313 Hello Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights

Chart  entered :  11  February  1978

Chart  peak : 1

Number  of  hits : 28

Another  artist  breaking  through  who  had  no  connection  to  punk  and  is  still  going  strong  although  I  think  you  could  fairly  say  Kate  is  held  in  somewhat  wider  affection  than  Geddy  and  the  boys.

Everyone  has  their  own  ideas  about  what  was  pop's  best  era  and  I  suspect  those  who  say  it  depends  more  on  your  age  than  the  quality  of  the  music  may  have  a  point. Still  for  what  it's  worth  my  "Golden  Age"  begins  with  this  record  reaching  number  one  and  ends  just  over  three  years  later   when  Ghost  Town  was  dethroned  by  Green  Door  and  the  chart  filled  up with  terrible  medley  records. It  does  rather  coincide  with  the  happiest  time  of  my  life  but  there  again  the  quality  of  the  music  around   was  a  part  of  that.

Kate  Bush  was  born  in  Kent  in  1958  into  an  impeccably  middle  class  family. Her  older  brothers  were  involved  in  the  local  folk  music  scene. She  began  writing  songs  at  her  piano  in  her  early  teens. At  16  she  made  a  demo  tape  which  came  to  the  attention  of  Pink  Floyd's  David  Gilmour  through  a  mutual  family  friend. He  liked  it  and  paid  for  some  of  the  tracks  to  be  recorded  more  professionally.  This  - or  possibly  Gilmour's  patronage -  got  her  a  deal  with  EMI  who , in  a  move  unthinkable  today  - allowed  her  a  two  year  nurture   period   to   finish  her  school  work  and  perfect   her  songs  and  presentation.  Towards  the  end  of  this  period  she  formed  a  band  the  K.T. Bush  Band  to  perform  some  of  her  songs  at  local  pubs.

EMI  persuaded  her  to  use  session  musicians  rather  than  her  mates   for  her  debut  album  "The  Kick  Inside  ".  It  was  completed  towards  the  end  of  1977. The  record  company  wanted  "James  and  the  Cold  Gun"  to  be  the  first  single  but  Kate  insisted  on  "Wuthering  Heights"  instead. It  was  originally  scheduled  for  release  in  November  1977  and  received  some  radio  play  as  a  result  but  then  got  postponed  as  EMI  coped  with  the  demand  for  Mull  of   Kintyre.  With  Kate  possessing  the  highly-prized  combination  of  big  breasts  and  a  slim  frame , the  single  was  promoted  by  the  famous  pink  leotard  shot  which  caused  numerous  minor  collisions  on  the  London  Underground.

Here's  the  Popular  take   Kate Bush