FEATURE:
Experiments in Sound
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 2011
Thinking About a Kate Bush Audio Archive
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I have mused on this before…
PHOTO CREDIT: Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy
but people are always asking whether there will be anything new from Kate Bush. In terms of an album or a new song at least. We may never know the answer to that. The decision is in Kate Bush’s hands. I have recently published a feature that explored some of the interviews and audio archives from 1980. A year when Kate Bush released her third studio album, Never for Ever. It was fascinating hearing these radio clips. It makes me wonder how much stuff is out there. Throughout the years, there have been so many interviews, T.V. and radio spots. Having that cleaned up and kept somewhere would be beneficial. More than preserving the audio that is already out there, I wonder about things we have not heard. I know, as I have said before, how there are demos of various songs. We get to hear some unofficial videos. In terms of studio insights that Bush has officially released, that is pretty scares. Maybe we will never get something as golden as studio chatter. What about various versions of songs? I know that Kate Bush is not keen on opening the vaults and giving up unfinished or imperfect songs. She has done some reissues. Her studio albums remastered and back out there. I don’t think that she is averse to looking back. So long as fans get to benefit and they have her albums in her hands. As Ambassador for this year’s Record Store Day, Kate Bush clearly loves physical music and knows how vital it is that fans have access to her incredible records. Maybe the thought of having digital scraps or works in progress may seem like the opposite of a vinyl album.
That being said, it is unlikely that we will ever get anything in visual form for Before the Dawn. That residency turns ten later this year. Many want to see the filmed version. Bush has said it is very unlikely she will release it. There has been no new music since 2011’s 50 Words for Snow. No real fresh or unheard songs. That is fair enough if Bush does not want to record new music. The thing is, consider all the takes that took place through her albums and how much is saved. We do know that the ballad, Never for Ever, was recorded for the Lionheart sessions in 1978. Never included on the album because Bush did not like the vocal this, alongside so much potential brilliance not heard, would be a wonderful treat. As she is a big fan of artists like The Beatles, she will know that they have reissued their albums with demos and outtakes. Fans get to see the process and how these great songs came together. A bigger picture of an album. I think it would compel fans new and old to explore the oriignal albums. There might be a fine line between giving everything away and just enough. Where is the line?! Many would claim that all the older takes have been deleted or are in the hands of EMI. I think that Kate Bush would have access to this. Even if not, EMI would know where that archive is. Perhaps not a vault like Prince’s, there is going to be plenty of interesting audio clips that we have not heard. At least a few songs that have not been heard or are in very basic form. Once was the time when Kate Bush only wanted authorised material out. That is understandable. Anything extra or not related to what she was completely happy was would be a distraction or distillation of her process and wonderful albums. However, all these years later, there is a new generation discovering her music.
Maybe it is me dreaming and imaging just how much is available. So many different takes of classic Hounds of Love songs. A lot from great albums such as The Dreaming. I know there were multiple takes of Wow (from Lionheart). When Bush was producing Never for Ever and later albums, she would go through multiple takes to get the right sound. Use different musicians. A Steely Dan approach to getting everything just so. They must be somewhere! In lieu of new music and another album, it would be a nice compromise between a new album and the mastered and reissued originals. It does feel like a shame that there is a lot of recorded stuff that has not been revealed. This year is one where people will wonder about a new album. It is unlikely we will get one. Bush’s albums have been reissued. I am not sure what else might come out. With no plans for anything Before the Dawn-related, it would be awesome if there was some form of unheard material coming out. I don’t know. The more I read about Kate Bush and her albums, the more I learn about the songs and their evolution. How everything came together. We can read about those moments and the process. I would love to see even a few unheard songs or demos come out. The fantastic Never for Ever given a green light by Kate Bush. Rather than simply dig through everything and put it into the world, a carefully curated and selected assortment of rarities would delight fans. I don’t think that it would take anything away from her music or seem money-grabbing. Instead, it is a way of this legendary artist who clearly loves her studio albums and wants people to hear them to give fans windows into the songs. Maybe something non-album that has been discussed but not released. So many Kate Bush fans hope that it…
COULD happen one day.