Classical Composer Reacts to the Ninth Wave Suite (Kate Bush) | The Daily Doug (Episode 543)

[@enricopaoli1183]

We use the word masterpiece for many things we just like. This is a real masterpiece, a true work of Art, with a capital A. "Hello Earth" is pure beauty. Kate Bush is one of the greatest artists of modern times.

[@stephenhoman7963]

The greatest for me always was

[@soupdragon151]

I love this album so much I played it like non stop for a month its wonderful. That was 30 years ago and all this time I've been thinking "where are you all you people how can you not know about this amazing album?!" So glad she's finally getting a bit of attention.

[@ron88303]

She could do it all ... singer, songwriter, musician, dancer ... and do it with class. The only other songwriter comparable to her, in terms of range of topics, is the brilliant Al Stewart.

[@somebodytookmyname1]

“Hello Earth” touches me this way too. Gorgeous, reflective, layered. I don’t know who but Kate Bush could create such soul impacting music. If all of us could touch our potential like SHE DOES..

[@stephaniefield5524]

The GHOST IS HER SILLY. She's drowning. She does not go home, other than as a ghost. And the reason she got the Pink Floyd helicopter was because David Gilmore "discovered" her

[@philipmulville8218]

Sitting here listening to ‘And Dream of Sheep’ for the first time. About half way through I unexpectedly started crying. So beautiful.

[@gbsailing9436]

Only just recently???

[@erikliterature8162]

Me, too. All through this. I guess I needed a purge. It's been a while since I listened to this album. One of the all time best.

[@reesemorgan2259]

The Satanic voice in 'Waking the Witch' is Kate herself via a "delay". She told us in an interview a few years ago. She regretted not using an actor - but I think it came out great. There's a point in that song that genuinely frightened me. 'Under Ice' is quite scary, but 'Waking the Witch' has that moment after the whispering human voice, where the synthesisers go crazy. If you listen to that with headphones on and you don't know what's coming - you jump. I remember the first time I heard it in 1985 - it knocked my socks off. I always find it strange how music can _scare_ you. That album is timeless.

[@jasonbhollismusic7021]

How I wish I could experience hearing The Ninth Wave again for the first time. Intense, emotional, heartbreaking... Kate drags you into the story, down under the waves with her and you feel everything that her character goes through.

[@Kae6502]

[@soupdragon151]

Aye same its the one time I envy a robot being able to wipe your memory and hear the whole thing completely fresh all over again!

[@Chuckf66]

Beautifully said. I played this on repeat for roughly 36 hours when I bought it in 1985. I STILL find new things to love about this masterpiece 4 decades later. It was, and always will be, my favourite album. It's truly her magnum opus.

[@ruthpowis6291]

Yes! me too. It is like seeing an old friend after a ling time, the same but different. @@Chuckf66

[@jonburton4897]

Her music demands you to listen. It’s nearly forty years old but compared to the whining bunch of contemporary artists who seem to mainly be bothered about how bad their relationships have gone , in my humble opinion it bloody wonderful

[@ScottatHouseonaHill]

As a piece of music, Tthe Ninth Wave is one of the greatest accomplishments by a modern artist, period. I've listened to it probably a thousand times and it never fails to bring out strong emotions. I always knew you would be floored once you heard it, due to the power of the vocals. It's so wide-ranging and yet, it's sublime.

[@ScottatHouseonaHill]

Cloudbusting next!

[@l.maxtaylor5834]

Totally agree. One of the greatest pieces of recorded sound art ever.

[@harrisdack]

Same here, after nearly 40 years of listening it has never palled or go old.

[@sammj3248]

Absolutely that side of the album one of my favourites of all time...truly heartfelt!

[@gingerfreak01]

I was going to say this but didn't need to, your comment says it all. One of the finest sides of an album ever made.

