Reviews (page 9 of 16)
Jig of Life is right there with Running Up That Hill. Pushed it to 4 stars.
An experience
This reminds me of Tori Amos in a way, which is odd, because I love Amos but hated this. Strangely, although I was around for the 80s, I have no memory of ever having heard of Kate Bush until recently. I feel fortunate that I went that much of my life without having to hear this.
The Curse of the Microprocessor What I would give to hear the isolated vocal busses of these recordings. They would be amazing. Such a beautiful expressive voice, possessed by a woman of such confidence, projecting this huge emotional range, all lost in this morass of tinny DX-7 and LinnDrum sounds driven by lifeless sequencers. Microprocessors made the recording process significantly simpler for producers. But hear what a waste that laziness made of a collection of beautiful songs. Now forever lost, tragically, in a sea of objectively unpleasant sounds.
Sympa, mais un peu expérimental. Favs : Running Up That Hill ; Cloudbusting ; The Morning Fog
Kate bush is iconic her vocals and atmosphere in this album are immaculate can’t recommend enough to anyone who hasn’t heard this album
Honestly better than I thought it would be. Classic sounding 80s synth and powerful female vocals. There were a few tracks with interesting deviations and they were a welcome change from otherwise similar sounding songs. Aside from personal preference and not being overly fond of that musical archetype, I was surprised by this album and found myself enjoying it more than I assumed I might.
New, inoffensive. Listenable, pleasant!
it grew on me throughout the day but cloudbusting remains fave
8.5/10 No artist sounds like Kate Bush and yet you get the impression she's not too bothered with sounding unique but just with making whatever music she wants to make. Really like the frantic percussion. In combination with Bush's voice it creates such a massive sound. Amazing Highlights: The Big Sky Running up that Hill Cloudbusting Hounds of Love Hello Earth
I feel like her songwriting is lost on a layman like me but her talent as a writer is still evident and the lyrical style feels very unconventional. The actual instrumentation/melody sound fresh and unique at some times, while other times still sounding quintessentially 80’s at others. Great album, surprised I’d never heard of her
Intimate lyrics, circus of electronic sound, couldn’t stop listening. Kate Bush 🐐
I feel like a bad sapphic woman for not having listened to much Kate Bush before, and even worse now for not liking her more than I do. I get that she's doing an experimental kind of pop music, but it just didn't resonate with me that much. There are some good tracks on the album. Running Up That Hill is a classic and a genuinely good song. I also really liked Hello Earth, but the rest of the album was pretty forgettable for me.
I loved this album. The A side (through Cloudbusting) has some really great moments of orchestration and vocal prowess from Kate, and I love the different synth sounds throughout the album. Her choice of eerie, otherworldly synth contrasted by piano for the dark subject matter on Mother Stands For Comfort makes it my favorite track on Hounds of Love. The B side really impressed me, though, more than the hits on the A side like Running Up That Hill (which I still love). Kate's ethereal voice is perfect for sending the listener through the variety of dreamlike scenes in her suite The Ninth Wave. Under Ice has such simple instrumentation, but her chanting voice accompaniment really adds to the imagery expressed in the lyrics. I really have no complaints about this album. Kate's performance and songwriting are fantastic, and I love how cohesive the sound of this album is.
That's one of the best listening experiences you can have. One side of hits and the next side is a dreamy pop journey. Amazing
Ethereal brilliance being chased by so many new artists
A wonderful album, little more needs be said about it.
The first side of this album is awesome. The second is bonkers. I think I'll have to listen again with the lyrics to find out what is going on.
Nice. Pretty good.
GIRL YES 😍😍❤️💋ate and left no crumbs la sua visione artistica non ha pari e non è neanche il suo album migliore...
This is otherworldly and fairly unique. 5 stars.
Kate Bush is one of pop music's true auteur geniuses. She proved that you can make smart, ambitious and compelling pop music without bowing to what the industry thinks is appropriate. Especially given that started as a teenage woman in the 1970s, the confidence and integrity to build her artistic vision is extraordinary and incredibly influential on any and every artist since with any ambition to make art pop. Generally, I respect and admire Kate Bush's oeuvre rather than love it because it borders on prog; literary and classical influences, high concepts, overly clever arrangements, etc. and I don't like prog, just too clever clogs for me. I would much rather listen to Kate Bush that Emerson Lake and Palmer any day of the week, but even so, it is not always to my taste. And side two of this album is an extended conceptual suite that veers into prog territory. Again, I respect and admire the work, but I don't love it. But side one is one of the most amazing sequences ever committed to vinyl. Five tracks, including four of the best singles of the decade. I love the big rhythms, the melodies, the huge arrangements, and the hooks -- so many hooks! These songs have all of her strengths (musically ambitious, smart, original) and a wild and infectious quality that is not always present in her work. "I will take my shoes off and throw them in the lake" is my favourite of her lyrics and could also be a mission statement for these songs; they are impetuous and joyful and slightly dangerous Musically, this sounds very strongly of its time -- gated drums, fretless bass, synths, Fairlight -- but it still sounds great, nearly 40 years later. It doesn't surprise me when Running Up That Hill topped the charts again in 2022, because it still sounds awesome. Kate Bush is a great producer and managed to use the technology available to tastefully expand her sound palate, without devolving to using the tech as either an ersatz orchestra or a novelty gimmick. So, while this album is not always to my taste, I am giving a five star rating for the following reasons: - successful realisation of outstanding ambition within the pop genre - undoubted influence on other artists that encouraged them to similar ambitions - a perfect side of banging songs (A side note about Young People Today: I have heard some criticism of the sudden resurgence of older songs' popularity based on their placement in a tv show or movie or ad or video game or tiktoks or wherever. "Oh, you only like that because it was in that show blah blah blah" like that is some kind of fake appreciation, less worthy of respect. That is just bullshit gatekeeping. The thing I noticed about Young People Today is the breadth of their musical taste. In my youth, it was hard to hear a wide variety of music, especially from the past. You were largely limited to what was on the radio, maybe supplemented by what you could borrow from friends or the library. Music in films and tv was generally specially composed or library music rather than needle drops (with some notable exceptions. Look at the effect that the soundtracks of American Graffiti or The Big Chill had on reviving interest in 50s rock and roll and Motown respectively). Record companies used to delete record that they didn't consider relevant any more. It didn't matter if you, the listener, might be interested. They were interested in the longer term legacy of music, and you couldn't have it any more. Today, nearly everything is available on the interwebs and interesting and varied music is being placed in other mediums. And Young People are responding to the rich feast that is on offer. There is a still a vibrant contemporary popular music scene, but young people are much more likely to also appreciate music from a variety of genres and time periods without prejudice, much more so than when I was young 40 years ago. I applaud it, it's good for music. There is no reason that old songs by Kate Bush or Metallica or The Cramps or whoever can't have another popular moment. Here endeth the lesson.)
Listenable, still do not dig her mostly
Cloud busting - killer. Waking the witch - mental
Complete
"Running up that Hill" as now been too overplayed for me to like it. but the rest of the album is really good. Nice melodies, chords, drums and mix. It's surprisingly more experimental than what I expected. maybe juste too long for me. a 3,25 rounded up fav song : Hounds of Love & Waking the Witch
Enjoyable and varied. I'd like to think it's a 5* but I think it's more of a 4... and that's giving +1 for a female artist on this list.
I'm not a fan of her Running up that Hill song so I expected to suffer through this album. It was better than I expected. She certainly doesn't make cookie cutter basic music and I appreciate her creativity and vocal style. Also, extra points for dogs on the album cover!
I thought I knew this whole album but apparently not. Amazing voice, and some exploratory things happening here, some of which were big hits and others were a bit too experimental to become mainstream hits, but definitely artistic.
One great song, but the rest of the album didn't do much for me.
Still awesome after all these years
Leuk soms ook vaag
Not my vibe
Nice and experimental.
