Kate Bush News

We are all reeling from the news that our friend, Kate Bush fan Lise Gerrard has died. A remarkable person, and passionate fan, Lise coped with mounting health issues for a number of years with great humour and determination. Two of her close friends and fellow Kate Bush fans, Paul and Sky, pay tribute below. We send our sincerest condolences out to her son Noah, her parents, her family and friends.

Paul Thomas: Mementos of Pleasure – a tribute to Lise Gerrard

There are advantages to being a hoarder. I would much rather hear “good job you kept that” instead of “what a shame you threw that out”. Our dear friend Lise has left behind a mountain of mementos for me. Old concert and train tickets, bundles of postcards and letters, all in her beautiful, distinctive handwriting, and hundreds and hundreds of photographs. Then there are all the gifts she bought me- vinyls, CDs, books, T shirts and Christmas tree decorations. These now serve as mementos of a special friendship that spanned 5 decades. I am so pleased I kept them all and when I look through them next I know memories will flood through my mind like a film projection.

Recounting all those wonderful times. The many nights out, parties, concerts, the photo-booths, getting the milk train after keeping each other awake at a London train station. Then there are all the memories connected to Kate Bush, who essentially was responsible for us knowing each other in the first place. Holding hands with each other whilst Kate performed “Breathing” live at a Comic Relief benefit gig in 1986, the visits to the farm and sharing tea with Kate and other members of the Bush family during the 80s (especially with Kate’s dear mother). And more recently, Guido Harari’s book launch where Lise was thrilled to meet Guido as well as one of her idols, Lindsay Kemp. There are many special people in my life that I may not have met if it wasn’t for Lise. She seemed to be a linchpin for many friendships. Lise was very well known and loved not just within the Kate Bush fan community but many other communities too, where she left her mark with her wit and kindness.

We met when we were teenagers, the age when we start discovering things about the world around us, thinking how grown up we are when in fact we were babies and so green about everything. Our friendship was built upon the love of the same music, primarily Kate but also Leonard Cohen, David Bowie, Joni Mitchell and more recently Father John Misty. We also had many other things in common, including a similar sense of humour and a love of animals. She was easy to talk to, compassionate, funny and so very kind, traits that have been inherited by her beloved son, Noah. I know she was loved by so many and leaves a huge hole in our lives but we should be grateful that we knew Lise, our crazy, beautiful friend. I am sure she feels this outpouring of love from wherever she is now.

Just one more thing, “Love you more” – I win.

Sky Boswell: Lise was the most selfless person I ever knew.  Despite her many challenges in recent years she never moaned about her lot, and endured with patience, grace and an extraordinarily resilient sense of humour.  She was one of a core group of close friends who met and bonded over our shared love of Kate’s music in the early 1980s when, like the almost-children we still were, we all thought we would live forever.  In her healthy times we shared so much fun and laughter and, thankfully, I have wonderful memories and lots of photos of her and of us together.  She was an utterly unique and amazing person, incredibly witty and funny, strong, sincere, kind, generous and selfless.  I can’t get my head around the fact that she has gone from this world.  Goodnight, darling Lise. I will miss you so much but I’ll see you again some day.

[Note: Below is Lise’s contribution to the Record Collector Presents Kate Bush magazine published in November 2020 – you can download a larger PDF of this article here]

Wishing Kate a very happy birthday today! We hope you’re having a fantastic day and having lots of fun. Gives us a chance to say THANK YOU for being you and for giving us your wonderful music! xxx

So, when the artist you love hasn’t released anything in a while, even a reissue on limited coloured vinyl can spark quite a lot of excitement. This was the case yesterday up and down the UK in HMV stores when the special vinyl release of Hounds of Love went on sale as part of the music chain’s centenary celebrations.