[@jasonbhollismusic7021]

The use of Georgian folksong Tsintskaro in Hello Earth is truly haunting! If I remember correctly Kate wove it into the song after hearing it on the soundtrack for Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre. Herzog is credited with thanks on the album.

[@jori1]

It's been about two decades and I still remember where I was the first time I heard that Tsintskaro sample in Hello Earth. It really was a "I've never heard anything like this before" -moment that gave me chills then and now. Years later I was listening to a Hamlet Gonashvili album and it was crazy to unexpectedly hear it in a different context. I didn't know she found it through Herzog though!

[@glynlewis5512]

I first heard this when I was 14 years old. When Waking The Witch kicks, I thought that there was a fault with the CD - I took it out, and cleaned it - for ages I was convinced that there was something wrong. A bloody masterpiece.

[@mooshygirl]

I was so chill i was almost hypnotically induced listening this for the 1st time: when waking the witch erupted i shot up with a scream and shock but after 20 seconds there was the realization that i am hearing the greatest song ever!

[@philledwith8307]

OMG I can totally see/imagine that!! (I also started listening to KB when I was around 13, she was actually an alumni of my school (sort of, it was a girls CG and boys CG until you hit 6th form when they re-merged), but when I was 13 CD's had not been invented yet and tapes could not skip)

[@greghackenberg1209]

At the end of Hello Earth the whispered part: "Tiefer, tiefer, irgendwo in der Tiefe gibt es ein Licht." German for "Deeper, deeper, somewhere in the depth there is a light." Vocal is credited to Gabi Zangerl, a friend of Kate's, in the album notes. I think it is an important for the transition to Morning Fog.

[@mightyV444]

Being originally German, I was quite excited when I heard the "Tiefer, tiefer..." bit for the very first time, back then 😊

[@chrisb.2178]

​@@mightyV444 Same 😁

[@mightyV444]

@@chrisb.2178 - 😁👍

[@noheamike5036]

I've always said the progression through her first 5 albums is one of the clearest ever for any artist. The stunning debut, a good but clearly rushed follow-up, the 3rd album clearly finding her own feet and style, on the 4th seeing how far she can take her ideas and pushing them to the limits, and the 5th putting it all together - keeping the experimental and explorative aspects, but smoothing out the edges and making an extremely listenable and imaginative album that is still daring.

[@celiabarrett2107]

Thank you. I didn't know that. Although it's years since I listened to it.

[@K4neki_CNTP]

Next thing has to be her other suite: "A Sky of Honey". It's the second half of her 2006 album "Aerial" and I personally even prefer it to The Ninth Wave.

[@antoniocarlin5026]

Me too! Is her best WORK!!

[@hansmoerenhout]

Me too. Even better than 9th Wave. Both of them being high on my list of best music ever made. Sublime!

[@johnhaydock1577]

Yep Sky of Honey is an absolute masterpiece that transports me every time!

[@nikolanikolic1366]

Yes A Sky of Honey is glorious!

[@purplerose6965]

Aerial is a beautiful album.

[@henriktronstad7050]

Jig of life. She’s not visiting herself in the future. It’s her future self that visits her in the now, pleading to let her live… Very emotional. Also her future self has a lower singing voice, just like she actually has in her later work, like on the album “50 words for snow”. I find that unbelievable touching.

[@jamessommers8085]

Try a band called Nektar you will find it very interesting

[@jamessommers8085]

Remember the future

[@MobiusBandwidth]

@@jamessommers8085 I wrote a song called "remember the future" back in the mid 80s!

[@shivaunt71]

50 words was a wonderful album. Snowed in at Wheeler Street was gorgeous.

[@bobloblaw9679]

@@shivaunt71 i actually can't listen to the album because it makes me feel such strong emotions.

[@TerryT304]

RIP Del Palmer, an integral part of the Kate Bush sound.

[@judithweiss6727]

iirc he was her significant other for many years.

