Reviews (page 2 of 16)
This album is okay, unfortunately not as good as the album that came before it. It's fine but less weird and much slower. 2.5 stars.
One of my favourite albums of all time. Side 1 is perfect pop music, side 2 is a masterpiece in songwriting with a pinch of experimentalism.
Not a fan. Is everything ok Kate?
One of my favourite albums of all time. It has so much warmth and hope in it and Kate is a superb singer songwriter. It also contains my two favourite KB songs: 'Running Up That Hill' and 'Jig of Life'.
Nice peaceful Love cloud busting
Very interesting blend of many genres. Some parts make you feel like you're on a bad trip.
Amazing storytelling and beautiful synth sounds all over. The Ninth Wave part is an absolute masterpiece.
This album jumped up the charts because of Running Up That Hill being on Stranger Things, but I don't quite get it. I assume it's a nostalgia trip for many, but I couldn't get into her style.
One of the best albums of the 80s Kate's unique voice and writing makes it near perfect.
Two albums rolled into one with varying results. The "Hounds of Love" first side is Kate Bush at her most accessible and is a good collection of 80's Brit-pop. "Running Up That Hill" endures for good reason (and not simply because of Vecna fighting American kids). The second half, "Ninth Wave", is mostly a conceptual sound experiment that brings the album to a slog. I get that Kate Bush artistically lives on a different plane than most and not all of "Ninth Wave" is particularly bad but it just doesn't work as a companion piece to "Hounds of Love" and would have been better as its own project.
*Ok but I just can't get into it
Maybe the height of art rock?
yeah, kinda miraculous
Fairly OK.
Uffff le tengo un hype. Running up that hill es un temazo, que es tan bueno que ni siquiera sufrió la quemadura de tiktok y se sigue escuchando como la primera vez. Obra maestra. Una experiencia única.
This is probably the best album ever made. Side 1 is hit after hit of incredibly smart, catchy, and though-provoking art pop. Side 2 is a musical journey through from birth to death to birth again. I could probably talk about this album and why Kate Bush is the greatest musician of all time for hours, but will leave it at this: Bush is a genius on another echelon than 99% of artists on this list. If you don't get it, I suggest keep listening until you do. Top Songs: Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), Hounds of Love, Mother Stands for Comfort, Cloudbusting, And Dream of Sheep, Watching You Without Me, Jig of Life, Hello Earth
Great orchestration, good songwriting, a variety of dynamic sounds.
wow fun
witchy
great cohesive and so free. she’s lush and sultry without ever reaching to where we can’t follow
oh kate!
Very funny loaded first few songs great!
Meravigliosa.
Kate Bush is really an artist and i see that through the musical artistry she has in this album!
oh Kate we’re really in it now
Älskar detta album. Det känns som om man flyter på moln när man lyssnar. Visst ibland är det knepigt och lite svårt men det är liksom alltid bra. Älskar förstås Running up that hill och Hounds of Love men det finns så mycket annat här också. Gud, hon är så cool. Gör som hon vill och det blir magiskt. Saknar fler av henne.
Take that, Vecna! Epic and weird and gripping. Loved this one.
Great arrangements. Very dramatic vocals but it works with all the different sounds.
Och bogowie, to jedna z ważniejszych płyt dla mnie w ostatnim czasie, nie bez powodu oczywiście. Pierwsze czarownica i wisienka na torcie muzycznych egzorcyzmów. Pierwsza połowa skonstruowana z dobrych, popowych piosenek, a potem robi się tylko ciekawiej, "strona B" to porządna historia tonięcia i to jak napisana! Kocham tę płytę, 5-tka bez zastanowienia.
She’s pretty insufferable, not quite worthy of a 1 but but like a 1.9.
4.0 Haven't listened to Kate Bush and maybe only heard the name in passing. I don't watch Stranger Things—I guess that show used a song and reinvigorated her career a bit. Anyway, I really did like the album, but I don't know stylistically if this is going to go into a regular rotation for me; I'll have to give it another go at some point. Kate Bush as an artist did intrigue me though, so I'll have to see if there's a documentary or something. Seems like equal parts pop star, avant-garde performer, and Broadway act. "Under Ice" could have been a Tool song 100%. (Have we got a Tool album yet?)
Singular and strange. Ethereal and shortly. Some lovely melodies.
This album, released in 1985 is considered her masterpiece and is categorized as art pop or progressive pop. The first side of the album is more accessible and the second is more experimental/progressive. After listening to the album a few times I like both sides but there feel there are weaker songs on each. Overall I like this album. I think she's great and innovative. The album is well produced but definitely has an 80s sound to it with the gated drums, guitars and fretless bass sounds. Favorite songs for me are: Running Up That Hill The Big Sky Cloudbursting (one of my favs. look up the story behind it). Under Ice Watching You Without Me The Morning Fog
One of my favorite artists.
nao é nem brincando essa mulher lançou uma das melhores musicas da historia nesse disco
Iconic album from one of our great songwriters. Five stars.
I came to know Kate Bush through the fourth season of Stranger Things. In it, she's Max's favorite artist, and it's her music that helps her escape Vecna's clutch. The song "Running up that Hill" is prominently featured, most notably in one of the best scene in the series, which helped it gain new traction among modern audiences. For good reason : it's a magnificent song. Apparently, Kate Bush wasn't very popular in the US before that. A shame, because what an artist she is! Don't be mistaken : "Running up that Hill" is great song, and an equally great opener on the album, but it is far from being the only good one on it. One-hit wonder this album is not. In fact, I'd even say that it's not the best one. Most memorable? Maybe, thanks to Stranger Things, but the second half of the album is so fucking wonderful that it doesn't really matter. There's a real sense of crescendo on the album, as it progressively become more whimsical, ethereal, esoteric even. Kate Bush paints a rich dream-like tapestry full of witches, fairies and imps, and she herself sound like a nymph in the woods, murmuring poetry directly into your soul. This is one of the best albums ever composed, don't @ me.
Surprisingly didn’t find this one that interesting. Obviously the masterpiece that is “running up the hill”, but the rest is really bland…
ну це альбом для мене!!! абсолютно іконічний контроль над голосом, дуже вразливий і сміливий songwriting
Start to finish incredible. RYM: Y (#61) Saved a song: Y
I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of the people who claim Kate Bush is an iconic artist are actually mostly boomer men who remember rubbing one out over her dancing around in a leotard when she was seventeen. Because, let’s be frank, this is a bit shit, really, isn’t it?
Really like the opener, but nothing much standing out one way or the other besides.
Cool album. Weirder than I thought it would be, but very cool.
every song is bursting with texture it's just so incredible
Pop hooks really sell the experimentation. I didn't know Kate Bush before Stranger Things, but this is my second album of hers on this list. It's much better than the first one.
7/10
Look, I know I'm a basic bitch. My introduction to Kate Bush was Stranger Things. I'm not sorry about that. But god, this album kicks so much ass. The first five songs are basically just one after another bangers, all fantastic. Then the other seven are just this sorta-kinda concept album that just all flows together in the most interesting way. Holy shit, this whole album kicks so much ass.
She's just magical. The second half was not as great as the first half
Some say she's still running up that hill...
