The Italian promo single is a strange phenomenon. There are several in my collection, and without exception they are white label promos, released in a custom white sleeve, with two A-side tracks from different artists on them. In this case: 'Don't give up' by Peter Gabriel and 'In too deep' by Genesis.
I'm not up on Italian chart placings, but it's safe to assume that both singles were a hit in Italy. What's interesting about this single is that in a way it reunites the old line-up of Genesis. But that's a rather pointless observation. It's a nice collector's item for fans of Genesis, Peter Gabriel... and Kate Bush of course.
My collection: 7" single no. 1718 Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 19, 1992 Cost: 10 guilders Tracks: 'Don't give up' (Peter Gabriel with Kate Bush) / 'In too deep' (Genesis)
'Suspended in gaffa' was the third single release from Kate Bush's fourth studio album 'The dreaming', at least in Europe. In the UK, 'There was a tenner' was released instead. The song lyrics are about seeing something one really wants (God in this case), then not being able to see or experience it ever again. The 'gaffa' of the title and chorus refers to gaffer tape, the tough black tape used by technicians in the film and concert industries.
The B-side is the original mix of 'Ne t'enfuis pas'. 'Ne t'enfuis pas', which is misspelled on the original sleeve as 'Ne t'en fui pas', means 'don't go' in French.
My collection: 7" single no. 4116 Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, October 17, 2009 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Suspended in gaffa' / 'Ne t'en fui pas'
Kate Bush released her second single 'The man with the child in his eyes' in the summer of 1978. This 7" single is a bit of a rarity, since the single version of this track has only ever been released on one obscure cd compilation. It remains unreleased on any Kate Bush cd.
Kate wrote the song when she was only 13 years old. It was recorded at Air Studios in 1975. The single reached number 6 in the UK and number 27 in the Dutch Top 40.
My collection: 7" single no. 676 Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1986 Cost: 2 guilders Tracks: 'The man with the child in his eyes' / 'Moving'
'Wuthering heights' was Kate Bush's debut single, released in January 1978. She'd written the song in 1976, aged just 18. The song came to her after watching the last ten minutes of the 1970 film version based on the book by Emily Brontë on television. Lyrically, 'Wuthering heights' uses several quotations from Catherine Earnshaw, most notably in the chorus - 'Let me in! I'm so cold!' - as well as in the verses, with Catherine's confession to her servant of 'bad dreams in the night.; It is sung from Catherine's point of view, as she pleads at Heathcliff's window to be allowed in. This romantic scene takes a sinister turn if one considers the events of the book, as Catherine may well be a ghost, calling Heathcliff to join her in death.
The guitar solo at the end of the song is played by Ian Bairnson, best known for his work with Alan Parsons. It is often mistakenly said that David Gilmour played the solo. It is placed rather unobtrusively in the mix, something engineer Jon Kelly now regrets.
When presented with the material for Kate Bush's debut album 'The kick inside', record company EMI originally wanted to release 'James and the cold gun' as its first single. Kate was determined that 'Wuthering heights' would be the better choice, and she didn't relent until the record company finally gave in. Originally, the single would have been released in November 1977, but when Kate Bush didn't approve of the single's artwork, the single was withdrawn and the release was put back until January 1978.
The single became a huge success, peaking at number 1 in the charts in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Italy, France, Ireland and New Zealand. It reached number 4 in the Dutch Top 40. It was a phenomenal start of a career that fortunately continues to this day - although the gaps between albums have been increasingly hard to bear.
As an avid fan of Kate Bush, I ended up owning several copies of 'Wuthering heights'.The first copy I bought was a sleeveless one for 2 guilders, which is not the most beautiful item of my collection, so it is not shown here. A few years later, I bought a Belgian copy in Brussels. Then a few years after that I found a flawless copy from the UK in a standard EMI sleeve. Since it was made in 1977, it must have been one of the earliest copies of this single. Then I found a Dutch copy, with a sleeve printed in only a few colours. And finally, in 1992, I found a Spanish copy with a totally different sleeve. The classic Gered Mankowitz photograph was a good reason to buy that copy.