Stock was very limited in many stores, with a total of just 1,500 copies of this edition pressed up. Those who queued early (some as early as 6am!) were assured of their copy as HMV staff allocated stock to those queuing on a first come first served basis. Only 1 copy of Hounds of Love could be purchased per customer. There were 37 albums in total made available as part of this campaign, Kate’s being #4. This edition is the same as the 2018 Remastered version of Kate’s 1985 album, and a nice touch was the re-use of the original album font on the circular hype sticker on the shrink wrap. Some of the vinyl albums were available online on HMV’s site at 4pm on the day but sold out almost immediately, with as many as 100 copies showing up on Ebay straight away for inflated prices, something we unfortunately see happening with Record Store Day releases also.

For fans and collectors this edition is somewhat unique in that no two copies of the disc will look the same. The unique marbled effect is the result of using various recycled materials available from other coloured vinyl runs. In this case, thanks to many fans posting images of their discs, we can see that the colours run from rich reds and plum colours to dark and light greys, with flecks and marbling of other shades running through. Did you manage to get one?

Our friend Michael Guth in Germany lets us know that sadly Alfred Biolek passed away today, aged 87, the man who was so important for Kates career in Germany. He is even pictured on the rear cover of the German 7″ Wuthering Heights sleeve. Michael writes: “He was a true legend! Bio’s Bahnhof was the title of an entertainment show hosted by Alfred Biolek, which was broadcast by ARD in Germany from 9 February 1978 to 28 October 1982 in 30 episodes from the former depot Hall of the Köln-Frechen-Benzelrather Eisenbahn live.

A special feature of the program was that the artists performing were from all styles of music: pop as well as folk, avant-garde and contemporary music. With the exception of Vicky Leandros in the first episode (due to a cold), all artists sang live.

Alfred Biolek proved (in collaboration with his editors) an extraordinary sense of future stars. Among others, he presented Sting, Helen Schneider and Kate Bush to the German audience for the first time.

Indeed, Kate made her very first television appearance at Bio’s Bahnhof, performing Kite and Wuthering Heights on 9 February 1978. The backdrop, which was supposed to represent the Yorkshire moors, included a volcano.” (Thanks Michael)

I contacted various record labels, which artists might be suitable for my new show. One day I was sitting at EMI in London, and all sorts of names were mentioned – and I suddenly I noticed a song that sounded softly over the office speakers. I interrupted the conversation, listening. And I was thrilled! I asked: “Who is this?” And they said: “A brand new artist, she has only just begun”. And I thought we could just invite her.

Alfred Biolek

Update 21st July: Kate’s official site has posted with more information about the discs themselves: “It is a recycled coloured vinyl which is completely individual in its colour variation, so no two are the same. The unique marbled effect is the result of using various recycled materials available from other coloured vinyl runs.”

With their upcoming 100th birthday this month, HMV, the UK-based music and film retailer, have recently launched their new and exclusive 1921 Centenary Editions. “We have carefully curated a selection of the finest albums and soundtracks from the last 100 years and had them specially pressed onto some beautiful limited edition vinyl – all of which will be available exclusively in hmv stores on Saturday July 24.”

Describing the album as “a timeless classic from a truly unique artist”, Hounds of Love joins their 1921 Centenary Edition series with a new and exclusive reissue pressed on recycled vinyl and limited to 1500 copies. We note that this is not a coloured vinyl, as with some other editions in this series. Kate’s album is No.4 0f 37 albums in this set of vinyl reissues.

HMV say that these exclusives will be available on a first come, first served basis, and they recommend that you head to your local store nice and early so you don’t miss out. While stocks last there will also be a very limited number of copies of Hounds of Love 1921 Centenary Edition available in their online store from 4pm on July 24. You can see all the other HMV vinyl exclusives here.

It was with great shock and sadness that we learned this week of the death of Belfast-born singer, songwriter, producer, composer and front-man, Joe Cassidy. Just last autumn, Joe contributed his intensely beautiful version of Kate’s Top of the City to the I Wanna Be Kate: Remastered and Expanded project, using his band name, Butterfly Child. Sending our sincere condolences to his family, loved ones and many friends.