KATE BUSH LETS GO!!! Oh I can’t wait to listen to this one, Tasnia thinks I’ll like it a lot. And she’s so pretty to god this list needs more women PLEASE Waking the witch is so crazy I love it omg I was not expecting an Irish jig in this album but I’m so glad it’s here. More albums should have random Irish jigs. That was great, I loved it. Her voice is so stunning and I loved all the ad libs she added, it genuinely sounded like she was having so much fun in the studio. There were also quite alot of different genres here which made each song refreshing to listen to although they are all like undeniably her. My only complaint was that some songs have very repetitive instrumental loops that go on throughout the whole song which could annoy me on future listens. Other than that, would 100% listen again, 4.45/5
How to start an album… With two absolute beauties! ‘Running up that hill’ obviously hasn’t aged as it’s all over the charts in the 2020s. Then ‘Hounds of love’ is a track I’ve listened to a lot over the years… the problem been it’s been the cover by the futureheads I have been listening to. And now I have finally heard the original I feel sin for loving that cover as the original is out of this world! ‘The big sky’ ‘mother stands for comfort’ and ‘cloudbusting’ are all almost perfect tracks too. The album then goes a bit missing in the middle for me after a great opening 5 tracks the section with ‘and dream of sheep’ ‘under ice’ ‘waking the witch’ and ‘watching you without me’ all felt like filler- good filler but filler compared to the rest. Then the album goes up levels again as it comes to its closers, ‘jig of life’ and the Irish feels perk it back up before an absolute beauty in the name of ‘hello earth’ And then finishes with another almost perfect track ‘the morning fog’ I’m sure anything I write will have been wrote before so I won’t even try to put it into words as such but I wish I had listened to this album before now at the age of 39 I feel like I have missed this from my life. Straight into my playlist. Best track- ‘hounds of love’ Worst track- ‘under ice’ 10/10
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love From when music was a vinyl experience. All the massive songs on side one, and a psychological song scape on side two. And Kate pulls off both brilliantly. I struggle to think of anyone who could produce a series of uplifting, huge songs as we get in the first half. The hypnotic drum patterns of Running and Hounds, the soaring inspiration of Big Sky and CloudBusting. And sandwiched in there for good measure, the exasperated, but unbreakable, love of a mother for her murderer son. Side two has to listened to in one take. Lost in the water, Kate captures the fear, the hopelessness, the total mindfuck of being lost in the darkness with only your own thoughts to keep you going. And then the release of the Morning Fog - the dawn, the light and the rescue. Her magnus opus, almost singlehandedly put together with a dogged vision. Best Track - Could be any...but there is something about CloudBusting that is beyond this world. Worst Track - there isnt one 10/10
masterpiece, sinto que estou na casa de uma bruxa da terra e ela está me mostrando como fazer poções. começar um álbum com running up that hill é um acontecimento.
Pretty cool album overall — lightweight from the start, easy to slip into the mood, no real struggle getting into it. Not sure I'd come back to it often though. But "Running Up That Hill" is amazing, would replay it endlessly — partly because of the Stranger Things fame, but mostly because the song itself is just really, really good. The other tracks didn't hook me quite as much. "Under Ice" was a nice one too, strong 80s feel and that's wonderful.
Bra! Sett till generen känns det som ett otroligt tidlöst album, med en modernare produktion hade det lika gärna kunnat släppts och slagit idag.
Personlig favorit! Ingår i ett klick konstiga kvinnor tillsammans med bland annat Cher och Björk
Första halvan: peak 80-tals pop. Häftiga melodier, bra refränger, coola texter, sjuk produktion. Andra halvan: Woah :O Kanske lite för high concept, vet inte. Stark fyra! Jag ska försöka vara återhållsam med femmorna.
Börjar såklart dunderstarkt och håller nivån 4-5 låtar men sen tappar det riktning och blir spretigt och experimentiellt. Tyvärr inte för mig... STARK 2a
Några starka låtar typ Running up that hill räddar skivan från att få en tvåa. 3/5
7/10
Parece álbum de terror.
Previously listened? Yes Every pop album after this one was in one way or another influenced by it. Kate Bush GOAT
Tens wonderful sound
Running Up the Hill and Cloudbusting are great. Found the more experimental second half interesting rather than loving it but still enjoyed most of this
Running up the hill really is a bop. Mother stands for comfort has some musicality choices that are not for me. I love Jessie Ware. This sounds like her, or like similar Hendrix with the black keys, is an influence of hers. Loved waking of the Witch. Will be keeping that one in the back. Musicality- 0.5 Vocals - 0.6 Vibes - 0.5 Listen to again - 0.2 Execution - 0.7 Total - 2.5
Easily the best pop album of all time. 55555555555555555555555555
Inte så förtjust i Waking the witch eller Jig of life, men det kompenseras bra av resten av låtarna!
Dra lärdom Adele, din tråkmåns. 4,8/5
Vill lyssna mer
En otrolig värld att kliva in i
While most songs were decent imo, nothing really hit too hard other than Running up that hill and jig of life. Overall some high highs but not really my style.
One of the best - if not the best - album of the 1980s. Also probably Kate Bush's best album. The first half has Track after track of beautiful songs that will also either get you up to dance or have you in some trance state. The second half is more experimental, with spoken word, choirs, eastern European singers, ambient sounds. Everyone knows about Running Up That Hill and how Stranger Things brought it back to everyone's attention. But The Big Sky is even better. And Jig of Life - all traditional Irish music and a lyric about the older version of a woman coming back to visit her younger self - is astonishing. This is intelligent, beautifully crafted, and a masterwork.
I'll admit, I've never heard of Kate Bush before Stranger Things. In fact, I didn't even watch that season & never did finish it. This is a great album. Very theatrical & though the synth is present, it sounds timeless, not dated. I don't listen to Lady Gaga but she's been around long for me to hear her hits in passing. Yeah, you can tell Bush is an influence of hers. I thought Cloudbusting was a happy song that made smile throughout. It got weird with the Witch song but in a good way. 4
Well well well
Hounds of Love is an ethereal, wispy, and sometimes spiritual record. As with most other Kate Bush releases it's also plagued with what I call "baby talk" singing. Bush likes to be whimsical and weird at times, and that's fine because she wrote the records. I'm just not the target audience. In tracks like Running Up That Hill you get her actual singing voice and it's a much better (and less frustrating) experience. I want to enjoy Kate Bush but I just don't, however I do respect that she embraces her weirdness and runs with it. In an industry of conformers she is a strange and luminous curiosity and there's something cool about that.
Loved the album as a whole, but the second half has tracks that are skippable for me (Waking The Witch and Watching You Without Me).
One of kind
Arguably the best album of the 80s, the impeccable song writing, the lush full soundscape and poetic beautiful second half of a man drowning. Just amazing all way through
Fan of the Bush
dreaming of sheep is sooo beautiful and sad like let me sleeep omg the production on this album is a slay, like the strings and the synths and the drums yasss
Amazing album from start to finish, love the changing rythms and flow of the songs. It feels like a compilation but very well crafted. It can take you to ethereal and surreal places with each song. 100% recommended.
我很喜歡 裡面有一首我之前有聽過
Great album. 2nd half is awesome stuff
Great album
deadass had me with stranger things anthem as the first song
* Nice bgm * Loved the vocals * Very passionate
Has the one song from stranger things
1. Running up that hill 2. The big sky 3. Mother stands for comfort 4. And dream of sheep 5. Waking the Witch 6. Jig of life 7. The morning fog This list is in no particular order its just the songs I liked the most. I can confirm that this album is a work of art.
Je ne me suis pas senti transporté
Everybody loves this bug I’m not a Kate bush fan. This is the best I’ve heard so far and running up that hill is a classic. Side 2 is some weird concept piece
6/10
so fun and funky
B+
I like the singles but the second half of the album sounds like a radio drama.
Kate Bush is a truly unique artist, releasing avant garde experimental albums that somehow spawn chart hits, both at the time and even reaching completely new audiences many years later as with the recent re-release of Running Up That Hill. The first side of the album contains the standalone tracks that were released singles, although they are not conventional pop hits by any stretch of the imagination, featuring Bush barking on Hounds of Love, samples from obscure horror movies and references to Wilhelm Reich and Organon energy. Side two is a an ambitious concept piece told from the perspective of a young woman drowning at sea, or maybe she's dreaming, or maybe she's a witch on trial. Listening to this on headphones is a transcendent experience that really does put you at the heart of the story as waves crash around you and wild Irish jigs combine with ethereal choirs and experimental use of the revolutionary Fairlight synthesiser. Heckin-good-doggos-tastic!
COOL, BUT THERES JUST ONE BIG SONG ...
First half of this album is some well done 80's pop music. The second half gets a little too out there and is just kind of strange. The album has some highlights, but starts to lose interest over time. 2.5/5 Won't listen again
While I have heard about Kate Bush and the largely positive critical attention her work has received, I really haven't listened to any of her work in any meaningful way. The use of the first track of this album is unfortunately probably the first sustained engagement with any of her music. Happily this is a good way of making amends. Overall, I like this record quite a bit. It definitely is drawing from the production conventions of the mid-80's. A lot of work suffers from that, but this material works well. I'm really liking the multi tracked vocals and the strings and the electronics. The first three songs feel anthemic and are a lot fun. It gets a little more experimental and avant garde after that, but this is a good record. I really liked Watching You Without Me.
This was a surprising album to me. I didn’t expect to enjoy it at all. I’m partaking in this project to expand my musical taste and I did find myself enjoying a few songs. I ranked it overall a 7.2/10. I enjoyed tracks 4,5,9 & 10. I added those to my playlist.