My collection: 7" single no. 210 (2) / no 210 (3) / no. 210 (4) / no. 1710 Found: Brussels, 1990 / Record fair, 1994 / Record fair, 1994 / Bea Records, September 19, 1992 Cost: 30 Francs / 5 guilders / 5 guilders / 12,5 guilders Tracks: 'Wuthering heights' / 'Kite'
'Don't give up' was not Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush's first collaboration, but it is arguably their best. The song was recorded for Gabriel's 1986 album 'So'. The lyric describes the despair of a man who feels that the economic system has no place for him, seeking council and support from the words sung by Kate Bush. Godley & Creme directed two videos for the song: the first consisted of a single take of the singers in an embrace, as the sun enters total eclipse and re-emerges. The second featured Gabriel and Bush's faces superimposed over film of a town and its people in disrepair.
The single peaked at number 9 in the UK singles chart and number 4 in the Dutch Top 40.
My collection: 7" single no. 500 Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1987 Cost: 3,5 guilders Tracks: 'Don't give up' / 'In your eyes (special mix)'
On the one hand, it is of course a stroke of genius to sample a Kate Bush vocal for a single, because all people with good taste will appreciate anything incorporating Kate's vocals. On the other hand, is Kate Bush's delicate music suitable for this kind of techno house stuff? I always had doubts about this - and I still do.
'Something good' by the Utah Saints utilises a sample of Kate Bush's 'Cloudbusting' to make a whole new track. And it is a 'track', not a 'song', unfortunately. The single peaked at number 4 in the UK and Ireland and number 10 in Australia. The track was recently remixed and re-released as 'Something Good 08'. In that version, it made the Dutch Top 40, peaking at number 34.
My collection: 7" single no. 1669 Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, June 20, 1992 Cost: 6,5 guilders Tracks: 'Something good' / 'Trance atlantic flight'
If you think Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush worked together for the first time in 1986 when they recorded 'Don't give up', you wouldn't be alone in thinking that. But in reality, they got together as early as 1979, when Kate Bush recorded a television special for UK television. They sang 'Another day' together, and Gabriel performed 'Here comes the flood' solo in this special.
In 1980, Peter Gabriel recorded his third solo album. Kate Bush provided backing vocals on the tracks 'Games without frontiers' and 'No self control'. It might be a coincidence, but both tracks were released as a single in 1980. Being a Kate Bush fan, I had to have these singles, so I was very glad when I found a reasonably good copy of 'No self control' in 1995.
My collection: 7" single no. 2341 Found: Record Exchange, London, June 26, 1995 Cost: 1 pound Tracks: 'No self control' / 'Lead a normal life' Download:Album 'Peter Gabriel [3]', including both tracks
Kate Bush fans don't have an easy life. Unlike fans of U2, Coldplay, Madonna and whatever else is popular these days, they don't get a chance to see her play live... ever! When people complain about the fact that they haven't seen their idol in concert for, oh, two years, I can always say that I've had to wait for my turn since, well, 1979.
That's when this ep was released, a souvenir of a unique tour, the only one that Kate Bush ever did. I was eight when Kate did this, so basically, I never had a chance to see her live. At the time there was some criticism that this ep wasn't live as well: apparently Kate had overdubbed some vocals and edited one of the songs. I denied this vigorously, but had to acknowledge my mistake later. Indeed, Kate had 'worked' on these tracks. It's still a lovely souvenir, though.
My collection: 7" single no. 34
Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1979
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Them heavy people', 'Don't push your foot on the heartbrake' / 'James and the cold gun', 'L'amour looks something like you'
This is it: the first Kate Bush single I ever bought. All through 1978 I was captivated by Kate Bush. I've heard it many times in my life: hearing 'Wuthering Heights' is, for most people, a life-changing experience. Since I was only 7 years old at the time, my memory is hazy about this, but the fact that I bought this single in the autumn of 1978 is a testament to the fact that she stuck in my mind. I must have paid full price for it, and that was the first time I ever did that.
But it was worth it. 'Hammer horror' is an exciting piece of music and the sleeve, as you can see, carried a very beautiful picture of ms. Bush.
'Hammer horror' and the B-side, 'Coffee Homeground' were both taken from the album 'Lionheart', that would be released quickly after this.
My collection: 7" single no. 19 Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1978 Cost: 6 guilders Tracks: 'Hammer horror' / 'Coffee Homeground' Download:Album 'Lionheart', including both tracks
The Italian promo single is a strange phenomenon. There are several in my collection, and without exception they are white label promos, released in a custom white sleeve, with two A-side tracks from different artists on them. In this case: 'Don't give up' by Peter Gabriel and 'In too deep' by Genesis.
