Kate Bush: Under Review
Kate Bush and EMI wish to draw attention to the notice which appears on the reverse of this DVD which is notably absent from all of the advertising material, namely that: “This DVD is not authorised by Kate Bush, her management or any record or publishing companies associated with the release or ownership of Kate Bush’s music” Kate Bush and EMI wish it to be known that she does not, in any way, support or endorse the release of the DVD.
Hello all, we’re sure you are all still immersed in the Aerial album like everyone else, for an update on this website’s activities since the album release please read the forum posting (from Bfenby) . We still have no news of a second single so as usual, watch this space! In the meantime Kate’s first 7 albums were re-issued in Japan last year and will be available on import in the UK & Ireland from March 13th 2006 (please note that these are NOT the re-mastered re-issues that we’ve been awaiting from EMI UK, these are just very nicely repackaged CDs made to look like the original vinyl versions, with inserts etc). The sheet music to Kate’s new album Aerial has been released in the UK – more info here. All the very latest Kate Bush news mentions can be found in our busy forum’s Medialog section. The huge online Kate Bush resource Gaffaweb is now being continually updated with all Aerial-related articles, reviews and interviews etc, be sure to check it out. Kate’s official site is now also available in a HTML format as well as the Flash version.
The annual South Bank Show awards are the only British awards to cover all areas of the arts including pop, film, dance and opera. The awards ceremony takes place at London’s Savoy Hotel on Friday 27th January. Aerial is one of three nominations in the Pop category along with Gorillaz “Demon Days” and Richard Hawley “Coles Corner”. The awards will be broadcast on ITV1 on Sunday night 29th January, 23:10–00:25. The South Bank Show is one of Britain’s most prominent arts programmes, presented by Melvyn Bragg. Read more about what promises to be a star-studded event here. UPDATE 27th January: Kate eventually lost out to Richard Hawley in today’s award ceremony.
The nominations for the 2006 Brit Awards have been announced this evening. Kate has been nominated for two Brit Awards; Best British Female Solo Artist and Aerial has been nominated for Best British Album. The awards, hosted by Chris Evans, take place in Earls Court on Wednesday February 15th (and will be televised on ITV1 the following evening). Kate’s nominations will be formally announced by host Sarah Cox at the nominations launch party at Riverside Studios tonight. In the British Female Solo Artist nominees Kate is joined by Charlotte Church, Katie Melua, KT Tunstall and Natasha Bedingfield. In the Best British album shortlist she is joined by Coldplay (X&Y), Gorillaz (Demon Days), James Blunt (Back To Bedlam) and Kaiser Chiefs (Employment). ITV will be devoting hours of airtime prior to the awards to four weekly “Brits Are Coming” programmes on ITV1 with additional coverage on ITV2. King Of The Mountain is included on the accompanying 2-CD Brit Awards Album 2006 which is out on February 6th. This release also includes the King Of The Mountain video. Congratulations to Kate on this richly deserved recognition! Read more at the official Brit Awards site here. UPDATE: Kate did not win either award on the night but she has expressed her happiness with the nominations on her official website.
Blimey! What an amazing 2005 we’ve had. The album and single have been hugely successful, Kate has produced probably the most beautiful work of her career thus far and the critical reception from the media and fans has been overwhelming in its positivity. It is almost too much to take in to be honest. Here’s hoping that you all enjoy the seasonal good cheer and that the album continues to surprise and delight you as we embrace the Christmas holiday. Thank you all SO much for the support you’ve given to this site, to the forum and to HomeGround Magazine (what a brilliant new issue!) over the past year – you are all truly fantastic. Special thanks to Kate for this amazing new music.
From Kate’s official site: “The double-vinyl version of ‘Aerial’ should be in the shops from this Saturday (17th December) – beautifully packaged in a gatefold sleeve with large 24-page colour booklet.” Great news! At last fans can add this to their record collections in time for Christmas, we’re already hearing great things about how these records sound and look, and we’ll be checking for the traditional vinyl scratched message from Kate…
Peter & Krys at HomeGround have been told by EMI today that Aerial has reachedPlatinum status in the UK just four weeks after release; this represents sales of 300,000 units. Aerial has achieved this award faster than either The Red Shoes or The Sensual World and this represents a major achievement for Kate. Congratulations Kate!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations also to Peter & Krys who completed the monumental task of finishing the hugely anticipated Aerial issue of HomeGround over the weekend in time for their print deadline!
Did you know? The very latest news is gathered at our forum’s buzzing Medialog section here.
As you know, Kate has two exceptionally talented brothers with whom she has collaborated throughout her career (latest word from Paddy below, more from Pad in HomeGround 77 the issue after the upcoming Aerial issue). Kate’s brother John Carder Bush has today published a darkly humorous novel, The Cellar Gang. We’ve been looking forward to this for quite some time. You can order the book and read all about John’s forthcoming written, musical and spoken-word works at his newly launched website www.johncarderbush.com. The book is available in a special limited edition of only 500 copies, the first fifty of which are signed and numbered by the author. Hardback and beautifully bound in linen, The Cellar Gang is printed on thick cream wove paper and comes with a ribbon marker – careful design which will come as no surprise to anyone lucky enough to own a copy of John’s previous publication Cathy. John says: “The Cellar Gang is available from today. I’m very pleased with the book itself – it feels good to hold, looks wonderful and I hope it will nibble its way into your hearts. Many thanks for all your interest in this project.” You can take a look at a large cover shot of the book here. As always with these very special items, and particularly in the run up to Christmas, the advice is – get your order in fast!
