Caroline Posted December 8, 2006 Posted December 8, 2006 KATE BUSH (Info from "Wikipedia") Catherine "Kate" Bush (born 30 July 1958, Bexleyheath, Kent, now part of Greater London), is an English singer-songwriter with an expressive three-octave vocal range. She was born to an English father and an Irish mother. Bush is known for her eccentric, idiosyncratic, literary lyrics; and eclectic and meticulous musical and production style. She debuted in 1978 with the surprise hit "Wuthering Heights", which was number one in the UK music charts for four weeks. While this was the height of her UK singles chart success, she has achieved considerable album sales throughout her career. The Kick Inside (1978) was Bush's debut album, released when she was 19 years old; she had written some of the songs when she was only 15. Musical style In terms of genre, Bush is clearly part of the same British alternative rock movement that also gave rise to Genesis and Pink Floyd, although her musical style is a later manifestation of this school. Even in her earliest works where the piano was a primary instrument, Bush wove together many diverse influences, melding classical music, rock, and a wide range of ethnic and folk sources, to produce a uniquely impressive amalgam, and this has continued throughout her career. More than one reviewer has used the term "surreal" to describe much of her music, for many of the songs have a melodramatic emotional and musical surrealism that defies easy categorization. It has been observed that even the more joyous pieces are often tinged with traces of melancholy, and even the most sorrowful have elements of a unique vitality struggling against all that would oppress it. The unapologetic use of her voice as an instrument to convey a broad range of emotional intensity and subtlety is one thing that characterizes nearly all that she does. Bush tackled sensitive and taboo subjects long before it became fashionable to do so; "Kashka From Baghdad" is a song about a gay male couple; "Breathing" explores the results of nuclear fallout. Her lyrics are highly literate and reference a wide array of subject-matter, often relatively obscure, such as Wilhelm Reich in "Cloudbusting", or G. I. Gurdjieff in "Them Heavy People" while 'Deeper Understanding' from The Sensual World portrays a near-future world where people stay indoors, talking to their computers to the point of obsession. The lush arrangements, complex production and intelligent, thoughtful lyrics can sometimes mask the fact that Bush is a peculiarly witty writer and that comedy is not only a big influence on her Quote
Sergenius Posted July 15, 2010 Posted July 15, 2010 I've been wanting to revive this thread for some time now, but I kept forgetting. Thank you, COP11. Here's what I have: Quote
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