WIN! Copy of new book Hounds of Love (33⅓ series)

We’re very happy that today sees the publication of a new book, Hounds Of Love by Leah Kardos. It is part of the long-running 33⅓ book series, described by NME as ‘A brilliant series … each one a work of real love.’ We love these slim paperbacks about significant albums in popular music history and it’s high time Kate’s legendary 1985 album was included – this is the first of Kate’s works to be featured in the 33⅓ series after The Dreaming by Ann Powers was shelved a few years back. The book is available from Amazon and all good bookshops everywhere. Rough Trade even have some copies signed by the author on pre-order here. We especially love the section where Leah discusses all the appearances of blackbirds in Kate’s oeuvre! A very nice little addition to any fans bookshelf.

Thanks to the lovely people at the publisher, Bloomsbury, we have three copies to give away to our lucky site visitors! Simply answer the following question: Which song on the most recent editions of Hounds of Love now appears in the original “Single Mix”? All you need to do is email your answer to sean@katebushnews.com – winners will be drawn randomly next Thursday, 21st November. Closing date for entries is 12pm midnight Wednesday 20th November.

Competition Rules: Competition starts November 14th 2024 and ends November 20th, 2024 at 23:59 (GMT). One entry per person. Multiple entries, the registration of multiple email addresses for one person and incomplete entries will result in disqualification. katebushnews.com is not responsible for the timeliness of delivery or electronic or computer malfunctions that may affect the delivery or content of entry. Winner will be selected in a random draw from all eligible entries on or about November 21st, 2024. Winner will be notified by email. If winner cannot be reached within 3 days of notification, an alternate winner will be selected. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Prize is non-transferable and non-exchangeable. No substitution or cash equivalent will be made. All decisions of katebushnews.com is final. Winner should allow 6 weeks for delivery of prize.

Sam Liddicott reviews the book on his blog here, and Rolling Stone have published an excerpt from the book here.

From the Press Release: Hounds Of Love invites you to not only listen, but to cross the boundaries of sensory experience into realms of imagination and possibility. Side A spawned four Top 40 hit singles in the UK, ‘Running
Up That Hill (A Deal with God)’, ‘Cloudbusting’, ‘Hounds of Love’ and ‘The Big Sky’, some of the best-loved and most enduring compositions in Bush’s catalogue. On side B, a hallucinatory seven-part song cycle called The Ninth Wave broke away from the pop conventions of the era by using strange and vivid production techniques that plunge the listener into the psychological centre of a near-death experience. Poised and accessible, yet still experimental and complex, with Hounds Of Love Bush mastered the art of her studio-based songcraft, finally achieving full control of her creative process. When it came out in 1985, she was only 27 years old.

This book charts the emergence of Kate Bush in the early-to-mid-1980s as a courageous experimentalist, a singularly expressive recording artist and a visionary music producer. Track-by-track commentaries focus on the experience of the album from the listener’s point of view, drawing attention to the art and craft of Bush’s songwriting, production and sound design. It considers the vast impact and influence that Hounds Of Love has had on music cultures and creative practices through the years, underlining the artist’s importance as a barrier-smashing, template-defying, business-smart, record-breaking, never compromising role model for artists everywhere.

Leah Kardos is a senior lecturer in music at Kingston University
London, UK. She is the author of Blackstar Theory: The Last Works of
David Bowie (Bloomsbury, 2022), which was included as one of The
Wire’s ‘Best Books of 2022’. With thanks to Leah and to Mollie Broad at Bloomsbury.