Don’t worry – I’m not forgetting the round-up of the Kate news when we’ll be taking a look at how Aerial is being received worldwide (it has hit no 2 in the combined European chart!), I am working on it for you – but for now all the very latest news mentions can be found in our forum’s Medialog section. The huge online Kate Bush resource Gaffaweb is now being continually updated with all Aerial-related articles, reviews and interviews etc, be sure to check it out. Kate’s official site is now also available in a HTML format as well as the Flash version. Kate has posted the following message on the site:
“Welcome to the website.
This is a place where I can speak to you directly from time to time. The site itself will be an evolving process starting here with some general information, video clips and a few things to purchase.
“Aerial” has been the most difficult album I have ever made, it has straddled nine to ten years, mainly the last five.
There were many times when I thought it might never be finished…but now it is, and I hope you will enjoy it.
Kate Bush
Peacock (the design company who worked with Kate on every aspect of Aerial’s launch including album artwork and design, website, TV ads etc) put a whole bunch of fake birds on a billboard to promote the album – nice! Am asuming this is in London. Here’s a screengrab from the Peacock site….
Paddy Bush, Kate’s brother, has let me know that the World Music magazine Songlines are including Kate next month as part of a series of regular features called “My World” (rather like a world music desert island discs). Paddy, who writes for the magazine and is featured in the current issue, persuaded Kate into selecting her top ten world music favourites, which will be featured on the cover mounted CD. We know that Kate’s choices include Justin Vali from Madagascar (who played on The Red Shoes album and has worked and toured with Paddy). Also chosen is music from Germany, Brittany and Ireland. Kate will have a comment on each of the tracks to go with the CD. The magazine is out on the 9th of December. Spread the word! Read more about ordering the Songlines magazine here.
Also, the excellent Madagascar film that Paddy did for for Channel 4 in 1998, Like A God When He Plays, has been shown on a US satellite TV station called Link TV and will be repeated throughout this coming week, see the channel’s website here for broadcast times. This is a beautiful film and I know from my emails that there are a lot of Paddy Bush fans who missed it first time out. Thanks Pad, congrats again on Kate’s top 4 hit single (Paddy, reluctant popstar, did the spooky backing vocals!). Paddy has also sent in a feature for issue 77 of HomeGround, which will be out in April. Read more about Paddy and the documentary at my original feature here. UPDATE: From the editor of Songlines: “not all the tracks on the CD are Kate’s playlist, the CD also includes our own editor’s choice selection, Kate’s selection includes Rolf Harris, Ali Farka Touré with Ry Cooder and Justin Vali“
I have received a large heap of email enquiries from people in the UK who saw the ITV drama“Walk Away And I Stumble” starring Tamzin Outhwaite (pictured) on the 15th November who are desperate to find out the name of the song by Kate featured prominently (and tastefully) in the show. It caused a great deal of interest among the 7 million viewers who watched it. The song was Kate’s This Woman’s Work and it has since rocketed to the number 3 most popular downloaded song on UK iTunes only beaten by the latest offerings from Girls Aloud and Madonna! This Woman’s Work, from Kate’s 1989 album The Sensual World is easily one of the most popular songs Kate has ever recorded, despite originally being a relatively minor hit single for Kate. It has been used many times in TV soundtracks (Alias and Felicity in the US for example). This is also a nice boost for Kate’s profile with Aerial high in the charts and the Christmas spending frenzy kicking in. (cough, cough, ahem…this is how mega-selling Christmas singles are spawned EMI!…just ask Gary Jules) p.s. Read some viewer reaction here
Aerial has entered the UK album charts at number 3 – the second highest new entry after Il Divo (who went straight in at number 1). Westlife claim the number 2 position. The album is now a critical and commerical smash hit with every indication that this is going to remain a huge seller throughout the run up till Christmas! Well done Kate, we’re delighted for you and for everyone who has worked so hard on this new release. King Of The Mountain is still selling and remains in the Top 30 in its 3rd week – now at number 21, while UK airplay for the single is now at its highest yet according to Music Week. VINYL UPDATE: Word is that the double vinyl version of Aerial will not be available till 5th December as it is taking a little longer than expected to get the quality right. Still, plenty of time to get your mitts on the BIG booklet and artwork before Christmas 🙂
Aerial has been flying off the shop shelves in the UK with only Il Divo and possibly Westlife capable of outselling Kate by the weekend according to midweek chart predicitions. There have been many reports of shops simply selling out of the new album already. Whatever the final tally, fans will relish the fact that Aerial, being a double album, means that Kate’s selling twice as many CDs as anyone else! Strong sales of King Of The Mountain meant that the single has remained in the UK Top Ten this week at number 8.
Kate’s official site is now up and running at www.katebush.com. As well as a note from Kate there’s photos, video, audio and other downloads available, a shop stocked with t-shirts, sweatshirts, prints and mouse-mats and a biography and news section – so check it out!
If you didn’t get to hear it the BBC Front Row Interview with Kate is here. Also Mark Radcliffe’s show featuring excerpts from his interview with Kate can be listened to again at the BBC site here. Note that the Mark Radcliffe interview with Kate will be broadcast on November 19th as a documentary on Radio 2 at 9pm. The radio interviews underline Kate’s surprise and delight at the tremendous success that her eighth studio album is having. More reviews coming soon, meanwhile they are being compiled over at Gaffaweb for you. [ On a personal note, the release of the album has coincided with two separate trips that take me away from site-work just now so this would account for the slightly reduced rate of updates – to be honest I think we’re all just luxuriating in this new music for now, but I will catch up eventually. If I can manage it I’m going to put my own thoughts about the album together for the much-anticipated new issue of HomeGround magazine due out in December (who spotted their ad in Mojo?!). The album is extraordinarily beautiful and powerful. I couldn’t give a toss about chart positions or anything else right now. Thanks so much again Kate. I’m off to pop my headphones on again. “…we dive deeper and deeper”]
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