English musicians and music geeks extraordinaire Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness have posted a new episode of their podcast The Album Years. They talk about 1982, discussing albums by Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Roxy Music, Laurie Anderson, and a whole lot more. This is part #1 about this year. The pair can be watched on YouTube as well.
English musicians and music geeks extraordinaire Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness have posted a new episode of their podcast The Album Years. They talk about 1985, discussing albums by Kate Bush, The Cure, Thompson Twins, Talking Heads, and a whole lot more. This is part #3 about this year. The pair can be watched on YouTube as well.
Kate Bush, who is this year's Record Store Day ambassador, will release a 10", Eat The Music. That song was supposed to be the lead single from the Red Shoes album in 1993, but the label went for Rubberband Girl. This vinyl version also features Lily and Big Stripey Lie. 3000 copies worldwide.
What a huge honour to have been asked to be Ambassador for this year’s Record Store Day. It really is a great privilege. Isn’t it great to see how the resurgence in vinyl has taken the Music Industry by complete surprise? It had decided to leave vinyl far behind, but it would seem that not everyone agrees! I love that! I know there are many, many artists who are just as excited to see the audience turning the tide.
In the same way that some people like to read a book on Kindle but also want to have a book as a physical object, a lot of people like vinyl and streaming. Both have different appeals. The added bonus of vinyl is that it encourages people to listen to albums. An art form that I’ve always thought can be treasured in a unique way. An album on vinyl is a beautiful thing, given a strong identity by its large-scale artwork. There’s a much more personal connection with the artist and their work.
Steven Wilson has curated a new boxset, selecting 58 tracks from his formative years. Steven Wilson Presents: Intrigue - Progressive Sounds In UK Alternative Music 1979–89:
This is my personally-curated attempt to redress the balance, and to perhaps introduce any 1980s-sceptics out there to the idea that conceptual thinking and ambition didn’t suddenly evaporate after 1977. Ambitious, weird and thrilling music was all around you in the 1980s - if you looked in the right places.
Watch Kate Bush perform Elton John's Rocketman on the British television talk show on December 16, 1991. The track can be found on the Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin album.
Kate Bush hit the road just once for a proper European tour in 1979. Dubbed The Tour of Life the shows were a theatrical spectacle in three acts, incorporating dance and mime elements, and lots of costume changes. The show at the Hammersmith Odeon in London was filmed by the BBC and part of it ended up on the Live at Hammersmith Odeon video and the On Stage EP. The fact that a show at The Manchester Apollo on April 10th 1979 was also filmed by Granada Television is common knowledge among fans. It was never broadcast, the network citing technical issues and show flaws, but luckily the footage has survived. Lovingly restored by David Cantello it is now available on YouTube: two hours of supreme music, never mind the mishaps.
Steven Wilson will discuss the Kate Bush album The Dreaming as part of the My Classic Album series on Classic Album Sundays. He is interviewed by Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy. Tune in via the Classic Album Sundays YouTube and Facebook channels on Sunday March 14th at 8pm GMT. It will be available on demand thereafter.
The Dreaming was released in 1982. Album sales were good, but the singles did not became hits. Contemporary critics were not pleased with her new uncommercial course, but it is now considered as a highlight in her discography.
Watch baroque pop band Ra Ra Riot tackle the Kate Bush classic Suspended in Gaffa. Recorded live @ Independent in San Francisco, CA - 2009/2/27. The studio veersion can be found on their debut full-length The Rhumb Line.
It's pretty rare for the reclusive Kate Bush to grant an interview. She talked to BBC6 about her new live album Before the Dawn, a 3-disc set culled from her residency @ Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith, London in 2014. Interviewer Matt Everitt:
Kate Bush is without doubt one of the most original and gifted musicians and producers of all time. Having loved her music my whole life and been lucky enough to witness her live comeback, it was incredible to have an opportunity to find out her reasons behind performing again, how she brought a hugely demanding and ambitious conceptual vision to the stage, and of course, just to meet the person behind so many wonderful songs.
Kate Bush has added seven more shows @ Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith, London. She never toured after The Tour of Life in 1979. Th efasn persal sold within 30 minutes. Tickets will go on sale at 9.30 am (GMT) on the 28th March 2014 and will be available exclusively from eventim.co.uk, gigsandtours.com and ticketmaster.co.uk.