[@jamieyoung9392]

'The Morning Fog' is probably my favourite Kate Bush song. The singer is washed ashore, alive ('I kiss the ground'), reborn from water as the sun rises. It's very moving.

[@hughcdavies]

"The singer is washed ashore, alive ('I kiss the ground')" An excellent way to look at it

[@nealm6764]

and vowing to love the people in her life deeper.

[@Kairon111161]

@@nealm6764 Yes, those last lines -- "I'll kiss the ground, I'll tell my mother, I'll tell my father, I'll tell my lover, I'll tell my brothers, how much I love them" -- makes me cry just typing it.

[@9thedreaming9]

I bawl everytime. The whole concept of "I'm alive again and I'll tell everybody how much I love them", it's really very moving to me, It hits very close to home.

[@ethanwork764]

I was literally watching this on my phone while sitting in front of a lake. It’s one of the greatest things ever recorded

[@ijmanchester]

I was delighted that Kate chose to perform this live during her run at the Hammersmith Apollo, and even more delighted to be at one of the performances. A true genius and musical visionary and a wonderful way to mark International Women's Day...good choice, Doug!

[@albedo0point39]

Me too. I think as fans we always knew it was one of her greatest achievements… for her to choose to play it live in its entirety really validated that view.

[@noheamike5036]

I regret not selling my soul to attend one of those shows. I find the Before the Dawn live album to be spectacular. The pictures in the booklet are also stunning. Must of been spectacular. I know Kate doesn't like the videos of the show, but I would kill to see a video of it.

[@kevinkilner2388]

Me too Ian. Ninth Wave was the absolute highlight of the performance I saw (Fri 19 Sept)

[@glerp10000000000]

Me also....if one day Kate releases the live footage on video, the world will know she's even more of a visionary artist than it does now.

[@babayega1717]

WHAT WHAT?!?!?! Like...the hole thing one go, as it is on the record ? *WHAT*

[@kf9346]

I was introduced to Kate Bush when I was 10 with "Lionheart," and "The Ninth Wave" was an important part of my teenage years. It is a masterpiece and something I cannot interrupt--it must be listened to from start to finish. 40 years later, I still find new things in it and new meaning.

[@mattleppard1964]

Stunning. You really need to hear her Sea of Honey (side 2 of Aerial). It's 30 mins of pure bliss.

[@purplerose6965]

I absolutely agree, a truly beautiful piece of music .

[@hdebard]

yes!

[@AslansAngel1]

She was a freakin' pioneer-- a marvel, very masterful, a genius, very strange, ethereal, unearthly, soulful, pure magic. I was introduced to her music when I was in college by my best friend's childhood friend who was in his late teens and had a terminal illness. He absolutely loved her. He died suddenly before he turned 20. I can't listen to her and not flashback to spending time with him in his music studio, and him putting headphones on me and telling me to "just listen...close your eyes and just listen." This is 30 years later and I well up with tears.

[@rogerdale5451]

My favorite album is The Dreaming. I think it was not well accepted, but often challenging work, despite popularity with the GP, is the best. Nothing she did was bad. Nothing. She is an original...Astonishing vision and guts for an artist to conceive of, execute and deliver such powerful music, so much so as to risk non acceptance by the public. Parts of it are wrenching and ugly, such is life. We are in awe.

[@chrisdyre7049]

My brother told me that to turn people on to Late, not to start them with Sat In Your Lap, which is where I would start because I absolutely love The Dreaming. Still my favorite album of hers.

[@judithweiss6727]

me too. Also it's the first one I ever heard. I think "Night of the Swallow" was the first song of hers I ever heard, on a folk music show I used to listen to. Still one of my favorites.

[@kingoftadpoles]

Someone needs to be brave and do 'Get out of my house.'

[@charlesberton2581]

When I heard Running Up that Hill (A Deal with God) on MTV, and I knew right away she was special. So, this was the first Kate Bush album I bought, and it was in the year it was released, 1985. I bought all her other albums right away, and kept buying all her new releases. She's my favorite female artist. Thanks, Doug.