Running up that Hill genial, der Rest semi. Album so alt, war mir nicht bewusst. Hello Earth ende Deutsch Walking the Witch sehr experimentell
Better than Sensual World, but still not something I'd come back to. Experimental pop is a difficult genre.
Альбом-атавизм, альбом посредственность, альбом-скука Слушать скучно, ухо ни за что не цепляется. В первой части альбома омерзительный румовый вокал. Это единственное, что запомнилось из всего релиза (а так же странные глитчевые заигрывания с электронникой)
This album is what dreams sound like. Her voice is angelic.
3,5
Way better than the Sensual World.
Not for me. I like synth-pop, but this is too melancholy in an annoying kind of way.
I want to like this album because of that great 80s sound, but none of the songs really wow'ed me beyond the first one. I just don't get it I guess.
Good
I personally think this album's average global rating is skewed upward just because "Running Up That Hill" is on here. It's a great song, yes, but you have to weigh the other tracks. This album just progressively gets worse. Starts with an absolute banger, then drifts into tracks that are a bit repetitive/boring, and then gets into tracks that just sound like noise. "Jig of Life" was cool though, until the dude starting yapping. Finished off alright with "The Morning Fog." A final rating for this album is tough…a true rating would be 2.5, but I'll round up because of the ripping first track.
Had a pretty modern pop sound. Like a Billie eilish precursor. Didn't enjoy the weird experimental aspects. I feel pretty neutral all together about it.
The first song and a few of the early songs were good, but I immediately got bored with them. The album started sounding like a bunch of generic 80s music I am tired of hearing. It could be a me-thing because I am so fatigued with 80s music.
Not sure why this had a big resurgence. Sucked in the 80s and still does today.
Favorites: - Under ice - Watching you without me - Jig of life ja, k weet niet. Ik voel hier niet zo veel voor. T is niet echt slecht ofzo, maarja. Oke laatste 3/4 nummers zijn wel banger
Er waren leuke nummer aan het begin, iets minder in het midden
I was a fan before the resurgence due to the use of "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" in the Netflix series "Stranger Things". In addition tothe aformentioned "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)", this album is notable for the title track "Hounds of Love", and one of my favourite Kate Bush songs "Cloudbusting".
1089/1089, and wot an album to end on Amidst the heightened interest of Kate Bush’s music in 2022/23, I ended up listening to this one summer night while watching the stars. What began as a tranquil moment, with songs like the title track and "Cloudbusting", became more eerie when "Waking the Witch" and "Hello Earth" came on. I briskly packed up my lawnchair and returned inside. I guess what I'm trying to say is, who needs drugs when Hounds of Love is right here. Though it isn’t exactly relaxing material, the “Ninth Wave” is incredibly dreamlike, tapdancing on the border between 80s pop and avant-garde electronic. Oh and who could forget those beautiful pipes 🇮🇪 Highlights: “Cloudbusting”, “Running Up That Hill”, “Jig of Life”, 80s synthpop, 60s psychedelia, Cuban jazz, Senegalese mbalax, the shoegaze scene, millennial folk rock, the Soulquarians, east coast hiphop, west coast hiphop, thirty random bands from the early 2000s, all twelve Beatles albums, all the bottom 20 ranked albums on this website (even the ones I hated), all the Canadian albums on this list, all the Irish albums, theatre kids, two-hour long live albums Not as crazy about: only being able to experience this for the first time once January 2021 to March 26, 2025
Gear: ZMF Bokeh Artwork: 🐶👩🦱🐶 Production: 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🏃♀️➡️⤴️🏔️ Rating: 🐕🐕🐕🐕(🐕)/5
While I'm not really a Kate Bush fan, I do think it's cool that Stranger Things has given her a bit of a comeback. This just isn't really a genre I care for, but it seems like it would be a good album if I did like it.
Cute
Трудно определяемый жанр. Драматургия похожа на слушанный недавно альбом So Габриэля - первая половина поп, вторая более серьезная и занудная.
I hated everything about this. I couldn't even listen to a few minutes of it without wanting to skip every song. Should NOT be on this list!
Never really liked Kate Bush based on the couple of singles I had heard but felt this album was okay.
Beautiful soulful songs.
Decent pop songs and some of them are still relevant now but definitely not my style.
I know a lot of people like this album. It didn’t really work for me.
Despite being a Stranger Things fan, I actually don't really like "Running up that Hill." So, I went into this album with great trepidation: '80s albums are usually misses for me, and I already didn't think I liked the singer. Kate bush, at least on this album, balance is delicately on this line between being too bizarre for me to enjoy and stunningly beautiful. And because of that, I felt like the album was a little bit hit or miss depending on the song. She definitely reminded me of bjork in places, and not in a good way, and another place is it was just this completely original melodic, atmospheric, just gorgeous pop compositions. I definitely liked the first half better than the second, but even the second half had some of those gems that I truly fell in love with. This won't be an album that I come back to over and over again; however, there are some tracks that have already been added to my favorites, and I will continue to listen to hereafter.
Cloudbursting was cool. Not really my style, not much of a fan but I can see why people enjoy her!
There’s a reason Running Up That Hill managed to be a hit again in the 2010s, it sounds so good. Kate Bush has such a crazy good voice.
a cinematic piece for the get-go, with plenty of surreal moments in between
The first half of this album is a normal amount of weird for an 80s pop album. The second half is completely nuts - not in a way that particularly piques my interest. A truly strange album, which is refreshing in a way. But ultimately I just don't really like Kate Bush
Wonderful!!!
Nice
I'm trying, Kate, I'm trying! 3.99
Kate Bush’s 1985 album *Hounds of Love* is widely regarded as one of the most groundbreaking and influential records in music history. It combines avant-garde experimentation with accessible pop sensibilities, resulting in an album that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. Below is an in-depth review focusing on its lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, along with a balanced assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. --- ## **Overview** *Hounds of Love* is structured into two distinct halves: the first side features five standalone tracks, while the second side, titled *The Ninth Wave*, is a conceptual suite of seven interconnected songs. This duality reflects Bush's ability to balance commercial appeal with artistic ambition. The album was recorded in her home studio using cutting-edge technology of the time, including the Fairlight CMI synthesizer, which allowed for intricate soundscapes and innovative production techniques. --- ## **Lyrics** The lyrics on *Hounds of Love* are poetic, enigmatic, and emotionally charged. Bush explores themes such as fear, love, survival, and self-discovery through vivid imagery and metaphors. - **"Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)"**: This opening track uses a metaphorical "deal with God" to express a yearning for mutual understanding in relationships. Its universal theme of empathy resonates deeply with listeners[1][3]. - **"Hounds of Love"**: The title track compares falling in love to being hunted by a pack of hounds, capturing the fear and vulnerability that accompany emotional surrender[7]. - **The Ninth Wave Suite**: This conceptual sequence delves into the psyche of a drowning protagonist. Tracks like "And Dream of Sheep" and "Waking the Witch" explore themes of isolation, mortality, and redemption through surreal and fragmented narratives[7][8]. Bush’s lyrics often feel cinematic, drawing from mythology, literature, and personal experience. However, their cryptic nature may alienate listeners who prefer straightforward storytelling. --- ## **Music** Musically, *Hounds of Love* is a masterclass in blending genres. Bush incorporates elements of art-pop, progressive rock, classical music, Celtic folk, and even proto-electronica. - The album opens with the iconic "Running Up That Hill," driven by a pulsating drum machine and haunting synth melody[1]. This track epitomizes mid-'80s pop while remaining timeless. - Songs like "Cloudbusting" feature lush string arrangements and unconventional rhythms that evoke both grandeur and intimacy[2]. - *The Ninth Wave* showcases Bush’s experimental side. For instance: - "Waking the Witch" combines industrial-strength percussion with eerie vocal samples to create an unsettling atmosphere. - "Jig of Life" incorporates Celtic influences with a driving rhythm that feels celebratory yet urgent[8]. Bush’s vocal performances are another standout aspect. Her voice shifts effortlessly between ethereal falsettos and guttural cries, acting as an instrument in its own right[3]. --- ## **Production** Kate Bush produced *Hounds of Love* herself in her 48-track home studio. Her meticulous approach to layering sounds results in an album that feels rich yet never overproduced. - The use of the Fairlight CMI synthesizer allowed Bush to integrate unconventional sounds like breaking glass, film dialogue snippets, and Georgian folk music seamlessly into her compositions[1][7]. - Tracks like "Watching You Without Me" employ minimalist arrangements to create an otherworldly ambiance[3]. - Despite its complexity, the production maintains a sense of clarity and balance. For example, after intense moments like "Waking the Witch," Bush transitions to softer tracks such as "Watching You Without Me," providing emotional relief[1]. While groundbreaking for its time, some critics have noted that certain production choices—such as overly loud vocals on earlier albums—were refined significantly here[8]. --- ## **Themes** Thematically, *Hounds of Love* is rich and multifaceted: 1. **Fear vs. Love**: The first half explores how fear can inhibit love and connection. Tracks like "Hounds of Love" examine this tension through visceral metaphors. 