Kate Bush Day

5 out of 5 from Mojo this month and they don't tend to go bandying such assessments around willy-nilly like some journals.

Looking forward to hearing it.

Jonathan

Got mine in the post on Saturday, am listening again now. Doesn't strike me immediately as a 5 star album, but it doesn't stink either. No immediately recognisable development in sound or style. I think it will need a few more plays ...

So were back from Asda via a tantalising taster in the car on the way back and immediately onto the cdp.
Track 01 and it's straight into the, oh so, familiar, an odd choice as a single, but a masterful way of opening the new album as the familiar leads to the, well, business as usual. A whole lucky-bag of Bushsongs knocked off to appease record execs and critics alike, and, as the door closes to this particular sweetshop I doubt I'll ever shop there again.
But then Kate, having knocked off a few sketches for the hoi polloi: primes a new canvas; opens her paintbox and lays out a pallete of her most vivid sonics to begin a true symphony in homage to her beloved Dee-hee-li-uss. And she paints for us, not as she would have us tongue in cheek believe mashing with a decorators brush like Rolf, but using fine sable as a true Master. A kind of all those really good songs from her oeuvre combined into one piece. So self assured but playfully hinging around the golden median of Nocturn where she teasingly pastiches a climax of stadium rock cliche, two note bass chugga chug plangent guitar stabs laid over a flip-flop drum-beat and if the cake isn't over egged with your own choice free range session men pop the cherry on the top when you need a little organ and bring on Gary Brooker!
It would've been a bold step to have just released this cd on its own to introduce the new KB, but it was a smart move after this long long break to do as she has done lest we forget the old. So please Kate follow this up with another piece sooner rather than later, you can leave out cd 1 next time.

Pseuds shop at Asda - how prosaic. Surely it's just for us chavs?

Bought mine today, excellent!

Very strong candidate for album of the year.

Peter

Just been listening to Kate singing about a washing machine.
Didn't realise she meant that Aerial.
Regards,
Steve O.

I liked sound-CD packaging/Rolf - I at last can hear 1st track properly-comprehend it. I'm all for late-forties ladies realizing value of washing-line/machines/billowing dresses in surf-ariel/dusk etc.

Early during first listen I remembered Joni Mitchell.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve O:
Just been listening to Kate singing about a washing machine.

Me too! And don't know what to say apart from 'odd, very odd'.

Just on my first play through though.

OK, so now she's singing in the style of Yoda with a bad throat infection.

******* Edit *******

Disc 2 - fab!

Bit of a mixed bag I thought. I'm only on about the 3rd listen through though.


J8hn - I think Monday releases are a throwback to the fact that the charts were compiled on Sundays. Releasing on Monday gives you 6 days sales to impact the chart, whereas Saturday release only gives you one.
At least with the supermarkets and internet us Mon-Fri workers can actually buy on the Monday now!

yeah! I know why the release is Monday, but it's stupid innit and v inconvenient. I used to have a tame record shop man who [if I was cool about it] would sell to me on Saturday. I've been into MVC when they've had the stuff under the counter but won't sell till Monday.

From today's Portland paper, may be of interest to y'all. I don't know Kate's music so ...

http://www.oregonlive.com/music/oregonian/index.ssf?/ba...110116460.xml&coll=7

Jeff A

Saw the video for The King is Dead, bit quirky, but I like that. One things for sure, Kate has certainly been tucking into the pies whilst she's not been making records.

I think the WHOLE album is a masterpiece. I try not to use those words lightly.

I worship Kate!

I wouldn't consider myself a KB fan but really liked the single so bought the album. Disc one is OK with some good songs but Disc 2 is a bit over querky for me (Rolf Harris!). I will give it a few more goes but to be honest I cannot see it getting into the classic territory.

I am more with Simon than Woodface on this, the album certainly bears repeating listening, and gets better each time (to me).

Try it through headphones, I think much thought has gone into the mixing of this (mind you she hardly rushed it..!) and the sound quality is superb.
I understand the vinyl release has been put back (because of sleeve printing problems I was told by HMV), but I am looking forward to that too, as I think my Roksan will do the music great service.

A lovely record to my mind.

Agreed.

As much as it blew me away the first time, after half a dozen full listenings it becomes even more engrossing and uplifting.

The album continues to reveal new beautiful details and musical interplay on every new listen.

I Love it!!

Correction..

The vinyl release has been pushed back to Dec as
EMI seem unable to press flat records at the moment. At least they are aware of the problem
and trying to fix it.
Agreed, Aerial is very, very good. Worth the wait

Apart from anything else I cannot remember an album so full of genuine personal contentment. Read the lyrics to 'Bertie' and they seem desperately cheesy, but the song just sounds heartfelt and warm.

Bruce-who never really liked KB records before that much.

There are lots of nice sounds/simple ok thoughts in album.

Athough I like Rolf/seem to have 552 of his songs/performances, I do not really like him too often chatting on CD2, which is why I surprisingly love CD1.

I must start playing CD2 with final track to get full (Gilmour??) power of it.

Despite obviously being recorded at 'lower level', bird-sounds are great, and the sleeve WAV view of blackbird-sound is very significant.

Soon we shall hear the robin.

Madonna despite success of current release might get off high-horse more carefully and listen to nature.

I love all of Kate Bush's albums (even Lionheart has its place), but can you imagine an unknown trying to sell the tapes of Aerial to a record company?

Aerial is good, but no Hounds of Love I'm afraid.
(p.s. I thought it was a tribute to Ron Smith)

They are the sound wave pattern created from birdsong. One more clever aspect of the album is that the cover reveals itself once you get to understand the meaning behind the musical content.

Clever old Kate.

love as well..........

interview tonigh ton R2

20:30 Mark Radcliffe
Mark in conversation with Kate Bush.

Rockingdoc

I agree that in terms of diversity of sound then aerial is no hounds of love. However, as an owner and avid listener of all of her work I am totally enthralled by Aerial. It is just so well crafted and beautiful to listen to. Musically it offers a tremendously consistent and rewarding listen.

If I was a record company exac and this landed on my desk I would like to think I would do exactly what EMI did in 1977.