[@noheamike5036]

I remember the moment I heard Running up that Hill for the first time on MTV. I stopped what I was doing and had to listen and see who the artist was. It blew me away. When they showed Kate Bush at the end, I thought "isn't this the woman I saw on Saturday Night Live who sat on the piano and danced?" I'd been trying to see that video again since that first view, but never did and kind of forgot it. I've never forgotten since. Kate Bush and Hounds of Love are both top 3 artists and albums for me, and could easily be #1.

[@charlesberton2581]

@@noheamike5036 I used to watch Saturday Night Live in the 70s. I wonder if I saw that episode and forgot about it, or if I was just too young to appreciate it. But I doubt it. I probably just missed it because I did appreciate a lot of music that was way above my pay grade as a kid. I was told that when I was a baby, and I remember it as well, that I used to love "Those Were the Days" by Mary Hopkin. And I STILL love that song!

[@soupdragon151]

@@noheamike5036 That video is on YT somewhere or other, I've seen it

[@davidrauh8118]

Twenty years later she did another suite called A Sky of Honey which I really love. It's the second disc of a two CD set entitled Aerial. Please check that out, I highly recommend it.

[@LeeMichaelWalton]

I loved your response to Kate's work. It amazes me how many people miss Kate's esoteric background. She has been deeply involved in spiritual/esoteric practices for many years and this is evident in her work.

[@hdebard]

yes, being a witch knows a witch:-)

[@LeeMichaelWalton]

@@hdebard that’s right! 😉

[@chrisb.2178]

This is taken from the Kate Bush Enceclopedia about Hello Earth. Quote: The choral section, performed by the Richard Hickox Singers, is taken from a Georgian folk song called 'Zinzkaro' ('By The Spring'), which Kate heard performed by the Vocal Ensemble Gordela on the soundtrack of Werner Herzog's 1979 film Nosferatu The Vampyre. The lyric translates as: 'I was passing by the spring. There I met a beautiful woman with a jug on her shoulder. I spoke a word to her and she left, offended. I was passing by the spring.'

[@stpnwlf9]

Her records previous to Hounds of Love were all progressively more complex and better in terms writing, production, and performance - then came Hounds of Love which seemed to be the perfected Kate. Truly an outstanding record! Her work since has been excellent and, for the most part, high quality. With The Sensual World, she not only created a great record, but she showed outstanding videography skills, as well.

[@rk41gator]

In this, I can hear the influences of Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, and also Genesis. (I just now hear tell about the helicopter sound) Drifting between the major and minor keys to convey the lyrics. Touches of world music. But mostly I hear Kate Bush. She is so good at creating moods and mystical drama. What an amazing struggle. Her imagination is off the charts. Great deep dive. (no pun intended)

[@nealm6764]

"Watching you without me" as soon as it started I thought - "Peter Gabriel" influenced this.

[@jameswarner5809]

The simultaneous high downward and low upward string glide and resolve at the end of Hello Earth always gives me goosebumps.

[@mightyV444]

... and then she says in German, "Tiefer, tiefer... In der Tiefe gibt es ein Licht" - and I am originally German 😁

[@iluvatarTV]

That part gives me the chills every time. It was coming and I was yelling at the tv “Doug, STFU!”

[@mightyV444]

@@iluvatarTV - To be honest, there were _several_ such moments where I was thinking similar things 😅 Can't blame him for it during a very first listen, though. And I'm sure he'll listen to it again, too! 😊👍

[@Bullseyearchery]

The choir section in the song Hello Earth is from the film Nosferatu the Vampyre. The German lyrics at the end of the track says Deeper deeper Somewhere deep is there a light.

[@rk41gator]

Kate is a musical genius. Her lyrics are up there with Joni. 'Army Dreamers' (video) would be a good listen for our current world dilemma with Russia's obscene invasion of Ukraine.