2. **Survival and Redemption**: The Ninth Wave suite delves into existential questions about survival and self-worth. It portrays a journey from despair ("Under Ice") to hope ("Hello Earth") and eventual salvation ("The Morning Fog")[7]. 3. **Empathy and Perspective**: Songs like "Running Up That Hill" emphasize the importance of understanding others’ experiences. Bush’s ability to weave these themes into both standalone tracks and a cohesive narrative suite demonstrates her skill as a conceptual artist. --- ## **Influence** *Hounds of Love* has left an indelible mark on music: - It inspired countless artists across genres, including Björk, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Joanna Newsom, and Florence Welch[1][6]. - Its innovative use of technology paved the way for future experimentation in pop music. - The album’s blend of accessibility and avant-garde elements has been cited as a blueprint for art-pop records. - Tracks like "Running Up That Hill" have enjoyed enduring popularity; its resurgence via TV shows like *Stranger Things* introduced it to new generations[6]. --- ## **Pros** 1. **Innovative Production**: Bush’s use of cutting-edge technology creates a soundscape that feels both futuristic and organic. 2. **Emotional Depth**: The lyrics tackle universal themes with poetic nuance. 3. **Diverse Musical Styles**: From pop anthems to experimental suites, the album offers something for every listener. 4. **Cohesive Narrative**: The Ninth Wave elevates the album from a collection of songs to a unified artistic statement. 5. **Timeless Appeal**: Decades later, it remains relevant both musically and thematically. --- ## **Cons** 1. **Cryptic Lyrics**: While poetic, some lyrics may feel inaccessible to casual listeners. 2. **Dense Arrangements**: The layered production can feel overwhelming on first listen. 3. **Conceptual Demands**: The Ninth Wave requires active engagement from listeners to fully appreciate its narrative arc. 4. **Pacing Issues**: Some critics have noted that transitions between intense tracks (e.g., "Waking the Witch") can disrupt the album’s flow for some listeners[4]. --- ## **Conclusion** *Hounds of Love* is not just an album; it is an artistic milestone that balances innovation with emotional resonance. Its influence continues to ripple through modern music, cementing Kate Bush’s legacy as one of pop’s most visionary artists. While its complexity may not appeal to everyone immediately, those willing to immerse themselves in its world will find it deeply rewarding—a testament to Bush's genius as a songwriter, producer, and performer.
Raritooo Waking the witch, mid en general
Eh davvero troppo brava
“Dad why is my sister named Rose?” “Because your mom loves roses” “Thanks Dad” “You’re welcome Jig of Life”
Interesting listen, a few good songs.
Fun voice, very much hot girl music. A few songs I rlly enjoyed and everything was good. High 4
7/10 - Obviously running up that hill is goated additionally, there were some decent songs in the middle of the album. Some weird songs namely Waking The Witch but the Irish folk music at the end was nice.
Super unique and interesting album. The highs are super high, but I unfortunately do not like some of the songs enough to give it a 5
Absolutely corker of an album. Ethereal.
I have always wanted to give Kate Bush a more full listen than I have had rhe chance to in the past. I was not disappointed. This is a good album, although I don't feel that it fully showcases her talents. She is a unique artist and deserves to be on the list. My favourite song of hers will always be "Wuthering Heights".
Already have this album. How can you not love it?
After Stranger Things, if i never heard Running Up That Hill again it would still be too soon. The rest of the album didn’t fare much better. Definitely not my thing.
the strings on some of these songs go HARD I like the song about sleeping, very relatable overall a lovely project which i want to come back to
Favs : Cloudbusting, Hounds of Love Intéressants : Under Ice, Waking The Witch, Jig Of Life
I was too scared to listen to this for a hot sec because of the A level music flashbacks, but of course, it's Kate Bush so I really enjoyed it when I got the courage up. Some nice discoveries on there, the Jig of Life for sure, and loved all the crazy effects which actually worked musically for her concept. But even though the others all pass, I still hope I never have to listen to Cloudbusting again
I’ve heard the first song before, but never really gotten into it. Everything else was new. I don’t know. I didn’t really think anything about it. Nothing really stood out to me, good or bad. But I liked it more than I disliked it, I guess, so…3/5?
Rlly good Liked the lyrics
Absolutely perfect. Every second of it. This is one of my favorite first listens ever, every track took me by surprise in some way. This album will stay with me and I think I’ll be replaying it for a long time. Easy 5 star.
I was completely unfamiliar with the second side. Sublime! Really captures the essence of growing up in Kent...
Running Up That Hill is transcendent, unfortunately don't like Hounds Of Love itself, do like The Big Sky, love how eerie ad mournful Mother Stands For Comfort is, musically. 'And Dream of Sheep' is heartbreaking. Didn't think much of Under Ice; I could see it was trying to be spooky but it wasn't effective the way Mother Stands For Comfort is. Cloudbusting is pretty good. I like the violins and the choir element at the end. JUMPSCARE at the start of Waking The Witch! LOVE the atmospheric and experimental start; wish that had continued throughout. Watching You Without Me is SO mournful and so good. Not a fan of Jig of Life but did like the Irish trad element. Hello Earth is ok. The Morning Fog is ok too, but quite an anticlimactic end to the album; I would have had Cloudbusting here as a hopeful ending.
Far more darker and deeper than a one hit wonder
Starts with a couple of hits and then evolves into something else entirely. Really interesting listen.
Didn't enjoy this one much at all
Running up that hill saves the 3 status
ya había escuchado este disco mil veces pero lo voy a escuchar de nuevo, te amo kate
good stuff
So I really like the first song and I love her voice. This was a good album. Experimental. I kind of zoned out near the end so I can’t give it a 5.
Kate Bush siempre es bien.
Running Up That Hill has an interesting place in my life because I've discovered 3 versions because of 3 different people and I like them all. I forgot about the title track. It's a lovely song. I've also loved Cloudbusting for quite a while now. The Morning Fog and Jig Of Life are highlights as well. The only song I didn't like was Waking The Witch.
There can't be many better album starts. Her voice is haunting and full of love and passion. The energy throughout is brimming. A wonderful creation
Beautiful, avant garde, definitely interesting enough to hold my focus. Another delightful experience. For the other listeners on the same journey of discovery: if you don't like Waking the Witch, never hand me the aux. I'm in my happy place here.
I think anyone who rated this album "1" should never be allowed to listen to music again. Kate Bush is weird but you can hear her in so many later artists: Enya, Fiona Apple and, as many have said, Bjork. Also, I love weird music. Minus 1 star for the 80s gated snare.
Bara rösten är en femma! Ovanpå det, det nyskapande och banbrytande i hennes artisteri. Och så klart, låtarna.
Like it a lot. Really great production. 7/10
Decent with a good 80iea vibe
kate bush has such a gorgeous haunting voice, and this album tells a story in her experimental and dramatic style
Doesn't ask work, but really imaginative
She’s the coolest.
