The Dreaming
Kate Bush
1982
Album Summary
The Dreaming is the fourth studio album by English art rock singer Kate Bush, released on 13 September 1982 by EMI Records. Recorded over two years, the album was produced entirely by Bush and is often characterised as her most uncommercial and experimental release. The Dreaming peaked at No. 3 on the UK album chart and has been certified Silver by the BPI, but initially sold less than its predecessors and was met with mixed critical reception. Five singles from the album were released, including the UK No. 11 "Sat in Your Lap" and the title track. The critical standing of the album has improved significantly in recent decades. A public poll conducted by NPR ranked The Dreaming as the 24th greatest album ever made by a female artist. Slant Magazine listed the album at No. 71 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s". It is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, the Mojo "Top 50 Eccentric Albums of All Time" list and The Word magazine's "Great Underrated Albums of Our Time" list. Musicians such as Björk and Big Boi have cited The Dreaming as one of their favourite albums.
WikipediaI don't know what to say. All that comes to mind is a cat starching at my balls. Scratchy and painful this is album hurts. .00000001 out of 5 and only because it could be used to torture terrorists. Kate owes the world an apology. Bonus note: There's actual donkey noises on Get Out of My House. WTF and why?
I know nothing about Kate Bush, but apparently this is noted as her least accessible, most experimental album. Maybe not the best place to start, but I really like it. Plus she produced the entire album, which is always impressive. The beats are very unconventional and feature some intriguing samples. I don't pay much attention to lyrics on first listens, but her voice is good. I really dig this because I didn't know what to expect on any given track. New genres, new sounds and instruments, new vocal delivery patterns. Kept me on my toes in a good way. Favorite tracks: Leave It Open, All the Love, Pull Out the Pin, Suspended in Gaffa. Album art: I really like this one. It feels like a dream--I'm assuming that's Kate Bush on the cover, with a ring in her mouth, about to kiss a man in chains. This album really does look and sound like the crazy dream of some more ordinary pop artist. The text and framing is nice too. 4/5
Absolutely lush and gorgeous. Bush's voice and compositions are incredible, mind-bending, this album is perfect. Suspended in Gaffa is the new national anthem now, okay?
Definitely an album you have to spend more time with to really appreciate. Multiple listening sessions and reading about the background of the songs bring the album to life. I'm now listening to it for the 3rd time and loving it as never before, in all its weirdness.
I am not too familiar with KATE BUSH; however, I have heard a few songs and seen a few videos very recently from the recommendation from my nephew. The overall feeling is that I like it, but it’ll take further investigation and listening to solidify my opinion. After listening to THE DREAMING, I initially found it difficult getting used to the vocals being high-pitched, speeding up and down, creating sounds and yelping within the soundscapes. It takes a bit of work to get accustomed to, but after a number of tries I did find that having the lyrics while listening to the songs are a major step in presenting the story that Kate is presenting. She is a pretty vivid storyteller, and your imagination goes to work fairly quickly with the lyrics. You still may have a tough time grasping everything but that the love of the journey that Kate wants to take us on. In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, THE DREAMING is the first of two other releases immediately following that are included: HOUNDS OF LOVE (1985) THE SENSUAL WORLD (1989). I’m looking forward to immerging myself in these two albums. Rate Artist: KATE BUSH (5.0) Rate Album (Year): THE DREAMING (1982 Original) (5.0) Ranking of KATE BUSH - THE DREAMING songs 01. "Sat in Your Lap" 3:29 10.0/10 02. "There Goes a Tenner" 3:24 10.0/10 03. "Pull Out the Pin" 5:26 09.5/10 04. "Suspended in Gaffa" 3:54 10.0/10 05. "Leave It Open" 3:20 09.5/10 06. "The Dreaming" 4:41 10.0/10 07. "Night of the Swallow" 5:22 08.0/10 08. "All the Love" 4:29 10.0/10 09. "Houdini" 3:48 09.0/10 10. "Get Out of My House" 5:25 10.0/10 Original 1982 Release 96.0/100 = 9.6 / 2 = 4.8
Any album that ends with a choir personifying donkeys is fine by me. I had never heard this before, but I have defo heard its influence, it is still influencing albums to this day.
