The Dreaming

Noisy. Don’t understand the appeal. Becomes diva-esque by the end with some lush sounds, but I don’t get this at all. A terrible sound, often-screeching.

I know why the weird theatre girl in high school was into Kate Bush, I don’t know…both weird and leaves no lasting impression. As an odd comparison as this is - sometimes the "i want to say something art-y" conecept album becomes blovated crap...so with the Wall by Pink Floyd so goes The Dreaming.

Decent album not the type of art I enjoy right now but will probably enjoy later in my life

beautiful and weird

Yo. Kate Bush. You’re kinda weird. I love it.

This was a hard start. It felt off and something that I would hate. The urge to just put this down as “not for me” is as high but I decided to persevere. Having listened to the album I can appreciate that it’s an attempt at saying something, at expression. Honestly I have no idea what it’s trying to say, and it really wasn’t for me, but I do appreciate the work for what it is.

Extremely surreal listening experience. Not always a fan of Kate Bush’s excessive vocal theatrics but definitely worth a listen. Interesting to find that Kate Bush had a greater hand in producing on this record compared to her previous work. The production and instrumentation gave an incredibly dream-like feel and the eeyoring at the end felt like a deliberate nod to A Midsummer Night’s Dream

It’s Kate Bush. Automatic five stars from me. So many good moments on this album, despite it being one of the less accessible albums of hers.

I have to give this a five star because I love Kate so much. This is here great experiment before she came into her full flower.

Underbar liten musikalvärld att kliva in i. Inte hört detta Bush-album förut, tror jag iaf. Många imponerande delar rent låtskrivarmässigt men jag lessnar också lite under varv 2. Kommer nog inte återvända speciellt ofta, men kanske nån gång!

Spontant besviken. Gillar kate bush som fan men det här känns som passerad gräns av teatralitet parat med 80s reverbdille. The Kick inside eller hounds of love är båda mästerverk, denna når inte upp. Kul att hon testar att sjunga som en traditionell kines. Gillar det inte svinmycket, men plus för den konstnärliga totalfriheten.

Respekterar detta, men det klickar bara inte

Vals ✅ Ännu mer 80tal ✅ Lite som att So, Synchronicity och The dreaming hör ihop, men det blir gradvis sjukare. PGs skiva är den mest kommersiella (?!) medan Sting och Kate Bush kör någon form av tävling i dissonans. Men ah de är ball som fan. Ännu en fyra till 80-talet, ingen är mer förvånad än Dino. Märks att Steven Wilson har inspirerats!

Väldigt mycket professor Trelawney över det här. Eller kanske Bellatrix. Otroligt knasigt. Men rätt kul att lyssna på när man knicketiknackar. Jag gillar det. Night of the swallow var riktigt svängig och hon har ju en skaplig pipa, det har hon. Men knappast Mankemangsmusik egentligen. Jag är ju heavy metal.

mommy! hon är arg och jag står bakom henne!

En första halva som lovar mycket. Suspended in Gaffa va, vilken mörsare. Sen lyfter det inte riktigt efter det.

Not my thing

Love Kate bush

Man, this is a WEIRD album with a capital WEIRD. The first listen through was one of the most miserable experiences of my entire life. I could not wait to turn this off. This is the second Kate Bush album I’ve rolled for this project, and I gotta be honest and say she’s 0/2 on personal enjoyment. Here’s why this album is so weird. Kate has a great voice, but the ways she chooses to use it range from caterwauling like a mad woman with plenty of voice cracks left in the final product, using way too much unnecessary grumph, or as another reviewer mentioned, literally making animal noises. It’s not only off-putting, but it takes me out of the songs completely. A cardinal sin when I’m trying to get lost in the music or work with it in the background. Even the songs that I actually do like have these random interjections that I just don’t vibe with. Bad vibes on this album all around. Yet, I managed to spend the day listening to it. Have I sort of found a weird level of understanding with Kate that makes listening to this easier, or have I just lost my mind completely?? I don’t know. When it’s good, it’s a 3. When it’s bad, it’s a 1. Therefore, I think I’m going to give Kate Bush a second 2 star review, even though some of the noises she makes on this album are actually offensive to my ears. My favorite songs on this album, when she’s not being annoying, are “Leave It Open” and “Night Of The Swallow”. To my astonishment, I found something to actually enjoy with both of those songs. One more try at an average rating for Kate Bush. I don’t like her odds honestly. If anything can be said about Kate Bush, it’s that she’s unique and clearly having a lot of genuine fun here. That should at least be celebrated, even if I don’t enjoy it personally.

That's a lot. Clearly there's a lot going on, and most of it is both interesting and works, but I think you have to be a Kate Bush fan and spend a lot of time with this to actually get it.

This is a wild one. I really wanted to like it. I appreciate it for what it is but it’s pretty noisy.

thought i liked this more than I actually did. It started to grate. Not my favourite KB

Enjoyed the guest appearance of Cookie Monster -surprisingly, not on the track with the donkeys.

140/1001 Kate Bush - The Dreaming Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ✅ This is the sort of weird and experimental I find so captivating. Honestly some of the stuff on this is mad. It combines pop sensibilities with the theatrical. There's elements of prog, with the song structures and floats between genres. Sure not everything works, but I enjoyed revisiting this today.

It has its moments, but it’s not as good as some of other work.

One of my all-time favorite albums. Truly a Kate Bush masterpiece.

Very varied, with the main theme being consistently irritating.

Kæit Busj baner vei. Prøvd mye rart hu her…

Coolest shit ever

Hounds of Love was so good. But this just wasn't it. Squeaky mickey mouse chorus parts were harsh and hard to digest. Monotonous melodies against new wave rythmns and pop song structures was a triple threat of boring. I really wanted to like it because again Hounds was an awesome album. But this kinda stunk.

It's not often that I hear something I really hate, for the entirety of my listen, but this has done it. I think you'll be hard pressed to find a more irritating album than The Dreaming on this list. Every song was just a mess, vocally, instrumentally, you name it. They say if you can't say anything nice to not say anything at all, so I'll leave it at that.

"Sat In Your Lap" definitely gave me some Sinnerman piano vibes, which was my favorite throughout the album with "The Dreaming" itself. Overall a very fun album. Upon some research, i've also found out that she produced the entire album by herself, which gains my utmost respect for an experimental album that went out in 1980s.

This is just not for me. I really did not like this album at all.

Artsy avant garde eccentric pop. I am really not a fan of her voice! Gets worse each song, that last song is dreadful! 1.5/5

Mistaken for a tree? What the fuck? Kate Bush is weird. 3

I feel like I’m right inside Kate Bush’s head, listening to this. This artist is just different. This is stratospheric genius. Words fail me.

We should all be grateful that Kate Bush, during the 1980s (the human era defined by a ruthless conflict between proponents of synth based music and lovers of hard rock riffs) regularly left her realm of elves and imparted her advanced elven musical knowledge on us mortals. Her benevolence helped expand the mind of humans, spread potent weirdness into the world and prepared us for the new millennia. Iooo iiiooo iiooo

What a masterpiece. The voice effects - crazy time signatures - variety of genre - stunning. I can see how early Marina and the Diamonds stuff must hsve neen hraviling influenced by this.

This was an interesting listen. Unique and eccentric vocals. Not really for me though

I expected more from this album, unfortunately it did not reach expectations

Painful

This is a really interesting album. The lyric writing is okay for the most part and the lyrics are fine, but the music itself is really interesting. Like super cool. I've always loved Sat In Your Lap - it's one of my favourite songs by Kate. There's a few other songs which are quite good: Pull Out the Pin and All the Love are quite nice. I don't need all of the songs from this album, but it was really cool to listen to yo. 4/5 stars.

Experimental pop with 80s flair. It’s certainly an album that showcases Kate’s talent of mixing and singing. I would need to let this grow on me as it is a lot to absorb. Good and bad thing.

Three fucking Kate Bush albums? Give me a break. I imagine the theater kids like it. I find it constantly irritating. It doesn’t suffer from the awful mid-80s production like her later albums. But there wasn’t a single moment that swept me up the way good music does.

Pretty weird album

Took me a while to get into it. Very strange at times but it grew on me.

Wow, this album was like a fever dream. It’s definitely not the typical pop drivel. I haven’t fully digested it yet, I feel like that would take multiple listens, but there is definitely something deeper here. I’m getting almost like female Pink Floyd vibes. It’s like there’s a concept here that I haven’t discovered yet. Very unique.

Only had another Kate Bush album a few days ago, too much Bush in too short a time.