I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. I can see how it was a precursor to early '90s female artists. She seemed way before her time.
Meh. It wasn't terrible but wasn't great etiher. If Stranger Things had never used her music would we even know who she is or would she appear in this list? My bet is no.
Often sings in a similar manner to a kid making up songs from the text in a cereal box.
The came out when I was at university and it was a must listen. Side 2 ( yes it was on vinyl!) was a revelation and I remember listening to the various soundscaoes that Kate Bush made. I still regularly listen to this album and the layers still surprise me. I love to sit back and put my noise canceling headphones and lose myself in this wonderful album
Not a Kate Bush fan. I tried, but it’s not fantastic. There’s a lot of emotion in some songs, but I don't think much of her voice. I was going to go with 2, but “Running Up That Hill” saves it, for the only reason that it allowed Placebo to cover it.
Kate Bush seems to carry with her a completely unique air of dreaminess. Maybe it’s just in this album, as it has become such an incredibly significant milestone in both her discography and popular music as a whole. From the supersonic opening five tracks through the supporting dreamscape of The Ninth Wave, Hounds of Love is unrelenting in its pop-produced heaviness and structure, rooted to Bush’s concept and without any dull moments. This is mid-decade 80s pop at its peak. After all, where else would you get this sort of compendium? Only on Kate Bush’s other albums.
Interesting, unique sound
I was expecting to like this more than I did! It’s very front loaded and doesn’t hold up for its entirety. Still iconic, though.
This album is more commercial but still has the classic off beat Bush energy.
This isn’t even my favourite Kate Bush album but its beauty, intensity and originality place it far above many of the albums on this list.
Musically this is a fun, artsy, new wave-esque pop record. It’s well written, well played, and well produced. My main gripe with this record is that I simply cannot stand Kate Bush’s voice. The way she enunciates words just strikes some primal part of my brain that screams at me to turn it off whenever I hear her. I really did not enjoy listening to this album as a result. The fact that I powered through it should show my respect for this project. 1*.
Despite being familiar enough with Kate Bush to know I generally liked her music, knowing that a lot of people with similar music taste to me are huge fans, knowing that other bands/artists I really like were/are great friends and admirers of hers, hearing many comparisons between Kate Bush and artists I love... I had never actually listened to a full Kate Bush album. Kinda embarrassing but I am glad to have finally addressed this oversight. This is a really strange and beautiful album and it took me a couple listens to start to feel like I had my hands around it. I still don't feel like I've fully grasped it. A lot of the albums on this list I don't feel warrant a second listen - very few require a second listen to feel I understand it - an exceptionally small number I feel the need to listen to 3+ times. But I very much enjoy listening and trying to understand more of it each time.
Running Up That Hill is a 5/5. The rest was also nice.
Ima mi dobrih ona stvari, ali ovaj album mi nije napet. Imam osjećaj da je na ovoj listi zbog jedne jedine pjesme, što je malo lejm. A i način na koji je postala opet popularna ta stvar mi je dosta bezveze, pa ju ni ne mogu čuti više. Sve u svemu, neće ovo biti neka visoka ocjena. 2/5, 4/10.
If it was good, It wouldn't have taken it 30+ years to become popular. Less of a sleeper hit and more of a sleeper shit. All the best.
Stranger things song is best song on album
Really quite interesting, I'd only ever heard Running Up that Hill, but very good album from beginning to end.
I wasn’t too familiar with this album other than the main single but as a fan of Tori Amos I can see how Kate Bush was an influence. I enjoyed the listen.
Not sure I get why this is special.
Hey it's the stranger things song. That show is sooook epic. Nahhhh I'm being a Lil silly. Running up that hill is great though. I didn't save any of the tracks other than that one but I already had it saved. Sound like I didn't like it huh? But no I did like it alot. But I don't think saving single songs does it any favors. It's a whole peice. I got sure will listen to the whole record multiple times. Very good.
What a record! Lovely Pop from the 80's!!
Was a major dork in high school for liking Kate Bush, but they can all get stuffed! Absolute banger of an album and Cloudbusting is one of my favourite songs of all time.
This is probably my favorite "new" and 2nd favorite album so far on this challenge. Kid A is still #1
Nice
Thought it was good at first but turned satanic toward the end. Lot of strange whispering and scratching sounds.
There is no doubt that Kate Bush consists of influence and variety. Every song was very interesting and I was wondering where it would take me next. given this, I think it felt like something was still missing. I would have loved to see just a little more.
For individual tracks, there's not much better in terms of an emotional impact than "Cloudbusting" (one of the great videos as well - a true 6 minute movie). This album takes me somewhere else, which is a high mark for art - the highest maybe? It's a pretty demanding album (although aren't all Kate Bush albums?) and I get why some people are turned off but these kinds of albums that aren't uniform in arrangement, tempo, mood are exactly those for me that are worth returning to again and again. On that note, this album does require multiple listens for me at least even now - even though I know it, if I haven't listened in a while there's still a certain barrier for entry. Not a big fan of "Jig of Life" if I'm nitpicking, but I'll overlook it - it's not like Genesis' "Who Dunnit?" or anything. I don't know if my giving it a 5 is truly consistent with my other 5s - I won't always be in the mood for this and sometimes am actively not - but for something this grandiose, intelligent, melodic, haunting, etc etc. anything less feels completely wrong. A work of genius. 9/10 5 stars.
Kind of cool dark pop. Hard for others to stand out alongside running up that hill, but a few do
I'm a British man of a certain age. I know I am SUPPOSED to like Kate Bush. It's almost a matter of musical orthodoxy. Most of my friends profess to. Colour me a heretic, then. Her music and singing style have always left me somewhere between disinterested and irritated. Her vocal tics and affectations grate. I'll give this a 2/5 'cos that's my "All right if you like that sort of thing (I don't)" rating, as everyone tells me this is "good". I simply cannot hear it. I expect to be buried under the avalanche of 5 star reviews when I choose to look.
Calm sound
Track 1 is classic. Side note: Placebo covers it quite well especially live. The Big Sky” had a groove, and I liked “Jig of Life”.
Doesn’t quite rate as high as The Sensual World, but definitely proves that her album The Dreaming did not need to be on this list. Continued props for such high production and songcrafting at such a young age (27). The back 7 plays more like the soundtrack to a stage production, which makes sense given the Irish arrangements were done by future Riverdance composer Bill Whelan. I think I’ve had my fill of Kate Bush for awhile.
At this point I have listened to far more Kate Bush than I need to. This one was prob better and more accessible than the others but still doesn’t really do it for me. The fiddle came in on the jig of life and I was like what the eff just happened??? (Although I did enjoy that song).
I gave this 3* when I listened to Apple Music’s best 100 albums of all time. And I remember being surprised it was included on the list. I do enjoy Running Up That Hill and it’s cool it gained renewed popularity after being used in an ep of Stranger Things. Nothing much to say beyond that. 3.25/5
Mjög guðdómlegt
Undrabarni og magnaður listamaður. Fyrri hlutinn frábær lög þar sem hún dáleiðir mann með sinnit ótrúlegu rödd. B hliðin, The ninth wave, er svo bara algjört listaverk. Hlustaði nokkrum sinnum á hana. Ótrúlega hugrakkt að hafa svona tilraunakennt concept verk á helmingi plötunnar, en sýnir hveru mikill listamaður hún er.