3/30 Certainly very dreamy, lot of creatively structured songs here, love the range of voices she showcased. Standout Tracks: There Goes A Tenner, Pull Out The Pin, All The Love, Get Out Of My House
Still sounds like nothing I ever heard, combing pop sensibilities with theatrical, prog-esque song structures.
Though it's not instantly a favorite, I can understand Kate Bush's lasting influence on experimental pop. Brave and assured, if sometimes cheekier and campier than I prefer personally. I do love the muted bass and some of the synthesized sounds, which often seem well ahead of their time. This is an album and artist that will probably reward repeated listens.
I'm sorry, what? What the hell did I just listen to? What's that? "Experimental" you say? Listen, mate. You can't just say something is "experimental" as though that excuses everything. It's shite. Unlistenable shite. Call it what it is.
I know people who LOVE this kind of music, but not for me. The kind of music I’d hear when being forced to go to the theater for a school assignment in college
Totalmente desquiciado, esta joyita suena actual y tiene 40 años. Totalmente producido por ella misma, a veces suena a Bjork, a veces a M.I.A., siempre a Bush. Precursor de todo. Experimental al máximo. Fantástico.
"The Dreaming" is the fourth in a series of five albums by Kate Bush (her first five ones!) to reach a almost perfect sound of progressive pop and rock, with avant-garde instrumentation and production. This is, in this stint of five, her most experimental record and the most maximalistic one, blending genres in a way that was only possible because she had access to cutting edge recording machinery and creative control on the result - a rare feat for a woman in 1984. The talks about existencialism, the pursue of knowledge, sex, godly desires and even colonialism, but there are also songs with narrative, like "There Goes a Tenner" and "Night of the Swallow". The very well crafted lyricism of Bush's songs clashes beautifuly with the instruments of each song, with a lot of percussion punctuating the rhythms as she tells her stories with a voice that never sounded more mature. The single "Suspended in Gaffa" almost sums up what the record is about, with a baroque piano, the mandolin and the synclavier playing around, conducting a strong feeling of pursuing things that one really wants but can't seem to be able to experience or reach again - a common theme of Bush lyrics throughout her career.
When I’ve introduced people to Kate Bush, I always start with Hounds of Love, The Sensual World, or The Whole Story. I’m don’t recall ever sharing The Dreaming with anyone. This is despite its status - right there with Radiohead’s OK Computer - as favorite album ever. Yet I have a lot of trepidation about The Dreaming appearing here. The Dreaming is an exceptional work that towers large in Kate Bush's formidable catalog. If her albums were torn from my collection this would be the one you’ll find me clinging to desperately to the end. The Dreaming is packed with incredible drama: The caper that goes wrong in “There Goes A Tenner.” The futility of trying to recapture a moment in "Suspended in Gaffa." The exploration of the Vietnam conflict from two very human perspectives in the devastating “Pull Out The Pin”. Colonial conflict between Aboriginal Australians and the British in the title track. A desperate plea to dissuade a lover from a fateful smuggling trip in “Night of the Swallow.” Houdini’s widow’s intense effort to reconnect with her dead lover. An epic domestic battle in “Get Out of My House.” This list still just scratches the surface… every song is a literal or figurative journey that after hundreds and hundreds of listens continue to move me. Every song has incredible lyrical power and takes big chances musically. Every song is one of my favorite songs. I started to read a few of the critical reactions to this on the wikipedia page and reviews on this site but didn’t get far. Usually I find others’ reactions very interesting and enjoy other perspectives, agree or disagree. I must admit I have little desire to view The Dreaming from any perspective other than my adoring own.
