For a long time, Kate Bush's 'This woman's work' was my favourite track of hers. Over the last six years she's released a few other tracks I consider my favourite, but it's weird how she keeps getting better - beyond the best of my expectations I would say.
Anyhow, this 12" single is a prized possession of mine, because of the beautiful poster sleeve and the two B-sides featured here. No extended version of the single mix of 'This woman's work', but I think it's impossible to improve on this already highly moving track.
My collection: 12" single no. 94 Found: unknown, 1990 Cost: 20 guilders Tracks: 'This woman's work (single mix)' / 'Be kind to my mistakes', 'I'm still waiting'
When I bought this 12" single, I did it mainly for the fact that it was cheap and it was a promotion copy. I don't know why I never bought the commercial 12" single, but considering it was 1989, it would probably have been a lack of funds.
Anyway, I was pretty surprised when I found out the A-side of this 12" single featured a so-called 'double groove'. One groove featured the regular version of 'The sensual world', the other played the instrumental version. The latter was also one of the B-sides, which made it a bit of a useless exercise. Bush re-recorded 'The sensual world' as 'Flower of the mountain' on her album 'Director's cut'. The new version was recorded as it was originally intended: with the words from James Joyce's book 'Ulysses'.
My collection: 12" single no. 97 Found: Record Exchange, London, October 1990 Cost: 1 pound Tracks: 'The sensual world', 'The sensual world (instrumental)' / 'Walk straight down the middle', 'The sensual world (instrumental)'
Kate Bush released 'Experiment IV' in October 1986 as a single from the compilation album 'The whole story'. The song tells a story about a secret military plan to create a sound that is horrific enough to kill people. The ending of the story is unclear, but in the music video nearly every person working on the project is killed by the horrific sound, which is personified by Bush herself as she changed from an angelic woman into a banshee (a horrifying screaming apparition of Irish lore).
The 12" single features an extended mix which highlights the violin solos by Nigel Kennedy even more than in the single version. An extra bonus is the track 'December will be magic again' on the B-side, which gives this disc some relevance for Christmas.
My collection: 12" single no. 37 Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986 Cost: 15 guilders Tracks: 'Experiment IV (12" mix)' / 'Wuthering heights (new vocal)', 'December will be magic again'
The last release from Kate Bush's milestone album 'Hounds of love' was 'The big sky'. The track was remixed for the single release and the 12" single featured an extended remix of the track plus a previously unreleased B-side called 'Not this time', a euphoric singalong track that remains quite rare in Kate's musical output.
I remember having a hard time deciding to buy this disc. Of course I was very much into Kate Bush but the constant flow of singles meant a drain on my pocket money. In the end, I bought this disc a few months after its release - just before it became unavailable in fact.
My collection: 12" single no. 31 Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986 Cost: 15 guilders Tracks: 'The big sky (Metereological mix)' / 'Not this time', 'The morning fog'
The third single from Kate Bush's classic album 'Hounds of love' (1985) was the title track. Released in February 1986, the single came with an unreleased B-side: the near-acapella 'The handsome cabin boy'.
The 12" single featured an alternative version of 'Hounds of love', apparently created by Kate in the autumn of 1985. With less lyrics and a different backing track, it was a real treat for fans who had been waiting for the album for three years. It seemed an eternity back then, but later in life fans would learn that Kate wouldn't always be as prolific as she's been in 1978 or 2011.
My collection: 12" single no. 25 Found: Free Record Shop, 1986 Cost: 15 guilders Tracks: 'Alternative Hounds of love' / 'Jig of life', 'The handsome cabin boy'
The American 12" single of Kate Bush's 'Cloudbusting' was released a year after the European one. EMI had just released 'The whole story', a compilation album of Kate's biggest hits between 1978 and 1985, and used this album as a vehicle to promote her music Stateside.
'Cloudbusting' appears on this disc as the 'Meteorological mix', which is actually a mislabeling: it is the 'Organon remix', whereas the single 'The big sky' was released in Europe in a 'Meteorological mix' a few months before this disc. A cd-single of 'Cloudbusting' was also released in the USA - and I'm still looking for a copy...
My collection: 12" single no. 15 (2) Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986 Cost: 15 guilders Tracks: 'Cloudbusting (Meteorological mix) [= The Organon remix]' / 'The man with the child in his eyes', 'Sat in your lap'
Kate Bush released 'Cloudbusting' in October 1985 as the second single from her fifth album 'Hounds of love'. The 12" single featured two B-side tracks and an extended remix of the title track, entitled the 'Organon Remix'.
In 'Burning Bridge', a woman desperately pleads with her lover to step up his level of commitment to her. 'My Lagan Love' is a traditional Irish melody with lyrics by John Carder Bush, Kate Bush's brother.
My collection: 12" single no. 15 Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1985 Cost: 15 guilders Tracks: 'Cloudbusting (The Organon Remix)' / 'Burning bridge', 'My lagan love'
These are exciting times for Kate Bush fans. Earlier this year, she released 'Director's cut', a collection of re-recorded, and in some cases, re-edited tracks from her albums 'The red shoes' and 'The sensual world', and now, within days, her tenth album '50 words for snow' is coming out. Two albums by Kate Bush in one year? Well it must be 1978 all over again.