Bold, weird and confident
That was a quick 45 minutes of great music! :)
its hard to imagine at this point me being associated more strongly with any record more than this, my favorite ever for years and years, and even after it having technically being dethroned it still makes up some ineffable part of both my brain and my social imprint. honestly was a bit of a strange listen, the same way any listen is when ur navigating dozens and dozens of acquired impressions both listening to and thinking about the record. ultimately i might tentatively come to the conclusion that i, in fact, love this more than ever,,,or at the very least, my already wide appreciation has become deeper. the gigantic 80s drum sound that towers over side a of this record becomes the heartbeat of the universe, all the synths become the vapor and crystals of strange shape and material that will themselves into existence around it, and kate's voice (which almost certainly Is something that i love more than ever before) throws itself into the role of a human-sized perception of these massive physical and emotional mountain ranges. but the main attraction ofc is and has always been the ninth wave, which hit me so hard im still not sure ive entirely returned to my body...like any good Dream Art it playfully runs the line between literal and figurative imagery, and keeps it in flux so sometimes u turn ur head and then look back and its slightly different. it concerns itself with observing the outside world from an ephemeral distance, some transparent barrier between u and it, and tbh its just kind of difficult to imagine something that resonates with me more...the image fills me with both comfort and fear for a variety of personal reasons, ive identified it in many many things but scarcely is it fully evoked with such intentionality and a breadth of emotional reaction that matches my own. wherever this places in my revamped canon (not even discounting the possibility that the dreaming May overtake it tbh, the first time ive felt that possibility), there is something here that i cant replace with Anything, and i thank it for all its done for me
absolute classic, knew this one going in and didn't disappoint. 9/10
I have tried and tried and tried so many times to listen to what are considered Kate Bush’s masterworks, and for the life of me I just can’t get it to click. There’s something about her operatic singing style that doesn’t ring true with me, mixed with post-punk / new wavey synths that are one of my least favorite genres of the past century. I can absolutely objectively hear why so many people view this as the pinnacle of 80s pop, but subjectively I just can’t get it it to sink into my primate brain. 3.4/5
Love her
#497. This album nose dives hard in the second half. Waking the Witch is terrible, and it just gets weird after that. It's too bad really, because the first half was pretty good. I guess that's the way it goes sometimes, what are you gonna do? 3/5: just listen to side a and then find something better to do with your time. Song added to playlist: Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link
Running up that hill. I always loved this song.
Very nice, weird album. Some of these i find quite plodding, in a way I don't particularly love. I feel like I am not appreciating this as much as I should, but I'm glad to have listened. Cloudbusting is one of my favourite songs of all time. 4 overall
Another Kate bush album. Damn. I feel like I’m running up a hill.
This record is great. There’s something magical and transporting about Kate’s sound. Yes it’s an 80s record, but feels fresh today.
Nice to start off this project with a familiar album from the '80s. I've always misheard what she says after "deal with God" as "get him to swallow druses." Whatever that could mean. Anyway, the hits are undeniable but what stands out to me listening to it now is the mix of beautiful, quieter songs like And Dream of Sheep and Watching You Without Me and wackier experimental songs. The transitions are great and make it a true album experience.
10/02/2025 It was an okay album. Nothing more, nothing less.
++: Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), Hounds of Love, The Big Sky, Mother Stands for Comfort, Cloudbusting, Under Ice, Waking the Witch, Watching You Without Me, Hello Earth, The Morning Fog +: And Dream of Sheep, Jig of Life 9,7/10
This was a fun album that had only the second Billion + played song I've seen so far on Spotify (Thanks Stranger Things), overall a fun album that I was excited to listen to.
Is Kate Bush Britain's answer to Madonna? It's VERY 80s synth-pop and not my thing at all but I guess I respect the experimentation and some of her more ambitious ideas. I'm more impressed than anything at hearing the original Hounds Of Love, as The Futureheads clearly heard something in that and turned it into an absolutely banging garage rock song that I would never have imagined possible.
Didn't get to this on Friday. I'll check it out now. Dude jig of life is awesome! it was pretty good, but only 3 stars from me
Excellent
This sounded like a female Bowie album. I'm not exactly sure what the hell Waking the Witch was about. It didn't really sound like it fits the album. I liked the slow jam, Watching You Without Me. Other than that, it was an ok listen. Pleasant, but nothing stands out. 3 here.
Mother. This is desert island album material for me. Kate Bush walked so countless dramatic quirky-girl musicians could run. I listened to this afresh for this project, but I have heard this album many times before. And while probably most albums could benefit from multiple listenings, it really took me a while to fully come to an appreciation of this album. I first encountered Kate Bush through “Running Up That Hill” which was on an 80s compilation CD I had when I was a teenager. I loved that song and sought out the album. There were several other songs that I instantly liked from that album, from the first half. The second half of that album was so challenging to me, and it took a while for me to come around to it. But when I did, I was rewarded. During that time I'm sure I had read about Kate Bush and what she was trying to achieve with the album. I read about the concept of it, and that helped a lot with me putting it into context and appreciating it. This album tells a fictional story about a lady who crashes into the ocean and finds herself clinging to a life preserver waiting for help to come rescue her, her fighting to stay alive and her drifting thoughts and hallucinations as the hours go by. Not exactly something most people want to listen to on the drive into work. But nonetheless, I respect Kate Bush a lot as an artist and love her weirdness and flair for storytelling through pop music.
The word for Kate I think is unconventional or maybe non traditional. I don't think that there is very much out there that sounds like her. Her voice is operatic and dramatic. Backing tracks are pretty original sounding too. I can hear maybe some influence on Tori Amos throughout the album. The highlight for me was Jig Of Life.
stunning. so glad this generator had me revisit this. hard to choose favorite songs but highlights include: "Running Up That Hill" "Hounds of Love" "Mother Stands For Comfort" "Cloudbusting" "Jig of Life"
3.5
I really like this one! Phenomenal synthesizer throughout and just a fun ambum
When we talk about the brilliance of artists like Gabriel or Bowie, Kate Bush should be part of that conversation. Amazing.
She has a nice voice, but I don't like how she sings. It's sort of dramatic / operatic / spooky. I just don't think Kate Bush is for me, ultimately. I definitely see her merit, but I don't plan to return to her at all.
A bit too experimental for me, especially with some of the vocalizations, but they were at least listenable bc of how great of a voice Kate bush has. I really liked the use of different drums throughout the album; coupled with her unique vocalizations it gave the album an almost tribal feel to it, which I haven’t really heard in pop music before so that’s was cool. I’m also starting something with this where I make a playlist consisting of my favorite songs from each album. Todays best song pick: The Big Sky
Couldn't get past 2 songs. this is not good
It was alright! I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it, but I don’t hate it either. Vibes were there
Opening track transporting me back to OG TikTok vibes. Her vocals complement the synths heard throughout the record very well. But what the hell does “I found a fox caught by dogs” mean. As the record progresses, we see Kate starts to get repetitive in her lyrics. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but there doesn’t seem to be any purpose or reason behind her doing so. Her repetition is welcomed in the beginning, but gets pretty tiresome at the end. The random electric guitar riffs that get thrown into songs was definitely a high point for me. Whether or not it fit with her album as a whole can be up for debate, but it was a nice change of pace. The whole album had me feeling like I was floating on a cloud. Absolutely loved the beat switch on “Waking the Witch” but then the track starts getting colluded by the church bells and random menacing voice. “Jig of Life” was probably my favorite track of the entire record. Not sure, what an irish jig is doing on a “Pop” album, but I was vibing. At the end of the day, I did not like or dislike this album. But will I go listen to it again, probably not. 3.2/10
Better than I was expecting. A very enjoyable listen.
Got a bit lost in the middle but such strong songs
It was ok.
Not bad. Cool to see the running up that hill resurgance over the last few years thanks to Stranger Things.
What an album! Hauntingly eerie at times. I really liked the different instruments present throughout. Great vocal work too! 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)' is such a fun track!
Nog det mest skräckinjagande albumet jag hört
awesome 80's synth
Arty prog-pop with an uncompromised artistic vision. I can see a lineage of Peter Gabriel -> Kate Bush -> Bjork -> St. Vincent (or someone a bit weirder). Cool split between side a (arty but accessible pop songs) and side b (an experimental prog-pop adventure), but still making it all work together. Bush’s voice is always where it needs to be - powerful, desperate, serene, longing. The vocals, lyrics, and music really all work together here to paint pictures and tell stories…a very literary feel with an air of magic. Tons of sonic diversity and moods, environments, and textures that draw you into the song. A couple of the songs are on the duller sides, but overall a cool album that balances the bizarre and accessible, and always has a catchy melody circulating. Whether it’s vocal, orchestral, synth, traditional instruments, forefront, background - the album isn flooded with melody, emotion, and magic.