I think at this point I can say I fully stan Kate Bush. This record is good, lot of really whacky stuff
Kate Bush nous avait déjà bien surpris avec son album The Sensual World. Celle qui apparaît dans la section "inspiration" de n'importe quelle page Wikipédia existante dont celle de Toni Kroos ne déçoit pas sur The Dreaming. Après une entrée en matière qui se réserve bien de casser trois pattes chez un même canard, Kate lâche un cheat code avec l'apparition d'une cornemuse sur le morceau Night Of The Swallow. Pour notre plus grand plaisir.
Very eccentric, impressive vocals, not always catchy songs but always arresting and interesting. Clear influence on Lorde, Sia, Marina and the Diamonds, and Florence + the machine. Pull out the pin, suspended in gaffa, and get out of my house were my top tracks
This is gonna need some chewing. Some parts of it I absolutely adored, and other parts I could not stand. It’s getting a 3 for now, but that’s more of a stand in. This album deserves to steep for a while.
I’m sorry, 20 seconds into the first song, I couldn’t stop laughing. I have a good tolerance for nonsense, but seriously?
Some of these hits have such great rifts, like running up that hill, her voice is so punchy and the music very dynamic. Really good
Eins vorab: Bloß kein schlechtes Wiedergabegerät wählen!!! Denn was hier musikalisch durchkommen will, ist keine leichte dafür aber für offene - oder lediglich von headphones verstopfte - Ohren sehr rewarding, üppig, krass das Attribut ‚vielschichtig‘ an seine Grenzen pressende Kost. Bei kongenialer/geistiger Schwester Laurie Anderson steht das erlebte Klang-Experiment im Vordergrund, doch Kate Bush schiebt ihre Kompositionsmonster wie bspw. „Houdini“ auf der zu engen Kleinkunst Bühne gen Pop-Song/Micro-Epos. Wurden viele Frauen in den letzten Jahrzehnten fremd- oder selbstbestimmt als ihre Inkarnationen gefeiert (Julia Holter) so erkenne ich in der Sparks’schen Theatralik als gegenwärtigste Entsprechung das Falsett Wild Beasts’ Hayden Thorpe und die eerie soundscapes vom The Knife Spätwerk „Shaking the Habitual“. Ein brutales Stück Kunst und ich hab da nicht mal die Texte beachtet. Fang ich gar nicht erst an, sprengt jeden Rahmen. Aber das Album so zu nennen und den Titeltrack auch an dieser aboriginalen Erinnerungskunst zu orientieren, um damit dem Album ein sehr exzeptionelles Stück zur Namensgebung zu verpassen, macht den inneren Sherlock aufmerksamer für jede falsche Fährte. Genius 4.8
This is such a fun listen! Watching the music videos definitely helped make the experience more enjoyable because you can see her weirdness and eclectic style come out. Houdini is the pop version of Western Emo haha
It is very nice to this album on the list, as I always thought the common view was that the album was a bit of a failure with musical experiments that did not fully worked. Something I never understood: the music is great, and I still much enjoy listening to it. OK, Hounds of Love is quite a bit of an improvement, but this one is also definitely 5 star.
An artful, whimsical delight. Gorgeous arrangements. Powerful, frequently surprising vocals. Unabashedly, unapologetically weird and all the more endearing for it. Kate Bush is an acquired taste, but she's also a once in a lifetime talent. I've been listening to her for 40 years and this album just gets better with every listen. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Suspended in Gaffa, Sat in Your Lap, All the Love, Houdini, Night of the Swallow, Get Out of My House, Leave It Open, The Dreaming, Pull the Pin Out, There Goes a Tenner
Love the unique sound. Also, the album has a good progression, so it doesn't get repetitive.
At times quirky, at times dramatic, experimental music with a sense of craft. Right up my street. I can't figure out the meaning of the cover art though.
I’m so glad I’ve listened to this many times before because my appreciation for it has only grown with each listen
Wowwowwow. Complicated and strange in the best possible ways, this album maxes out the scale for originality. Unsettling, beautiful, and totally badass.
This was an awesome Kate Bush album. So interesting musically and lyrically.