Points for the album cover. Points for being weird. I generally dislike pop from the 80's, but this is interesting stuff. It's easy to hear the influence she had on Florence + The Machine and other alternative artists that came later. This is one of the albums that makes this project worth it. 4.1
fire
I have to admit I only really became aware of this record thanks to Stranger Things. I enjoyed Running Up That Hill a lot but never got around to playing the whole record until now. I think I've been missing out on one of the greats. Hounds of Love is a fantastic art pop album all the way through, with a wealth of variety in both sounds and songcraft. The little touches throughout that keep the album feeling connected song to song really put it over the top. One of my favorite songs the first time through is Mother Stands For Comfort, which includes some fantastic fretless bass and synth. It's full of atmosphere. Another favorite was Watching You Without Me which evokes a similar feeling. It's the closest I've found to scratching the same itch as Japan. The more-bombastic moments work just as well. Running Up That Hill and Cloudbusting have a similar driving feel I enjoy. Getting the experimental vocal collage on Wake Up The Witch, and traditional instrumental on Jig Of Life on the same album and still having it feel like it hangs together is a triumph. I love how the album ends on tracks dripping with atmosphere and drama with Hello Earth and The Morning Fog. There's absolutely nothing "safe" about this record and it's all the better for it. One of the best first-time listens I've had on this project, and an album I'm sure to play for the rest of my life.
The drama is real in this album and I love it. The whole thing felt like a musical (BIG Phantom of the Opera vibes). There were still a few moments that weren’t great, but overall a dynamite album.
I'm a little torn on this one. Outside of Running Up That Hill which rocks, I didn't love the album. I did appreciate how unique it is though and that it's doing something. High 3/low 4 but I'll give it a 4.
This album is nuts. At first i was like "this isnt for me. The avant-garde here is admirable, but I dont love it". And i still think that fits, but dang i kept having to increase stars because the bside tracks are art. i read reviews that helped me get it. im happy to have given it a try even if i basically never liten to it again.
i liked it a lot! will listen again!
Teils etwas zu Experimentell
Instant 5/5. Elsker den her så meget, min vinyl derhjemme er slidt.
Har intet skidt at sige. Tværtimod.
*75 Simpelthen bare flot. Dragende til tider. Ikke blæst bagover heller.
Jeg synes den her er rigtig svær at rate, fordi jeg synes at albummet som helhed er markant bedre end sine enkelte dele. Realistisk set er der et par numre, som jeg kunne finde på at sætte på for sig. Omvendt skal jeg ikke kunne afvise, at jeg ville sætte hele pladen på og have det fedt nok over det. Det bliver en stor 3'er - med frygt for at jeg på efter senere gennemlytninger kommer til at tage det i mig igen.
Arh... Det bliver sgu lidt for kedeligt 2-3 gode numre kan ikke rigtig holde min gejst oppe 3.1
mesterværk
3.6
It's a listening experience. You don't put it on while you wash up, or sat in the garden or go running, you have to devote time to it. That's not how I consume music, plus you can't dance to it. If it continued at the same pace it started, it would easily score 4/5.
I flirted with a 5 here, there's a lot to like on this album
Really enjoyed this one overall. Running up that hill is definitely the high point of the album, despite its current overplayed nature, but the album as a whole is extremely interesting and quite dense.
Side A is quaint, and a bit overheard tbh, while side B makes me bust nuts.
Already know I adore this album. 'Cloudbusting' is phenomenal.
I know I’m gunna start to sound like a broken record, but much like “the sensual world” I found this album to be a massive disappointment when compared to “the dreaming”. The dreaming is just such a bold and crazy album, her vocals are crazy and sick, the way she layers them is way ahead of its time, and then the production and instrumentals are just so creative and different. I didn’t feel that way about this album. I did love her biggest hit ever, “running up that hill”, that’s an untouchable classic pop song. The problem is much like sensual world I only ended up liking and saving 3 songs (running up that hill, mother stands for comfort, and waking the witch). I do think this is a slightly better album than Sensual world, but I only found that charm that I fell in love with on the dreaming in a couple of songs, and that’s just kinda disappointing. Still hoping for more, haven’t tapped out of Kate Bush the same way I am TAPPED THE FUCK OUT on Elvis Costello.
Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - 5/5 Hounds of Love - 4.5/5 The Big Sky - 4.5/5 Mother Stands for Comfort - 4/5 Cloudbusting - 5/5 And Dream of Sheep - 4/5 Under Ice - 4/5 Waking the Witch - 4/5 Watching You Without Me - 4/5 Jig of Life - 4.5/5 Hello Earth - 4.5/5 The Morning Fog - 4.5/5 A real tale of two sides, and thankfully both are interesting. After trying to non-commercialize herself in her last album, she relents and gives an incredible first half full of more pop-driven hits before diving into more conceptual second side about the cycle of life and death. The first side on its own would be worth 5*, but the second's experimentation is interesting enough to keep with it. Phenomenal work from Bush as arguably her best since her debut. Overall: 5/5 Favorites: Running Up That Hill, Cloudbusting
A bit dated and just too much something… Not for me.
Aside from the massive and evergreen hit song, this is a really good album. Took me back to my childhood. I love how quirky and different it is, enjoyed this one!
Great Album
KATE BUSH MY GOATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥🔥 ALL IN A BARN WITH A FAIRLIGHT
It’s good, a few hits, but 80s pop doesn’t quite hit for me
I really liked this. I only knew Running Up that Hill. It’s very experimental and really ahead of its time - doesn’t sound 80s or dated at all. I thought the first few tracks were really strong, but it kind of lost me around the middle - but then I loved Jig of Life with all the bag pipes. It’s definitely an album I’ll go back to.
This was like a breath of fresh air after the last run of terrible albums. While this kind of music is not exactly my forte It's still somewhat enjoyable.
Superb. Equal measures euphoric, haunting, delicate... difficult to fault.
I'M BEHIND OK Mmmmm.... kinda boring if u ask me I liked running up that hill
No es lo mío
Running Up That Hill is an 80s alternative classic. The rest of the album seems pale in comparison, though I can totally imagine a younger version of me buying the cassette and listening to it until it became a five star. Two listens today got it up to a 3 1/2 today.
This album is a masterclass, to me, in every sense. It’s massively influential and groundbreaking, for one. The way in which it was produced and the way the two parts are broken up are so unique for the time. I’ve become ever-increasingly interested in Art Pop and this is one of if not the most enjoyable and engaging endeavor into it that I’ve heard. It’s ambitious, beautiful, strange, and unpredictable. I love what Bush is going for across the record and she executes it masterfully. Several tracks here have potential to become some of my favorites of all-time. This is everything I could have hoped for and more and I look forward to spending hours upon hours with this one. 2 listens Favorite Tracks: Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God), Cloudbusting, Hello Earth, Jig Of Life
I quite enjoy Kate Bush. This is a touch too experimental/quirky to be a 5 but it's close. Edit: One more listen and I’ve pushed this to a 5, which is where I initially felt it should be before last-minute downgrade. This album will get a lot more plays.
Vibras de bosque encantado o maldito. Muy tok tok
Okkkkkk. So let's just say I understand the hype now. That may have rewired my brain. Fav Tracks: "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)", "Cloudbusting" and "Waking the Witch".
Really thought i'd enjoy this album way more considering it has running up that hill in it. But i didn't vibe with any other songs :/
Really enjoyed this. Learned she wasn’t popular in the U.S. because she didn’t tour the U.S.
inspirador
10/10 I dont even have words for how great this album is. A masterpiece. So good and weird and emotional. The little mini concept album of the second half is so vivid and Bush is a great storyteller. And the first half is just banger after banger, mostly songs about love. On these tracks as well she's such a great writer she makes every song feel so grand and emotional. 80's revival is very popular right now and Kate Bush deserves every second of spotlight she gets these days this album was one of the best I've ever listened to.
Love the whimsy
Strong start, okay middle and strong ending!
Everyone knows running up that hill, but the rest of this record is loads of 80's pop that is often surprisingly progressive, while also somehow including influences from traditional irish folk music. I really like the slapping bass of The Big Sky. Not a record I'd like to own or listen to regularly, but still special and a worthy addition to this list.