It was fine, A song I unexpectedly enjoyed was Jig of Life
YUPPPPP NUMVER ONE ALBUM
Good-weird.
Loved it.
I didn't like this as much as The Sensual World, which was definitely a 5 for me. Really was expecting to like this because I love Running Up That Hill, but this album feels super inconsistent and feels more like an experiment and someone just noodling around than trying to make a solid album? Like, glad I heard it, but I don't know. Overrated. Don't know why it's considered the best Kate Bush record.
its peak
A continuously magical eruption of creativity.
Wonderful album. Maybe her best.
Always gotta give Kate Bush 5 stars. Can't match the beautiful blend of artistry and bonkerstry.
Huh? I don’t understand the rave reviews. Did we listen to the same album?
I get why it is iconic/influential. but this album was honestly kind of hard to listen to...
Upea levy! Sopivassa suhteessa popimpaa ja artsympaa kamaa. Todella hieno! 5/5
Paljon saanut viime vuosina soittoa, mutta onhan tämä sekä upea pop-levy ja samaan aikaan monella tapaa konventiosta poikkeava. Nelosen ja vitosen välillä pallottelen, mutta kyllä tälle nyt femman sit antaa.
Hounds of Love Kate Bush Before Listening- I know her name. I don’t know anything about her. Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)- kind of a dancey track with some crashing guitars Hounds of Love The Big Sky- funky bass line, first notably upbeat song on the album, but I am not picking up on lyrics yet Mother Stands for Comfort Cloudbusting And Dream of Sheep Under Ice Waking the Witch Watching You Without Me Jig of Life Hello Earth The Morning Fog After Listening It's not bad. It's not my cup of tea, but I certainly didn't mind listening to it. There are some major anthems on here, that are reminiscent of the Jimmy Steinman productions- Meatloaf, Bonnie Tyler- big soaring vocals and guitars. I couldn't understand the lyrics too well, but a little motivation would have had me search these in five seconds.
Another discovery from u/Muzak_For_A_Nurse
love
Probably a 3. It is good but it’s also not.
Sehr gutes Album mit sehr vielen guten Liedern, ein paar neue habe ich für mich entdeckt.
"Running Up That Hill" is in fact an absolute bop. Listened to the album twice, grew on me the second time. Definitely a "headphone" album, really gained a greater appreciation of the synthetic soundscapes that way.
OVERALL: Consistently good production and vocals (with the exception of Waking The Witch and some weird vocal effects). Almost every single song on this album is absolutely incredible, especially Hello Earth. After looking it up, the first 5 songs and the last 7 songs are split into separate discs, which makes so much sense. Kate Bush almost dies in the second disc and has a pretty nice time with most of the first disc. Very fun and ethereal. Waking The Witch and maybe Jig Of Life bring this down, but I can deal with both of them and Jig Of Life is just okay. SONG AVG: 8.125/10 PERSONAL RATING: 9.25/10 Running Up That Hill: Everybody knows this song, especially that one part. Incredible production, and the vocals are pretty good. It is a bit annoying because of how much I've heard it, but I still like it. 9.25/10 Hounds of Love: I like the vocals during the chorus, outro, and pre-chorus, but other than that, Kate Bush's voice is kinda annoying. Pretty solid production. 7.5/10 The Big Sky: Very good production, sounds absolutely incredible. The vocals are also pretty good for the most part, but the weird yodel-like yeahs bring this down a bit. 8/10 Mother Stands For Comfort: Great, surreal production. I guess the glass breaking is a bit weird, but it works. Very good vocal performance. I can't really understand what she's saying, but the lyrics on genius are pretty interesting and have a pretty dark meaning. The moaning noises are kinda weird though. 9/10 Cloudbusting: Pretty solid overall. The production and vocals are pretty good, but nothing too memorable. Just a pretty nice song. Kinda drags on a bit. Also apparently this is based on a book? 7/10 And Dream Of Sheep: Pretty beautiful. Very good production, and the vocals are absolutely outstanding. Pretty short, unfortunately. 9.5/10 Under Ice: The production sounds like a panic attack, but in a good way. The vocals seem very frantic, but are kinda corny for a good portion of the song. Clearly I missed something from the last song, because why is Kate Bush drowning? 9.25/10 Waking The Witch: I have no idea what is happening here. The singular note transition into this song and the people saying wake up are kinda funny. The production is very good, but the demon(?) voice is very jarring. That's probably the point, but it doesn't make it any better. Also, there are lots of weird details that I don't really want to type out, so I'm not going to. Just know that it sounds bad but is probably supposed to. 3/10 Watching You Without Me: Is Kate Bush officially dead now? Anyways, fantastic production and some of the best vocals on this album. Absolutely incredible song in almost every aspect. The double reversed bridge and the lagging chorus make it much worse, but it's still very good. 8.5/10 Jig Of Life: SCOTTISH??????????????????? Anyways, NOW Kate Bush has to be dead or at least hallucinating. I've never been much of a fan of Irish-Gaelic type songs, but this isn't as bad. I still don't like it, but the production accomplishes it's job pretty well, and the vocals are pretty solid. 6/10 Hello Earth: This is one of the greatest songs ever made. Perfect production, incredible vocals, pretty good lyrics, just insanely good. It even has heavenly choir parts in between the absolutely fantastic choruses. This song does probably mean that she gets found, but I STILL THINK SHE'S DEAD. 11/10 The Morning Fog: Shit, she's alive. (Or reincarnated) Anyways, pretty big tone shift from basically the rest of the songs since, like, And Dream Of Sheep. Very good production and backing vocals, as well as fantastic lyrics and vocal performance. Works pretty good as an epilogue, but not as well as an outro after Kate Bush almost dying. Still really good. 9.5/10
Running up that hill is decent! Rest is OK-ish.
It's good. Not great though. But probably seen as even more popular after Stranger Things.
Very good production.
get yourself a room, kate
Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love One of the best pop albums out there. In a time where everyone was trying to follow the same trend that, while it did sound fresh and good, it started to become repetitive overtime, Kate was one of those few artists that not only experimented into what pop can become, but was able to become popular doing so. It's unfortunate it never got too popular outside of Europe back then, but thanks to the internet, now i know about her music and it's really great! If you like to listen to pop, give yourself a favor and listen to this album. It's a magical first listen, and you'll enjoy it for sure! Overall, this is amazing. 1.- Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) = 10/10 2.- Hounds Of Love = 10/10 3.- The Big Sky = 10/10 4.- Mother Stands for Comfort = 8/10 5.- Cloudbusting = 10/10 6.- And Dream of Sheep = 9/10 7.- Under Ice = 8/10 8.- Waking the Witch = 8/10 9.- Watching You Without Me = 8/10 10.- Jig of Life = 9/10 11.- Hello Earth = 10/10 12.- The Morning Fog = 9/10 FINAL SCORE: 9.1/10
Not bad overall, some interesting tracks.
I feel the same way about Kate Bush's vocal stylings as I do about extended electric guitar solos. I'm sure she's very talented, but I don't enjoy listening to her.
First two tracks are best. 3/5.
Now this is a fascinating, diverse, and complex album. Jig of Life and Hello Earth (the latter for its inclusion of passages from a Georgian folk song) really stand out. I used to hear this album as a child (my father loved it), but I always hated it. I just listened to it for the first time in probably 35 years, and how my impression has changed!
This is the worst record ever recorded. I love 80s music. I love synth-pop. I love new wave. This is utter trash. Give Ross Gellar a pseudo-opera partner, and you’d get this.
nop
5 stars. No notes.
Did not use a private session for Spotify. Albums fully grounded in the 80s, has the 80's classic "Running Up That Hill" which was given new life from "Stranger Things". Won't be listening to it again, though.