This album is just cool. Kate Bush does all kinds of cool things with percussion, instrumentation, and her voice! Her songs each have cool stories. Cool cool cool.
I'm still with Hounds of Love for peak Kate, but is this truly her most experimental album? Yes.
One of Kate Bush's more challenging albums. There aren't a lot of pop hooks to latch onto so dont go in expecting the sensual world or hounds of love. This is active listening material - not something to put on in the background. What may appear chaotic at first listen is a brilliantly orchestrated album of sharp, rhythmic layers of drums, piano, synths, guitars, and multiple vocal tracks. Kate Bush is one of the greatest vocalists of our time and this album deserves multiple listens.
Kate Bush is weird. Having said that, I absolutely adore this album. Her songs are mini suites with lessons in contrast, layering, and idiosyncrasy. He unusual lyrics and placement of vocal lines border on baroque and she is a master of building and releasing tension. Her interesting use of typical new wave instrumentation leads to interesting sounds that remind of some contemporary artists such as St. Vincent. Overall, this album is a experimental pop masterpiece and even if her seminal ‘Hounds of Love’ is better developed, ‘The Dreaming’ is still a phenomenal album.
Wow this album is so original and unpredictable . It’s so weird and cool and It sounds way ahead of its time. She is a very expressive singer with a unique voice. The songwriting and arranging are great and there is some of the most beautiful fretless bass playing on this record.
Kate Bush is magical and on The Dreaming she opens up her magical dreamland for all of us to enter. The record is ambitious, theatrical and full of sound bites and untraditional production fitting for a highly untraditional artist. 'Sat In Your Lap' is an incredibly powerful opener, but like a well-written piece of fiction, Bush makes sure to include both intense stretches and parts more suitable for reflection on the record. Baroque instrumentation floods the album with vocal inspired equally by Shakespearean readings as by Chinese operas ('Suspended In Gaffa'). And what vocal Kate Bush has. Dramatic, theatrical and with an incredible range. The vocal production is as adventurous as Bush ('Leave It Open') - her hoarse intensity on 'Night of the Swallow' is beyond belief. And what a tune! The Dreaming is simply a power performance by one of the most iconic voices ever. And just in case anyone had any doubt, it's quite evident: without Kate Bush, no Björk
I'm a big fan of Kate Bush and this is a great album. Really enjoyed Sat In Your Lap, Suspended in Gaffa, and The Dreaming.
What a great week it's been for 1001! We just got PJ Harvey's most commercial release and it's followed by Kate Bush's least commercial and most avant garde. This is such an original album, I keep wondering who her influences might have been. I was thinking Tom Waits maybe, but Tom didn't start his weird phase until 1983, a year after that this album was released. I know she had a Peter Gabriel producer and the overall rhythm reminded me a bit of the "Security" album - but in the end Kate is unique and doesn't really need any influences. I love someone who isn't afraid to sound different and the song-writing is strong. The first 7 songs are 5 stars for me. It eases up a bit from there and the last track is a jarring. I'm between a 4 and a 5 but I gave Hounds of Love a 4 and for me this is a more exciting and eclectic album.
Until today, I had never listened to an entire Kate Bush album. Which is weird, because in college I practically wore out a copy of her greatest hits collection, The Whole Story. But yet somehow I never got around to picking up any of her albums. Earlier this year, when Stranger Things brought her back into the public's eye, I made an attempt to listen to The Hounds of Love, but I got distracted and never got around to finishing it. Anyway, I'm glad I finally got to listen to this, as I'd always been captivated by its cover. I've always been stunned by her vocal range, but damn on this album she's just flat out ridiculous, sometimes becoming four or five different characters in a single song. No wonder she worked with Peter Gabriel as their two approaches to singing are so similar. There's a lot to digest on this album and my one listen isn't going to be enough to fully "get it," but I'm going to go ahead and give this a full five-star review, just for its sheer audacity (these aren't even songs as much as they're experiences. Whole worlds are contained therein) and for her bravura performances. It's possible this will settle into four-star territory as I become more familiar, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.
