1997

Nick Drake tribute album?

December: There are rumours that Kate could be appearing on a tribute album to the late English singer-songwriter Nick Drake released in 1998. An album of this kind was rumoured to feature Kate a few years ago but never surfaced. The album may be produced by Joe Boyd who was Nick's friend and producer and who has also worked with Kate when she collaborated with the Trio Bulgarka. Mark Lanegan, the singer with The Screaming Trees is said to have recorded Clothes Of Sand for this record. Brian Kennedy, Paul Buchanan (the singer with The Blue Nile) and Paul Weller are also rumoured to be involved. So far most of this information stems from an interview given by Kate St. John (ex-Dream Academy) who is said to be co-producing the tribute. A biography of Nick (who died at the age of 27 in 1974) by Patrick Humphries has just been published, the anthology Way To Blue has been reissued and a recent Irish Times article says that "there are advanced plans for a tribute album and a documentary". Thanks to Mikael Ledin for this news.

Paddy Bush documentary

Kate's brother Paddy has been involved in a documentary made for Channel 4 television in the UK. It is about a voyage of musical discovery he has undertaken to Madagascar. Read more here.

The People's Banquet

Thursday November 20th: Among the celebrations to mark the Golden wedding anniversary of the Queen, Kate was invited to a banquet hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, celebrating the contribution of various fields of endeavour during those 50 years. Kate was joined at her table by former Prime Minister John Major, cricketer Mike Atherton and ballerina Darcy Bussell. The banquet was held at the Banqueting hall on Whitehall.

Hounds Of Love on vinyl

Hounds Of Love has been reissued on vinyl as part of the continuing EMI centenary celebrations. Fans have commented that the record sounds good, but that there is no inner sleeve.

Björk on Kate

In the 15th October edition of the London event guide Time Out, there is a report that one of their writers bumped into Kate at the premiere of "Maddie" at the Lyric Shaftesbury theatre, and that the conversation turned to Björk. It seems that Björk sent Kate a demo she had made of Kate's song Moving in 1989 and that they have since kept in touch. The article claims that "In fact they have been talking about the possibility of a duet".

Also, in the November issue of Q magazine, Björk has the following to say in relation to Kate:

"I remember being underneath my duvet at the age of twelve, fantasising about Kate Bush, but I don't want to make a big thing out of it. I would love it and hate it to be compared to Kate Bush, because I'd be very honoured to be compared to such a genius, but at the same time, It's important to me that I have my own individuality and my own voice"

 

Kate Gets Covered

Two cover versions of Kate's songs appeared this year. Mike Scott, the lead singer of the Waterboys, now solo, recorded what is reported to be a passionate version of Kate's 1993 track Why Should I Love You. It was featured on a compilation album released by EMI entitled Come Again which featured EMI artists recording other EMI artists tracks. In the CD booklet he has this to say about the song:

"This song was the soundtrack to 6 tumultuous months in my life: the end of my marriage, my stay at the Findhom Community in Scotland, the high magic of meeting my soulmate. 'Why Should I Love You?' was with me all the time, blasting out of the car stereo, rocking the community kitchens, transforming my bedroom into a temple, a boudoir. It speaks to my heart, my spirit, my mind and sets my feet moving too- the grand slam! It's a song to fall in or out of love. And terrific music for cooking stir-fry."

Maxwell, the American R n'B artist featured a version of This Woman's Work in his live MTV Unplugged set. The performance has been released on an accompanying CD by MTV. Maxwell comments before singing the song:

"This next song we're about to do is a song written and produced on an album that came out I think seven or eight years ago, by an artist by the name of Kate Bush. I don't know if you are all familiar with her (applause) but she is the bomb. Truly."

Hounds Of Love-Remastered

June: Hounds Of Love has been re-released in a special remastered edition as part of EMI's centenary celebrations. The CD is contained in a cardboard slip-case which also contains a not-very-exciting booklet on the history of EMI records. The CD itself has been enhanced with new photos and layouts, an introduction by Peter Fitzgerald-Morris (an editor of Homeground), and there are six additional bonus tracks; The Big Sky (Meteorological mix), Running Up That Hill (12" mix), Be Kind To My Mistakes (the B-side of the 1989 single This Woman's Work), Under The Ivy, Burning Bridge and My Lagan Love. The reissue has received excellent reviews in the music press and received ***** from Q magazine.

 

Kate says hello!

May: In the May 1997 Kate Bush Club newsletter Kate responds to recent tabloid rubbish which claims she'd gone mad, called herself Catherine Earnshaw, has become a recluse etc,etc.....This always seems to happen when Kate is out of the public eye for a while. Kate says:

"Hi everyone, thanks for all your letters. Just thought I'd let you know I've had a lovely break away from work. I feel energised and I'm just starting to write again (early days yet so please don't hold your breath). I thought I should dispel a few press rumours. I have not gone mad. I have not changed my name, if Rolf Harris is going to be on the next album, I haven't thought of it yet. I am well and happy and yes, the artist formerly known as Kate Bush is still Kate Bush and is alive and kicking! I hope you're all well and thanks yet again for your continued warmth and support, with lots of love, Kate Bush"

The Kick Inside for audiophiles

February: The Kick Inside is re-released on vinyl as part of the "EMI Centenary Vinyl". It was released in it's original sleeve and is "direct metal mastered" for improved sound quality.

Kate the Sculptress...

February: On Tuesday 4th February, a sculpture by Kate entitled "Strange Fruit" was included in an auction of artwork by music artists in aid of the Warchild charity,The Milestones Gallery, celebrating milestones in music. Various musicians were asked to create three-dimensional artworks celebrating the people who were of a special significance to them in their musical career. It included Lou Reed on Ornette Coleman, Yoko Ono on John Lennon, Paul McCartney on Buddy Holly among others. Kate's sculpture (which was Lot No.2, a Bronze mounted on stone, base 15" by 13", height 7 and a half inches. Signed "Kate Bush 1996") was a tribute to Billie Holiday. There was a short piece by Kate describing the work;

"Billie Holiday is one of my favourite singers. She is still a great inspiration. I sang with a band when I was eighteen and always wore a flower behind my ear to be like her: I felt it brought me luck. This sculpture shares it's name with one of her favourite songs. I've tried to depict her mouth in mid-song growing among the flowers"

Also there is a longer description by Kate of the work in the exhibition catalogue:

"Billie Holiday was a very big influence on me in my late teens. I loved the sound of her voice and I loved the quality of her songs, the sound of the recordings. And I suppose what I found most striking was the way she was able to convey such incredible feeling. When I was in a band years ago, I used to wear a flower behind my ear as a kind of good luck memento, that was something that she always used to do when she performed. So I suppose whenever I think of Billie, I think of her beautiful voice and the flower she used to wear. When the image came up of the mouth and the flower, it just felt for some that some reason that bronze was a really good medium. I had been wanting to try for six months to do sculpture and to try Bronze. It was really fun for me. I've not done anything like this before, to work with something that's a solid, three-dimensional object, as opposed to music which is so completely untouchable physically. It was thrilling to have something which was just a lump of metal, which you can turn around but you can no longer change of fiddle with. The Royal College of Art very kindly let me use their facilities and cast the piece for me. I modelled it in wax. I'd never really appreciated how lovely it is to be working with something so tactile. It really does take shapes, it takes your fingerprints into it. I found it very therapeutic, I'd recommend it to anyone. And I'd never appreciated how wonderful bronze is, when it's molten it looks like liquid fire."

Kate's sculpture raised £600 for the charity and was exhibited to the general public in the ground floor gallery of the Economist Plaza in St. James's Street London from the 6th to 16th of February 1997.

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