Good pop album, doesn't really change my generally-neutral feelings towards pop. "Running Up That Hill" is excellent. Good background music.
We’ve got Bush!
Amazing voice
It's a cliche, because everything obviously is, but it's very much of it's time. The 80's in music especially pop is such a sound set in time and place. If in the right mind for 80's pop then let's hear it, if not turn it off now. This falls straight into that. Appreciate what she does as she does it her own way, but those 80s sounds. Her vocals sometimes feel unique and interesting, and sometimes (even at the same time) odd and enoying. 3 star - it's just in that middle ground for me, sometimes I want to hear it/ sometimes switch off. Expect on further listens today, -1 for it getting a bit shit in the middle whatever my mood. And strangly I find that *proper middle* englishness of it all a bit excluding and alienating, and I'm English since forever. 2 Stars - very disappointed.
Wonderfully weird and weirdly wonderful.
Among the most 1985-sounding of all the albums to come out in 1985, in its way. Nothing wrong with that, of course.
Interesting and loved the lyrics. Will probably need to listen more.
A revelation. Having never really listened to her work, just based upon a whole host of things, I would have thought it would have been kind of…twee…? But I was really engrossed by her voice and her artistic VOICE. Despite my attempts to dismiss this album as pretentious and posturing, I just kept getting, I guess…charmed by it. By the earnestness of the whole thing. And you can hear so much of the good part of the future 80s in this music (digital instrumentation applied smartly and with heart, instead of cold and icy). The Morning Fog was an amazing first-time listen. A classic. Brava!
Kate Bush is incredible so loved this album
4 or 5 fr
Understand it's icon 80s, just not my jam. Quality is good, I just don't vine as much with 80s pop
Lila
I've listened to this before and never thought too much of it outside of Running Up That Hill, which is just a phenomenal song. On a closer listen this is a really impressive album with some interesting, if often very dated, production. And I love Kate's power through all of it. Still, I don't love most of the songs as much as I find them academically interesting, so I think I will always come back to that one song and I can live without the rest unless I'm really in the mood.
I appreciate the experimentalism of pop Bush is known for, but it just does nothing for me. I know Running Up the Hill because of its resurgence a couple of years ago and the rest of the album does not compare. I found myself annoyed by the end and had to not have any music for a bit.
прикольно, напомнило бьорк. вторая половина альбика понравилась больше.
Not my favorite, but fun to listen to more from the “running up that hill” album
Ethereal listening to the front side of the album. Voice is incredible.
quirky stuff
Very mad, very good
Kate Bush is an artist whose name I’ve heard for decades but whose music I never searched out. But this was good! She loses me a bit on the second half of the album, which follows a bit of a more experimental concept theme. It feels a bit more inconsistent than side A- but also more ambitious. I’m glad I got to hear this!
Vackert album. Jätte artsy Bästa låtarna: Running up that hill och Cloudbusting
всё это не так ужасно как в детстве но осадок остался и проникнуться не могу
Goose Cover's running up that hill!
Another banger of an album. I had 3 songs saved from a previous listen going in and I have 8 going out now. It gets better on a re-listen. Running up that Hill is obviously awesome but Cloud Bursting and Jig of Life are my next faves. It’s musically a very fun album for me. The drums and violins throughout add such an element that you don’t always get. It feels like a soundtrack that is cohesive and foreshadowing at the same time. Her voice is angelic and mysterious and other-worldly and I think you could go through the lyrics multiple times and still get something new each time. Slow and quiet parts of songs can sometimes be a let down or drag on too long but I think here, with the massive waves of energy and crescendo of drums and strings it works really well to have some songs exist in a diminishing space for a while. I’d like to listen again and I really like a handful of the individual songs but love how they come together. Not going to overthink this one.
this album sounds like the absolute epitome of a drug fever dream in the mid 80's. Half of the songs start out cool or have some promise, and then Kate Bush just rails like the fattest line of cocaine and takes a hard turn and goes in a completely different direction. it was hard to put my finger on where this album was actually going and what was going to happen. 5/5 stars if you wanted to experience drugs in the 80's without a time machine 2/5 stars for actual listening if you didn't experience the 80's drug scene
I just really don’t have much of an attachment to this 80s style synth pop rock. Has a banger of a first track that will boost it up to a three and then other than that pretty forgettable and would otherwise be a two.
I actually think she was fairly consistent and good to listen to. Surprisingly good to me to be honest. I like some Kate Bush!
After Stranger Things, I thought about giving Kate Bush a try since Running Up That Hill was such a banger. Didn’t really enjoy this album then, still don’t really enjoy it now. Cloudbusting is decent but that’s about it. It’s barely a two, might even regret not giving it a one later on.
I mean, how cool is it that a song can peak almost 40 years after it was released. It's awesome that a "Running Up That Hill" being a key aspect in Stranger Things revitalized it higher than it ever was. It's even cooler that she made it through her own label and receives 100% of the royalties. Other than that fun song and fact, this album does nothing for me.
Honestly I don’t need to explain why it’s a 5/5
This was definitely ahead of its time. A very cool album, and it stood the test of time.
Amazing voice, very unique. Not my go to genre normally, was aware of the “hits” before listening. These I like a lot, other tracks didn’t really catch me barring maybe 1 other. Feels like the type of music I could well listen to alone, definitely deserves another few listens
Incredible instrumentation range. One the truly all-time greatest albums.
Pretty fire
# Album Name: Hounds of Love # Artist: Kate Bush # Rating: 5/5 # Comments: Kate's vocals on this album are absolutely fantastic. Top drawer! The albums opens with the fantastic running up at hill and hounds of love. Both are great tracks. Thats a big test for the rest of the album to stand up too. The bass, vocals and guitar are wicked in Big sky. The use of strings dotted around the album are rather empowering and give the album a dark undertone in certain areas. I like it. The second half of the album takes a dark turn. Starting with under ice. Waking the witch is a bit of a mind fuck. I could imagine it backing a horror scene. I have to say for a first listen this album was POWERFUL. i really enjoyed the sounds, vocal and overall music. Great album. It kicks you in the balls. Nice finish with morning fog. # Top Tunes: Running up that hill / HOL / Big Sky / Cloudbusting / Jig of life / waking the witch / morning fog # Would I listen to it again? I will definitely come back to this one.
Witchy and weird. I loved it.
What a cool fucking album!
I was just cloudbursting while running up that hill ❤️
Just a phenomenal album. Opening with one of the best songs of all time and there's tests and turns galore after that. Adore
This album was so ahead of its time. An influence on many of my favorite artists. We had actually listened to this on the turntable just a few days ago - in regular rotation at our house. Great album.
stranger things will never be able to ruin running up that hill for me (although the best song on the album is actually cloudbusting)
Nice and creative 80s album
Drops off towards the end
Schwer zu beschreiben, laut Wikipedia post-progressive Rock. Klingt powervoll flehend? Teils everybody wants to rule, teils mittelalterlich, teils Stranger Things Exorzismus. Alles andere als langweilig. Die Art zu singen ist nicht so meins, etwas überdramatisch-Helene-Fischer-esk. Gutes Album! 4,5/5
this is my jam
It remains utterly wild to me that any of what is objectively some very weird music here made any impact on the charts, but I'll take it, this whole album rules so hard
It has mainstream tracks and weird tracks, but it doesn’t have bad tracks. I can’t remember the last time I listened to this as an album, so thanks for suggesting this whole project Jae!
Obviously I knew the big hits off of this - everyone knows Running Up That Hill and Hounds of Love (I still prefer The Futureheads version, come at me) - but I always thought the second half to be a bit inconsistent. Listening back, I'm not so sure that's the case. This was thoroughly enjoyable, a definite upgrade to my previous opinion. Kate knows the music she wants to make and does it well, keep doing you you crazy ethereal fae queen.
