Kate Bush Album: “The Whole Story”

I first bought this album on vinyl, later again on cassette, and finally on CD - It was my introduction to this artist's very distinctive music, and the selection of tracks, given the original LP format and time frame of covered work, is a worthy assortment - There's not much I will attempt to add to what others have written here about her music and these songs, EXCEPT:

The sound on this CD is among the worst analog-to-digital mastering jobs I've ever heard, definitely the worst I've heard on a major label release - The cassette sounded better on my Walkman than this CD does on my home stereo - It's straight LP master tape to digital transfers like this that gave CDs such a bad rap when they were first introduced onto the market - Any amateur home recordist knows that audio needs to be very expressly mastered, in terms of EQ & dynamics/compression especially, for the medium on which it is to be listened to (excuse my clumsy syntax) - The art and science of remastering has dramatically improved in the past 15+ years since CDs became the predominant medium and the subsequent reissue of thousands of classic recordings - It is long overdue for this album to be rereleased in an expanded and remastered edition, along with Kate's other albums for that matter - With an artist of Kate Bush's reputation and broad appeal, I can't think of what they're waiting for - If Capitol Records did such a phenomenal job with remastering all those classic 50s/60s lounge records for the Ultra-Lounge series (which I highly recommend), then they ought to be able to do as good or better with this music - It certainly deserves better than what we're getting here...

The Whole Story covers all of Kate bush's most memorable songs from the 1970s and early 1980s although it is by no means the whole story of her career. It opens with the re-recorded version of her spooky and atmospheric 1978 hit Wuthering Heights. This version has greater depth than the original single and still remains a most remarkable song based as it is on the novel of the same name.

Bush is a unique singer-songwriter with a gift for striking romantic imagery, although her work is not always immediately accessible. The Man With The Child In His Eyes is a complex and moving ballad, whilst Wow is a powerful atmospheric pop song.

Her music can be quite idiosyncratic and full of oneiric imagery, like Breathing and The Dreaming. On the other hand, Babooshka is a buoyant pop song with a catchy tune. This compilation is charming and very enjoyable. Overall, Kate's music can be described as a form of art rock, not always appealing on first listen, but very rewarding if you persist.

I am not an unqualified Kate Bush fan (having sampled various of her albums over the years, I have never been compelled enough to actually purchase them), but I do recognize that she is a unique singing and song writing talent who has created an unclassifiable body of work - something like a pop/no-wave hybrid often swollen beautifully with lush production values and instrumentation, and always shining with that sweet but powerful voice.

Having admitted that I am by no means a devoted fan, I must now state that this CD is a great collection for somebody like me. All twelve tracks (most from various albums dating prior to and/or up to 1986; one - "Experiment IV" - released here for the first time) are stunning examples of the talent Ms. Bush possesses for musical narrative. I use the word narrative advisedly, for many of the songs included here are what I believe might be called "story songs". Perhaps the greatest example of this is "Wuthering Heights", Kate's swirling and passionate take on Emily Bronte's gothic love story. "Experiment IV", another good example, is a sinister tale about corrupt government devising weapons of sound. The track selection here is cohesive despite the differences between songs - "The Man With the Child in his Eyes", for instance, is a ballad of sorts, while "The Dreaming" is a wild and percussive trip into a world of Australian Aboriginal myth.

True, as noted here by real fans, this collection will probably not be worthwhile if you are seriously into Kate Bush. But if you are simply looking for an introduction to her work or a simple "best of", this is a wonderful selection of music that will move your heart, feet, and mind.

Kate Bush is one of those that you only hear about in fairy tales, or imagine. She "can't be real", with her low profile in the commercial world of music, once you open Kate's door to another side, it's like Alice's double mirror. You will be mesmorized by intense almost painful beauty of KB's art, her real,yet well cushioned with wonder land imagination sound and lyrics, you can only fall in love and "never get out again."

Excellent, and concise compilation of Kate's first five albums. These dozen songs range from the wistful and pensive ("The Man With The Child In His Eyes," "Cloudbusting") to the theatrical ("Breathing" "Wow") to the spooky ("Running Up That Hill," "Experiment IV") to the flat out catchy ("Wurthering Heights," "Babooshka"). One can complain about the packaging (which is admittedly rather shoddy) and the lack of certain tracks, but it is hard to argue with the music that is here.