I had always liked Kate Bush but never enough to buy a complete LP of material so I was part of the target market for the Greatest Hits upto 1986 album. I was never fond of the early promotion of Kate Bush and the emphasise on her dance performances and exaggerated wierdness, which also led to a few parodies by comedians of the time. I wished they had just comcentrated on the music.
There are several outstanding songs here. I've always thought "The Hounds Of Love", "Running Up That Hill" and "Army Dreamers" to be amongst some of the most innovative and original songs ever written. The cover of "The Hounds Of Love" by post punk band the Futureheads achieves almost the impossible by being even more innovative !
There is also, of course,"Wuthering Heights", which here has a new vocal, less screechy than the original...... After all, who hasn't murdered "Wuthering Heights" at a Karaoke after a few beers too many ? Probably just me then !
Unfortunately this compliation was released three years before the beautiful "This Women's Work", which is another highlight in the Kate Bush discography, so it's obviously not included. However, "The Man With The Child In His Eyes" and "Breathing" are in a not too disimilar vane. "Babooshka" is perhaps the most straightforward song, but it is great nonetheless.
Even with the songs I don't particularly like, such as "Cloudbursting" and "Wow" and I can still recognise the uniqueness of the writing, pushing musical boundaries into to new and uncharted areas.
The less good "The Dreaming" is intentionally similar to "Sun Arise" and I believe Rolf Harris actually played on the recording. I've always though "Sat In Your Lap" and "Experiment IV" to be dross though..........
Track Listing :
1. Wurthering Heights ( 1977 - No 1 )
2. Cloudbusting ( 1985 - No 20 )
3. The Man With The Child In His Eyes ( 1978 - No : 6 )
4. Breathing ( 1980 - No 16 )
5. Wow ( 1979 - No : 4 )
6. The Hounds Of Love ( 1985 - No : 18 )
7. Running Up That Hill ( 1985 - No : 3 )
8. Army Dreamers ( 1980 - No 16 )
9. Sat In Your Lap ( 1981 - No 11 )
10. Experiment IV ( 1986 - No 23 )
11. The Dreaming ( 1982 - No 48 )
12. Babooshka ( 1980 - No 5 )
Released : 1986
UK Chart Position : 1
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