to own. Maybe Kate Bush does have them and doesn’t want to part with them. Maybe it is dreaming and fantasy, though you never know what might come to light. I will own Cathy one day. Perhaps find an old T-shirt on an auction site that is in good condition. It helps build my appreciation of Kate Bush. I think it can do the same for new fans and those unaware. It just makes it clear how compelling…
IN THIS PHOTO: Lindsay Kemp and Kate Bush in a scene from 1993’s The Line, the Cross and the Curve/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari
THE wonderful Kate Bush is.