Kate Bush - "The Red Shoes"

[Cerro de Casa]

This is such an autumnal album for me.

don't want your BULLSHIT, yeah
just want your sexuality
don't want excuses, yeah
write me your poetry in motion...
...
and I'll do it for you!

I really think this is underrated. It's actually the first Kate album I ever bought. And the memories of the live shows when she walked on stage and then "Lily" erupted - God, that was just beyond.

And I know we've said this many times here but the vinyl remasters are something else and this sounds fantastic - as do all the other albums, on those remasters.

 

[Soldi]

@Iguana

 

[Iguana]

This is such an autumnal album for me.

don't want your BULLSHIT, yeah
just want your sexuality
don't want excuses, yeah
write me your poetry in motion...
...
and I'll do it for you!

I really think this is underrated. It's actually the first Kate album I ever bought. And the memories of the live shows when she walked on stage and then "Lily" erupted - God, that was just beyond.

And I know we've said this many times here but the vinyl remasters are something else and this sounds fantastic - as do all the other albums, on those remasters.

YES to all of this

Song of Solomon, Lily and You're The One are all time faves of mine.

 

[Iguana]

@Iguana

Is the copy of TRS I posted to you still lost in the mail hun? x

 

[Cerro de Casa]

She's no good for you baby
She's no good for you now

 

[Soldi]

Is the copy of TRS I posted to you still lost in the mail hun? x

Oh hun I forgot about that! Well I have moved house since

 

[straightorbroken]

I first became really awakened to Kate Bush when I watched a VH1 playlist of 6 songs and, yahoo, the rest was history, Hitler and soon enough orgasm-enducing washing machines. This was 1999 and soon enough I got Hounds of Love, which remains my favourite first listen experience ever. The Red Shoes video really blew me away, all that cackling energy and when the camera distorts it was just a mesmerising assault on the senses.

The album has such a strong run of singles on it. Moments of Pleasure, And So Is Love and the title track are pure joy, heartbreaking and exhilarating. Rubberband Girl isn't always on the same level for me, but sometimes I love her more for it, etc, and can't get enough of her gargling "rub a dub" (I also wonder if certain someone uses that line). Big Stripey Lie is probably my favourite non single, but Eat the Music deserves to have been a hit. I wonder if she'll ever make such a ripe pop album again, which for her standards, this very much was in my opinion.

 

[Cerro de Casa]

I wonder if she'll ever make such a ripe pop album again, which for her standards, this very much was in my opinion.

That's such a perfect way to describe it - including the artwork reference

 

[Diddy]

It’s been a long while, I guess Diddy Does Kate Bush was ten years ago? But I’m sure The Red Shoes was a bit of a struggle for me, it didn’t really click (though I love Rubberband Girl)

I guess it’s just a comparative thing rather than hating the album

 

[VoR]

This is a funny one for me. I’m obviously grading on a curve, as Kate Bush is my favourite recording artist of all time, but I’d comfortably place this just above Lionheart and 50 Words For Snow in terms of her least essential albums.

Moments of Pleasure is in my Kate top 5, on the right day it could even be #1. Top of the City and And So Is Love are beautiful too.

But overall it’s the closest she ever came to releasing a MOR album. Rubberband Girl is fun, but one of her weakest/least special lead singles overall.

The final third of the album takes a clear dip in quality. I’d rank Big Stripey Lie as possibly the single most forgettable song in her catalogue, and You’re The One isn’t much better.

Definitely not where I’d advise anybody to start with her.

07 Rubberband Girl
08 And So Is Love
07 Eat The Music
11 Moments of Pleasure
08 Song of Solomon
09 Lily
08 The Red Shoes
10 Top of the City
06 Constellation of the Heart
05 Big Stripey Lie
06 Why Should I Love You?
05 You’re The One

 

[BoysForSeles]

Half of the album is wonderful the other half boring but gets elevated simply because Kate Bush recorded it (in my opinion).

 

[Iguana]

05 You’re The One

VoR dead inside

 

[VoR]

I’m sorry, I’m sure it’s very personal and I generally love a Kate heartbreak ballad, but it’s so AVERAGE.

Top of the City (pigeon) shits all over it.

 

[lolly]

08 Rubberband Girl
07 And So Is Love
07 Eat The Music
11 Moments of Pleasure
08 Song of Solomon
08 Lily
08 The Red Shoes
07 Top of the City
06 Constellation of the Heart
05 Big Stripey Lie
06 Why Should I Love You?
06 You’re The One

 

[Iguana]

08 Rubberband Girl
09 And So Is Love
07 Eat The Music
10 Moments of Pleasure
10 Song of Solomon
10 Lily
08 The Red Shoes
08 Top of the City
06 Constellation of the Heart
07 Big Stripey Lie
02 Why Should I Love You?
10 You’re The One

 

[Iguana]

Hate Why Should I Love You? as ruined by Price and Lenny Henry

Adore the demo:



Breathtaking.