Back in 1985, Kate Bush's absence from the music scene for three years was perceived as an extremely long time. After this absence she delivered 'Hounds of love', one of her finest albums, and this first single, 'Running up that hill', was the first of her tracks ever to appear in an extended remix. I bought the 7" and 12" single at the same day - and that was the first time I ever did that.
My collection: 12" single no. 11 Found: LP Top 100, 1985 Cost: 15 guilders Tracks: 'Running up that hill (extended version)' / 'Under the ivy', 'Running up that hill (instrumental)'
'King of the mountain' was released on October 24, 2005, 12 years after Kate Bush's previous single, 'And so is love'. Written about ten years before most of the songs on the album 'Aerial', the lyrics enquire whether Elvis Presley might still be alive someplace, '...looking like a happy man...' and playing with 'Rosebud', Kane's childhood's sledge, and comment on the pressures of extreme fame and wealth. In a November 2005 interview with BBC4's 'Front Row' Bush said, "I don't think human beings are really built to withstand that kind of fame.'
The B-side of the UK single is a cover version of Marvin Gaye's 'Sexual healing', which features Irish musician Davy Spillane on uilleann pipes, originally recorded for his 1994 'A place among the stones' album. The track was left off the Spillane album as it didn't fit with the sound of the rest of the record. Before the 2005 release, Kate's version of 'Sexual Healing' had only been heard publicly once, at the 1994 Kate Bush fan club convention in the Hippodrome, London.
As for this 7" single, it was a picture disc release only, featuring a drawing by Kate's son Bertie on the A-side. The quality of the vinyl left much to be desire as you can clearly hear below. Despite all this, the single reached number 4 in the UK singles chart. It is the only single from the album 'Aerial'.
My collection: 7" single no. 3417 Found: HMV, London, received November 2005 Cost: 3 pounds Tracks: 'King of the mountain' / 'Sexual healing'
The 80th birthday of harmonica player Larry Adler was celebrated with an album called 'The glory of Gershwin'. It was released in 1994 and produced by George Martin. Several guest musicians made an appearance on the album, including Kate Bush, who sang the Gershwin song 'The man I love'. Released as a single on July 18, 1994 it climbed to number 22 in the UK Singles Chart.
The B-Side of the 7" single was an edited version of Adler and Martin's rendition of 'Rhapsody in Blue'.
My collection: 7" single no. 2155 Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 3, 1994 Cost: 10 guilders Tracks: 'The man I love' / 'Rhapsody in blue'
'And so is love' was released as the fourth and final single from Kate Bush's 1993 album 'The red shoes'. The track features Eric Clapton on guitar and was released on cd-single and 7" single. The 7" single was a special pack: it featured a picture disc (pictured here) and a giant poster folded to 12" size.
Released on 7 November 1994, the single climbed to number 26 in the UK singles chart. Its entry in the Top 40 resulted into Bush's first appearance on Top of the Pops in nine years - and also her last to date. This single was the last release before a gap of almost 11 years in which Bush got married, had a son and recorded her last album to date: 'Aerial', released in 2005.
My collection: 7" single no. 2217 Found: HMV mailorder, London, received November 15, 1994 Cost: 4 pounds Tracks: 'And so is love' / 'Rubberband girl (US remix)'
Kate Bush's most beautiful single 'Moments of pleasure' was not released on 7" vinyl. It's a damn shame, but at least EMI was sensible enough to pick up where it left off, with the next single 'The red shoes'. It was the title track of Kate's 1993 album and released in part to promote the movie 'The line, the cross & the curve' which was launched at a film festival in London in the spring of 1994.
The single reached number 21 in the UK singles chart in April 1994, spending three weeks in the chart. Besides the 7" vinyl, there was also a double cd-single edition featuring a dance mix of 'The red shoes'. The B-side 'You want alchemy' was a great treat for fans.
My collection: 7" single no. 2100 Found: Record fair, April 16, 1994 Cost: 8 guilders Tracks: 'The red shoes' / 'You want alchemy'
After a silence of four years, Kate Bush returned to the music scene in 1993 with the song 'Rubberband girl'. I remember Puck managed to buy a promotional cd-single two days before the release of the single for me, and so I got to hear the song a little earlier than usual. But of course, I had to buy several more formats until I would be entirely satisfied. So I bough the regular cd-single, the 2-track European cd-single, the American cd-single, an American promotional cd-single, a picture disc 12" single... plus the 7" single of course.
Out of all the formats, the 7" single is probably the most beautiful, with its glossy sleeve and picture labels. The single reached number 12 in the UK singles chart, but failed to chart in the Netherlands.
More recently, I found a jukebox promotional 7" single with no sleeve and a very basic black label. I guess it's a rarity, so I was rather surprised to pick it up for next to nothing.
My collection: 7" single no. 1947 / no. 4259 Found: HMV, London, September 25, 1993 / Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 2 pounds / 0,5 euro Tracks: 'Rubberband girl' / 'Big stripey lie'
In 1991, Polydor Records released 'Two Rooms: Celebrating the songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin'. The title refers to the song on Elton John's album '21 at 33', 'Two rooms at the end of the world', to the duo's unusual collaborative style, and is also the title of a 1991 movie documenting their collaboration.
