"...Be Kind To My Mistakes..."
As a lifetime KB fan and having waded through all 4CDs of this odd caveat addition to last years two Remastered Box Sets – in all honesty I can't quite work out if "The Other Sides" is genius, exploitive knob or somewhere firmly in-between. But like so many of the devoted who've waited far too long for this kind of anthology - I'm probably going to settle for door number three - somewhere in-between. Unfortunately like last year's much-anticipated Kate Bush Remasters – it also has some niggling let downs too...
First
up the hardback book is disappointingly slight and from the playing times I've
provided below it doesn’t take a Mensa Membership Card to work out that the
music could easily have been put onto 2CDs without ruining the play lists and
thereby halving its rather nasty overpriced cost.
It
also seems that despite the review I did for the "Remastered Part 1"
Box Set of seven albums (and many others too have said the same thing) - no one
in camp KB or Fish People (her label) has picked up on the 'packaging' thing.
This dullard looking release has four CD pouches in-between the hard-card book
sleeve each with a photo we've seen before (two are the same) and the barest
discography info on the rear of each slot. This is NO BOOKLET and absolutely no
history as to where the tracks came from - across 4 discs! Bluntly you'll learn
more from this review than you will from this pricey release. Then there are
the typos - "Organon Mix" is misspelled as 'Orgonon' -
"Experiment IV" was released in October 1986 and not a year earlier
in 1985 - even the sticker on the front cover has the wrong reference number on
it - type in its 0190295920173 supposed catalogue number and you'll be brought
to the 2016 "Before The Dawn" live set (the correct number is
0190295568887) - making you wonder who proof-reads these releases.
Those
moans aside, what does save things is the overall musical quality - 12"
Mixes, B-sides and Cover Versions - some ordinary flipside fodder for sure, but
others that are utterly magical and there's even one unreleased cut from her
first recording sessions in 1975 with Pink Floyd's David Gilmour watching over
proceedings - "Humming" on Disc 3. And the discs are themed too and
very cleverly so, the 34-tracks running together as if they were four individual
album plays that mostly work. Shame this retrospective is also missing those
'instrumental' B-side versions of "Running Up That Hill" and
"The Sensual World" that fans have been after on digital for decades.
But on the upside it has the tasty 2018 James Guthrie and Joel Plante Remasters
(the duo of Audio Engineers who handled the Pink Floyd reissues) - very clean
and fulsome. And musically, even die-hard KB space cadets will have forgotten
just how good some of these soft-underbelly stragglers are. Let's get to the
Experiments (XXX) IV...
UK
released Friday, 8 March 2019 (15 March 2019 in the USA) - "The Other
Sides" by KATE BUSH on Fish People 0190295568887 (Barcode 0190295568887)
is a 4CD, 34-Track Themed Book Set of Rarities compiled from and using the 2018 James
Guthrie and Joel Plante Remasters. It plays out as follows:
Disc
1 - 12" Mixes (30:43 minutes):
1.
Running up That Hill (A Deal With God) (12" Mix) - August 1985 UK 12"
single on EMI 12KB 1, A-side
2.
The Big Sky (Meteorological Mix) - April 1986 UK 12" single on EMI 12KB 4,
A-side
3.
Cloudbusting (The Organon Mix) - October 1985 UK 12" single on EMI 12KB 2,
A-side
4.
Hounds Of Love (Alternative Mix) - February 1986 UK 12" single on EMI 12KB
3, A-side
5.
Experiment IV (Extended Mix) - October 1986 UK 12" single on EMI 12KB 5,
A-side
Disc
2 - The Other Side 1 (36:57 minutes):
1.
Walk Straight Down The Middle - September 1989 UK CD single on EMI CDEM 102,
Non-Album B-side to "The Sensual World"
2.
You Want Alchemy - April 1994 UK CD single on EMI CDEMS 316, Non-Album B-side
to "The Red Shoes"
3.
Be Kind To My Mistakes - November 1989 UK CD single on EMI CDEM 119, Non-Album
B-side to "This Woman's Work"
4.
Lyra - Exclusive to the 2007 Soundtrack Album to the film "The Golden
Compass", UK Decca 478 0207, features the Choristers of Magdalen College
Choir, Oxford
5.
Under The Ivy - August 1985 UK 12" single on EMI 12KB 1, one of two
Non-Album B-sides on "Running Up That Hill..."
6.
Experiment IV - Exclusive track from the October 1986 Best Of compilation LP
"The Whole Story" on EMI KBTV 1 (Nigel Kennedy plays Violin) - was
also a UK 7" single in October 1986 on EMI KB 5, A-side
7.
Ne T'Enfuis Pas - November 1982 UK 7" single on EMI 5350, Non-Album B-side
to "There Goes A Tenner"
8.
Un Baiser D'Enfant - July 1983 French 7" single on EMI 50999 1 65152 7,
Non-Album B-side to "Ne T'Enfuis Pas (Remix)"
9.
Burning Bridge - October 1985 UK 12" single on EMI 12KB 2, one of two
Non-Album B-sides on "Cloudbusting (The Organon Mix") - the other is
"My Lagan Love" which is Track 4 on Disc 4
10.
