FEATURE:
Tricks, Tracks and Takes
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Aris
Kate Bush’s Mastery and Curiosity in the Studio
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THERE was a time in Kate Bush’s career…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at Abbey Road Studio 2 in 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: Steve Rapport
where she had the opportunity to take more control in the studio. I might talk about it more when I cover Never for Ever in more detail. That album is forty-four next month. It is worth highlighting the excellence of the album, in addition to how underrated it is. I think that Abbey Road was a bit of a turning point. Not that the studios for The Kick Inside and Lionheart were underwhelming. Bush, after Lionheart, definitely wanted to work alone more. Not have to follow another producer. Rather than being someone whose songs were directed by another person, Bush knew that the way to get what she wanted from her songs was to take the reins. She would solo produce from The Dreaming onwards, yet the experience of working on Never for Ever was pleasurable. I have written about it before. How there were laughs in the studio and the band and crew would hang out together and socialise. There was quite a heavy workload, though Bush as producer wanted people to be relaxed and together. By all accounts, it seems like it was a really warm and supportive environment. It also seems like Abbey Road was a benchmark or sacred ground. In terms of Bush as the studio perfectionist. If not a perfectionist, it was clear that she could not stay with a single take or two. Babooshka was one of the songs that was honed and performed over and over in Abbey Road. It was a studio that seems to connect Bush to some of the artists who played there. Maybe some of The Beatles’ studio inventiveness and curiosity. I always think of Steely Dan when I think of Bush in the studio. A fan of theirs, this was about the time she would have been hearing albums like Aja (1977). She named Gaucho (1980) as a favourite of hers in an interview around the time of Never for Ever’s release – or shortly after at least.
Steely Dan were famous for casting. Going through different players to get the right sound. If Bush was not quite as intense and perfectionist as Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, she did at least know that an expensive and illustrative studio was worthy of passion and focus. She knew that, as a producer with Jon Kelly, this was a moment to prove herself. There would have been reservations from EMI about Bush working with an inexperienced producer. Maybe not ready to step up and take command. The fact Never for Ever went to number one in the U.K. and set a record in doing so – it is the first studio album (not a greatest hits compilation) by any solo female artist to reach number one in the U.K. – was proof that Bush’s brilliance, production excellence and reputation was at a high. I do think critics that reacted rather mixed towards the album were slow to realise Bush was adapting and not wanting to repeat herself. I love the image of Kate Bush and Jon Kelly sitting in the control room listening to the band play. Hearing various players and calling them in. Asking if they would not mind sitting things out. Even Bush’s boyfriend, Del Palmer, was yanked off a sessions. It was during Babooshka when we saw Kate Bush’s real reserve and strength. Someone who, as a producer, could not be sentimental and biased, Palmer was replaced. He was not happy to say the least! It was proof that Bush was looking for something beyond what we heard on her first two albums. Never for Ever might be an album where she was still in flux and transition. Going from her previous life and how things used to work to what she really wanted to achieve. The Dreaming might have been an extreme example of independence and searching for the very best take and sound. This mix between budding experimentalism and a beautiful simplicity.
I would love if there were photos of Bush in the studio during this time! Rather than focus on Never for Ever too much – as I have a couple of anniversary features -, I am using it as a starting place. Technology was a big motivation when it came to multiple takes. The Fairlight CMI came in late during Never for Ever and was more of a fixture for the next two albums. It does seem like Kate Bush was striving for a quality and peak that could never be realised. Instead, because this was her music and she was not allowed too much production input in 1978, this was a way of righting that wrong. Players noted how Kate Bush was great at instructions and directions. Clear and helpful, she would sit in the control room – with Jon Kelly on Never for Ever – and chat about tracks with the musicians. Even if there was this sense of her taking risks and not having a definite plan on some tracks, Bush was keen to explore and experiment. Abbey Road Studio 2 did see some carnage and breakage when Bush was using objects and the environment to create new sounds and scenes. Look at 1977 and 1978 when she was recording her first two studio albums. Maybe not able to explain her vision to musicians who were new compatriots, it perhaps was not as seamless and smooth. A bit of translation breakdown. The communication thereafter was a lot more seamless and strong. It was clear technology was a real mind-opening revelation. Not only exciting as a producer, Bush as an artist could write in a more ambitious, visual and detailed way. Knowing that she would be able to create whatever sound she wanted. You can see how her music expanded and added in new layers from 1980 onwards. I love the fact she was a diligent and rigorous producer who was not afraid to try different musicians for parts.
It was not really until The Dreaming and Hounds of Love when Kate Bush and technology connected and coexisted calmly. A little bit new on Never for Ever, it was a learning process. Maybe explaining some of the longer sessions and multiple takes, the big difference between Never for Ever and The Dreaming was how technology was used. The latter saw Bush more used to it and pushing it for its potential. At the start, maybe a sense of learning the ropes and using the time to get something out of the Fairlight CMI rather than pushing it to its limits. As a naturally light sleeper, Bush was largely nocturnal. In terms of the sessions, they would often run into the night and early hours. Pretty tiring and exhaustive, she was someone who put her life into music. Especially true as a producer. There was socialising. Some did happen at studios like Abbey Road, though most of it would be away from the studio. Whether that was at Paddy Bush’s flat or somewhere else. You get the impression that Bush wanted to be in the studio as much as possible and that outside socialising was a distraction. Whether truly happy in the studio or not, Bush knew that is where she was best and needed to be. Where her new music and ideas came to life. If multiple takes suggest someone obsessive or not keen on fresh ideas, that was the point of her production and mastery. Each new take was something new. As such, the song became new and different each time. Imagine what her albums would sound like with other producers. It was Kate Bush’s instincts and passion that make them so enduring and original. So true to herself. She also hugely valued her musicians. Always communicating and never being ‘the boss’. Loving, maternal, professional and astonishing, this was an artist and producer who was always seeking…
THE very best take.