Kate bush is not to my taste apparently.

I preferred it to hounds of love or whatever but some of the end songs aren't it

Definitely enjoyable. Tori Amos owes her some royalty checks.

Fine. They are clearly an immensely talented artist, but for whatever reason their music never grabbed me.

Yay to Kate Bush! I only really know Hounds of Love but this is weird and catchy and tons of fun.

Great. It’s Kate Bush. Have we had her on here before? If not, I’m sure she’ll pop back up.

Album 947 of 1089 Kate Bush - The Dreaming (1982) Rating : 3.5 / 5 Good stuff. This one came out while I was still in high school, but I don’t recall anyone around me playing it - and I really wish they had. I would’ve loved to have known this back when it was first released. There’s something about her music that pulls you in and makes you pay attention, even when it’s going in directions you don’t expect. I dig her style - it’s theatrical, inventive, and bold without being overbearing. Every track seems to take a different turn, mixing art-pop, storytelling, and sound experimentation in ways that still sound fresh decades later. Some songs are haunting, some playful, but all of them feel unmistakably hers. It’s easy to see why so many artists since have drawn influence from her. Not every moment is “radio-friendly,” but that’s part of the appeal - it’s art made on her terms. The more I listen, the more I want to hear from her. The Dreaming may not have been a huge hit when it came out, but it’s definitely an album that rewards anyone who gives it their full attention.

Cover 7.5 I have to be in a specific mood to listen to this album. Somewhat experimental. Melodic carnival, big tent music, if that means anything. That's not meant to be an insult. Probably won't mean much to most people. For me, it's a good thing but very specific for a specific time and mood. Anyway, only one or two songs work for me. The test are ok. Overall, that is, Bush's catalog in general, I do like several songs, but one or two per album. So far, I've never connected with an entire album from Bush.

This really does show Kate Bush at her absolutely creative peak. Managing to put an album together that despite being so experimental and out there, still has just enough going for it that it can reach mainstream audiences too.

Not her best but I liked what she was trying to do.

2nd day in a row of an artist who can definitely be said to tread their own trail, and for that Ms Bush should always be commended. However unlike Mr Waits yesterday I don't enjoy this. I like that someone else described it as a School play, in it's cringe worthy goodness and your clapping the crappyness of it, guessing that's what people call experimental. There are the odd spark that she dips into that show She is talented but most of it I just did not enjoy. There is a natural order that appeals and pushing against may be different and discordant but like a lump of coal in your drink it doesn't have a good affect. She just isn't in my wheelhouse, not gonna lie 2 Star

After hearing two other Kate Bush albums, I am a bit nervous to hear her "less commercial" album on the list. I didn't consider her music to be commercial in the first place. The Dreaming is not commercial, so that part is correct. It is a fairly beautifully produced album with so many sounds that the listener would have to listen multiple times to take in all the music. It reminds me a bit of some of Lindsay Buckingham's solo music, which straddles the line between artsy and pop-music. Kate Bush is more comfortable jumping over the line into artsy rock and not making music that is easy to listen to. This album is challenging, no doubt. The background vocals are often more a high-pitched screech at times than I am used to. I'm pretty sure there are donkey noises at the end of Get Out of My House. Houdini was easily my least favorite song. My favorite songs were: Sat In Your Lap The Tenner Pull Out the Pin (though it is too long and the "I love life(?)" scream in the background could get annoying) The Dreaming All the Love

Kate's best album. You can't beat Suspended in Gaffa or Night of the Swallow. Hounds of Love BTFO.

While the previous two Kate Bush albums were tolerable to alright, this album is unlistenable.

Very strange. I don't know what I was expecting.

Hmmm skulle ønska eg likte da bedre

Pop with expressive voice. 3,3

Kate Bush is very talented. I’m glad she stopped wasting that talent on weird noises, grunting, and other experimental nonsense.

Really good

This is not the Kate Bush of running up that hill. This is some theatrical 80s bit, and I'm not into it at all. 1*

Getting her Yoko on.

Not one of Kate's best in my opinion some good tracks towards the end. However her voice annoyed me at the beginning too wailly. I like Kate Bush but this album fell short I left feeling short changed it seemed thoughtless

God she is so annoying on this album.

the beatles: *drops acid and makes weird, eclectic album* critics: "Beautiful, perfection" Kate Bush: *produces her own album, gets a little weird and eclectic with it* critics: "erm, does this LADY know what she's doing??" Seriously though, let a girl have fun lmao, this is one of the best things I've ever heard

I like Kate Bush. I like the 80s. I do not like this.

I’m not a big fan of weird for the sake of weird, but I do have a degree of respect for experimentalism. Kate Bush earns some of that respect for this punishingly bizarre album but I don’t plan on listening to it ever again.

great album

Mother

Random thoughts: 1. It is universally known that if you are going to force someone to listen to a Kate Bush album, it should be "Hounds of Love". 2. Didn't we already get a Kate Bush album? I feel like we did. If so, this is just being redundant. 3. When I write my book, "1001 ROCK Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" (which will include Rap/Hip-Hop), I will not include this album. 4. I'll bet she was an insufferable theater kid. 5. Why do I dislike Kate Bush's music almost as much as I do enjoy Tori Amos'? This requires further self-examination. Pour out a half-star for all the artists who deserved to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before her.

2.5

Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Don't know that I love it, but I like it a lot and it has so many interesting interlocking parts that a return to this album is inevitable.

Enjoyed this and I will be revisiting!

Not going to be in the regular rotation for me but I respect it as a piece of art

You good, Kate? Honestly wasn't sure what to make of this for a while. It's got such a strange tone and sensibility to it. Weird synth sounds and sound effects, odd voices coming from Bush as though she were doing a character, and seemingly strange topics. Oh and the screaming on "Pull Out the Pin." This felt more like an abstract art piece you'd hear as an installation in a museum and less like a pop music album. That isn't a bad thing. In fact, I found it refreshingly interesting than a lot of other albums on this list. It isn't formulaic. You can't predict what's coming next. And everything she puts into this helped to create a sense that this was a genuine, heartfelt expression of emotion and thought from Kate Bush. That is rarer than it should be from a pop album, and I appreciated it very much. Is it my thing? Would I listen again? Probably not. But it held my attention for longer than some other albums and I applaud her for her innovative and creative approach to music. I'm sure it was seen as even more innovative and creative in its time. I'd be shocked if it didn't push boundaries in 1982. Three stars. Standout Tracks: Sat in Your Lap, There Goes a Tenner, Pull Out the Pin

Theatrical and powerful. Reminds me of Bjork. Definitely unique. A refreshing perspective, albeit quite odd.

She’s so weird and I love her for that

This was awful. It was like she’s was trying to be “unique” just for the sake of it. Was I at the circus? The opera? At a yoko ono concert? Not for me at all.

Intense, other-worldly, very Kate Bush. 4/5

What the actual fuck was this kate

Son connu

4.5/5

This album is awful. It’s weird, pretentious and irritating. The vocals are terrible, the lyrics are nonsensical are the music is basic. This list has been a mixed bag. Some good albums, some not so good. Sometimes I can appreciate the talent of the songwriters, but it’s not my style. In those cases, I don’t like to be too harsh with my reviews, but “The Dreaming” is just downright rubbish and I’m irked that someone added it to this list.

Rock, 1982 -> 3

It’s like Kate Bush leading you through a bad trip. Well made, very interesting but I wouldn’t say I had a good time.

Based on my research, this album wasn’t a commercial success right out of the gate. Critics, and even a lot of her fans were initially baffled, and it took some time for the album to really sink in. I’m currently about halfway through Kate Bush’s catalog, and with every album I hear, I’m blown away by her experimental approach to music production, especially her use of technology for the time. This was the first album she fully produced herself, and she really had full control in shaping its sound. One of the major tools she used was the Fairlight CMI, which was a state of the art digital workstation. It wasn’t just a sampler, it was a full on synth and sequencer with the ability to draw waveforms on the screen with a light pen, which was groundbreaking back then. Beyond that, Kate Bush had an innovative approach to how music could be made in the studio. I think she was one of the most innovative musicians of her time. She helped pave the way for artists like Björk, St. Vincent, and FKA twigs, the only big difference being that Kate did most of the production work herself, while many modern artists work closely with producers to bring their ideas to life.

In this era of Trump the Terrible, I say "bring back Bush".

Not easy listening. Sounds like supertramp. Highly theatrical. Not really my style. First track kinda the shaggs core. actually really good at what it does. 8/10.