Running up That Hill (A Deal With God) 2012 Remix - Originally Promo-Only CD-R
for the London 2012 Olympics, officially issued April 2013 as a UK/Europe
10" Picture Disc on Fish People FPSPD004 with "Walk Straight Down The
Middle" (Track 1 on this Disc) as its B-side
Disc
3 - The Other Side 2 (32:28 minutes):
1.
Home For Christmas - November 1993 UK 12" single on EMI 12EMP 297,
Non-Album B-side to "Moments Of Pleasure"
2.
One Last Look Around The House Before We Go - February 1990 UK CD single on EMI
CDEM 134, Non-Album Instrumental B-side to "Love And Anger"
3.
I'm Still Waiting - November 1989 UK CD single on EMI CDEM 119, one of two
Non-Album B-sides to "This Woman's Work" - the other is "Be Kind
To My Mistakes" - Track 3 on Disc 2
4.
Warm And Soothing - November 1980 UK 7" single on EMI EMI 5121, Non-Album
B-side to "December Will Be Magic Again" - for A-side see Track 9 on
this disc
5.
Show A Little Devotion - November 1993 UK CD single on EMI CDEM 297, Non-Album
B-side to "Moments Of Pleasure"
6.
Passing Through Air - recorded 1975 and Produced by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour,
first released September 1980 as a UK 7" single on EMI EMI 5106, Non-Album
B-side to "Army Dreamers"
7.
Humming - recorded 1975, Previously Unreleased
8.
Ran Tan Waltz - June 1980 UK 7" single on EMI EMI 5085, Non-Album B-side
to "Babooshka"
9.
December Will Be Magic Again - November 1980 UK 7" single on EMI EMI 5121,
Non-Album B-side to "December Will Be Magic Again" - for A-side see
Track 9 on this disc
10.
Wuthering Heights (New Vocal) - Second Exclusive track from the October 1986
Best Of compilation LP "The Whole Story" on EMI KBTV 1 (the other is
Track 6 on Disc 2) - was also one of the B-sides to "Experiment IV"
UK 12" single released October 1986 on EMI 12KB 5
Disc
4 - In Others' Words (32:28 minutes):
1.
Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long, Long Time) - Elton John cover,
December 1991 UK CD single on Mercury TRICD 2 (Davey Spillane on the Uilleann
Pipes), paired with "Candle In The Wind" as a double A-side,
"Rocket Man" was also featured on the 1991 "Two Rooms" EJ
tribute compilation album on Mercury Records
2.
Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye cover, October 2009 UK CD single on EMI CDEM 674,
Non-Album B-side to "King Of The Mountain"
3.
Mna na hEireann - Traditional Irish ballad, translated as 'Women of Ireland',
the track is exclusive to the May 1996 CD compilation "Common Ground -
Voices Of Modern Irish Music" on EMI Premier PRMTVCD 1
4.
My Lagan Love - Traditional Irish ballad, October 1985 UK 12" single on
EMI 12KB 2, one of two Non-Album B-sides on "Cloudbusting (The Organon
Mix)" - the other is "Burning Bridge" which is Track 9 on Disc 2
5.
The Man I Love - Gershwin cover
6.
Brazil (Sam Lowry's First Dream) - recorded 1985 for the Terry Gilliam movie
"Brazil", released February 1993
7.
The Handsome Cabin Boy - Traditional Irish ballad, February 1986 UK 12"
single on EMI 12KB 3, one of two Non-Album B-sides, the other "Jig Of
Life" is not featured here
8.
Lord Of The Reedy River - Donovan cover, June 1981 UK 7" single on EMI EMI
5201, Non-Album B-side to "Sat In Your Lap"
9.
Candle In The Wind – Elton John cover - see Track 1 on Disc 4
AUDIO
- it could just be me but the sound on Disc 1 (which is essentially a
"Hounds Of Love" extravaganza plus one) is weirdly off - like it
lacks oomph - not like the album remasters which I reviewed in 2018. It could
just be aging lugs, but there's a slightly muffled feel to them and I can't
hear that Guthrie or Plante have improved much here. Not the same for the other
3 discs which sound just glorious - beautifully done and really clean. You
wouldn't think the covers disc "In Others' Words" would make much of
a listen but the combo of the EJ tracks and the Irish/Scottish ballads beside
that Gershwin tune make for such a gorgeous listen - even if I never want to
hear that "Sexual Healing" abomination ever again.
The
new 1975 unreleased recording of "Humming" with Kate at a piano is
professionally recorded (not dodgy demo quality), but is only mildly
interesting in my opinion. I'd forgotten how moving songs like "I'm Still
Waiting" and "Burning Bridge" are - and those early 7"
single B-sides too. It's interesting that they've used the 1983 remix of the French
language song "Un Baiser D'Enfant" (The Infant Kiss) rather than the
untouched 1982 version. And absolutely everything around the magical
"Hounds Of Love" album just reeks of brilliance – 12” mixes, B-sides
etc.
To
sum up - fans will have to own it and the uninitiated will have much to
discover. Just wish it had a stronger impact for an artist of such import.
"Be
Kind To My Mistakes" - Kate Bush asked of us in 1989. And if these are her
throwaways, her lesser efforts, her brawler bits and bobs - well damn they’re
good - and the fab lady's in my prayers with a wallop...
