This just in! Be warned, it's a bit confusing. Kate Bush will release a (sort of) new album, "Director's Cut", on May 16. The longplayer, her first release since "Aerial" in 2005, will revisit some of her classic songs.Released on her own Fish People label, Kate will feature new versions of songs from her albums "The Sensual World" and "The Red Shoes" which were released in 1989 and 1993, respectively. "Deeper Understanding", which originally appeared on "The Sensual World", will be issued as a single in April.
The album will be released in various fan friendly flavors. You can choose between four formats. A digital album. the standard CD, a two disc vinyl package, and a deluxe three CD set, including "Director’s Cut","The Sensual Word" and re-mastered edition of "The Red Shoes" in a case bound book.
Kate's label will be distributed through EMI, her home for the last 33 years. Not sure how I feel about her revisiting her mighty catalog with new versions of her work. Apparently, she has rerecorded some elements of the tracks whilst keeping the best musical performances of each song. An interesting concept, if nothing else.
Those of us who are looking forward to new material from Ms. Bush will have to wait a little longer. She is currently in the studio working on bits and bobs, but no release date has been scheduled for a full length album.
Really odd. On the one hand, those albums have some songs that could be reworked. On the other, there are many that really should not be tampered with (like, err, most of Sensual World). I might have liked it more if it were new takes on deeper cuts. And then she could have called it Deeper Understanding!
ReplyDeleteIt is a very odd move, especially when most people would like some new music. It also makes me think she wasn't pleased with those songs the first time around.
ReplyDeleteI like "Deeper Understanding" as a title. Her first several albums have been criminally overlooked. She seems to have put a lot of distance between her and everything before "The Sensual World".
Could this be a chance to rescue what some critics seem to think are two of her lesser albums from the realm of take-it-or-leave-it? I personally love Sensual World and actually find a lot to like about Red Shoes, but I have to admit that they don't have the sprawl or interconnectivity of a Hounds of Love or Aerial. Maybe it is because Sony was pushing her to reign in the artistic tendencies and put out more concise pop songs (and work with Prince)...who knows? (Only Kate, perhaps.)
ReplyDeleteThis IS and odd move, but maybe she has something up her sleeve that will allow us to reexamine the work the way Director's Cuts do for movies (sometimes better, sometimes not). I don't know how I feel about artists tampering with history, but she HAS done this before when she re-recorded the vocals for Wuthering Heights for the This Woman's Work comp in the mid-80's. It COULD be really cool, alas, not a replacement for new material. But from Red Shoes, could you imagine a "Song of Solomon" with strings? A "Big Stripey Lie" without that squaking electric guitar? A "You're the One" with just her, organ, & Bulgarian voices? Could this be what she has spent the better part of the past half-decade toiling over, or is this just a signal of bigger and better things to come now that she's free?
Why "Fish People"???
Oh, and I don't get this--is "Sensual World" being remastered or not? It says "Director's Cut" and "Sensual World" with a remastered "Red Shoes". Who wants another non-remastered "Sensual World"? Am I reading this wrong?
ReplyDeleteThere must be an element of "didn't like the way the original came out" here. Other artists have managed to improve on or at least sastisfy themselves that they have - David Sylvian's rework, re-recording of catalogue on Everything and Nothing at the beginning of the Millennium is a good example.
ReplyDeletei'm alarmed. it has given me nightmares to be honest, kate running after me all crazy looking over some wild moors... :P Still, i'll take any Kate music, new or reswizzled please!!
ReplyDelete