"Remastered Part 1" by KATE BUSH (November 2018 UK Parlophone/Fish People 7CD Box Set) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Gorgeous CD Audio, But The Presentation Is Functional, 

A Track Is Inexplicably Replaced, One Dropped 

and Sadly There's Naught New..."

I hate to burst people's bubble when it comes to someone as gloriously special as KATE BUSH - but on receiving this 'Remastered Part 1' box set today, day of release, Friday 16 November 2018 - I have to say that apart from the James Guthrie and Joel Plante Remasters of the seven stunning albums from 1978 to 1993 (this duo of Audio Engineers did all the Pink Floyd albums in 2011 to universal praise) - I'm massively underwhelmed.

Let’s be real about this. There is nothing new here - at all. These albums should have remastered decades ago and the new Fish People variants (her own label) offer only a tri-gatefold card sleeve with an 8-page booklet inside each that contains the lyrics, session credits, artwork and absolutely nothing else. The only words added are 'Remastered by James Guthrie and Joel Plante at Das Boot Recording' inside every one of the booklets (Doug Sax was also involved in "The Red Shoes"). The inside box 'two worlds' artwork is nice, the tri gatefolds pretty and each Fish People Logo Picture CD reflects the album artwork – but in truth not so you’d notice that much. There are no new photos - no essays - no history - no sense of place - and worse of course - having waited decades - there isn't a single outtake or unreleased anywhere.

To add paying insult to injury - the truly fantastic six extra tracks that accompanied the EMI "Hounds Of Love" CD Remaster issued in 1997 are AWOL - flicked over to justify and flesh out an extortionately expensive Part 2 disc presently clocking in at a whopping £95 for the CD variant when most of the albums are pennies on Amazon and don’t require remastering. Those Hounds 12" Remixes of Big Sky and Cloudbusting were utterly exceptional, as were the non-album often Acapella B-sides like "The Handsome Cabin Boy" and "My Lagan Love" - lifting an already amazing album into the stratosphere. Not here. On release, 1989’s "The Sensual World" had 10 tracks on vinyl LP but the MC and CD had 11 - the extra "Walk Straight Down The Middle" is also AWOL. When I bought the CD then it had 11 songs – not 10. The popular compilation/best of "The Whole Story" from 1986 had a new vocal for "Wuthering Heights" and a new single "Experiment IV" – perfect extras material, but again – missing. Even the single-page leaf that accompanies the box on the outside has no place to go once you remove the shrink-wrap – so it’s going to get wrecked on any shelving.

But these are as nothing to what will surely become a serious bone of contention – the reissue of her undisputed meisterwerk "Hounds Of Love". Whilst fans are going to flip for the audio on 11 songs (the best it's ever sounded and such a brilliant album that only grows as time passes) - "The Big Sky" (Track 3 on Side 1) has now been inexplicably changed from the original album cut of 4:41 minutes to a '7" Mix' of 4:34 minutes that has crucial vocals mixed out - so is fundamentally different. In fairness, it does say '7" Mix' on the rear artwork and on the CD label - but what it doesn't say is that (and this is amazingly sloppy) - somehow the audio quality has dropped. If I A/B the new cut with my Japanese version - there is a muffled sound on this 2018 version (like its in a bucket) that is immediately noticeable after the audio high of the "Hounds Of Love" album track that precedes it! And of course this intrusion fundamentally changes the listen and alters the artwork of an album so many fans adore (so much for meticulous).

So what is good after all that bellyache? The AUDIO - I’ve had the Japanese CD Masters of these first seven studio albums issued in 2005 in repro artwork – and these 2018 versions are a whole different ball game – subtle and powerful in equal measure. I cannot emphasise how deeply lovely these long-awaited remasters are – at times breathtaking – wonderful stereo imaging – a feel of the air around instruments and her vocals thrilling every few seconds. These lovingly mastered beauties have genuinely added huge dollops of clarity to everything, lifting up deep album gems like "Kite", "In Search Of Peter Pan", "Delius" and "Army Dreamers", "There Goes A Tenner" and "Night Of The Swallow", "And Dream Of Sheep" and "The Morning Fog", "Reaching Out" and "Never Be Mine", "Moments Of Pleasure" – and so many more. I had tears pouring down my face re-hearing them.

The first two albums had some trace elements of hiss – but even something as beautiful and delicate as "The Man With The Child In His Eyes" is handled so well. By the time she got to album three "Never For Ever" with Jon Kelly at the Production controls – the audio goes off the charts good and stays that way thereafter. That difficult fourth album "The Dreaming" now feels ripe for rediscovery too. And when you clap your weary ears on the title track to "The Sensual World" or the gorgeous and moving "This Woman’s Work" – you may be in line for a wee blub yourself (in the comfort of your own home of course).

Let's get to the individual disc details...

Inside the 7CD version of "Remastered – Part 1" by KATE BUSH on Parlophone/Fish People 0190295569006 (Barcode is the same) - you get...

1. "The Kick Inside" (February 1978, Debut Album)

Parlophone/Fish People 01902295568986 (13 Tracks, 43:16 minutes)

2. "Lionheart" (September 1978, Second Album)

Parlophone/Fish People 01902295568979 (10 Tracks, 37:02 minutes)

3. "Never For Ever" (September 1980, Third Album)

Parlophone/Fish People 01902295568962 (11 Tracks, 37:28 minutes)

4. "The Dreaming" (September 1982, Fourth Studio Album)

Parlophone/Fish People 01902295568955 (10 Tracks, 43:24 minutes)

5. "Hounds Of Love" (September 1985, Fifth Studio Album)

Parlophone/Fish People 01902295568948 (12 Tracks, 47:25 minutes)

6. "The Sensual World" (October 1989, Sixth Studio Album)

Parlophone/Fish People 01902295568931 (10 Tracks, 42:06 minutes)

7. "The Red Shoes" (November 1993, Seventh Studio Album)

Parlophone/Fish People 01902295568924 (12 Tracks, 55:03 minutes)

As you can no doubt tell from the opening paragraphs of this review (and having lived with it for a day now) – I'm conflicted over this reissue. Apart from the beautiful audio and whether its pretty or not - as a box set of celebration for an artist I've loved for over 40 years – I feel the presentation has missed a major trick here. Given the glory of the Audio – why oh why didn't someone think to up the presentation game for such a fantastic British artist?

When you think of the jaw-dropping hardback books contained in the first three BOWIE Box Sets also put out by Parlophone (each was a work of art, I've reviewed all three - "Five Years", "Who Can I Be Now" and "A New Career In A New Town") – the absence of anything here that expands on what these Kate Bush albums were about or their context in the musical landscape is unforgivable (most were groundbreaking, hugely influential and unique in their vision). I suppose you can accuse me of whining and whinging when I knew what I was buying, but it doesn't make my arguments any less relevant.

It will probably drop in price soon as we veer towards Christmas 2018 – but I'd advise that if you want say "Never For Ever" or "The Dreaming" - go for the individual CD reissues. Those buying the individual releases of "Hounds Of Love" and her equally wonderful "The Sensual World" should note that (audio aside) they are both comprised over previous CD issues (who knows but Parlophone may recall "Hounds" and fix that replacement song – a wait and see situation I’m afraid).

An improvement for sure across so much - but man when you think of what a wow (pun intended) it could have been and that poorer-audio replacement of a huge fan-fave song on her best ever album - it's a real let down. And until I win at the Lotto, I'll be avoiding shelling out on that unnecessarily overpriced 'Remastered Part 2' also...