Kate Bush's version of 'Rocket man' was released as the album's first single. The 7" single appeared in a poster sleeve, of which the UK version was slightly bigger than the one made in Germany. The single peaked at number 12 in the UK singles chart and number 22 in the Dutch Top 40. In 2007 the track won The Observer readers' award for Greatest Cover of all time.
My collection: 7" single no. 1560 Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, December 16, 1991 Cost: 6,5 guilders Tracks: 'Rocket man' / 'Candle in the wind'
I still remember the day in March 1990 when my sister walked into my room with the newest single by Kate Bush, 'Love and anger'. She pronounced the title wrong and then showed me that the single was released in a gatefold booklet sleeve. I was green with envy, almost literally. When she added that the shop only had one copy, no love was left inside me, just anger.
The two weeks it took for the shop to get the single back in stock were among the longest weeks of my life. My fandom of Kate Bush had taken on gigantic proportions - and having an item like this pass me by was simply too much to bear. But fortunately in this case, all's well that ends well.
My collection: 7" single no. 1192 Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, March 1990 Cost: 7 guilders Tracks: 'Love and anger' / 'Ken'
I don't really know why - well it probably was a lack of funds - but I never bought the 12" single of Ferry Aid's 'Let it be' despite being a fan of several artists on this record. 23 years later, I finally managed it and what a pleasant surprise this disc holds...
The remixed version of 'Let it be' starts with the part of Kate Bush, so basically it starts on a high. It's very interesting to hear a different sequence of artists in the 12" mix.
My collection: 12" single no. 545 Found: discogs.com, received May 18, 2010 Cost: 5 euro Tracks: 'Let it be [12" remix]' / 'Let it be (Mega message mix)'
Kate Bush recorded 'This woman's work' for the movie 'She's having a baby', directed by John Hughes. The song is played during the dramatic climax, when Jake (Kevin Bacon) learns that the lives of his wife (Elizabeth McGovern) and their unborn child are in danger. As the song plays, we see a montage sequence of flashbacks showing the couple in happier times, intercut with shots of him waiting for news of Elizabeth and their baby's condition. Bush wrote the song specifically for the sequence, writing from a man's viewpoint and matching the words to the visuals which had already been filmed.
Kate included the song in her 1989 album 'The sensual world'. The song was re-edited from the original version featured on the film soundtrack. When the song was chosen as the second single from the album, the song was mixed differently for another time.
The single was released in two different formats: a 'regular' 7" single and a picture disc. While failing to chart in most territories, it reached number 25 in the UK singles chart and number 20 in Ireland. The song should be considered one of Kate Bush's signature songs.
My collection: 7" single no. 1123 Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, December 19, 1989 Cost: 6,5 guilders Tracks: 'This woman's work' / 'Be kind to my mistakes'
When Kate Bush created 'The sensual world', she originally wanted it to be the speech by Molly Bloom from James Joyce's book 'Ulysses' set to music. However, she was unable to get permission from Joyce's estate to do this. And so she decided to alter the lyric. In the new version, Molly Bloom steps out of the black and white, two-dimensional pages of the book into the real world, and is immediately struck by the sensuality of it all.
Upon its release, the single reached number 12 in the UK singles chart and number 17 in the Dutch Top 40. The single was Bush's first release in three years, an eternity in those days. Little did people know that she would take much more time in between albums later on in her career...
My collection: 7" single no. 989 Found: HMV, London, October 16, 1989 Cost: 2 pounds Tracks: 'The sensual world' / 'Walk straight down the middle'
In 1986, Kate Bush was involved in the creation of her first - and so far, only - compilation album. She recorded two new tracks for the album, both of which were released on this 7" single. The new track 'Experiment IV' was about the army experimenting with sound to 'kill someone from a distance'. The other track was an old one: 'Wuthering heights', Kate's debut single, in a new version. According to her, the original sounded too much like a young woman.
Both tracks showcase a woman who is definately a perfectionist. But in the case of the B-side, it doesn't always work out well. Fortunately, the A-side compensates a lot for it. The guest appearance of Nigel Kennedy on violin adds much to the spooky atmosphere of the track.
My collection: 7" single no. 473 Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986 Cost: 6 guilders Tracks: 'Experiment IV' / 'Wuthering heights (new vocal)'
When Kate Bush returned to the pop scene with her landmark album 'Hounds of love', everybody wanted to make money with it. There were quite a few bootleggers who released interview cd's, lp's and singles at the time.
This white vinyl 7" single was made in the UK and contains an interview of unknown origins. Not much surprises in the answers, because even at the time the information given was quite wellknown.
My collection: 7" single no. 1223 Found: Record fair, April 22, 1990 Cost: 3 guilders Tracks: 'Interview (part 1)' / 'Interview (part 2)'
For a long time, Kate Bush's 'This woman's work' was my favourite track of hers. Over the last six years she's released a few other tracks I consider my favourite, but it's weird how she keeps getting better - beyond the best of my expectations I would say.