 

[HeLikedTurner]

Absolutely adore this album. Yes, some of it is a little "dated" in terms of production, but everything else is sublime.

 

[Diddy]

What about the short film, whose name I can’t quite recall - the line, the cross and the rhombus or whatever

It didn’t FEEL short

 

[VoR]

I've never actually sat and watched it

To be fair, even she subsequently described it as 'a load of old bollocks' so I don't feel I'm missing much.

 

[Diddy]

I did it in the name of science and Diddy does Kate. I think Miranda thingy from Blackadder was in it (Richardson?) but it didn’t help much

 

[lolly]

I'm sure I bought it on video back in the day yet dont remember anything of it.

 

[Iguana]

What about the short film, whose name I can’t quite recall - the line, the cross and the rhombus or whatever

It didn’t FEEL short

It's WONDERFUL

In an total cheesy shit kind of way

It's very COLOURFUL and CAMP

And Kate looks as beautiful as she ever did in it

 

[Iguana]

Slightly off topic but in 2016 I went to an exhibit of photographs of Kate in Brixton and it was full of lovely photos of her from 1993 (see the first pic below). The whole thing was wonderful. I also went to a David Bowie photo exhibit on the same day. It was visual ecstacy

 

[Christian]

This has got some fine moments, though nothing that I'd call a particular favourite. Moments Of Pleasure is the highlight but even that I never reach for. The production sounded dated at the time and probably worse now and it's got some of my least favourite vocal performances on it too.

I'd definitely rank Lionheart above it, bottom draw cast offs or not, I love that album and how gorgeous and warm it sounds. This one is cold and brittle and though I'm usually quite partial to that, it doesn't do it for me here.

So that means this is down in the bottom 3 of her albums for me along with The Sensual World and 50 Words For Snow. Not that I dislike any of them, but it's all relative.

 

[jivafox]

Eat The Music is an absolute BOP.

SPLIT ME OPEN!

 

[Iguana]

Eat The Music is an absolute BOP.

SPLIT ME OPEN!

Truly the original "loosen up my hole"

 

[Peekaboo]

God you can hear her voice literally BREAKING in "You're the One", what a SONG, it sounds like Kate channelling Prince circa SIGN O' THE TIMES:

The Trio Bulgarka

Jeff Beck jamming

A fucking organ

"just FORGET IT ALRIGHT?"

"...sugar?"

"...HONEY?"

*SHRIEK FROM THE BOTTOM OF A BROKEN HEART*

"...sugar?"

 

[Iguana]

God you can hear her voice literally BREAKING in "You're the One", what a SONG, it sounds like Kate channelling Prince circa SIGN O' THE TIMES:

The Trio Bulgarka

Jeff Beck jamming

A fucking organ

"just FORGET IT ALRIGHT?"

"...sugar?"

"...HONEY?"

*SHRIEK FROM THE BOTTOM OF A BROKEN HEART*

"...sugar?"

YES!!

And those LYRICS

We tied ourselves in knots
Doing cartwheels 'cross the floor
JUST FORGET IT ALL RIGHT

And (as you say) I think

Sugar?
Honey?
Treacle?

is one of the most simple and heartbreaking parts of any of her catalogue. That SHRIEK is just the epitome of 'FUCK!'

OH KATE we are not worthy.

 

[straightorbroken]

Production wise I actually think that's the thing about the album that's held up the most

 

[straightorbroken]

Oh and I gave the album a 7. Let's remember that 75% is usually an grade A, so I'm giving Bush a B+ here.

 

[Cerro de Casa]

God you can hear her voice literally BREAKING in "You're the One", what a SONG, it sounds like Kate channelling Prince circa SIGN O' THE TIMES:

The Trio Bulgarka

Jeff Beck jamming

A fucking organ

"just FORGET IT ALRIGHT?"

"...sugar?"

"...HONEY?"

*SHRIEK FROM THE BOTTOM OF A BROKEN HEART*

"...sugar?"

Yes yes and YES!!!!!!!!

 

[Cerro de Casa]

09 Rubberband Girl
10 And So Is Love
10 Eat The Music
11 Moments of Pleasure
09 Song of Solomon
09 Lily
09 The Red Shoes
10 Top of the City
08 Constellation of the Heart
07 Big Stripey Lie
07 Why Should I Love You?
09 You’re The One



This is probably one of my looniest rates in recent memory since Madame X!

 

[Peekaboo]

It has to be to give BIG STRIPEY LIE a 7!!

 

[Soldi]

I don’t quite know where this fits but here’s our Kate making a cuppa

 

[L. Põldvere]

! Poor love’s HARPED SENSELESS!

 

[jyxz]

I don’t quite know where this fits but here’s our Kate making a cuppa

Hits 'report'

 

[straightorbroken]

Su Pollard's real name is Hannah Jane? Well I never.

 

[Iguana]

This album is 30 years old today!

 

[straightorbroken]

Here I am giggling at Kate pouring tea again. It's just great.

 

[jivafox]

This album is 30 years old today!

View attachment 21870

Here come the hills of time