It was interesting, but not for me.

Got through one song. Top 1001 albums of all time? listen to before I die? Nope.

I was bummed that this didn't do anything for me - from what I've heard from her singles that have had a resurgence, I liked Kate Bush so far. Yet, this album didn't do much for me at all. I enjoyed that it was non-conventional and atonal at times, and that she was very creative with her use of vocal tones and inflections. I think I might enjoy other projects by Kate more; we'll see.

Wow. Definitely more... cinematic(?) than some of her other projects. I've heard Hounds of Love and The Sensual World already, and what I think those did better was show a bit of restraint with the level of experimentation. In The Dreaming, that factor is a little on-the-nose. It still has all the markers of utterly Bushian magic and wonder, but there's something kind of unpredictable, alien, almost grotesque about some of the songs here, which wash over you one after the other like a musical. There Goes A Tenner even has the sort of music-hall-production arrangement, what with the muted upright piano, brass section, and incredibly dramatised vocals. Sometimes it works, and you have no idea how; it just does. The grotesqueness I'm talking about peaks at around the time of Leave It Open, with its reversed high vocal harmonies, various weird looping techniques, and so on. It's like she's trying to make her music inaccessible. I completely understand some of the 1-star reviews here. Weird for the sake of weird might fly for some listeners, but not most. Including me. Other questionable moments include the end of Get Out Of My House (less cool than reviewers are making it out to be) and all of the preceding track, Houdini. I can't help but feel that this is too weird for a first listen, and subsequent listens will let me adore this project. That seems to be the case for some other reviewers. Just stick with it, right? Well, first impressions are important too. 3/5 Key tracks: Sat In Your Lap, Suspended In Gaffa, Night Of The Swallow

Favorite Track: Pull Out The Pin

First listen

I am so sorry, but I did not click with this album at all. I did enjoy a handful of songs, and the donkey closer is hilarious, but I found it a bit exhausting listening to this album.

2/5 too much shrieking

I'm not a fan of Kate Bush, and was unaware of this album. I didn't enjoy this.

I cannot review this album objectively since as an 18 year old I bought it when it was released and played it to death. Except it never died because there’s always something new to hear. 

 Kate, you can experiment on me anytime. 4½

Out there. Ahead of her time. Thinks she influenced Amanda Palmer.

The Dreaming - Kate Bush Another perfect album by the ever-ethereal Kate Bush. So dreamy, pretty & trippy. *swoons*

Some of this was VERY annoying, and not much of it was enjoyable. Only giving it a 2 because I've given so many 1s recently.

I don't know if I'll ever dive into this album again, but i admire the big swing. If nothing else it's always interesting and subverting expectations. I would say the same about this as Eno. Probably a 3.5, but bumping.

I really cannot stand Kate's voice. I know she's very creative, but I just can't do it. So I did not listen.

Pas un gros fan de Kate Bush, mais ça passe bien

Pre-listen: So, I've never heard of a R&B/Hip Hop sci-fi concept record, so this is kind of exciting. Listening notes: I love the big-band work. Production is strong. There are a lot of moving parts to this, and it's put together really well. I love the idea better than the execution though...though, to be fair, the genre isn't something I gravitate toward, so that might be part of my problem. Truth is, I think everything is done really well, and it's interesting, at least from a technical standpoint. I think where it falls kinda flat for me is the front half of the record. The back half picks up some, and she goes in some crazy directions musically that I didn’t expect, but the front half kind of drags. Ultimately, I could see where this record would appeal to some people, and I'm not hating on what this seemingly really talented artist is doing here. But, as weird and unexpected and eccentric as the record is as a whole, I probably won’t revisit it on account of the first handful of songs. 3.7/5

Sounds like Chinese opera. Overall creative but just not my vibe.

clown music. didnt finish

“He do the police in different voices.” —Working title for The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot Kate Bush’s first records provoked a curious irritation in some listeners. The complaint was always the same: that voice. Too shrill, too thin, too girlish. It could pierce but not sustain; it fluttered rather than commanded. And though there is a grain of truth in that critique - a reedy harshness is there - it misses the point. For Bush was never aiming at the voluptuous maturity of a torch singer, at least not yet. What she offered was a young woman’s voice unafraid of awkwardness. Still, it meant she was quickly boxed in: precocious, eccentric, not quite serious. A regency virgin playing with the spinet and mucking about with puppet theatres until the time comes to be married. By the time she reached The Dreaming in 1982, Bush had been famous for five years. In interviews she appeared the same as always: polite, well-mannered, unwilling to rock the boat. Which is precisely why her vocal grotesques on this album should not be mistaken for retaliation against those early detractors. She is not Yoko Ono pissing off Chuck Berry. She is not Diamanda Galás pushing her voice into abyssal territory to confront the horror of AIDS. Bush does something subtler, stranger. She simply “do the police in different voices.” The phrase comes from Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend: the foundling Sloppy entertains his household by reading police reports in a gallery of accents. Eliot borrowed it as a provisional title for The Waste Land, his great poem of broken voices. In both cases, mimicry is more than play; it is a form of resistance, a way of exposing the limits of expectation and “good taste.” Sloppy’s ventriloquism let working-class families parody their betters; Eliot’s shifting registers cracked open the high modernist poem. Bush, likewise, borrows the parlour trick, but repurposes it for the 1980s. The Dreaming is packed with funny voices, silly characters. A Cockney bungler in There Goes a Tenner, an Australian adventurer in the title track, a donkey braying defiantly in Get Out of My House. This might sound like whimsy, but it is also liberation. By populating her imaginative world with voices, Bush escapes the cage of that supposedly “shrill little girl” voice. Within the record she can be outlaw, mystic, soldier, spirit. Outside it, she remains bound by the narrow expectations of the industry and of gender. Where a pop star is expected to be pretty, sexual, pliant, Bush allows herself to be grotesque, inhuman, excessive. This is far from the musical book reports of The Kick Inside. But even in these acts of flight she admits defeat. The Dreaming is haunted by failure, by the sense of being pulled back. This is most obvious on Suspended in Gaffa, where Bush admits herself that there is always “something to distract” her from the goal of... beauty, perfection, godhead, knowledge. She can't have it all. However, it is unfair to lay the fault solely at her feet. “Just when I think I’m king…” she sings on Sat in Your Lap, leaving the thought unfinished. It is the same unfinished ambition David Sylvian sings in Japan’s Ghosts of the previous year: “Just when I think I’m winning… when my chance came to be king, the ghosts of my life blew wilder than the wind.” For Sylvian, the ghost was class: the feeling of not deserving the life of the mind, of being a working-class boy unworthy of the throne of art. For Tricky, who quotes the line on Aftermath, the ghost was race and poverty: “Just when I thought I could not be stopped.” And for Bush, it is her sex: no matter how imaginative, how original, she is still not permitted to be king. The line reveals the hierarchy itself - patriarchal, patrician, white - against which each artist crashes. The artist cannot be king. This hauntedness suffuses the album. The spectral soldier in Pull Out the Pin, the Houdini séance, the intruder-animal at the close of Get Out of My House. Bush’s parlour trick slides toward spiritualism, invented by the Fox sisters, young women throwing their voices into darkness, making a living by summoning ghosts. It got them out of the parlour, made them a little money, got them a little notoriety. Whether or not the spirits were real, the feelings conjured were real. That is Bush’s wager too. What makes the record extraordinary is not only the conceit of “different voices” but the sound world that carries them. The Fairlight sampler, then a futuristic tool, shatters the songs into percussive fragments; rhythms stumble, collide, reform. In Sat in Your Lap, drums pummel with manic insistence, while Bush’s voice lurches between chant, shriek, and whisper. The Dreaming layers call-and-response vocals until they become a chaotic chorus, each line as strong as the next, refusing hierarchy. And in Pull Out the Pin, she screams “I love life” with such feral intensity it seems to come from the other side of death. This is not the parlour piano of her early records. It is not demure, polite, or refined. It is not in “good taste.” Back in The Waste Land, Eliot’s Madame Sosostris, the fortune teller with a head cold, shows how easily the voice collapses into parody, how fragile the authority of performance really is. Bush courts that same risk. Her accents are often dreadful: bad cockney, bad ozzie, but the Irish turn on The Line, The Cross and Curve is worse still. But like the mediums channeling spirit guides in the voices of Native chiefs or Ottoman princes, the point is never accuracy. It is freedom: to let other voices pass through, however ungainly. To lay claim to any possibility as an artist, free of the expectations of the industry or the rules of what a good girl does. Critics call The Dreaming difficult, even wilfully obscure. But that difficulty is the point: it resists easy consumption, insisting instead on being lived with, puzzled over, returned to. Its refusal to please is its gift. Kate Bush takes the frivolity of parlour mimicry and shadow play and explodes it into art. Like the psychic, she passes off performance as transformation, but, if it connects with the listener, if it makes them feel something, what is the difference? Kate Bush may never be king, but in doing the police in different voices she created a kingdom of her own, and invited us in. This is her voice. My wife throws her voice from the other side of the room where I am listening and writing: “There is no way on Earth you are going to give The Dreaming anything other than five stars.” 5 “Sometimes it's hard to know if I'm doing it right" (Suspended in Gaffa) Works of genius often look so easily made. Mozart is particularly frustrating to contemplate because there is such simplicity to his music. You listen to something like Sull’aria or Soave sia il vento and you think ‘sure anyone could do that, it’s mostly just I-IV-V’. Then you have a go and realise yours is shit without knowing why. Or, even worse, you have a go and don’t realise that yours is shit and you start to think ‘I must be a genius as well’. Then begins the slow, painful process of gradual realisation. It’s not easy being not a genius, as almost anyone can tell you. The sort of elegance in art that folds ungraspable complexity into the absolutely obvious has its paragons in pop music as well. Kate Bush’s album Hounds of Love is among them. Side one, particularly, makes the creation of great songs seem so simple. Unremarkable chord progressions and melodies that feel inevitable - like they were sitting there just waiting to fall into any artist’s lap. But just try to write a Cloudbusting or a Mother Stands for Comfort. Then there’s The Dreaming. It really has nothing to do with what I’m talking about. Here Kate Bush makes genius look really, really difficult. By Hounds, I think that sentiment above from Suspended in Gaffa was obsolete; Kate Bush knew she was doing it right. But there is, on The Dreaming, tangible doubt in the form of reckless complexity. Simple time careers off into compound time, rigid beats are interrupted with formless ambience, and melody suddenly makes way for barks of theatrical declamation. We are lavished with a library of atonal mouth noises - occurring not as momentary accidents but devotedly double-tracked and used as a structural feature. She gets one of her engineers to bray like a donkey. She joins in. There are multiple narrative voices in several songs. She does accents. There is nothing here but bad ideas. Yet most of this ends up being not only addictive but, inexplicably, beautiful. Bless thee Eeyore thou art translated. The Dreaming is a dazzling high-wire act by an acrobat who wants to know for themselves whether they can pull it off, disregarding what horror might await the audience below if they can’t. In my humble opinion ‘Leave it Open’ is the only shaky bit. I can’t tell what went wrong anymore than I can tell what went right with all the other songs. Here’s genius with the good grace to leave you properly stumped and with no notion of ever going up there yourself. Notes: *There Goes a Tenner is near verifiable as the worst Kate Bush song. Quite inexplicably, it is a masterpiece and a top ten Kate Bush song. *Terrific bass playing on Pull Out the Pin, RIP Danny Thompson 4.5/5

