FEATURE:
The Wedding List
PHOTO CREDIT: Fish People
Kate Bush News Updates: After the Repackaging and Merchandise…
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I realise that this is quite niche…
PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton
though it taps into something that fans are wondering about. If you look at the official Kate Bush Twitter account, most of the updates we have seen over the past few years have been about reissues or merchandise dropping. Take things back the past thirteen months or so. After celebrating one billion streams of Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) in June 2023, there was then not a lot posted for the next year. What we have seen are announcements about older work. New Hounds of Love merchandise was dropped in November. Though it gives fans that option to buy some really cool things – I fancy a T-shirt or an umbrella! -, there is also the issue around cost. We all love Kate Bush. It is no surprise how much I admire her and her work. I like investing in Kate Bush-related books. I have not got much in the way of merchandise. This was around the time Bush reissued her studio albums for independent record stores. Redesigning the vinyl with unique colours and looks. So close to Christmas, it was a chance for fans to get their hands on something very special. Again, if you look at the albums, they can cost about £40 or more for vinyl. If you have the originals, maybe it would feel a bit much investing in anything extra. I was tempted to get the new version of The Kick Inside. It is unavailable at the moment, though the newly-redesigned vinyl was over £30. I guess worth it if you love the album. A special Baskerville Edition of Hounds of Love came out. Understandable that this was released. Given the increased popularity of Hounds of Love following 2022’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)/Stranger Things explosion, there were a new generation coming to the original.
https://t.co/C2nOEItRnN pic.twitter.com/6ZOafmfna9
— Kate Bush (@KateBushMusic) December 1, 2023
In terms of cost, again, it was quite high for fans. Various options and boxes can set you back, depended on how much you spend. As something to treasure and keep for years, I guess the investment is worth it. For those who love the original Hounds of Love and wanted to add to it, I suppose paying £138 for the single-vinyl Baskerville Edition is a bit rich. In December 2023, the Cloudbusting umbrella came back in stock. A nice and nifty brolly, it is £40. Quite nice to get and, as it was so close to Christmas, it was offering gift options. Kate Bush donated two signed boxsets to War Child UK. There then came The Dreaming (Escapologist Edition). Rather than them being expanded and with no stuff, there was this new packaging and design. I can appreciate how Kate Bush wanted to keep the momentum going with her albums. Attracting new fans and trying to make sure people were as enticed by physical music as possible – rather than going to streaming sites and hand-picking. Maybe the prices put some casual fans off investing. In 2024, there was a January announcement that the Kate Bush store was up and stocked. Great options like hoodies and a jigsaw. It was interesting seeing how the posts were announced and branded. I think there was a drive when the albums were reissued to put special focus on Hounds of Love. It was more about Fish People – Kate Bush’s record label – and taking it away from the albums and more towards a wider arc. Her empire.
PHOTO CREDIT: Fish People
On 24th January, there was another push regarding merchandise. The only two updates that have come onto the Twitter page concern merchandise. Well, for Record Store Day Kate Bush was the Ambassador. There was a special reissue of Eat the Music. From 1993’s The Red Shoes, it put focus back on the album. The latest update from the Kate Bush Twitter account is about a bit of merchandise. You can get Fish People-branded bath towels and towels for the beach. It is summer, so it is good that there is a Kate Bush-related accessory you can take with you. At £40 a pop, it is a fairly pricey towel. Before moving on, there are a couple of observations. Kate Bush clearly loves her fans. I never feel she wants to exploit them or make herself richer. The success of Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) last year would have made millions. Rather than this being her seeing how much fans will invest, it is providing options for those new to her work – and the old guard who have supported her for decades. Without new music coming out, there is always a danger that people will feel she is obsolete. Retired. Engaging in any way means that she is still current and there is that possibility. Branding things with Fish People also puts her label first. The unofficial name for her fans, it does seem odd for an artist who would not want to release music to promote her label. I don’t buy that she is merely all about reissues and repackaging. Merchandise is great, though the news of a beach towel or a T-shirt, or even a studio album with a new design might not cause the same thrill as something new – even if it is something unheard or unseen.
