Kate Bush - Never For Ever
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CD Details
Artist: Kate BushEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
CD Release Date: 1990-10-25
Music Label: Capitol
Soundtracks:
- Babooshka
- Delius (Song Of Summer)
- Blow Away (For Bill)
- All We Ever Look For
- Egypt
- The Wedding List
- Violin
- The Infant Kiss
- Night Scented Stock
- Army Dreamers
- Breathing
Music reviews of Never For Ever
Music Review: A Sonically Gorgeous Masterpiece
Rating: 5 Stars
The third album that Kate Bush recorded, "Never For Ever" was released in September 1980 and contains many of her greatest moments. After her stunning debut "The Kick Inside" and its follow-up, "Lionheart," which didn't perform as well, Kate returned with this album. It went straight to No.1 in the UK and became the first album by a female artist ever to top the charts. This is quite an achievement, and one of many in Kate's phenomenal career as one of the most unique and original talents ever discovered. The album contains 11 songs and still holds up very well more than 25 years after its original release.
The album is very diverse, yet it has this smooth, cohesive quality to it that makes it stunningly beautiful and very advanced for the time it was released. Most artists making albums at this period in time were only interested in big sales through writing radio hits. Not Kate. She was way ahead of her time, making music on her own terms and in her own time. This is something Kate has maintained throughout her entire career, and something she should be very proud of. She is a national treasure and by far the best British female artist of all time. Her music was ground breaking for its time and this is representative mostly on "The Dreaming" and "Hounds Of Love," and also, but to a lesser extent, Never For Ever.
The album opens with the classic hit single "Babooshka." This song is just crazy and very out of control. In this song, Kate sings about disguising herself as an anonymous female who writes letters to her husband to test his fidelity. In the letters, she arranges to meet him dressed in a disguise. The lyrics are dramatic and funny, quite theatrical and very original. The chorus explodes with eccentric vocals in the only way Kate knows how. "Delius (Song Of Summer)" emerges from the glass-shattering outro of the last song, with a very exotic sitar playing gently. The percussion on this song is very harmonious and Kate's wails are so beautiful it hurts. The song doesn't even stretch to three minutes, but it's very memorable as one of the most peaceful songs Kate has ever recorded. "Blow Away (For Bill)" has a gorgeous string section that builds as the chorus approaches. The song is about rock and pop stars who tragically died before their time was up. Kate's vocals are high and gorgeous as usual, with the breakdown in the middle being a particular highlight. There's also an Othello reference too. See if you can work out where it is. "All We Ever Look For" features an array of unusual instruments such as a koto and timpani. This song has an Irish feel to it every time I listen to it. It's a whistle-like riff that builds as the song progresses. The song is about parents and children and the relationships we tend to have.
"Egypt" is a song often panned by fans, but I actually really like it. It's incredibly atmospheric, and remember that this is a quarter of a century old. The technology wasn't very advanced back in 1980, so for this song to sound spot-on like the sandy dunes of Egypt is pure genius. The choir-like vocals that build and build in the final two minutes are dry like a desert, the instrumental section is bright like the sun beating down, Kate's piercing scream at 2:19 that echoes, does so *like* a sandstorm over the pyramids. I could go on with all these references, but I won't. You have to listen to it for yourself. Very beautiful. "The Wedding List" tells the story of a psychotic, disturbed woman who is planning to kill off the attendees at a wedding. She's compiled a list, and lyrics such as "I'm gonna fill your head with lead" are purely chilling! This is contrasted with the hilariously manic "Violin." This is the most over the top song on an otherwise chilled-out album. Kate's vocals on this song rise and fall in an attempt to imitate a violin. I have to say she does a very good job! The lyrics are absolutely hilarious: "Get the Bow going! Let it scream to me! Violin, violin, violin!" It's almost as though Kate has no control over her voice, especially towards the end where she's screeching, "Jiggling along with the fiddle-dee-diddle-dee-dee!"
"The Infant Kiss" is another amazing song and has perhaps the most beautiful first verse of any song on the whole album. My heart just flutters when Kate sings, "I say goodnight - night, I tuck him in tight." It's just the way she sings it that gets me every time. Pure genius. The rest of the lyrics are quite strange and abstract, yet still an enjoyable listen. "Night Scented Stock" is a 51-second-long interlude song that just features some breathy vocals. "Army Dreamers" is a short but very impressionable song about a man who died so young in the army. This is Kate's anti-army/war song and it works very well. The chorus is very memorable and lives on. The album closes with the chilling "Breathing." Kate sings this song from the point of view of a baby inside its mother's womb. A nuclear explosion has destroyed the outside world, and the baby's mother is breathing in the deadly toxins, which in turn are damaging the unborn baby. There's a very strong message in this song, sung through an unborn child which Kate's child-like vocals suit very well.
OVERALL GRADE: 10/10
This album is almost like the ultimate album, because it has so much to offer. The artwork is absolutely stunning, with an image of Kate on the cover stood on a rock as her dress billows out, revealing a sea of animals and mythological creatures. The sound of this album is very clean and pristine which is surprising after 25 years. Not many albums from the Eighties stand up well today, but Kate Bush is a clear exception. The fact that this isn't even her best album is a testament to just how talented a lady she is. Her new album "Aerial" is released on November 8th after a 12 year wait, and I for one will be buying it straight away. In the mean time we can take a listen back over Kate's lengthy career and see just why she's become such an icon of almost mythical stature in the United Kingdom.
Description of Never For Ever
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