I struggle to rate this one. An interesting album by an interesting artist, and I'm sure it would benefit from a few listens...but I somehow doubt I'll revisit it

♥️

Suspended in Gaffa is so good. The rest of this record is just as good.

Borderling 3 or 4 undecided but will continue to revisit over the years

For all of the weirdness that Bush perfected on Hounds of Love three years later, The Dreaming has an endless supply of. It may be alienating, it may take a few listens to ‘get’, and it may just plainly not be for you. But what you cannot possibly deny is its ambition and its impact. Starting as she means to go on, Sat in Your Lap is a no-compromises, staple ‘weird 80s’ tune that I had a phase of listening to non-stop about 2 years ago. Maybe it’ll go back into rotation after this revisit. If I had zero attention span then track 2, There Goes a Tenner, would turn me off the album immediately with its quintessentially British slurring-in-your-ear vocals, but stick it out and ye shall find yet more slightly experimental, ‘prog pop’ sounding songs, each different to the last in one way or another. A highlight of these being Night of the Swallow, in my opinion the track that pulls in all the great aspects of this album into one. Regardless of what you or what Big Music thought of The Dreaming, it was enough to catalyse Bush’s later output that combined both her earlier hits with this era of whimsy, and probably enough to inspire a whole lot more of music in a similar vein.

Fantasticamente estranho e não ortodoxo. Certamente mais experimental que o outro disco dela que peguei na lista até então, "Hounds Of Love". As faixas aqui não são necessariamente minha pira, tanto que eu não salvei nada na minha playlist pessoal, mas mesmo assim, o disco em si é incrível. Uma aventura sônica sem igual. Kate Bush é uma artista inigualável, fica claro que mais ninguém no mundo poderia ter feito este álbum, e eu sempre considero isso um enorme ponto positivo. É uma obra densa de simbolismos e de sonoridades estranhas e excêntricas. Não é um álbum fácil de ouvir, mas certamente escutá-lo pela primeira vez é um deleite, uma aventura, assim como foi Hounds of Love, e assim como eu suponho que seja todos os discos dela. Isso se deve à voz da artista, e da maneira inusual em que ela emprega seu canto. Cada uma de suas canções é repleta de surpresas nas tonalidades e timbres explorados. Nada aqui é previsível. E é possível se dizer o mesmo a respeito da produção do disco, feita pela própria Kate Bush, outro feito comendável. Ao todo, é uma obra deliciosa de se ouvir pela primeira vez, mas que eu não sei ao certo o quão frequentemente eu irei revisita-la. Desta forma, acho um 4 bem justo. Prefiro o Hounds Of Love. 4/5

Myös Bushin kohdalla taivun popimpien levyjen diggariksi, mut onhan tällä vankka sija taidepopin maailmassa. En oo kaikista ratkaisuista niin iloinen mutta ei mun tarvitsekaan olla. 3/5

Mainio taidepop-levy. Ehkä vähän liikaa Bushin äänen kiduttamista, mutta kyllä se nelonen sieltä tulee.

Wasn’t too enjoyable but I can hear her influence to this day in artists like Tori Amos and Lady GaGa. Some songs were enjoyable. Most were not.

That was really strange

This was is a bit too strange for me, sounded almost like a seance at certain points, and gotta love what sounded like a donkey “eee-awh” chant at the end…. I’m not opposed to artists experimenting, but I’m not enough of a Kate Bush fan to appreciate it for this album.

Wow! This is Kate Bush at her most art house! I have listened to quite a bit Kate Bush but never this album. This could take a few listens to fully appreciate. That being said I have rated each album after 1 listen so far so must carry on that system. So it may seem low but I can see it being higher with time as it quite a hard listen the first time around.

It was a really weird album, never really heard anything like it but it had a strange charm to it

Nope

This one was yet another pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting much from this one or for it to be for me, and was surprised by how much I liked it. A very wacky, very fun listen.

I think, after reading through some of the other reviews, that you either love Kate Bush, or you do not. I do not. Too experimental for me. Who sits down to listen to this??

1.5

Listened to it while playing csgo, was alright not a good album for having in the background tho

5/5. This is basically Bjork, Tune-yards, PJ Harvey, etc. before those artists. The influence this album generated is insane. And does it slap, just full on personal creative force, with some beautiful vocals mixed with aggressive and up front vocals about a diverse array of topics. The instrumentation is unique and haunting, and Kate does not hold back. It's new wave in the best way, akin to King Crimson and heavier Bowie. I have no complaints about the album and I just want to listen to it again. It's truly awesome. Best Song: The Dreaming, Sat In Your Lap, Get Out Of My House, Suspended in Gaffa

odd

Meh

It's a little goofy, not gonna lie. It's not as good as Madvillainy.

Pretty quirky album. It's a grower if you give it multiple listens. And it has Jimmy Bain playing bass on a few tracks. I've been a fan of his work since Dio. This is the 6th new to me album in a row the generator has thrown at me this week. The whole project has been great.

I don’t know why Kate Bush doesn’t work for me. She uses all the same tricks as other artists I dig, Peter Gabriel, Frank Zappa… she even sounds like Nina Hagan, who I also enjoy… but something in the mix just doesn’t do it.

Jesus christ its another Kate Bush album Stop trying to make Kate Bush happen, it's not going to happen! Terrible vocals aside - the music itself was utter shite! Not only do we get screeching and wailing, but in this album we get bonus donkey noises! And at one point she went full on Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins 1 ⭐️

I love how wildly unhinged this record is. Reminds me of my favorite Bowie album, Lodger. This is also my favorite Kate Bush album that I’ve heard so far.