Personally, I would go for a Fish People T-shirt and could be tempted to part with some cash for a new reissue of Never for Ever. This year has and will be one with plenty of Kate Bush love and merchandise. Whether it is her official line or books about her. We have an upcoming book by Leah Kardos for 33 1/3 about Hounds of Love. Graeme Thomson’s Under the Ivy: The Life and Music of Kate Bush has been a huge success. If all of this movement and exploration of Kate Bush means that more people discover her work then that is a really good thing. I have been bemoaning how the young generation are not aware of Kate Bush. Merchandise definitely is a way of getting people into Kate Bush. They can then check out the music. Reissuing her albums too. I do wonder whether the existing and dedicated fans will be more interested in books and merchandise compared to younger listeners. With so much attention being on the digital and quick, something that is an investment and physical might have a harder time penetrating a generation that maybe relies more on the intangible. Even if more vinyl and physical music is being sold, there needs to be the entice of something new on unheard. I remember reading some of the reaction when it was announced a Fish People-branded bath and beach towel was out. A few days ago, we saw some people balk. Others who thought it was another bit of selling and retrospection from an artist who, until a few years ago, rarely did any of that.
Kate Bush recorded a song called The Wedding List for 1980’s Never for Ever. I have been thinking about a wedding list. In terms of gifts for the couple rather than a guestlist. The desire that many fans have. Sure, most would love to have the albums and merchandise. Bush is very much still present in the music industry. I do feel that putting out Fish People through music and merchandise is not as much about profit and money than it is preparing for something. Clearing out the old to make way for the new. With every announcement we get through social media, perhaps there is this feeling that Bush is relying more on her past work and putting that to people. Concentrating on merchandise rather than anything new. Of course, she owes us nothing. That is the thing. She doesn’t need to announce she is retiring or not making any music. Kate Bush has done enough to earn rest for the rest of her life! She has released ten studio albums and given the world so much. It does not even need to be a new album. As Before the Dawn is ten next month, many have been wondering if anything related to that will be released. I understand it would technically be issuing something older. Unlike albums, those who could not attend the residency would get something new. If a DVD or on a streaming service, it would be a dreamed to see one of those filmed nights. Of course, when we all look to Kate Bush’s social media, there is the hope that something bigger will come about. Again, it does not have to be an eleventh studio album. It is important to appeal to older and new fans. Putting out merchandise and existing albums does make her more visible and discussed. In terms of continuing that, there are possibilities with documentaries and podcasts that could add to this.
PHOTO CREDIT: Fish People
As I have written about many times, there is this tension and excitement. Feeling that, one day, there will be something we were hoping for. I have recently put out a feature asking how we can keep Kate Bush’s music alive and very much at the forefront years and decades from now. Unless there is something fresh, bigger and a continued campaign, there will be a bigger problem keeping Kate Bush in the minds of a generation who will be used to the new and instant. Perhaps less interested in a legacy artist. Not that a new album will completely change that. It does mean that an impression we have about Kate Bush is re-examined. I was discussing this with someone on social media. How there is still this image of her being weird and reclusive. Something that has never been shaken free! I guess you could say many legacy or older artists cannot connect with younger people. Most have documentaries and more discussion about them. We can’t really rely on a Stranger Things moment each generation. Even if her streaming numbers have increased and other songs have seen a boost – including Army Dreamers, Babooshka and Oh to Be in Love -, that might have been the result of Stranger Things. So many missed out on that. It was a distinct moment that has died down. The lack of awareness about Kate Bush’s name and music among a certain generation can only worsen unless there is something new. Whatever that is. That also needs top be joined with a reframing of how we see Kate Bush and what her music means. That is goes deeper than one song. I love seeing her albums reissued and there being merchandise available to buy. She loves her fans and, in turn, they have repaid her by their support and buying her stuff. Now, at a crucial moment when so much has been brought back out and revamped, there is this desire for a change. If it something to do with Before the Dawn or a new project, most people would place this on the top of…
THEIR wedding list.