Running up that hill is a pretty good song that has been ruined by stranger things, most of the first half is pretty decent pop but nothing too special. The second half is much more fun with weirder and more experimental songs, even having some sea shanties. Made for a fun album overall and I wish more regular pop got weirder in the second part of their album.
Some of it is fine, but I find the vocals to be annoying at best. It sounds like 80s pop which I've never liked.
Not the best singing or the most interesting songs in general in this album. I would feel embarrassed to show anyone a song from this album because of all the weird noises thrown in throughout it.
A really good album in the right situation, and still good anytime. 4 stars or B.
Running terriblemente quemada por Stranger Things, es una lastima. el disco la primera mitad es aburrida, a partir de Waking the Witch tiene juegos mas interesantes, ese truco como de disco que salta esta muy bueno
My Kate Bush knowledge is from the two songs radio 2 love to play and the 2004 cover by the futureheads. I'm looking forward to this. My wife won't if it hits the rotation - she's not a fan. -------- Man, those ethereal vocals do something to me. They are refreshing honest. They make me want to take my shoes off and throw them in the lake. The synth driven tracks provide a dramatic soundscape. There's a lot of variety here all with a catchy witchiness. Or maybe I've been cursed. Wait - there's a whole concept album after the first 5 fantastic tracks? Jig of life is fire. This is a masterpiece of prog? Pop. 5*
As someone who wasn’t alive during this time I think this album perfectly encapsulates what I imagine the 80s sounded like.
I do love this album. It does feel like almost two distinct sides though, but still has a cohesion which is nice. While Side A 'Hounds of Love' has the hits, namely running up that hill and Hounds of Love, Side B 'Ninth Wave' has got the atmospheric tunes that I adore.
Absolutely gorgeous soundscape and vibe. I wish I clicked more with the individual tracks, but I think it leans a bit too prog for my taste, and songs feel a bit unstructured and repetitive to me. Standout Tracks: Running Up That Hill, The Big Sky, Jig of Life Rating: 3
Hmm...I don't know. Definitely interesting. I like Running Up That Hill. I may need to listen to this again more closely.
Didn't listen but I will comment anyway. It was something totally different at the time. Disliked by no one.
Quite possibly the greatest pop album in this book, if not ever made. Incredibly affecting, dynamic and beautiful. Nothing short of a miracle.
love that woman, it's such a unique sound and a weird album all in all, i'm glad that this has come up as the suggestion yesterday
And if I only could I'd make a deal with you And I'd try not to mention Stranger Be watchin' all that show Be followin' that Will Be talkin' 'bout those Things Say, if I only could, oh (Yeah, Yeah, Yo) The first song, Running Up That Hill (Yeah, Yeah, Yo), has made a landmark in my brain watching ST with my daughter, and that thrill outlasts this album (Yeah, Yeah, Yo). I've used this song in a post to ramble about LinkedIn that you might find amusing, while I hope you don't mind self-promoting here: https://medium.com/@lucaslafranconi/lexicon-paraphernalia-vol-i-53207fe4c346 The rest of the album starts like a typical 80's pop album, with big percussion, nice synths and backing vocals... but evolves to a rather experimental story... it's certainly a relief to mix the somehow normal sounding first part with the constantly evolving second one. Kudos to Kate. Nice kicking around the Bush after Running up that Hill! (Yeah, Yeah, Yo)
Although I've heard of Kate Bush and the obvious hit single Running up that Hill, I had never really listened to her music before. I had a preconceived notion that her music was very experimental and inaccessible. I'm happy to report that even though Hounds of Love is weird at times, the tunes are exceptional and at times very catchy and palatable. You can very much hear the influence on Stevie Nicks, Florence and the Machine and Goldfrapp.
Un álbum poderoso, atmosférico, con una de las mejores voces femeninas de la música inglesa.
I remember asking my parents if they liked Kate Bush and they said she was a little out there for them. I think I have to agree?
running up that hill as the opener is wildddddddd. way to start with a bang!!! standouts: waking the witch (so weird, so cool, feel like I'm in a movie)
Wow, this has 2 of my favourite KB songs - Cloudbusting and Jig of Life. The layering of music and sounds in all of these tracks coupled with discordant backing vocals perfectly balance with her angelic voice. Quite an 80’s sound but an excellent album all the same
No es tanto mi estilo, pero podría escucharlo tranquilamente
I love Kate Bush. There is no one like her. She’s like a mystical creature out of place in the modern world.
Ein paar gute Sachen aber vieles was mir nicht so gefällt...
The opening track really stands out as a "song" and the rest of the album feels more like poetry. Not sure if its to my taste but it belongs on the list.
This reminded me of my childhood in all the best ways. Felt very reminiscent of the days I sat with my eyes glued to the TV watching dark fantasy classics like Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. I’m nothing if not a sucker for nostalgia.
Kate Bush has a beautiful voice. Songs like her top hit Running Up that Hill prove she can right good music. At one point this album made me jump in the air from an unexpected spoken words which is interesting. The back half of the album became fairly experimental and lost me.
This may be THE British album of 1985. Not simply because it is magnificent, but because it represents something extraordinary about British popular culture at that particular moment. This was a number-one album. Kate Bush returned to public view performing Running Up That Hill on Wogan. Bloody Terry Wogan. People bought the record, turned it over, and found a psychologically cinematic suite about a woman drowning. Running Up That Hill remains astonishing: the pulse, those speed-treated Fairlight wails, the refusal to provide conventional resolution, and that lyrical premise of two people wanting to exchange their lived experience because ordinary communication cannot bridge the distance between them. Hounds of Love takes desire somewhere more animal. For me, it captures the distinction between desire and the desire for desire: wanting to be wanted while simultaneously being frightened of being pursued. The fox doesn’t reason about the hounds. Its body reacts. Fear and attraction become inseparable because they have the same source. The Big Sky then blows the doors open. Its final ninety seconds remind you that almost nobody uses the non-verbal human voice quite like Kate Bush. Yoko Ono, Bush, Björk: singers for whom the voice can cease to be a vehicle for words and become raw sonic material. Mother Stands for Comfort is essentially We Need to Talk About Kevin as a song. That bass, the sampled noises, high liquid synth lines, distant cries and extraordinary use of space surround a deeply disturbing idea: maternal love continuing beyond morality. Then Cloudbusting. Masterpiece. I still believe in Organon. Kate doesn’t require us to decide whether Wilhelm Reich was a visionary or a crank. She becomes his son. Dad made the weather. Childhood hasn’t yet had its wonder explained away. And then there is the line which has followed me through much of my life: Just saying it could even make it happen. Speak. Manifest. Give permission. Saying a possibility aloud changes its status. It becomes something that can be wanted and acted upon. At the end, Kate gradually stops saying it and makes the sound of it happening. Those radiant backing vocals become a raindance. The sun comes out and the rain pours simultaneously. Dad is gone. The cloudbuster works. Then you turn the record over. The Ninth Wave is one of the most complete pieces of psychological storytelling I’ve heard in music. And Dream of Sheep starts with an exhausted woman in freezing water who knows she must stay awake while her body desperately wants to sleep. That hits me particularly hard. I’ve been seriously ill in hospital and remember that physical contradiction: God, I want to sleep. God, I want to live. Under Ice turns sleep into nightmare. Voices operate almost as a Greek chorus as she gradually recognises the figure trapped beneath the ice. It’s me. Waking the Witch may be one of the most evocative pseudo-streams of consciousness ever recorded. Friendly voices telling her to wake become digitally chopped fragments which the dreaming brain transforms into accusation, witch trial and drowning. The harsh edges of early sampling aren’t technical shortcomings to be disguised. Bush makes them the dramatic language. It’s psychologically cinematic. Images as music. An extraordinary evocation of what the brain feels like when it is out of control. Watching You Without Me uses similar technology for something quite different. She’s apparently home, watching people she loves, but they cannot perceive her. Her voice fragments and language almost emerges before collapsing. Aphasia as sound. Then The Jig of Life changes the argument again. I don’t hear its folk music primarily as ancestry or nostalgia. The folk music is the future expressed as continuity. A jig existed before this individual life and will continue afterwards. Her future self reaches backwards and insists upon her own existence. There are years and memories ahead which require this woman to survive now. That struck something personal again. When my mother was hospitalised with catastrophic kidney cancer, the devoutly Catholic mother of an ex-girlfriend said something I’ve never forgotten: There must still be plans for your mother. Years earlier, at 23 or 24, I had lain alone in a hospital bed while a doctor handed me a consent form and explained that I might not survive the operation, but without it I might not live another five years. I signed it. That signature unlocked my voice talking about this record today. Hello Earth then pulls the camera impossibly far back. One drowning person becomes infinitesimal against the scale of the planet and the universe. Yet smallness isn’t meaninglessness. There aren’t merely eight billion people looking at one universe. There are eight billion experienced universes, each created by a particular consciousness observing, remembering and acting within reality. Through the genius of communication, we pass pieces of those individual universes between one another. Language, art and science accumulate into an understanding larger than any individual life contributing to it. It’s a thought I sometimes carry quietly into my Monday evenings volunteering with a men’s mental-health group, although it would be far too large a thing to say to somebody in crisis: Suicide collapses universes. Then comes The Morning Fog. The sonic relief is palpable. The fretless bass bounces and plays across the song. Fairlight-sampled guitar notes provide little flashes of upper-register pleasure. The same technology that has spent half an album creating fragmentation, nightmare and aphasia is suddenly being used for joy. And after everything, there is no grand philosophical conclusion. She’s alive. She wants to go home. She wants to tell people she loves them. That’s enough. The Britishness of the whole thing struck me forcefully this time. It’s the Britain of Bagpuss, Alan Garner and The Wicker Man: a damp, verdant, faintly creepy place where woods, water and landscape retain old memories and something ancient can still be waiting behind an ordinary tree. It’s also the Britain of the BBC: Radios 1, 2, 3 and 4 sitting beside one another on the dial, built on the assumption that pop, folk tradition, drama, experimentation, philosophy and entertainment don’t need to inhabit separate cultural universes. In 1985 they could apparently inhabit the same number-one album. Hounds of Love begins with the impossible desire to experience another person’s existence and ends with someone overwhelmingly grateful simply to have an existence of her own, among other people. The sun comes out. The rain pours. The morning fog lifts. She gets to go home.