[@katskillz]

and U.S./NATO's prior obscene provocation of Russia in the first place.

[@rk41gator]

@@katskillz Yes, democracy is an obscene provocation for Putin's Russia. Sad, but true. And so it is with power-hungry dictators.

[@EvoraGT430]

​@@katskillz Pathetic.

[@ron88303]

@@katskillz And Pootie will end up killing more Russians than had he sat back and waited for someone to invade. идиот. Not you; Pootie.

[@KartenberatungmitHerz66]

I listened to this album over and over again during a time, I was very very sick, my grandmother died and I suffered under depression. Everything was dark around me and I just wanted to leave this earth ... No album and music could better express my feelings at this time. Even 30 years back in time, listen to this songs brings me back in this time with a fingersnip..thank you for explaining the words and the meaning behind. So, my soul got the "message" even without understanding the words... now, I found my spiritual way and have trust in the universe and the live...at the and of "hello earth" she speaks German and saying " deeper, deeper, somewhere in the deepness there is a light".. and finally in my live I seeing the light again...

[@robertosfield]

For me the Ninth Wave cements Kate Bush as a genius. Every track is so different and innovative taking use through a harrowing journey through to a return to life with such emotional depth.

[@laurentco]

The Ninth Wave is pure genius. Truly amazing stuff! I listened to this album A TON when it first came out. Still one of my all-time favourite albums. It’s a shame you didn’t listen to it without breaks as one song flows into the next. I understand why you didn’t do it, but perhaps listen to it as a suite, uninterrupted in your own time. Kate is one of the greatest female artists in pop music, and she sits next to Joni Mitchell in the pantheon of female pop music singer-songwriters/artists. Honourable mention to Carol King.

[@Kairon111161]

I so agree -- was going to comment exactly the same thing -- listen to the whole suite without interruption -- it packs a wallop.

[@paulmason2126]

She is the greatest singer/songwriter/producer in pop music, men included.

[@howardanderin]

Damn! After all these years this still brings tears to my eyes when I hear it!

[@johnmavroudis2054]

If an artist can create music (or film... or a painting) and at the end of the experience, you're left with tears in your eyes... then that artist has wildly succeeded. My favorite piece of Kate Bush music ever ("The Ninth Wave"... although my favorite album is still "The Dreaming) with the words and music of "The Morning Fog" leaves me with tears in my eyes. A truly beautiful ending to a brilliantly harrowing journey.

[@spiritof6663]

Yes, "The Morning Fog" is tearjerkingly brilliant precisely because it is such a simple, humble denouement of the narrator's journey. I can understand why Doug might have been confused at first as he was probably expecting a more bombastic or intense climax, but those simple words "I'll tell my mother...I'll tell my father" as the joyful wordless chanting surrounds her never fails to bring a tear to my eye. Kate is an absolute wizard on this suite.

[@Kairon111161]

@@spiritof6663 Yes -- I am weeping now, as I always do whenever I hear the end of The Morning Fog and the Ninth Wave suite -- "I'll kiss the ground, I'll tell my mother, I'll tell my father, I'll tell my lover, I'll tell my brothers, how much I love them." How simple and how profound and how harrowing and yet so sweet.

[@TerriPhillips-xs1oz]

Woo Hoo he finally did it! I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as we do.

[@Amonhen-c90]

I have watched 1000’s of music reactions in recent years but this reaction is the absolute best, your reactions and expressions to this masterpiece is wonderful. Thank you.

[@zachary1966]

Kate is the best! The most talented female artist ever... first heard "Wuthering Heights" on the radio in 1978 when i was 12☺️

[@soupdragon151]

Same

[@ron88303]

Most talented? Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Aretha Franklin, along with a very few others. But Kate absolutely belongs in that tier.

[@ron88303]

I just changed my mind. I agree with you. She IS the top tier!