I love Kate Bush but she defs has better albums

So unhinged, loved getting lost in the weirdness of this album

Some pipes on your wan. Not my favourite songs by her but definitely an interesting album

This whole album felt like Kate Bush was trying to put Kate Bush herself, trying a bit hard to be kooky and experimental. Wasn't absolutely blown away by this, but it's an incredible feat of fuckery putting the best song on the album (Night Of The Swallow) directly after the worst song on the album (The Dreaming). Her vocals are crazy good throughout, songwriting suffered on a few tracks, but overall NAT TOO SHABBY

Absolument pas mon genre

Pas écouté mais je mets 2 pour la cover nulle

While I do agree that this album does get better with the more listens, for me at least, the curve when the album seems to be getting slightly better and better just goes stagnant and it hits a plateau. I respect and admire the creative risks taken in this. You can even hear the influence this album had on the next generation of female artists. Something about this album perplexes me because as far as the artistic direction it is great, but when I put it all together the lack of cohesion makes me feel distant. Overall, this was a GOOD album. Top 3: Suspended In Gaffa, Leave It Open, and Night Of The Swallow 2.75-3.25/5

Right off the bat this album gets to a... Striking and unique start. I've heard that Kate Bush music was a bit weird, but this was a surprise. It's not like any other music I know, and reading that it's considered her most experimental album makes a lot of sense. I'm not sure how exactly I feel on it just yet. It's well made, and it's not unpleasant. But it's hard to get past how weird the music is. After listening to the album again and thinking on it, this is good. It's not really my thing but I appreciate the weird, there needs to be someone making weird music and I am glad that someone as good as Kate Bush is making it.

Beguiling. When this came out in 1982, post punk was reaching a fervor. This record has always reminded me of a combination of early Sparks (before the disco shift) and Siouxsie & The Banshees. Kate’s remarkable voice with the use of piano and Fairlight and left field lyrics were difficult to absorb as it seemed this was designed to bewilder the listener. For me, it was Suspended in Gaffa that unlocked the record for me. I did not revisit the record often because the post-punk explosion and the morphing of punk into new sub-genres held a fascination that continues to this day. Revisiting this record in 2025 is rewarding perhaps because some of the sounds seems more familiar having been incorporated into several artists sounds (Bjork comes instantly to mind) and perhaps my experience with music has built a knowledge base where I appreciate experimental records much more so than as a 24 year old. Here, Night of the Swallow is compelling and The Dreaming is more comprehensible than the original record. The shifting time signatures and multitude of sounds create both sensory overload and tension - making this record sound much darker than probably intended. It could also be All the Love with its opening Lyric - “The first time I died…” and the eerie sounds creating an allusion of fog. All that said, even if this record is not in your wheelhouse, it is an interesting experience worthy of some time exploring the multi-faceted sounds highlighted by Kate’s incredible (as that word actually means) vocals.

No Kate, no, así NO me gusta

Okay. I freaking love this.

Hmm. Well, it’s not what I expected. Seems like some experimental stuff. I wish I hadn’t listened to this album of her’s first. She was really reaching here.

My first listen and impression of this album gave me mixed feelings on many of the songs of album. However, after doing more research on the album I doing that it was produced entirely by Kate Bush herself which cleared up a lot of the questions. Producing an album entirely is impressive in itself but you can see the artistic and uniqueness of Kate Bush in each song of the album. After a second listen, the album grew on me as I was able to actually listen and understand each song. Though not one of Kate’s more popular albums, you can see that she was ahead of her time when she released this album.

This album is strange... But terribly delicate, wild, beautiful and enchanting. It is such a journey, and it has so many layers that needs of more than one listen to get to perceive all of its interest. I will listen to it more, and it's going to grow on me. But, my first thoughts about it are that it is something great, so experimental. I loved some songs. I guess I will end up liking more the others. But, overall, I've enjoyed a lot this album. Listening to it has taken me to many places, to many thoughts, to many emotions. This album is really good. I liked it a lot.

I like Kate Bush generally but this was maybe too much of a good thing? Maybe I'm not destined for an entire album? Three songs in I was like "Yeah!" By the end I was smoked.

There’s very little I like about this album. I don’t like her voice and I don’t like her backup singers’ voices. It sounds a lot like screaming the same thing over and over. Very strange music, though I can see why some might like it.

Scary voice.

The first half of this album isn't really my jam, but there are a lot of cool tracks in the second half. Favorite track: Night of the Swallow

I did not enjoy it as much as Hounds of Love, but there are still some very interesting tracks on this album.

# Album Name: the dreaming # Artist: kate bush # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: a very out there experimental. especially compared with hounds of love - which i thought was amazing. A few good songs. Very experimental compared to what i was expecting. This could be a grower. But for now its a 3. # Top Tunes: Sat in your lap / Tenner / Gaffa / The dreaming # Would I listen to it again? Probably.

Interesting pick for my first ever exposure to KB. I had a to look it up honestly to see if all her stuff was like this and was relieved/intrigued to figure out this is on her far experimental end.

Ah well. A 3.Maybe not even. Not that exciting. I get the experimental stuff etc but wouldn’t want to listen to it again. Will be a 2.

I like Hounds of Love and Sensual World but didn't enjoy this one at all.

It hasn't been long since I listened to "Hounds of Love," and my comments about Kate Bush's style still stand. I don't care for this album quite as much, it's more subdued in a way. Favorite track: maybe "Night of the Swallow"

Вперше послухав цей альбом — він здався мені занадто прогресивним і надто мистецьким актом. Крім того, не дуже сподобалися аранжування у першій половині, які викликали стійку асоціацію з якимось водевілем. Вокально дуже яскраво, різноманітно, експресивно, прото гроул якийсь навіть є. За цим елементом дуже цікаво була на альбомі спостерігати Схоже, що цей альбом варто слухати не один раз, і я планую зробити це згодом. А поки що моє враження радше ні, ніж так.

Кейт Буш це моя любов і треба сказати що в її дискографії майже нема прям поганих альбомів. Я не можу сказати що Dreaming мій улюблений, але все ж. Houdini недооцінений трек. Тут є прям все за що можна любити Кейт Буш.

go girl!!

Interesting lyrics and fantastic vocals but the music all together isn't my favorite.

Had not heard this Kate Bush album before. Very interesting album, definitely needs a few more listens but I really enjoyed it. Her accent work raised an eyebrow! Heard before? No Owned: No. 8/1001, 8/33 (24%) Will I get? Yes Recommend: No sure

Honestly this sounds like peak cocaine. The instrumentation of the early 80s (fairlight cmi, etc) but abrupt structural shifts of 70s prog. "There Goes A Tenner" is fun and despite the cockney imitation it sounds like it was probably inspired by The Asphalt Jungle (1950) or something near-identical in plot. I'm not sure what to do with the title track. The concept (destruction of Aboriginal lands in pursuit of uranium) is both strong and well-intentioned but the fact that the song started out with an accidentally racially offensive title shows that Kate was working at or past the limits of her cultural competence. The lyrics to Houdini are great. Gothic ghostly romances are her home territory.

What the hell was that

What on earth is this? Felt like I walked into a circus. A point for originality, though.

Kate Bush rules, but honestly, I haven't looked into much of her music outside of 'Hounds of Love' and her debut 'Wuthering Heights' - both of which have songs that I revisit more than frequently. This was one of her more acclaimed albums, so I was excited to get into it - despite the first track scaring me a bit. To me, this album shares the same British wit, charm, and forward-thinking avant-garde leanings as many of Eno's earlier works, especially 'Taking Tiger Mountain by Storm'. Like Eno on those albums, Bush is just so fun to listen to, and the music manages to (somehow) match the whimsy she exudes on just about every track here. It's a surreal combination; there's just something about Bush reaching into those upper registers in songs like 'Suspended In Gaffa' and 'There Goes A Tenner' that scratches an itch that very few other vocalists do. Not to mention her weird inflections on songs like 'Leave It Open', which I just don't understand, but love all the same. She's certainly expressive as well, I love how her voice cracks with the "I Love Life" cries of 'Pull Out The Pin', a song that seems to depict some war-placed moral dilemma. That emotional expressiveness can also be seen with the closer, 'Get Out Of My House', which, despite the emotional turmoil driving the whole thing, has one of the more catchy refrains here (minus the donkey noises) - it's a fantastic closer that goes in so many captivating directions. And honestly, for as weird and experimental as this album is, it still manages to be pretty catchy at various moments throughout - especially that chorus in 'Suspended In Gaffa' or the one in 'Houdini'. And I have to mention the incredible 'Night Of The Swallow', another tragic song that has one of the greatest outros I've heard in a while with those pipes and theatrical vocal arrangements. And I feel Bush understood just how good this part was since it goes on for just about 2 minutes. So epic. The title track I also really loved, it's super atmospheric and employs a didgeridoo perfectly fitting the theme of the song, which seems to tackle indigenous struggle in Australia. What an incredible listen. I actually held off writing this review until after a few listens, and I think that was the right move; this thing really grows on you with every play. But honestly, I also loved it after my first listen. There is something really special about this album that I latched onto very early on.