Magic ✨
Fascinating split of a more cleanly pop (as close to that as Kate Bush gets) side A with all the tracks you know, and an even more baroque and experimental and weird side B, just to get all the full range of thoughts and ideas in. It’s interesting as a first time listener especially because, in 2026, I feel so familiar with one part and adrift in the other, it’s absolutely something I’d need to come back to assess deeper in future where I can feel more familiar with the wild range of stuff you’re getting on side B. Futureheads’ version of the title track does still mog though, I’m afraid, that hasn’t changed.
Final Kate Bush. I wasn't expecting the finale to come so soon, truth be told. I'm still reeling from "The Sensual World", which was horrific. I could at the very least engage with "The Dreaming" for its strange ambience and pensive sound, but The Sensual World was a complete wreck. A discordant, jumbled mess of diametrically opposed sounds paired with Bush's signature warbling voice isn't my idea of a good time. Anyways, this is Bush's highest-rated album on the site and by quite a wide margin, so forgive me if I get my hopes up just a little. Here goes. I was just pretending to be charitable to this album in my previous paragraph - I wasn't actually expecting to favour this over Bush's other releases. This was alright, though I'm not as crazy about this album as I could be. Still, there are some good elements. I especially like the rigid strings. They pair with Bush's voice quite well. The same can be said about the soft percussion, horn instruments and dour synths which comprise much of this music. The result is an album with a surprisingly full sound, which is something I can appreciate despite my apathy towards this style of music. Bush's strange singing voice is still atrocious, though I suppose I don't mind it as much now that she's been pacified by some actually decent songwriting. All in all, this album wasn't my thing and it becomes mentally exhausting after a while, though there are worse things I could have spent my time listening to. This albums gets a big ol "s'orright" sticker from me. There's "Running Up That Hill". I forgot it was on this album. I pulled it on YouTube Music a couple of months ago and was shocked to glance at my phone screen and discover that I was enjoying a Kate Bush song. Anyways, it's good! I like the soft sound on those strange-sounding synths and Bush's vocals aren't bad, either. She carries herself quite well now that she's chasing focused and deliberate songwriting rather than flowery, flittering, annoying falsettos that go nowhere. Book time. Running Up That Hill was Bush's breakthrough release in the US, which lead her to inspire Tori Amos and Prince. There's a lot of gimmicky, weird shit going on with the songs of this album that I don't care to transcribe here. The entry closes out by saying that this album is "... the Kate Bush album you do not have to be a fan to adore." Wikipedia says that this album marked a career resurgence for Bush after The Dreaming had failed to meet commercial expectations. Running Up That Hill is Bush's biggest song. The album is widely considered to be Bush's best album along with it being her best-selling release. Received three nominations at the 1986 Brit Awards. Beloved by critics, though the American reactions to this album were split. The album has received enduring acclaim in the years following release, with Alison Goldfrapp citing it as an influence. Stevie Nicks and the frontman of Suede have also picked out this album as a favourite. The album had a strong commercial performance, charting in 14 countries and making the top ten in nine. The album also reentered the charts in a bunch of countries in 2022 when Running Up That Hill was featured in a Stranger Things episode. I've let all of Bush's other albums onto the list, so it wouldn't make sense for me to pull this one. I cosign this inclusion.
la verdad me gusto un monton, la voz de la mina tan fina pero al mismo suave y melodiosa, hubieron temas que por ahi no encajaban con mis gustos pero los que rescate son: running up that hill, hounds of love, the big sky, and dream of sheep, the morning fog.
This is probably the best Kate Bush album I've heard. It balances her experimental side and with more approachable writing for someone who isn't already a fan. About half of the tracks are above average, with a few genuinely great songs. The experimentation is still there, but it feels more focused and serves the music rather than overshadowing it. If someone asked me where to start with Kate Bush, this would easily be my recommendation. It's the album that best showcases what makes her unique while still being an enjoyable, accessible listen.
I appreciate this is fine art but it does not move me. I'm sitting firmly on the fence.
How old are you? I am "I thought hounds of love was a futureheads song" years old. I apologise to Ms Bush for my ignorance. Is this the best Kate Bush album?? Running up that hill straight into hounds of love?? Cloud busting????? Girlllll
When it is good, it is really good. when it is weird, it is really weird. Feels so theatrical. I like her voice and more "normal" songs, but she gets too out there a lot of the time. 3 out of 5
had of course heard this before. so special - the big, bombastic songs like running up at that hill, the title track, the big sky and cloudbusting are all classics; the title track is probably my favourite of the bunch with its panicked triumph. the quieter moments towards the end of the album, and especially watching you without me, stood out this time.
Stand-out tracks: Running Up That Hill, The Big Sky, Cloudbusting, Jig Of Life, Hello Earth This album left me in actual shock with several wtf/memorable moments. Considering its opening track, which everyone and their mother has heard, I thought the rest of the album would be in the same vein, but boy was I wrong. The middle portion of the album honestly feels like a bit of a trip with the strange chants, samples, strange instrumentals and vocals (and this pretty much continues throughout the whole album). One thing I can say for sure, no two tracks are the same and the album explores many styles. I can commend it for that, and it makes me want to give it a higher rating for the artistry alone. Although some of these tracks are really not something I would come back and listen to again often. They feel like a thing to experience once and say "wow, that was unique" and move on.
Highlights: Running Up That Hill, The Big Sky, Cloudbusting, Waking the Witch, Jig of Life Giga whack record. I feel like it would get better after several plays, but I just don't have the will to relisten this quirkfest. Didn't feel like paying too much mind to the lyrics since I got the notion that they are just playing with my head and I was a bit lazy too. The second half went full ballistic and introduced folk elements and tribal sounding synths which sounded kinda dope. For some reason there were even lyrics in German. The chopped vocals were a cool effect too. But overall it left no taste in my mouth. Yes, there were interesting sounds, but I don't know if I can explain what the hell I heard.
I enjoy the idea of Kate Bush more than the reality.
pop concept albums are pretty rare, and good ones are rarer still. i'm not totally sold on some of the vocal choices, but the arranging is fascinating and the production really sells it
Nice start to the week. Glad it opened with Running Up That Hill, post Stranger Things that song has become ridiculously overplayed, but once we got past that I think there was a lot to like here. Each song felt unique and as a result the record as a whole kept me engaged.
Super ahead of it's time. I mean there's still not much that sounds like this. Love how this starts off relatively accessible at the start and then just gets super weird in the second half while still remaining every bit as good. Cloudbusting and The Big Sky are my favourites here but you could make an argument for any of these songs being the best one.
ok
4.5 stars.