So far, this week is an exploration of my CD collection. I LOVE this album. I realize it may make some folks run for the hills, but not me. I discovered Kate Bush via Hounds of Love, at the time of its release, browsing through a record store — bought it on vinyl. I was immediately smitten, that album is genius. So I went out and bought this album on CD, the release that precedes Hounds, and I was forever a Kate Bush devotee. I was blown away by her willingness to follow every idea down the rabbit hole as far as it went. I was thrilled by her bravery as an artist, to go out on a limb over and over again. And in the end, I really just love these songs. The opening drums and stilted rhythm of the opening track is a great introduction to the album. So many elements that get featured in the course of the record are included here. I get chills during "Leave It Open," Night Of The Swallow," and "All The Love" (great opening line to that song); "Get Out Of My House" is an sonic journey from shimmering guitar to braying vocalists that slays me every time; I remember a buddy from college freaking out on me for turning him on to "Houdini" (it was like a horror film that got under his skin). Hell, every song on this album goes in a direction you couldn't have expected. There's not a track I don't love. Bush is a singular songwriter and producer who sits atop many an artists' list of influences, and this is her at her most manic and chaotic and inventive. If you didn't pick up on this already, I'm a Bushie through and through.
Really loved this album!! So ethereal and experimental! Every song felt like it was in a different genre, so unpredictable yet somehow works together. Her vocals are amazing. Saved songs: There Goes A Tenner, Pull Out The Pin, Leave It Open, All The Love, Get Out Of My House
Hounds of Love & Sensual World gfallt ma bis dato iwie besser, aber still.. it's Kate Bush
album before hounds of love. sat in your lap - so theatrical, dramatic. big synth there goes a tenner - bit kind of oompah. pull out the pin - maybe most conventional pop so far. love the bass (know this from hounds of love) suspended in gaffa - waltz thing. cute i'm enjoying this. so far - theatrical, less poppy than HoL but not irritating!
Night of the Swallow is one of my fav Kate Bush songs that lies in this album which is spectacular.
I listened to this pretty recently so I thought I'd just rate it for now. :)
Damn i really love the sound of this, the fretless bass gives it such a unique vibe. She’s a great vocalist but her style definitely had to grow on me. 8/10 but could be higher with more listens
Kate Bush on ollut minulla samassa kategoriassa Airin ja Björkin kanssa. Lukioaikoina musadiggariystävät näitä fanittivat, mutta itseltä jäivät väliin muutaman maistiaiskappaleen jälkeen "liian taiteellisina". Nyt kuunneltuna tämä oli ennakkoluulojen vastaisesti yllättävän helposti sulateltavaa: oli melodiaa ja rytmiä jne. Jotenkin odotin äänitaiteilua, kirkumista, taukoja ja muuta sellaista kokeellista kikkailua. Pitänee joskus laittaa muitakin Katen levyjä soimaan!
Putain je connaissais pas quelle queen super original, un vrai produit d'artiste
Questo disco mi ha stupito. E' difficile per me dargli un voto perché dopo l'ascolto lo rispetto a livello artistico ma non so se lo risentirei spesso poiché lo trovo distante dalla "mia" musica. Kate bush vocalmente mi ha coinvolto è in grado di essere eccessiva ma senza però stufare ed anche tutta la baracca anni 80 non mi ha infastidito. E' un 3.8 come voto.
I brought a CD of didgeridoo music back from my childhood trip to Australia, a CD which went unappreciated by everyone around me. Here, the instrument shows up in only one track but Kate uses her screaming register here more than in any other album, or so it seems. Harsh Medicine. Theme/concept aside, there's much less tonal consistency here than on Hounds, despite a similar sonic palette. Still love it.