[@stoppropaganda2573]

Its hard to sit on the fence for this album. When it first came out, it drew me in and I still think its brilliant ... thanks Doug! Kate is what Kate wants as always and I'm surprised it took so long for any of her work to be appreciated in the states ... I guess it was worth the wait! 👍

[@oopswrongplanet4964]

For context, one needs to be familiar with The Ninth Wave painting by Ivan Aivazovsky. The title refers to an old sailing expression that describes a wave of incredible size that comes after a succession of incrementally larger waves. I believe the song uses this allegorically.

[@carolball5764]

Was this based on “Tennyson’s , The Idyll’s of the King ?

[@topherjn]

​@@carolball5764iirc a piece of that work by Tennyson is referenced in the liner notes. Ninth wave gathering half the deep etc

[@MikeTimbers]

how is Kate not already in the rock and roll hall of fame? please vote for her!

[@soupdragon151]

Crazy isn't it? But its a popularity contest only.

[@ron88303]

She's in my HOF, and has been since late 70's/early 80's.

[@petterv6604]

she is now

[@jeffjohnson2348]

The HOF is American nonesense. Meaningless. Kate Bush is a real Genius.@@petterv6604

[@wendyb5979]

She isnow

[@DavidTerrill]

Many thanks Doug, I've been waiting for you to take a listen to it. As one of those lucky enough to see her in her stage shows in 2014, I saw her do this whole suite live and there was a lot of imagery that came with that. Like many others here I've heard it for years and never tire of it - I'm drawn to its musical landscapes and the way she weaves in and out of them.

[@jameswarner5809]

The deep witchfinder's voice in Waking The Witch is Kate using a pitch altering effect on her voice.

[@nightsampler]

I thought it was her brother.

[@jameswarner5809]

@@nightsampler No, Paddy does the harmonic vocals on Under Ice.

[@soupdragon151]

@@nightsampler its definitely her I remember her saying it in an interview

[@leslieturner8276]

​@@soupdragon151 Yes, they tried a few other people as the voice of witch finder but couldn't better a tone shifted Kate.

[@planktonrecords]

A true genius that has influenced a lot of other artists. Always surprises and intrigues. A chameleon like artist in the same way Bowie was - but a lot less prolific and private letting her music speak for her, avoiding social media and all media and ‘show biz / celebrity’ culture

[@MobiusBandwidth]

Kate managed to keep the fact that she had a son a secret from the British press for years, much to their outrage! she deserves and award for that alone!

[@stevenseamus7308]

Great reaction Doug. Kate is simply one of the most innovative progressive artists since the late 70s. The suite is utterly spellbinding. So glad you enjoyed it. This has made me revisit it properly for the first time in years. Wearing cans for the experience and I'm hearing incidental things I missed back in the day. Would recommend another suite: An Endless Sky Of Honey from the extraordinary Ariel album.

[@ericbrunel8933]

Damn... I'm a huge, HUGE fan of this album, and particularly of this suite. The first song just started, two notes on the piano, Kate's voice: goosebumps...

[@feelingkevinly]

Thanks for reacting to this! I've heard this a million times and I learned things from you while watching along!

[@theuniversalmastermind]

Pure Genius on every Level. For me the most important Album and innovative Production ever recorded. She truly is in her own stratosphere of genius creativity

[@philledwith8307]

Thank you so much for covering this. As I mentioned in a comment below, KB is an alumnus of my old school (sort of), So I have some feel for her early musical exposure and know there was a strong classical component (and a religious one, it was a RC Grammar School). I've loved her work since I was a child and I know a lot about the background to the songs and the lyrics; but I lack the technical training to break down the music in this way, so it really helped enrich my feel for the suite.

[@jamesboyce4000]

I was fortunate to see Kate Bush live in 2014 and The Ninth Wave was played in it's entirety and it certainly was an experience to behold! Kate played 22 shows at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2014 her first live shows since 1979 and the whole thing was like Kate, unique and eccentric, by far the weirdest show I've been too but very fullfilling! The Dreaming from 1982 is probably her most eccentric and challenging record and I love it!

