Kate Bush

Dear Raul...many thanks for your confidence in our critiques.
That you already know Kate from the past is a sure guarantee of success, but I really hope you like it.

Prior to Aerial, Kate disappeared "off the radar" for 12 yrs. When Aerial's release was announced there was a stampede(!) to pre-order.

Best regards...

Moonglum,
Thank you for the link to the BBC interview with Kate; it was great to hear her speak about her music, creative process, and touring. It amazes me that her huge popularity in the UK and Europe for decades has not seemed to affect her in any negative way.

I read somewhere that she was a fan of the analog sound and was dissatisfied with the recording quality of some of her newer albums. It must have been in the context of "Director's Cut." I own most of her albums, with the exception of "The Red Shoes" and "Aerial" and they sound amazing. The sound is full, rich, and organic. Perfectly analog.

I know "DC" is quite controversial and a lot of her die-hard fans outright reject it. Some were even angry that she dared to remake "This Woman's Work." I'm in the smaller camp that fully embraced the album. I think it's terrific. She managed to make the songs sound as great as the originals, but also different. To me they do sound like new songs so I completely agree with her that statement that she considers it a new album.

I'm now hoping that "Aerial" will be reissued at some point, just like "Hounds of Love" and "Sensual World." I'm baffled as to what happened with that album that it commands such ridiculous price. Almost all of her albums are rather easy to find used for less than $10. I have two copies of each I own, but "Aerial" is just impossible to find used, even on eBay.

Dear Actus...I strongly agree regarding the D/Cut. I was delighted with it and felt at the very least it provides an alternative viewpoint.
When I googled the R4 interview (which I'd not previously heard) I was actually looking for a more recent one on "50 Words" that was recorded weeks ago, but this one was especially interesting.
In the way that Kate says she is never satisfied and constantly feels a desire to rework the material, she is fast becoming the new Gustav Mahler (:-)
(Meant in a kindly way to both Mahler & Kate...)

I don't think the composer would be offended if you went for the CD version. The only note of caution is that there may be remastering differences between the 2005 and 2011 versions. Kate took a loooong time thinking about the 2005 version, so, to me at least, Aerial is a finished masterpiece(?) and it worries me that they may have have tinkered with Disc 2.
Websites appear to show the tracklisting on CD2 with a single title "An Endless Sky of Honey".
The original had 2 main titles :
CD1 = A sea of Honey
CD2 = A sky of Honey
The following are the original titles of each "movement" on CD2 in their correct order :

Prelude
Prologue
An Architect's Dream
The Painter's Link
Sunset
Somewhere in Between
Nocturn
Aerial

Hope this helps...

I have the vinyl pressing of Aerial and it's terrific.

She's an incredibly interesting artist.

Me too I'm a fun. Looking back at Lion Heart was phenomenal in it's thirst for exploration, a breath of confidence and power delivery upon the challenge of life. Later comes the Hounds Of Love the second side of which was a deep sinking into some unknown masterful consolation ways. Now the Aerial's maturity offers the transition to the detached view from within the stoical psyche of the swan Duchess. The distillation of awareness and the acceptance of the permanent sensuality upon the most little, humble and ordinary. The miracle inside everything. A cognitive guide in the quest and identification of beauty. I was allways quick when she releases her work and I have the original first copy of all and the EMI 100years ('97) really great reissue of Hounds Of Love ('85) from which "Mother stands for comfort" used to impress every guest back in '80s when I have had a Tandberg integrated amp, Kef 105.2, Denon DP80/SME IV/Grado. So much intense memories and personal life experiences related to her. I consider my self very lucky that every time she develops her inquiries and makes an LP, she manages to target and heels with the most sophisticated kind of upheaval. Μore close to my aesthetic concerns and mental procedure than some other loves of mine (Joni Mitchell, Laurie Anderson) keeps holding my heart in her handful and essence.