Versitalan je album, i ta Kate je Bush (hehe) zanimljiv artista. Ne postoji ijedna pjesma koja mi je loša, a bome svega ima na albumu. Vjerujem da nakon ovog albuma idem otkrivat ostale njene stvari, doista divno. Favoritne: Sat In Your Lap, Suspended in Gaffa, Pull Out the Pin, Leave It Open, All the Love.
I have poor opinions on experimental music, this hasn’t changed but this lies on the more listenable side, reminds me a little of Mike Oldfield of whom I’m a fan so it gains points for that
Dosen't have great flow, but a lot of great songs and great production as well (I love the sound of the drums on this one).
Wtf. È una roba stranissima. Mi fa venire in mente Rocky horror picture show. Ganza, devo dire mi ha stranita e mi è piaciuto!
With The Dreaming, Kate Bush reached another milestone in her career. The compositions, weird sounds, and eastern rhythms set this album apart from the rest. Since Sat in Your Lap to Get Out Of My House (where I believe she transforms into a donkey) the listener feels intrigued and intimidated. It is a total experience.
If I had hounds of love that would’ve been perfect timing… The album opens with sat in your lap, it’s a good song (especially love the drumming) but I’am a little sceptical of the vocals, especially on the pre chorus. There goes a tenner sounds like Kate reminding the listener that she’s a brit ( in a vocal sense) the thing is I like it but only because it’s so quirky. Again pull out the pin satisfies in an experimental must listen way and it is cool but is it a song that screams return? Suspended in gaffa feels a little “ janky” but the experimentation is always appreciated. Even if those backing vocals should’ve never been recorded. Side one ends with leave it open, those warped vocals is probably my favourite thing she’s done so far in the album actually I greatly appreciate this whole song in comparison to the awkward this album is, don’t get me wrong the song is an odd mess but a well made odd mess. It’s really hard to understand the vocals on side two’s opener the dreaming the admiration is high and actually I really enjoyed this one! Night of the swallow is the most normal song off the whole album, fine the vocals are a little odd but nothing like the rest of the album; it’s a dramatic piano song, really cool. I really don’t get it, all the love sounds odd yeah but more single like than literally any of the singles, I love the when the song just briefly dies for all of the quiet sections and when the piano comes in at the chorus wow. Even the penultimate track Houdini sounds more normal than the singles, like fine the screaming is a little wired but the rest of it has certainly got a higher chance of selling than a song like there goes a tenner. Anyway Houdini is a great piano song. The album ends with a song called get out of my house now this is more the strange warped Kate bush that I ( mostly) “missed” for the past 3 songs but the application is good I guess and it serves as a passable closer. I mean this wasn’t what I was expecting more of an experience than an album, a fun one but not one that I want to relieve for at least another year. But by sheer experimentation alone it deserves a 4.
Happy to listen to more of Kate Bush! Recognized more songs of her’s than I realized!
This starts out like 'Kate Bush does Oingo Boingo', spotlights some nice folky instrumentation (but not before an ill-advised Mockney accent) and moves into a synth cut featuring the Windows 95 error sound. A mess, but an intriguing one, where uilliean pipes butt up against some quasi-Mick Karn fretless bass. One has to admire the questing artistry and willingness to experiment with such a broad sonic palette, even if the results can be a tad obtuse.
Lots of interesting ideas. Not all of them resonated with me, but you can tell this was put together with a lot of thought. Not the kind of thing I’ll relisten to, but glad I heard it
Took me a few tracks to get into it, then enjoyed the eeriness of it all. 3.5
Went into this expecting to hate it, actually enjoyed a lot of it, impressed that KB produced this all herself. Really weird and wonderful album glad it was on the list.
Good album, really enjoyed Pull the Pin and some of the other tracks on the record
I love Kate Bush. This album is more experimental, and makes for a unique listening experience. I enjoyed it a lot, and I respect Kate Bush'es willingless to pursue what SHE wants to do with her music. Very important album to a lot of future creative female musicians (eg Bjork).
This is a stunning albums in many ways. The musicianship, the first tentative sounds of the Fairlight CMI in popular songs. An eclectic album and well worth a listen.