[@kf9346]

I always interpreted “Hello Earth” as Kate dying and her soul speeding away from Earth to wherever souls go… but then zoinked back in “Morning Fog” just before completely leaving this realm… “I am falling, like a stone…” here means falling back to Earth/back to life; where earlier in the suite it meant sinking beneath the waves to death.

[@chrisslade4302]

In my opinion this is one of the most underrated sides of a vinyl album. It's both experimental and beautiful at the same time. My favourite piece is Hello Earth. Fantastic. It could be two or three times as long, but it would never be long enough for me. They're all great though. The A side of the album contains 3 or 4 of the best singles of the 80's but the B side is better. Fantastic. Her voice is beautiful. I've loved this album since it came out, and every time I listen to it I love it more. Gorgeous.

[@pushpak]

Kate fans, don't forget to cast your votes to get her in the Rock HOF. You can vote once a day. She is currently 8th. Top 5 gets in.

[@chrisbarlow2131]

The term "Rock" really doesn't do her justice.

[@MrMondo-xf2ji]

The "Hall of Fame" doesn't deserve her.

[@arnowinter462]

"Official fan vote leaderboard" (2023-03-15): - George Michael - Cyndi Lauper -Warren Zevon Next after Soundgarden are Willie Nelson and Joy Division.... None of them belong to "Rock&Roll"... sorry... This vote is ridiculous....

[@jwaldhelm]

@@arnowinter462 Warren Zevon belongs.

[@2-facedsob756]

The HoF is bs commercial crap. Otherwise so many deserving talents would already have been acknowledged

[@kentmains7763]

Absolute masterpiece, her vocals on Hello Earth are just stunning.

[@carolball5764]

Fookin amazing album. Full stop!

[@kidmarine7329]

Bravo. Great reaction. Kate Bush is a genius and The Ninth Wave is a masterpiece.

[@hdebard]

in early times a criminal who was not redeemed, was put in a boat without ores, and pushed over the Ninth Wave, that was definite death or a miracle happening, and then is was meant to be that this person would have survived. That is what she refers to here, she knows her stuff very well.

[@mikebentley6200]

I got this album when it was first released. I quickly realised that this was her best material since her seminal album "The Kick Inside". The first side consists mainly of four very successful singles: "Running up that hill"; "Cloudbusting"; "Hounds of Love" and "The Big Sky", all great songs. Then came the wonderful second side subtitled "The Ninth Wave" which just blew me away. I have lost count of how many times I have sat (or lay in bed) in the dark with headphones on and no distractions and listened to this album. The emotions and wonderful sounds leave me astounded and I just sit (or lie) for long afterwards, taking it all in, just so many images going around in my head. Kate I love you.

[@jamesdignanmusic2765]

It's a bildungsroman. The choral work on "Hello Earth" gives me chills every time - they're singing a traditional Georgian (Caucasus) table song. Another Kate Bush song you really need to react to is the gorgeous "The Man with the Child in His Eyes", which has a stunning chord structure as well as being one of the most beautiful songs ever written. Doesn't surprise me about the Pink Floyd helicopter sounds - Kate and Dave Gilmour have been friends and working colleagues for years. And that "interesting bassline" on "Watching..." is by Danny Thompson, one of the world's best stand-up bass players. It always grates a little that "The jig of life" is a reel, not a jig!

[@MobiusBandwidth]

it's a reel, about a jig! :D listen if Kate says it's a jig, it's a jig.

[@autumnpendergast9151]

This is true genius at work. I love watching reactions to this album. I first bought it when I was 15. It gets deep into your soul after 36 years of listening to it. Layers and layers. Phenomenal.

[@222Vroom]

Lovely to see you react to an album which has moved me for nearly 37 years (and I'm "just" 50!). Try The Sensual World next!