5/5 no need for additional praise

Good album to have on in the background, although was a bit more eclectic than I was expecting. Not necessarily a bad thing but means a few songs caught me off guard. A nice listen overall with a few surprises in it.

Album cover review - better than average, she looks great, chains and a lock, a key in her mouth. Love it. Love her or not, Kate Bush is an ARTIST and Electronic Music innovator.

"The Dreaming" finds Kate Bush in her experimental phase, and let’s just say it’s a bit too "out there" for my taste. While she’s often ahead of her time, this album feels like a swing and a miss. It’s definitely not her best work, and I’d prefer to forget it quickly.

Super sperimentale, soprattutto nella seconda metà (non mi aspettavo del growl). Indubbiamente un bel disco, ma non incontra i miei gusti, nel complesso, anche se un paio di pezzi sono molto belli

Very strange, or, uhh, "eclectic", haha. Pretty fun listen, but not something I'd be reaching for often.

Look, I love Kate Bush, and she'll get nothing but 5s from me, but I can understand how this album would be a tough sell to the uninitiated (especially upon first listen). I urge you. If this is the first time you're hearing her, and you're like WTF, do yourself a favor and start somewhere else. Her next album, 'Hounds of Love,' is still Kate, but quite a bit more accessible. Don't get me wrong - there is no "shallow end" to her pool, but I'd hate for you to miss out on a truly great artist just because this challenge pushed you in at the deepest point possible.

I had no idea what I was getting into with this one. It was weird. Like a good weird. A good, fun, sensual weird. Like a weird, i like to bathe my feet in jello.

As a self-proclaimed fan of eclectic and “weird” music, Kate Bush should be right up my alley. Instead, I feel like I’m meeting her in a dark alley and I should run for my life. The album feels like the ravings of a madwoman. The songwriting is intriguing. Her voice is operatic at times and has such a beautiful tone, yet it’s so shrill and unappealing at other times. I enjoyed the second half of the album much more than the first. The songs seem more fluid and their emotion translates well. Overall, I am glad I listened to it, but not sure I’d give it a second listen.

Super fucking annoying

This is my favorite Kate Bush album. It's so wonderfully artsy and theatrical in a way that feels really unique to her. All the songs tell really great stories as well, especially All the Love, that one still kills me the third time around. All around her best work to me.

I couldn't even finish the first few songs

Kate bush has recorded some of my all time favorite songs. Unfortunately, none of them are on this album.

I enjoyed this more the second time I listened to it, while skimming through the lyrics. Sat In Your Lap is a pretty aggressive way to start this album, but it’s funny how quickly you can adjust to Kate Bush’s particular brand of avant- pop. The songs are strange and mystical, and I can definitely hear her influence on Bjork, who I’m a fan of. Would I put this album on outside the context of this challenge? Probably not, but I’d be happy for some of these songs to show up on a playlist. I appreciate the weirdness and creativity. Favourite songs: There Goes a Tenner, Suspended in Gaffa, Night of the Swallow

Kate Bush really lives up to her art pop star reputation on this one. This album is delightfully weird and abrasive... but also catchy. It's right up my alley. But I just don't have time to appreciate it fully. It's a lot to take in on a first listen. It doesn't sound like any other album I can think of. It's very frantic piano music. The vocals are wild. Sometimes it's gentle singing, sometimes it's full on screams, sometimes it's weird falsettos, sometimes she has a strong accent. She's really throwing her voice all over the place. The piano/synths are sometimes pretty, and sometimes weird and cheesy. It has a mix of 70s and 80s vibes... which gives it a sort of transitionary vibe? I think I prefer the songs on this to the songs on hounds of love, but i think i prefer the overall sound of hounds of love more in that Kate fully embraces the 80s but also makes it her own. I really like.... Suspended in Gaffa - that falsetto vocal line "i want it all" is stuck in my head. The jaunty rhythm is very hypnotic. I really like this track. Sat in Your Lap - I love the wild passionate vocal delivery on this track. Night of the Swallow - that descending pre chorus into the ascending chorus, so epic. I swear there is bagpipe or some other sort of celtic horns on this track. So good. I'm not sure about... Houdini - the wild screaming, exaggerated vocals are a lot. I don't know how I feel. I do like the haunting instrumentation though. Get out of my house - the Eeeeyooo vocal line at the end is just so bizarre. Really messes with my memory of the song. Made me laugh out loud at first. I didn't like... The dreaming - i don't like her putting on that thick accent. I know she's english... but it just sounds not good. It sounds like a shitty experimental sea shanty Side note: I do think the vocal stylings influenced someone like Lingua Ignota. The wild ghoulish screaming. This is a 3 for me but with more listens it could very well become a 4. I'm definitely grabbing a couple of these songs for playlists.

Not my favorite. Kind of sounded like show tunes gone wrong at some points. Sorry, Kate!

Haven’t listened to this in a while. If I’d never heard this before the grade would be lower, but while some of the songs are a fair bit too quirky compared to her first three albums (Leave it Open, the title track, Houdini, Get Out of My House) there’s still a lot of good songs here. The first four are good to great, and the other non-quirky tracks are pretty good. The self-production is varied and always interesting. Very little guitar on the album, dominated by her keyboards. This and Hounds of Love are the only two of hers in our 1,001. I would have dropped this album and put in Never for Ever. 3.5 rounded up because it’s KB. This makes me want to listen to her stuff more, especially her catalog after The Hounds of Love, which is from 1985. I listened to her and all music a bit less (just a bit) after our kids were born. Making up for it now.

Is it a 3? Is it a 2? Every other song had me ping-ponging back and forth. I’d like a song ok or think there was a great bridge in it, then the next song she’d growl (like a hound of love?) and I just couldn’t do it. I think, on balance, it’s a 3. I really liked “night of the swallow.” I really disliked the donkey impression that ended the album. Such is the duality of this album.

For the early 80s, a pretty interesting, intriguing sound. Better than expected. But I think this is an album you need to grow up with, or it needs time to grow on you. I don’t doubt its value but my 3/5 is where it sits for me for the foreseeable future.

I wonder how many 80s bands would explode if they just rerecord or remixed their albums without the 80's synth toolkit. This is definitely true for me with Kate Bush. While it still bears some 80s sound influences, it is early. And I just enjoyed it better than her commercially successful follow-up.

Ganska många låtar som jag inte hört förut. Det är ett bra album.

Brilliant lp, not her best but it's a fantastic album. Well worth listening to

Some really wild bits in there, I wouldn't listen to the entirety of it in one go.

It’s one of those albums that it has its own musical experience while listening to, it’s not like much I’ve heard before I was listening while making matcha and lunch for myself and matcha for my mom at first I can see people getting irritated with it because soooo unique and different that if your not open minded it kinda like piss you off but when you start to be in tune to the lyrics themselves you(I) start to relax it’s a interesting listening experience

..

Not my favorite Kate Bush Album

Very interesting throughout. Production was alternating between innovative and utterly lacking/distracting. Thematically interested in this album, even if the upshots were all over the place after bouts of beautiful poetry. I’m definitely happy to have listened to this though. This is another album I have very little context for but it is just fascinating throughout, though uneven. The dreaming simply has to be considered offensive. Favorite track: pull out the pin

I know cool girls like art pop ,but this is where I tearfully admit that I am not cool, and am beginning to think i may never be cool. I love unique creative music (when are the Tom Waits albums coming?), but when it comes to pop my tolerance starts at a low level to begin with.