Running Up That Hill is great, but the rest is meh.
way different / her own world
très sympa même si le début surpasse la fin, qu’est un peu longue. Très créatif ce pendant. 3.5+/5
This lady a little freaky
She’s got some pipes
Fantastic album start to finish. Experimental and strange in only the way an album that is the product of the 80s can be. Some of the songs I wouldn’t reach for for casual listening but they live within the storytelling of the album perfectly.
Couple good songs on here but nothing to write home about.
Sólo conozco la primera canción, despues me pareció.... Meeeh...
Peak.
done
Very vibey, but lowkey different from what I was expecting, more poppy I guess.
Such a good album. Love Kate Bush.
Artiste connue par quelques uns de ses tubes, et appréciée. C'est la première fois que j'écoute un album entier. J'ai reconnu 'Running Up That Hill' dans cet album. J'aime beaucoup sa voix, et l'originalité des morceaux, qui sont pour la plupart peu ou pas standards. Je pense donc ré-écouter cet album. Par contre les morceaux plus lents de la seconde face m'ont un peu moins intéressé. Il ne rejoindra donc pas ma collection. =>3/5
Running up That Hill is far and away the best track, some really interesting experimental and odd stuff on later tracks though. Loved the sampling of old radio.
Track 1 - literally in my top 10 favorite songs. Such an inspiration. Track 2 - such unique vocals. Captivating when you pay attention Track 3 - more instrumentally interesting. It’s fun. BGV’s are fun too. Track 4 - bass guitar is highlighted and perfectly balanced out by some nice space like synth. Lyrics - can not relate. Track 5 - story book childlike friendship. Classic strings & strong percussion. Track 6 - some Edith Piaf influence? Lovely intervals in second half of song. Track 7 - love the strings. Love the vocals. Definitely memorable. Track 8 - theatrical. Dramatic. Creepy. Track 9 - nice double bass and percussion. Unique and provides a nice texture to compliment her lovely voice. Track 10 - some Scotland vibes. Bagpipes. Chant like vocals with a powerful but gentle belt. Storylike. Track 11 - lovely just as you would expect Track 12 - a nice storybook ending musically. Bright and draws you in with all of the interlacing sounds.
shes definitively creative
I was already familiar with Hounds of Love, but revisiting it feels like discovering its magic all over again. It’s one of those albums that remains endlessly refreshing, with Kate Bush’s iconic voice carrying a unique mix of vulnerability, theatricality, and intensity. Her ability to turn unconventional ideas into memorable songs is what makes this record so special. Even when it gets experimental, there’s always a strong sense of personality and emotion behind every choice. A timeless album that continues to feel as alive and captivating as ever.
Liked it! Weird
This album definitely has a vibe. The only song I recognized was Running Up That Hill, and the rest of the album was very experimental and interesting. Definitely worth a revisit.
Opening track is great, but sadly the rest of the album can’t live up to that opening. Side 2 is a bit messy, but is interesting in its pop prog ambition. I’ve always struggled with Kate Bush, in that I know she is immensely talented and commensurately influential, but personally I can’t quite love her albums. Objectively this is a 4/5, but subjectively it’s a 3
One of the best song writers period. She creates a whole world and shoves you into it. Nothing seems disjointed or out of place. I also just love her voice. It scratches such an itch in my brain.
The album that serves as the most accessible form of Kate Bush's music. Not too slow, not too artsy, just banger after banger. Good dogs too.
Sounds and feels like the 80's. Like sure you could pick Madonna but Kate Bush has more depth and storytelling. Shes very good at painting a picture with words. Good album. I also think it's funny that younger folks call this, "The Stranger Things" album. I get it, awesome song but damn she's got others!
I really like Kate Bush so I am maybe biased... But this is a beautiful album!
Listening to this album is a revelation for the character of Max on Stranger Things. There are songs I can’t stand and the idea of listening on cassette, where you can’t skip to the songs that you love (which there are many I would have continued to listen for)… It’s an album of waiting, both for the songs I prefer and for many of the themes of those songs. Time exists in a way similar to the way I feel it, with Jig of Life bringing me back to some very exciting wakes, while the “futuristic” feel of many of the songs (futuristic for their own time period in 1985, not so much ours) still wrings out drops of the past. … yeah, this album made me feel weird things, which is good because I thought the last album bored me so much I’d stop caring about any of this and just go back to listening to my weird blend of annoying music everyone wants me to turn off. I didn’t skip Waking the Witch, though I really wanted to. The song wants to tell me that I want to skip it because it’s powerful and I can’t handle that power! But, it’s not that. It’s just annoying. I’m sure it was crazy, wonderful feminine energy when it was created, but we’ve come far beyond that and can contain feminine energy in so many different ways now, it’s okay if I don’t like this version. I loved the last two songs and added two others to my favorites. So it’s a decent album. It’s just hard to say the album is 3 stars when I truly could not stand 2 songs, and disliked others enough to never listen to the album again. Because albums should stand together? Maybe? I think an album should end up being more than a sum of the songs that make it up. Which makes me wonder when we’ll get to Prince. I’m afraid we won’t because the 1001 albums are mostly British and white? Not all, but most. I am wondering where I will seek out a list after I get through this (which, seriously will be in a few years), so that I can vary my listening habits more.
Wow. Kate bush can both make the poppiest and weirdest music depending on her whims. It’s quite bewitching and I’m along for the ride.
On Thursday at 8pm at The Igloo, in an act of divination, Brandon, unprompted, spake the name "Kate Bush." Strange cosmic connections abound...this, the same day a new Charli album drops. And there's something rather Arthurian about Hounds of Love, is there not? As a self-proclaimed pophead, I'm ashamed to admit that I'd never listened to this from start to finish. Why oh why? I remember, moons ago, being put off by the mix...but the 2018 remaster seems to have quelled those doubts. Q: How many producers? A: One. Q: How many writers? A: One. Q: How old was she? A: Twenty-five. Q: Was this recorded on a computer? A: "In the summer of 1983, Bush began laying the groundwork for Hounds of Love at her home, recording onto 8-track equipment, using a LinnDrum, Fairlight, and piano. Wanting to retain the feel and atmosphere of these early recordings, she had them transferred to 24-track to build the final versions around once recording sessions officially began in November 1983." One person, age twenty-five, wrote and oversaw the making of this album using only analog recording technology...how oh how? Brian Wilson is still alive. Man, the first minute of "Waking the Witch" just rips me to shreds. And the rest is pretty much the same. Kate's piano heals all wounds.
Really good, I love the vibe and sound that she has, under ice is definitely my favorite.
I liked it ig
Can’t think of much music that makes me feel more in love with life and people and the weirdness and coolness of it all than this. I gravitated to Hounds of Love the most when my dear son Emmett was little, and now that my sweet daughter Renée is here I’m gravitating towards it again. That says multitudes, I think.
1 song
I’ve heard this before and I’ve listened to it a lot in the past few years. Like a lot of people i came back to Kate Bush after Running Up That Hill was featured on stranger things and it got really overplayed right after that show came out, but it feels fresh again after the hype died down. This is an extremely 80s album in a good way, with the drum machine and synths running through insane amounts of processing and the general overall ambient sound of the piano and vocals. All of these effects can be used horribly wrong but they are used perfectly here. It’s got a very Siouxsie Sioux or Bauhaus feeling to it, and if she dyed her hair black and wore lots of thick eyeliner this would be considered a goth masterpiece. Instead it’s a baroque synthpop masterpiece.
Ephemeral. Kate's lyrics not always clear but she could sing Mary had a little lamb and I would probably listen to it. Some odd tracks. I was comparing this to she who shall not be named who is had yesterday. Similar descriptions but this is so much better. To me Kate's voice just soars. Piano driven some songs very nice also. The one almost metal voice on one track an interesting diversion.
I do love this album. It’s ephemeral and experimental but in a way that actually works for me. Running Up That Hill is one of my all time favorite songs. A few things don’t hit completely so it’s not quite a 5. 4/5
Running up that hill is a banger. The rest of the songs are fine, but they just don't hit like the first song.
So ethereal I thought I was an elf in the forest
Suena bien, pero de alguna forma no termina de gustarme, no es mi tipo. Había escuchado muchas veces esa canción, Running Up That Hill y no tenía idea de que le pertenecía a esta artista, nunca me llamó la suficiente atención para investigar un poco más. De todas formas, fue muy agradable escuchar Cloudbusting. No volvería a escuchar este álbum, pero haría una excepción solo por esa canción probablemente ^^
Beautiful. Just beautiful.