Ummmmm I didn’t know they fucked this hard in the 80’s??? Wow this album was a roller coaster for me. Staring off strong with RUTH, I of course know and love due to Stranger Things. However, idk if it was because I was distracted or what but the next few songs didn’t really stand out. I was starting to think this album may be a one hit wonder. Then the B side!! Omg. I was stopped in my tracks. Pulled into a story that I didn’t quite understand but i didn’t care because it sounded so cool. I can’t wait to go back and listen again, with lyrics pulled up!! Overall 5/5 album. Some big hits and weird mind fuckery. Perfect.
Ich lieb Kate Bush. Sicher eis vo de bkanntere Albe. Waking the witch eif genial.
running up that hill het weg stranger things es revival gha glaub? seeehr guete song. tönt irgendwie noch peter gabriel. hounds of love tönt sehr ähnlich, aber isch halt no cool und sentimental und so. the big sky seeehr cooli gitarre sie het immerno meega gern toms. finds recht geil. mother stands for comfort isch chli langwiilig. cloudbusting weeird? was sind die synthis? aso isch easy. and dream of sheep seehr schlni chords aber seeicht das ganze. waking the witch creepy alli seged ich söll ufwache ich bin wach alte wa isch. jig of life mitem irish shit oiii. recht cool findi. de fiddle break seehr cool. moll denn dur? ayyyy hello earth isch am schluss jo uuultra geil.
OHH ICH KENN RUNNING UP THAT HILL abrr glaub vomene cover hahaha? hans leider nöd gfunde aber love it sie chan ja offesichtlich guet singe, s ischmer rifach chli z vill hall druff hahaha han ja nanig vill glost aber wir das album "has been regularly voted one of the greatest albums of all time" gahtmer nöd in grind big sky cooli perkussion! cloudburst kinda cute kinda langwilig waking the with findi sehrsehr cool, glaub nöd dass ich das je gross wieder wird lose aber ich finds recht muetig so öppis komischs inneztue hahaha wow hello warth isch sehr vill besser gsi als ich zerst erwartet han macht jz nöd megaa sinn, dads nomal es lied chunnt? find hello earth wär en super schluss gsi aber jo hmm find einiges scho chli heavy 80er aber s het immer wieder weirdi sache woni recht cool find. 4i
i'm really hesitant to give her that 3-star rating. what happened to me? it's just that... it's actually good!
very good, yes
There's three big songs here - "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God," "Hounds of Love" and "Cloudbusting". The rest of it is filled with pleasing, kind of concept-album-y Kate Bush noises. I grew up with Kate Bush being around in the eighties and always knew she was different and had respect for her as someone who was an "artist" but never really got any albums or anything. This is probably one I will return to.
Great album….
Elegant pop from the wispy princess
As a mid 20's person, my instinct on seeing this, was of course, thinking about how Running Up That Hill absolutely blew back up in 2022, to the point where you couldn't be on any sort of social media without hearing the song within 10 minutes. (Not that it's a bad thing, just making a point) This didn't give me a negative or positive bias going in, as I don't know much about her besides that, just I knew to expect a heavy hitter. I was pleasantly surprised as a fan of prog rock, and as someone who sometimes needs 2nd listens to certain pop (Heaven or Las Vegas comes to mind) to truly understand it, how well both these elements shined, on the first listen. The aforementioned track deserves it's flowers as the most infamous song, because it stands out from the rest. That doesn't mean the rest of the album disappoints. Kate seems to have been experimenting (especially in the backhalf) in ways that feels 20+ years ahead of her time. Things you see modern artists try to do with their albums. Through 3 of her albums generated, she is the one of the original pop blueprints for maximizing sound to instantly punch through and grant you a vision beyond the lush, purple cover, on what the album is supposed to sound and feel like. I can understand this album not hitting for others, since I've had a few albums similar to this (including one her other albums) that I just couldn't get right away, but you can't deny the artistic talent, and influence to come from it afterwards.
𝘖𝘩, 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Stand Out Songs: 𝟓. 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝟔. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐩, 𝟖. 𝐖𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡, 9. Watching You Without Me,𝟏𝟎. 𝐉𝐢𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝟏𝟏. 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 This album is so dreamy the entire day I've spent listening to it I feel like I've been floating on a pink cloud. The instrumentals and lyrics of this piece are so hauntingly beautiful it feels like Kate Bush is singing to you from the other end of an empty hallway at a church or cemetery. Is this an album I would have listened to unprompted? Maybe. I think I would have eventually stumbled onto it and it probably would have found me exactly where it wanted me. At least now I'm prepared for when the time comes.
What a great start to 1001 albums! An absolute classic. First 2 tracks obviously huge hits and a couple others I had heard many times before but the album tracks I had only heard for the first time or maybe once in passing previously were all great, can’t believe how much I enjoyed this album!
Didn’t hate it but only Running up that Hill stood out to me. Waking the Witch is sort of terrifying to hear if you are falling asleep which is what this album made me do.
Kate Bush is great. The album gets a bit weird and very 80s in the middle, but I'm here for it.
She had my attention all those years ago. Beautiful voice with original songs. Inspiration to many. Mucho talent.
Really interesting and for its time such genre progressive. First time I really listened it front to back. Need some relistens but definetly a interesting craft of music. (3.5/5.0)
Much better than the other Kate Bush we listened to on this project. The vocal hooks pull you in like they should, and the drum machine-based production feels more fleshed out.
Sterk åpning, medium album
Ah! I love Hounds of Love! It's one I already own on vinyl, and I'm excited to revisit it today. I rarely actually listen to Side B, so that was nice!
I cannot stand Kate Bush, she is one of two artists that I cannot listen to along with Beastie Boys
if you need music for the ride to the ren faire
Felt a huge rush of excitement hearing the opening synth whoosh of "Running Up That Hill", an excitement that never relents at any point afterwards. The drums sound so big and propulsive, Kate wails for her life on this album, and the songwriting remains as unique as ever. It's more than a little ridiculous that I don't listen to this all the time.
some good songs, some good ideas. running up that hill is a masterpiece really
Good album, I've never really connected with her though
listening to this gave me an appreciation for the back half of this album that i didnt have before. 'waking the witch', 'watching you without me' - bangers. I obvs already knew about the first half which is pretty flawless, but glad to have a new appreciation for the rest of it. Cloudbusting is one of the best songs of all time.
what can you say, apart from great album. Perhaps a bit of over enthusiasm for the fairlight, which dates it a little, so for me not her best. It’s still crammed with some fantastic tracks
Vibey but not my favorite.
just good Running Up That Hill часто в эдитах встречается
Good album, but the second half is nowhere near as good as the first half.
Awesome album. Unique pop that stands from it's peers from the era. Running Up That Hill is a monster of a song that deserves all of the recent revitalization it has received. I like several songs from here, I think the one I'll add to my list is Jig of Life. It's a nice Irish jig with Kates dominating voice still present.
This was wonderful. So much cool music and great singing and writing from Kate Bush. So good I listened to it twice. Five stars.
Running up that hill is a banger. The rest is interesting art pop that's hard to find anywhere else. Björk is the closest artist I can think of but I do think Kate Bush got something more than Björk as she's got a magical storyteller vibe.
didn't like it. The head voice singing becomes annoying really fast as do the synth strings and disco beat. It is definitely different from other music of its time, and the first few minutes are interesting, but after a while i lost interest.
Was alright. Kate has a fine voice even if I don't really resonate with her music.
1. Song ist halt stark der Rest klingt wie der in schlechter
Not really my style but still decent.
A lot more interesting and entertaining than I thought it would be. Very intense in places. "The Ninth Wave" was metal. Eclectic and surprisingly rhythm centered. I found it all more fascinating than I thought I would, having pretty much ignored Kate Bush this whole time. I'll probably listen again, the hits (Running Up That Hill and Cloudbusting) are actually really great songs that have aged very well.
Eh, so back and forth on this. Some great songs but not a consistent vibe and some atrocities
I knew the one song plus her collaborations with Peter Gabriel. But I had no idea how much of an influence she had on subsequent artists. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have thought this was a Tori Amos album. Their vocal styles are extraordinarily similar.