Thomas Dunning, who knew Joe well and produced I Wanna Be Kate has shared the following:

Joe was a dream of a friend and a profoundly gifted and hard-working musician of exceptional generosity.  He mentored so many in the art and joy of music-making, whether they were professionals, saw themselves as creatives, or not.  His extraordinary kindness and love of animals were as well regarded as his magnificent pop, rock and orchestral creations. I will miss him and I am so grateful to have had his love and music in my life.  It is an honour that his last musical release was his brilliant contribution to I Wanna Be Kate with the sweet closing line, ‘Put me up on the angels shoulders. Mmmm, Yes!’   I’m sure that’s exactly where he is.  What a blessing he was in my life. ~ Thomas Dunning

Joe Cassidy’s career in music spans almost three decades. Joe moved from Belfast to Manchester, then London, and then Chicago—finally landing in Los Angeles in 2007. His career was a study in duality: his projects have been picked up by hot indie labels Rough Trade and H.ark!—and major giants Arista/ BMG, Hit It!/ Tommy Boy, Dedicated/ BMG, RCA, and Universal. Joe has written scores for string quartets made up of members of the Liverpool Symphony and the Chicago Lyric Orchestra—and for films like “Bettie Page Uncensored”, “Stan” and “Hollywood”. Joe also worked on the 2011 Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner “We Live In Public” and the 2011 Emmy winning documentary “Hold At All Costs”.

His band Butterfly Child is known for its symphonic love songs; his band Assassins is known for its electro-pop dance tracks—both have devoted fan bases. Joe even had the honour of producing song writing legend Jimmy Webb with Glen Campbell in the room. He performed across the USA and Europe including Lollapalooza and has supported New Order, Muse, Travis and Duran Duran to name but a few.

Perhaps Joe demonstrated success across genres and continents because of what Rolling Stone called “his mastery of the simple pop song.” At the heart of every one of his compositions is a melody infused with deeply satisfying musical—and narrative—resolution. As was said of Joe Cassidy’s style, “If you’ve ever been drunk in a pub, staring at someone beautiful, just watching them move, in a blur, this was probably the music in your head.”

Here’s what Joe said about his version of Top of the City on I Wanna Be Kate: 

top of the city always resonated with me. i remember buying the red shoes album the day it came out and i loved this particular track instantly. there are some songs that i could never dream of covering like the sensual world as it is basically beyond perfect but top of the city felt like i could have fun with the arrangement and do my own spin on it, including the molly bloom references at the end. i listened to the live version from the before the dawn album, borrowed a couple of things from that and just got on with it really. it was a very fast recording process as i tracked everything in a day by myself in the studio and then worked on the mix for a little longer. 

kate bush is indescribable. her voice, her dancing, her beauty and her song writing will long live eternal. – Joe Cassidy, 2020

Thomas has now made the track available for free download here.

Kate’s brother, John Carder Bush, has let me know that his stunning book of photographs of Kate throughout her career, Kate: Inside the Rainbow has been reprinted by Little, Brown and made available again on Amazon and other sites. This is great news for anyone put off by the ever-increasing prices the book was being sold for on the used book market the last couple of years. Order here from Amazon UK or to support local bookshops in the UK visit https://uk.bookshop.org. As an Amazon Associate this site earns revenue to support running costs from qualifying purchases.

Kate: Inside the Rainbow includes outtakes from classic album shoots and never-before-seen photographs from sessions including The Dreaming and Hounds of Love, as well as rare candid studio shots and behind-the-scenes stills from video sets, including ‘Army Dreamers’ and ‘Running Up that Hill’.
These stunning images are accompanied by two new essays by John: ‘From Cathy to Kate’, describing in vibrant detail their shared childhood and the early, whirlwind days of Kate’s career, and ‘Chasing the Shot’, which vividly evokes John’s experience of photographing his sister. Kate personally helped John to choose the final selection of shots. A limited signed boxed edition of 500 copies with three fine-art prints sold out rapidly when the book was first released in October 2015.