Her voice is so beautiful. I want to like this more but I found that the songs were almost too freeform and flowy. I liked a few tracks a lot though, this is really super cool stuff.
classic
Masterpiece. La segunda parte más experimental es un viaje. Increíble. Hello Earth, ejemplo a seguir. Demuestra que el pop es el género más fuerte y experimental a su vez que acotado.
8/10
Would listen to it again.
Incredible from start to finish. A showcase of her talent in vocals and musicality but also highlighting her gorgeous storytelling and theatrical prowess.
Superb.
Q: does an all time song bring an otherwise fun album up to a 5? A: what a stupid question, RUTH is an all time song for sure but the rest of this album is also weird and great and worthy of its own accolades
Loved every second of this! What an amazing album and so glad we got to listen to it today. I really do think this is the Kate Bush peak and so many of the songs on here should be so much bigger (not just Running Up That Hill, as class as that is). Perfect amount of synth-forward songs, doesn't feel dated to me at all and can hear the influences of this on so much of the music I love. Cloudbusting is such a gorgeous, powerful song and to me forms the centre of this album. I regularly think of the video where she's up that giant hill and the strings are incredible. I liked the repeating motifs throughout the album and the little callbacks to earlier tracks, and The Big Sky, Waking The Witch and Hello Earth were great new discoveries. Also the Jig of Life was so much fun! I just loved what she was doing here.
Look I enjoyed it but she lost me sometimes. The peaks of this are so high that they’re almost unattainably good. And then sometimes, I’m over it.
Album surpreendente. Tem tudo pra ficar muito datado, mas não fica. Parece até mais contemporânero do que na sua época. Voltarei a escutar.
I like the sound of the album. Very unique! I especially like the 4th track.
I went in with an open mind but I just cannot get on with Kate Bush
I’m going to need a LOT more listens of this album to fully process it, especially the second side, but it’s fantastic. The first side is full of stunning, off-planet, art pop masterpieces. Side 2 is a bizarre, extended song suite, the meaning of which eludes me. Clearly the work of a genius visionary. Is it exactly for me? I’m not sure yet.
Eccentric and uncommon, it is definitely in a (high) class of it's own.
Immer und immer wieder ein großartiges Album. Kate Bush ist eine Göttin.
Kate bush had a big hit for the second time with running up that hill a few years ago (when it was featured heavily in a big show) and I didn't love it then but I did this time. Maybe it hits different in headphones? This was a cool interesting album. Kate Bush is cool.
To this day, still one of the gold standards for Art Pop alongside Vespertine and an easy 5, that said the B side isnt for everyone but i like and appreciate it. Standouts are running up that hill (obviously), cloudbusting and hello earth.
A punto que es avant-garde bullshit pero algo lo salva y es un discazo
So we start out with a stone cold classic, but it kinda straddles the line between mersh and weird. And then the rest of the album spends its time stepping over that line and daring you (80s you) to come with it. Like, Waking the Witch was never gonna get radio play. But of course that's the album: a mutated pop sensibility that leads you down a dark path. It's been imitated many times since, better, even, but this feels like one of those mainstream successes that launched a thousand ships. Additionally worth pointing out: because of the weirdness (sic) and cohesiveness, this is an album that's more than the sum of its parts.
660/1001 2026.07.17 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑
Max Mayfield would have loved 1001 Albums. 7/10
9.25/10 - I don’t think it’s a “No Skip” album but it’s pretty damn good. I love the instrumentation, her voice is great, and it’s a wonderful record.
It's pretty much the perfect pop album. It's catchy and accessible while also having some experimental moments and strange songs/production choices. 10/10
“Cloudbusting” has been a favorite song of mine for years, but I’ve never played this album from beginning to end until recently, and I’ve been missing out. I recently made a review explaining how most ’80s art rock and art pop falls flat for me and lacks connection, but this one is the opposite. This is ‘80s art pop done right. It’s a very ambitious album with innovative and meticulous production. The extensive use of synthesizers, especially the Fairlight CMI, gives this album its unique soundscape and texture. Kate Bush was one of the few artists to push this instrument to its max potential. Although this album was innovative on the electronic and studio production side, it also incorporates traditional percussion, orchestral strings, and both electric and acoustic guitars. Lyrically, the album is divided into two sides. The first side, “Hounds of Love,” features more accessible pop songs. The second side, “The Ninth Wave,” is a continuous story through multiple songs about a woman adrift at sea, struggling to stay awake and survive through the night. Each song represents a different aspect of her ordeal. When I listen to music, my brain naturally focuses on the sound, instrumentation, and technical production, often overlooking the lyrics. But this album inspired me to look up all the lyrics. Her lyrics are deep and driven with strong emotion, which really enhances the storytelling.
Running up that hill é maravilhosa
This is my first introduction to a Kate Bush album. The first track I already knew from Stranger Things and is a great start to the album, there are parts of the song I wasn't familiar with from the show. The classic larger than an arena drum sound is typical eighties. The second and title track is still quite strong but feels like it takes most of it's run time trying to get somewhere that it doesn't finish at. No real payoff. Tracks 3 and 4 feel like more of the same. While there is nothing bad about the tracks they just don't hold any interest to make them more than "average" Cloudbusting is a little bit better, but again spends nearly 3/4 of the song building up for a payoff that doesn't arrive. It doesn't get that kind of feel good vibe, or give me enough angst or a motion that makes me feel like it's a a release track either. From there it doesn't recover. Waking the Witch started like it was going to be better but got a bit weird in the middle and descended back to background noise. Not bad background noise, just not captivating. In an interesting twist, Hello Earth sounds more like Running up that Hill reprise, it has some of that same feel in part and is the next strongest track on the record. Overall, average. 3* I didn't get much out of this record but YMMV
Yeah, it’s pretty good :)
Ahh, senior year of high school. :) I don't think I can rate this without bias. Listening to this takes me back to: lying on a friend's trampoline looking at the stars while this played on a boom box. cranking this up in the record store where I worked, delighting in the drama with coworkers. driving up the canyon with windows open and feeling the wind in our hair and feeling completely free. Walking alone with my first Sony Walkman (or whatever the knockoff was), relishing all that emotion between my hormonal ears. Yep, all bias, But when you see the 5 stars you'll understand I had no choice even if you don't like the album. :) PS: Cloudbusting is every bit the great song that Running up That Hill is
Aprendienod que Running Up That HIll is not fucking one hit wonder y esta es una reinota del vibe oscurito ochentero. Te amo.
Odd duck, but I dug it. Certainly more than the other Kate Bush album. Waking the Witch was ... interesting.
88/100 So Kate, I uh, I heard you shaved your bush. Now why would you go and do a thing like that? Another Kate Bush album from this list and it’s got the song everyone it’s got her “Creep” that every artist ends up getting. That one that’s just a bit more loved for no real reason other than yay Netflix. Fortunately for her though this song is actually great like usually whenever those songs blow up they aren’t actually that deep just pop hits but it’s a long song and really entrancing if you give it time. I have a lot of appreciation for her now like now that I’ve heard a couple of these albums she was kinda goated as hell she was doing both good Art Pop music but also filling it with weird as hell sounds and lush vocals. Also it’s tagged as Prog Pop which I’m assuming comes from the length & depth of some of these songs which I guess makes sense. It’s a good album really appreciative of what’s here people were SET in the 80s as if they didn’t already have good music before that.
really good!
One of the GOATs
Bon, c'était clairement pas fait pour moi. J'ai franchement trouvé que passé les deux trois premiers titres, ça devient sévèrement mou et pas forcément intéressant. D'un autre côté, je dois bien admettre que c'est quand même très travaillé, ça hésite pas à expérimenter régulièrement. On sent que cet album a été conçu avec beaucoup de sérieux, sans chercher à ressembler à personne ni à coller aux modes. C'est simple : à moins d'être vraiment allergique aux années 80, on ne peut pas nier que l'album a une vraie personnalité, Kate Bush un chant très caractéristique et qu'il ne cherche pas à imiter qui que ce soit. Je pense juste que je suis pas la cible.
i ain listening to that new wave 80's stupid shit 0/5
one of a kind.