Kate Bush had her whole little moment a few years back, and I was pretty happy to see her come up. Listening: -This s a bit jarring at the start. High drama here. -I swear if you wanted to do an over the top mocking british accent, "There Goes a Tenner" would still feel a bit much -Suspended in Gaffa--here the album really feels like it comes into its own. Good stuff. -The dreamer has a nice idiosyncratic rhythm to it. Review: This album is real weird. I liked it, but found it a bit too dissonant at times. 3.5 rounding down

Bush's vocal control and ability to manipulate her voice is on full display throughout the album, even if it isn't always a pleasant sound (e.g., her Toad voice in "Suspended in Gaffa"). You have to recognize the technical artistry of what Bush is capable of. Interestingly, the title track seems like it wants to condemn her native Britian's colonial past. However, Bush does it in ways that may not hold up to today's expectations of what that looks like. For instance, "The Dreaming" co-opts Aboriginal sounds, but doesn't really have any aboriginal artists. That probably would have been fine in the 80s (and is definitely a feature of the musical legacies that Bush is part of), but it's not great now. This leads into a song that is heavily Celtic influenced, which felt like an intentional choice by an artist living through The Troubles. 3.5 stars, rounding down to 3 for not aging the best.

Great early album! I need to do a Kate Bush deep dive to figure out my genuine ratings and favorites after several listens, but love it for sure.

she's a nutter

Baffling and great all at once

Weird for sure, I liked some of it, had a hard time staying with it though.

The uptempo synth backing and weird "oof" percussive noise make the opening track sound like someone is playing a 16-bit beat-em-up in the background. Which is potentially a good thing... Love everything about Kate Bush, except, frustratingly, a lot of her music. When she's brilliant, she really is brilliant, it's just never quite often enough for my tastes. When she is not so brilliant, she is, at least, usually interesting. The Dreaming is an album I haven't really listened to previously. It definitely benefits from repeated listens - weirdly inaccessible, it comes off like a art-pop-prog experiment with shades of Bowie in the vocal delivery and unsettlingly stark backing tracks which seem much more concerned with rhythmic content than the melodic. Unconventional in almost every department, it is still unmistakably an 80s pop record. I never had the time, nor the patience, to devote to dissecting the lyrical themes, which may mean I am missing a lot of the point here, but I still found this an intriguing listen, which is lacking immediate hooks and strong melodies. In a world where there are albums I would gladly wipe from existence completely, The Dreaming is an album I am glad I listened to (several times) but it can go back on the shelf now, if that's ok. Suffice to say, she has produced far better albums IMO.

So weird. Genuinely don’t understand why I liked this so much.

Good album and the influence on Florence + the machine is noticed.

Her operatic voice and writing style is pretty wack. Obviously, she's much more famous for a major hit, but she's written some other amazing songs on other albums that show off her sing talent. Way more than this album although this album is thematic and consistent it's just not my thing.

Not a big Kate Bush fan but she’s got some good music and she’s a great songwriter/musician.

I can see why some people love Kate Bush. I’m not one of those people. Good lord, I had to turn this off 4 songs in

Kate Bush is more interesting than I have given her credit for. This album is fierce and ambitious. Not for me, but it's a singular work from a singular artist.

An eccentric, musical theatresque album filled with catchy piano melodies and unique vocals.

5/10

I was in the aftermath of my divorce with my second wife. I was in a church with my grandmother. People were pointing and starring ar me. One was my 2nd wife's sister. Then out of abaxkroom or maybe I'm in a backroom I see my ex-wife. She's accusing me of following her. I sit dumbfounded bc I hadn't seen or thought of her in months. I leave with my grand mother. We pull into the parking lot of of a apartment complex right next to a giant tree. She gets out of the car. I start to follow her then don't. She's wearing all black. She says nothing and runs into the complex. Somehow I'm behind her and she has a machine gun and firing it. I don't see anyone else but I run back to the car. And sit. I'm all in black now and behind me is machine gun fire. Then a cop pulls right up next the car on the other side of the tree. I see my grandmother come out with a giant stack of board games and vhs' that are falling over and gets in the car. I'm terrified of going to jail. All the people from the church start showing up and the parking lot is full. I notice my medicine bottle is almost empty and I'll need a refill soon. I'm even more terrified. I look over to my grandmother and tell her 'you have to tell them I'm not a part of this. I didn't know you were going to do this." She says "I can't do that it's not part of my book" I say what book? The one that's in heaven. She looks scared. I think of withdrawal and I'm terrified. I woke up in a garage. There was a television show on an old crtv with Jason Bateman and Jennifer Anniston listen to either true crime or ghost stories on a walkie talkie. The lights in the garage where slowly going on then off. My mom came out to the garage and I asked her if this was normal. She asked me if anyone else could see the lights. Was it sending a signal? I said I don't know. I suddenly got a wave of anxiety and started checking the prescription refills on my medicine bottles but couldn't read them.

Frankly bizarre. I've never been much of a fan of Kate Bush, although I know some people love her. But I really don't understand why this album was included as well as Hounds of Love. Some of the choices on here are just weird. The mockney There Goes a Tenner, the pseudo-Australian The Dreaming, some of the "singing" in Houdini. Suspended in Gaffa had moments of familiarity, although whether it's because I've heard it before or because it just sounds like Hounds of Love I can't be bothered to find out. I suppose I owe this more than a star because I've praised other albums which stretch boundaries and this is certainly not like many other albums on the list, so an extra star for originality.

I have a friend who is a fan. So I've tried. I tried in the '80s. I tried in the '90s. I tried this morning. I just can't do it. For starters, I'm just not a fan of any 'theatrical' / Baroque style pop music. But I can occasionally get past that with other artists. What I can't get past is her voice. It feels like an ice pick in my eye. I literally feel it more than I hear it. She supposedly has great lyrics, I'll have to take their word for it. I honestly can't make out any words. Just stabbing pain to the brain. She's the only artist I can think of that I have a purely physiological response to.

Her voice is, as expected, extremely powerful and impressive. The production, lyrics, and general vibe of the songs are a bit off the wall, in an enjoyable way.

Do you like waltzes, accordions, and shrieking? This might just be the album for you.

i love this woman

I do not like her style of music.

I really wonder how she does this with other musicians - how does she communicate what she wants?. She brings her singular vision from another world to life. Amazing 4.6

Kate Bush delivers progressive pop and does the occasional emotional shouting. It's not as good as the Hounds of Love though where more eccentric elements bought out some cool stuff.

Weird, really weird. Reminds me of Joanna newsome. Lots of weird character voices done. Very experimental.

It was ok, but another I wouldn’t be rushing back to listen to. Alright background music

Excellent record!

A different album. I love Kate Bush, but I don't like to be screamed at, even by her.

What the fuck was that.

Weird. Bad.

I need more Kate Bush in my life. Only really knew her through Peter Gabriel and I should have followed through back in the 80s. Will have to make up for lost time. Some people get to put a capital A when they are referred to as an Artist, and she is one. So much going on with this album, so much beauty and crazy. She freely gets to experiment with sound and the equipment of the time and we are all better for it.

Haha what a weirdo. I loved it. I know I’m listening to this again, because there was a lot going on and there’s a lot I didn’t catch.

Incredible album from an artist I’ve never listened to. Super weird, strong production, great sounds.

6 / 10 - I feel like I should be rating this album as it is extremley unique and artistic, however, it just didnt really captivate me, sorry Kate :(

So original and very interesting to listen to. I found it very enjoyable

Got a little too odd in the second half to bring home the 4

KATE BUUUUUUUUUUSH

I've been waiting for a Kate Bush album! I'd never heard of her before Running Up That Hill went viral. Bit odd, but I don't hate it. After three listens, I don't really like it, either. I am looking forward to the other two albums on the list that are more commercial and less expiremental.

I'm really not a Kate Bush fan I'm discovering. This album is fine but nothing standout for me. The vibes are just a little strange.

The worst part about this album is that I just found out that Clipse released their first album in 15 years, and Travis Scott also released a new album this week. I'd much rather be listening to those albums, so I'm kind of listening to this like a kid eats his broccoli. Overall, it's pretty OK. It's weird, not your typical 80s pop sound, so that's endearing. I'd probably give it a 2.5 if I could.

uniikkia mutta en pidä

Weird, but not in a bad way.

7/10…art pop / witchy rock

Liked this quiiiite a bit. Listened on an airplane and then turned around and listened again immediately.

“There goes a tenner” -someone after buying this album in 1982 and listening to it

Where is Cloudbusting? Where is Hounds of Love? Where is Wuthering Heights?? It's fine but it's not very fun compared to other works :(

A hidden gem! Enjoyed the listen. Have heard of her, but never heard her music.

Quite the ride. Lots of sounds I haven't heard before. At some points I didn't know if I was listening to a spoof album or something from Disney. Overall it had it engaged and I wouldn't turn it off if it was on.