August
Tuesday, 26th August
Wednesday, 27th August
Friday, 29th August
Saturday, 30th August
September
Tuesday, 2nd September
Wednesday, 3rd September
Friday, 5th September
Saturday, 6th September
Tuesday, 9th September
Wednesday, 10th September
Friday, 12th September
Saturday, 13th September
Tuesday, 16th September
Wednesday, 17th September
Friday, 19th September
Saturday, 20th September
Tuesday, 23rd September
Wednesday, 24th September
Friday, 26th September
Saturday, 27th September
Tuesday, 30th September
October
Wednesday, 1st October
Breaking news. Kate Bush will do a string of live shows @ Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith, London. She never toured after The Tour of Life in 1979. Expect server outages and tons of frustration while trying to get tickets for these shows.
I am delighted to announce that we will be performing some live shows this coming August and September.Dates:
I hope you will be able to join us and I look forward to seeing you there.
We'll keep you updated with further news on the web site.
Meanwhile, all details of concert dates and tickets are in the note below.
Very best wishes,
Kate
August
Tuesday, 26th August
Wednesday, 27th August
Friday, 29th August
Saturday, 30th August
September
Tuesday, 2nd September
Wednesday, 3rd September
Friday, 5th September
Saturday, 6th September
Tuesday, 9th September
Wednesday, 10th September
Friday, 12th September
Saturday, 13th September
Tuesday, 16th September
Wednesday, 17th September
Friday, 19th September
Tickets will go on sale at 9.30 am (GMT) on the 28th March 2014 and will be available exclusively from eventim.co.uk, gigsandtours.com and ticketmaster.co.uk.
A huge Pink Floyd exposition will be open to the public in Milan (September 19 – October 19:
Fran Tomasi, Pink Floyd’s Italian promoter, has announced plans for ‘The Pink Floyd Exhibition – Their Mortal Remains’ which will open in Milan’s La Fabbrica Del Vapore on 19 September 2014. This vast and innovative exhibition will take the visitor on a surreal, multi-sensory journey through Pink Floyd’s extraordinary worlds, chronicling the music and art of Pink Floyd, from their debut album ‘The Piper At The Gates of Dawn’ to the present. The Pink Floyd Exhibition is the first international retrospective of one of the world’s most pioneering and influential bands and the active involvement and collaboration of the three band members in all planning aspects has been crucial to the execution of it.
Watch the Breslev Brothers (Arye & Gil) perform the Pink Floyd classic Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Filmed by Michael Cohen @ Zion Square, Jerusalem.
(thanks: slslbs)
Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Nick Mason on the dreaded emails that Pandora send out to musicians to cut their royalty rate even more. The big brass of Pandora can order their Lear jets ... From USA Today:
Musicians around the country are getting emails from Pandora – even directly from the company's charismatic founder Tim Westergren – asking them to "be part of a conversation" about the music business and sign a simple "letter of support" for Internet radio.
Sounds good. Who wouldn't want to be "part of a conversation"? Who doesn't support Internet radio? What scrooge would refuse to sign such a positive, pro-music statement? Of course, this letter doesn't say anything about an 85% artist pay cut. That would probably turn off most musicians who might consider signing on. All it says about royalties is "We are all fervent advocates for the fair treatment of artists." And the only hint of Pandora's real agenda is the innocent sounding line "We are also fervent supporters of internet radio and want more than anything for it to grow." The petition doesn't mention that Pandora is pushing the growth of its business directly at the expense of artists' paychecks.
Fine print is one thing. But a musician could read this "letter of support" a dozen times and hold it up to a funhouse mirror for good measure without realizing she was signing a call to cut her own royalties to pad Pandora's bottom line.
The new Kate Bush album 50 Words For Snow drops November 21 on her own label Fish People, distributed by EMI. It is her first album with new material since Aerial (2005).
“50 Words For Snow” will feature seven brand new tracks set against a background of falling snow. The total running time is 65 minutes.
Tracks:
Watch the Johanna and The Dusty Floor video for Cloudbusting, the Kate Bush classic. They stick close to the original, jazzing it up a little through lead singer's Johanna Cranitch gentle touch on the piano. The video was shot during her stay in Paris while working on her new album.
Live dates:
And once more the Pink Floyd albums get a remaster treatment. All 14 studio albums will be reissued in their original and expanded format.
Pink Floyd and EMI Music, whose association dates from 1967, announce a comprehensive release schedule, to be launched on September 26, 2011, encompassing CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, SACD, an array of digital formats, viral marketing, iPhone Apps and a brand-new single-album ‘Best Of’ collection.
Fans with deep pockets can opt for the "experience" and even more lavish "immersion" box set editions of The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall.
My first Top of the Pops I didn't want to do. I was terrified. I'd never done television before. Seeing the video afterwards was like watching myself die.
Kate Bush