The pinnacle of art pop and art rock
😊😋
It's crazy how much better this is than The Sensual World. I wish this site allowed half stars, but this is extremely close to being a 4/5.
listened to this twice and could not get into at all.
Here we go. Much better than the last Kate Bush album
537/1089 - Oh my Science! Is that the songerino from Stranger Things?!?!?! I'm hecking soooooying ooooout!!!!!!! Edit: wAow, this blowed up! thanks for the gold kind stranger! Nah but seriously, this is pretty okay. I don't like the songforms and find them pretty repetitive and rhythmically homogenous but I quite like the elements that build them up: ceative instrumentation, great vocals with complex melodies, cool guitar tone, etc. Definitely can hear how she influenced Björk.
Enjoyment: 6/10 Replayability: 5/10 Cohesion: 7/10 Flow/Pacing: 4/10 Artistic Merit: 5/10 Weighted Average: 5.55/10 Review: The only Kate Bush song I've heard before this album was Running Up That Hill (from Stranger Things of course). The rest of the tracks were decent and I've added up a couple to my playlists, but not much to write home with. I liked the dreamy and experimental pop on the back half, but I didn't connect with it as much as I would've liked to. Liked Song(s): Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God), The Big Sky, Jig Of Life Disliked Song(s): And Dream Of Sheep Recommend? Maybe Heard Before? Partly
Banger
Lush arty pop by a visionary auteur. I don't really vibe with Kate Bush's work (though I do love 'Running Up That Hill') but I really respect this record: it is precise, insightful, complex, a lot.
Everything about this just works. Talk about creating a vibe. I love that my 18 year old connects to it too (thanks, Stranger Things).
15/1001 Fica esperto Vecna Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) - 90 Hounds of Love - 80 The Big Sky - 75 Mother Stands for Comfort - 80 Cloudbusting - 80 And Dream of Sheep - 80 Under Ice - 75 Waking the Witch - 75 Watching You Without Me - 75 Jig of Life - 80 Hello Earth - 80 The Morning Fog - 75 Media: 78.8
Amazing that an album can sound so experimental and meticulously crafted but, at the same time, so "generic 80s"
前卫流行祖师奶
Weird, spooky, emotional, driving beats, makes me think of rain. The more time has passed since I listened the more I like it.
One good song for sure
Kaat Struik is een artiest waar je naar moet leren luisteren denk ik. Ik kan het wel redelijk goed hebben, al moet ik wel zeggen dat het toch een wat vermoeiend album is. Sommige albums hebben een enorm logische opbouw waarbij je ook hoort dat er als album over na is gedacht. Dat merk ik bij dit album niet. De derde track klinkt als de afsluiter met dat bombastische gedoe en die hele lange fade out, maar daarna moet je dus nog 9 tracks. Gelukkig wordt het daarna over het algemeen iets rustiger. Ik hou van het vage en van de laagjes. De rustige stukjes vind ik mooi, want daar hoor je ook wat minder 80s in terug. Ik heb wat minder met het bombastische, het hele grote. Het lijkt een wat willekeurige verzameling liedjes, met als verbindende factor vooral het eigenzinnige gezing van tante Kate. Ik kan best snappen dat hier liefhebbers voor zijn, maar toch is het album als geheel voor mij persoonlijk maximaal 3 sterren.
Got kinda out there second half of the album but that popular song is pretty good
was nice to start with a familiar song, which unfortunately i do have to give props to stranger things for, followed by a few songs that became background noise but then! cloudbusting came on and there was a revival. from there it only gets better (i typed preemptively). aaaand she lost me again with waking the witch, all the way up until the last song. overall it was a decent album, cant deny it's impact at the time of it's release and she definitely has many daughters to this day!! just perhaps not my cup of tea but still, i like some of the kate songs :)
Incredible after sepultura but only 1 real banger easy 3.3/5
I only really liked the first song, the rest were nothing special.
Proggy, also a great palette cleanser after the abomination that was the previous album
Fangt schomal miteme absolute banger ah, wo aber au jetzt wo ich mal richtig aneglost han viel tüfgründiger isch als ich denkt han, gitt insgesamt so richtig rebellischi vibes, und so “ufbruchsstimmig”. Verzellt e story vo öpperem dem schlimmes passiert isch aber wo sis lebe wieder selber id hand neh will
6.5/10 really enjoy the first 3 songs but kind of fell off progressively after that unfortunately. Running up that hill is a great song if you look past its recent media usage.
5.5/10 = kind of sucks for me that i can never fully get into her vocals because i love most of the instrumentals and the storytelling gothic elements but the vocals always just gets slightly under my skin maybe it just hasn't clicked for me yet, like i watched a hungarian film last week and the instrumental was so insanely good that i looked it up and it was a sample from hello earth but i just can't enjoy the whole song lol
A Kate Bush album is never one to get easily into for me. It takes me a bit to get into her headspace. That said, opening the album with Running Up That Hill makes this more immediate. There are enough songs to keep me interested all throughout. I have only listened twice but I will listen again. Biggest Hit - Running Up That Hill Biggest Miss (if I had to choose) - Hello Earth Hidden Gem - Hounds of Love
Way more fun than I would’ve expected. Waking the Witch is like a lady Thriller.
If this this was going to give me another 80's record, thank god it was Kate Bush. I actually love pretty much all of the pop-girls from the 80's, it's the men I have a problem with. Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, and Kate Bush – all women who shaped pop music for the better. Kate Bush has had her much deserved revival these last few years following Running Up That Hill having a moment online after being featured on Stranger Things, and that has made me so happy. I was excited to listen to this album again, I have described Kate Bush as "Spooky Madonna" in the past and it holds so true. I always view this as a foundational alt-pop record, especially songs like Waking the Witch. I'm a traditional Celtic Pagan and I have absolutely put this record on when doing religious rituals. Jig of Life was one of my go-to witchcraft-working song for a long time. The layers and texture in the whole album keep it interesting the whole time, and there really isn't a miss on the whole album. Highlights: Running Up That Hill, Waking the Witch
A great example of the Tom Sawyer 30-Year Bump phenomenon. It’s fine.
I love Kate bush
never listened to this before now though i’ve meant to for a while. might be jumping the gun but i’d say it’s a about a 9.5/10 album, absolutely fantastic.
So I've listened to this 3 times, which I never do for one of these albums. I kept feeling like I was getting distracted and not taking everything I could from the album. I needed to EXPERIENCE the album and really get it. Its weird and spooky and fun. I like it!!
Magical, and an easy Five Star. Yes, there will be folk who hate it, the same as their being people who love "Smurf Go Pop", but this album is awesome. Side I has the hits...all bangers. Side 2 has The Ninth Wave, a marvellous exploration of sound, texture mood and whimsy. ...and I love it.
I love that the sound and presentation of this album is the pop sound of the era. In spite of that, this shit is weird and unique. I like it quite a lot.
Not my favorite a few good ones, stranger things!
I'm halfway through and there are definitely some bangers (running up that hill, for example) but I don't think it's really my style in general. waking the witch is pretty insane, giving demonic another brick in the wall vibes. ok jig of life is pretty great too. maybe the second half if better, or maybe it's an acquired taste. going to need to re-listen to the album. ok wow hello earth is insane, maybe this is a great album and i was just stupid before. absolute demonic album, in a very cool way.
Very reminiscent of the Era, but not in a dated way. 80s pop jams/ballads with stellar female vocals
I ended up liking this album more than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise. Kate Bush’s music here feels like a rare kind of electronic sound that I don’t usually connect with. It has a sense of floating weightlessness, combined with a quiet sadness that really appealed to me. The closing moments of Morning Fog reminded me of Radiohead’s Motion Picture Soundtrack, with a similar fragile and dreamlike atmosphere. My favorite tracks were And Dream of Sheep and Morning Fog.
No me pueden dar mas pereza los 80. Aún así el principio del disco me ha molado pero según iba a avanzando se me ha hecho MUY cuesta arriba.
Muy muy bien el principio del disco, shoutout a Cloudbusting. Empieza a decaer un poco con Walking the witch, empieza a ser demasiado extraño para mí. Wtf la de Watching you without me seguida de Jig of life se siente como un viaje a la India y de repente hacer tp a Irlanda. Conclusión: bastante guay, me gusta la gente que cuenta historias o cuentos en sus canciones (muy taylor swift). Pero hay canciones que se pasan de alternativas para mi gusto.