I’ve listened to some other Kate Bush before, and it feels like this is the album that a lot of her reputation from when I was a kid comes from. It’s ok, but not as good as some of her other work. You can see the massive influence this one had on Tori Amos and the swine Amanda Palmer. Also her Australian accent on the song The Dreaming might be considered a hate crime

English 80s art rock. Her most experimental album. Bonkers. Regina Spektor definitely drew from this. Whimsical and catchy.

Weird, baffling, but cool and daring.

Simply her best and a really fabtastic Album

Great

Tror jag är för dum för kate bush

Absolute manic masterpiece

Some weird interesting sounds. Not always into that 80s pop style but it was unique and weird in a way I enjoy

Kate Bush is a national treasure. She's broken boundaries, pushed limits, strived to fulfill her very own vision with little or no compromise. She also seems to have quite a self-deprecating sense of humour. So, what's not to like? Well, the fact that her vision just doesn't align with my tastes at all. I'd sit down for a pint with her and I think she'd be great company to chat away an evening. I'd just hope she'd never bring up her music in conversation so we can avoid that awkward silence - or, after a few pints, my very wordy way of trying to express that I mostly appreciate the theoretical concept of what she's doing and how she's doing it, but not so much the actual result.

4 out of 5. Not my favorite of hers but still an experience.

I know Tori Amos loved this one

Incredible

2/5

I liked it... different and pretty creative. Theatric arrangements. I started listening to it on the day it was first assigned to me, and I knew it was good but I was super tired and knew I wouldn't be open to it, so I saved it for when I knew I would be more receptive. Glad I did that.

2.0 - Weak

The vocals are insane as kate bush usually delivers, but I wanted to like it more. Houdini slaps.

Not at all what I was expecting. Very strange and experimental. Almost does feel like a dream with the cryptic lyrics and the production that see-sawd between very bare and very loud. Not entirely my thing, and has parts that don’t click with me, but has enough bright spots and interesting ideas for me to appreciate it.

I was so sure I was going to like this but I was left feeling so disappointed.

Rv/g

Annoying but not as bad as the other Kate Bush album on here.

It’s always pleasing when I find an album here that I like more than I thought I would. This isn’t one of them. This album was often irritating and I don’t need that in my life.

bland det konstigaste jag någonsin har hört. det är lite bra emellanåt. suspended in gaffa är ju en kanonlåt. men det är som en psykotisk mäniska som gör obskyr synthpop samtidigt som den försöker deklarera eller nånting.

I really hoped I would be into Kate Bush. This is the second time I've been served one of her albums and TBH it's just not working for me!

I love weird pop music

I have not one but two shirts with this album cover on it.

not my vibe at all i feel like im in some weird musical running through a magical forest while being chased by an army of short men calling me a witch however i do understand why it’s popular, as she is clearly very talented if it’s your kind of music update: it’s kind of growing on me… it has a really interesting instrumentals and cool voice layering especially on “all the love” i will not listen to this again, and would go out of my way to turn it off if it were playing

Theater kid music. I understand it’s experimental art rock but it’s tortuous. The production is pretty impressive so I will give her that.

I am aware that this is one of Kate Bush's less popular albums and I find her style confronting at the best of times. However, this was weird and experimental-feeling enough that actually I kind of liked it. Rating: 3

There are albums that I gotten here that I know what to rate the moment they end and there are albums that I have no idea how to rate. This album is part of the latter. I kind of wanted to like this. I don’t know shit about Kate Bush (outside of that song, you know the one), so I was hoping this would be a great start. But to be real with you, I couldn’t get a handle of this and a large chunk of it was because of Kate’s vocals. They’re all over the place, changing pitch and tone constantly. Sometimes she’s high-pitched and delicate and other times she’s fucking screaming like she’s in a metal band. I know Kate is talented and this is a personal gripe, but I didn’t care for her style here. Also, this album doesn’t feel really too experimental. Like, it’s in this in between where it’s coherent, but not easily assessable. This could have been great. I would love me some catchy 80’s progressive pop with some quirkiness. But really, I found this only okay. I’m hoping this wasn’t a bad start for me for Kate Bush and that this was just a weird exception. Favorite track: Houdini Other hits: Get Out of My House (minus the donkey noises), Pull Out the Pin, Suspended in Gaffa, The Dreaming

A pop album that is not only unique and interesting in its presentation but also actually fun and catchy? That is, unfortunately, very rare, but this album is one of the examples. I wasn’t expecting to like this one because I thought that Kate Bush was another one of the pop singers with slow, mellow music that I don’t like at all, but this album turned out to be completely different and much better than I was expecting. Most songs here are eclectic, engaging bangers with exciting ideas, most of which work quite well. I'm still not a huge fan of vocal-focused music, and although, I think this album is miles better in terms of instrumentation than 99% of pop records, the vocals, as good as they are, don't fully let them shine. This still was a blast, though.

Pretty good

I love some of Kate bush’s albums but not this one. I found it pretentiously irritating and so next level progressive pop that I almost couldn’t listen to it. Kate bush is awesome, this album is not!

This is why its so important to listen to the full album - if I hadn't I might have missed Night of the Swallow which is such an incredible track and I've been listening to it on repeat all day! I really love the rhythm and the uilleann pipes! The rest of the album is interesting, wild and experimental, but not something I'd listen to again. All these stars are for that one track and also that Kate Bush is an incredible musician, innovative, gutsy and an inspiration to many! I wish there was more amazing female artists on this list.

Do you accept any orders? So stop this annoying thing please!

Theatrical vocals

An album that sows off Kate Bush's rtier side. Melodies are hard to discern, hooks non-existent. The vois=ce is powerful and emotional but aultmately I wait for a song or two that is more accessible to help draw me in. But it doesn't ever come. Respect the artistic statement but I don't enjoy the work. 3 stars

While I've been doing this challenge I have also been going through the RYM top rated albums of all time, but skipping the albums that I know are also on this list. I had Hounds of Love from this list already and I wasn't super crazy about it, but it was fine, it shocked me to see that it was the 56th highest rate album on RYM. I am currently on album 150, and this one is rated 142 so I just skipped it. I don't get it. I don't know what people see in Kate Bush, it sounds like circus pop music. I don't know how see has 2 albums in the top 200 of all time on RYM. It isn't the worst album, and I love weird music, but this like weird in boring way. This just kinda made me want to listen to the Cocteau Twins, but I was also buying David Byrne tickets as I was listening to this so I was thinking about that more... and it is hard for anyone to compete with the Talking Heads High 2.

For the record, I love a lot of KB’s music, but this was an album I always struggled with. Reminds me a bit of Radiohead with Kid A many years later….an album so wilfully not what went before and clearly the work of an artist pushing the boundaries. Neither are the best introduction to the artist either! Listening again now it’s actually aged like fine wine, or I’ve reached a point where I can appreciate this more. Going into rotation. Love it.

This album didn't catch me nearly as well as Hounds of Love does. It's kind of hard to listen to. I do enjoy Kate Bush, and as far as difficult albums go so far in this endeavor, this was certainly not the hardest. I just didn't get anything out of it from two listens.

idk how to describe this album musically but i do know that it is rlly fucking good

Album got better as it went on. Not really feeling this album. It has a theatrical feel.

Eclectic, quirky, out there, very well performed. What else do you want?

Talk about someone way ahead of their time. Bush's abstract, lush, strange compositions force you to sit and think about what you're listening to. There is nothing passive about this album. But if you're willing to absorb it, I promise it will resonate with you in ways maybe you didn't even know were possible. Easily one of the best records on this list.

There's something undeniably intoxicating about an artist taking full control of the studio to create such a unique, fully realized expression of self, and The Dreaming finds Kate Bush doing precisely that with fearless intensity.

Gosh, she's got a lot of tricks in her kit bag does Kate. Super talented singer/songwriter with freedom and time to create whatever she wants. This isn't as good as Hounds of Love, but it's still fantastic.

Listened to this with my girlfriend on a drive, she said she likes Kate Bush. After listening to this for the first time she said ‘maybe I should stop telling people I like Kate bush’ we really did not enjoy this

Very unique and I can definitely see where Tori Amos got her sound

I can appreciate that this album is trying to be different. I think Bush can use her voice in a unique and interesting way. However, the music did not really sit that well with me.

Quite enjoyed the first song, i liked the switch from 6/8 to 4/4. The album as a whole was also enjoyable, but didn't really enjoy her sometimes overuse of effects, even though it was quite fun and original.