Description
2023 reissue, 12″ LP, Fish People. ‘Raspberry beret’ colored vinyl.
One of the most crucial art-pop records of all time, ‘Hounds of Love’ was British legend Kate Bush’s fifth studio album, her most commercial and most daring. “It was just a lot of work” Bush laughed on an interview with Richard Skinner in 1992, explaining the sudden resistance she felt following her polarising ‘The Dreaming’, the first album she also produced. Despite the fear, the pressure and the workload, ‘Hounds of Love’ is, without question, her most beloved, opening with one of the most treasured songs of the 20th century, ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)’ that has been revived time and time again in the soundtracks of TV shows like ‘Pose’ and ‘Stranger Things’. Steadily approaching its 40th anniversary, there’s still so much to this record beyond its singles. The latter half of the album contains a concept mini-album, the ‘Ninth Wave’, a narrative suite of songs based on the Ivan Alvazovsky painting of the same name. It follows the psyche of a woman who is stranded in the ocean, confronted by the ghosts of her past, present and future. I could go on about this album forever, truly, and its constant relevance in the zeitgeist is a testament to the lasting power of these songs. This is the first time this record has been released in over 10 years, featuring the Fish People remastering on a purple 180gm vinyl, an obi strip tied over a spot finish sleeve. – Juno
