I love Kate Bush, but this isn't the Kate Bush album I expected to see nominated for Classic status, nor do I think it should qualify over Hounds of Love or The Dreaming. This one isn't a bad album. It's interesting, in a medieval-pop sort of way. However, I think it pales in comparison to some of her other work. This album doesn't have any standout, timeless tracks like Running Up That Hill, Hounds of Love, or Suspended in Gaffa. To its credit, Egypt is a nice and intense little song. The Wedding List has a great attitude to it... but I'm always going to be drawn to a different record if I want to hear Kate Bush.

EDIT: I am now listening to Hounds of Love, because the album in question made me just want to hear Kate Bush at her best instead.

I nominated Hounds of Love btw.

#js

But this is one of her best for me.

Breathing/Babooshka are the closest to this imo.

Breathing was probably the best track, but I'm not going to listen to a whole album for one track when Hounds of Love has only a couple that aren't brilliant.

I pretty much love every track on Never for Ever. Among the first 5 albums, it's only Lionheart that's a bit inconsistent for me. Still, I probably like that album more than most.

I've never listened to The Sensual World so I'm going to.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1DDndY0FLI

:D

I need to listen to that on more as well. Deeper Understanding and Rocket's Tail are two really good songs from that album.

Given that I don't have the time to listen to this through again, I've had to refer back to when I reviewed it in my journal as part of her discography, and I see that I liked it, but was not, to use my own words, blown away by it. Nevertheless, it contains three big hit singles alongside some experimental stuff, one of her few duets with a male in Ian Bairnson, and some nice ballads. So overall, being no Kate expert, and still having Hounds of Love as my favourite (after The Whole Story) I've rated this as an eight. I do think there are probably better Kate albums that would rate as classics, and I'm one of those who thinks or agrees that 50 Words For Snow is criminally underrated, as is Aerial, but there you go. Take what you want from that I guess.

So I'm not alone on that :beer:
It's a slow and quiet album, but I learned to love it after a few listens.

Aerial never really grabbed me, but I haven't given it another chance for years either, admittedly.

I love that, on Aerial, she wasn't afraid to go for the outdated and mostly hated second-side-is-a-concept thing, and I feel it worked really well, though probably wouldn't have worked for any other artist. I admire the way she gives two slim, perfectly manicured fingers to the conventions of rock and pop music.

It's a good album, but not something I'd go out of my way to listen too. Maybe give it a few more listens in the distant future but not anytime soon. 6/10