[@andydatwork]

I'm watching this for the first time - I'm looking forward to Doug's reaction to "The Morning Fog" - the theme of rebirth and the recovery of hope always brings tears to my eyes.

[@cameracamera4415]

The last part is magical. You are (respectfully) applying a technician’s application to something joyful and life-affirming.

[@speakertx]

Other people have probably already mentioned it was that Kate made extensive use of the Fairlight CMI, both for the Hounds of Love / The Ninth Wave and for her previous album, The Dreaming. The section where you made the comment that it "sounded like she was on sprint" was actually Kate using the Fairlight to create a mixture of both a forward track and a reversed vocal chopped up together. Supposedly, there is. hidden message in there, although I don't think I've ever heard a definitive answer as to what it is. Also, much of the church bells, and other sounds were all sampled into the Fairlight. When I first read about her using the Pink Floyd helicopter, I was blown away, because I always thought she had copied it as an homage, but it turned out she actually used the original recording - I do think she did some processing on it with the Fairlight as I think the tempo is slightly different than Another Brick In The Wall. The helicopter sound here always blows me away in how it emerges from the background, but grows and assumes a pulsating rhythmical vamp that both definitely ends Waking The Witch, but segues and sets the stage for Jig of Life. Also, I don't know if others have mentioned it, but Kate has one other suite that you should listen to - A Sky of Honey, which is the second disc of her double album Ariel. It is of the same caliber composition - ie Genius +++ and is a journey through a summer's day. Also, you should check out The Dreaming mentioned above. Here is a link to a *great* fan-produced video of one of the songs on A Sky of Honey, Nocturn. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHjNgZKkfbOeiJY "We stand at the Atlantic We become panoramic"

[@davidrauh8118]

I forgot to mention my favorite pieces are the Jig of Life and The Morning Fog. Both of which can be played independently outside of the suite in my opinion. Only wish that the Morning Fog was longer. I just love it's brightness and jauntiness for lack of a better term.

[@ingekjetilbratset8839]

Great reaction Doug. How lucky you are to be hearing this music for the first time. I have been following Kate since her debut i 1978 (I was 13 yo). Hounds of love was far ahead of it's time when it was released 1985, and it still is today. I was lucky to hear both Hounds of love and A sky of honey in London in 2014, during her Before the dawn concerts. Without doubt the greatest concert I have ever witnessed. Finally, the next song you must react to is Cloudbusting, also from Hounds of love.

[@Titus9508]

What an image, a young girl skating alone across the ice while a huge submarine passes silently beneath, written at the height of the cold war. So chilling.

[@urbandiscount]

LOL

[@mikebentley6200]

As always, you manage to take on a album I have always loved, then added yet further meaning and appreciation. Thank you.

[@yancyduncan]

Bravo... Top notch analysis, you nailed it. I'm happy you recognize it for what it truly is: A song Cycle.

[@feedingravens]

"something under ice - moving" - and you hear the one sound we all associate with something moving under ice - the sonar ping of a submarine.

[@LynneConnolly]

I love her music. Sometimes I don't really get it on first listen, but I know she's got me, so listening to it again is always a given.

[@barbaraanneneale3674]

Thank. You for translating those 2 lines. I've never quite been able to catch them.

[@leslieturner8276]

A brilliant review of the simply fantastic "The Ninth Wave" from an iconic album which is the perfect mix of the commercial on one side and the more experimental "The Ninth Wave" on the other. This album was recorded in a professional recording studio built in a barn in the back garden of her parents house in South East London. "Honds Of Love" is the 2nd one were Kate was the sole producer and the 3rd one were the Fairlight CMI makes an appearance (Kate was introduced to the Fairlight when she worked with Peter Gabriel providing backing vocals on two tracks on his self titled 3rd album). I would like to suggest that you listen to the previous studio album "The Dreaming", the first one when she was the sole producer, I think that you find it interesting 😀

[@howardmellor5483]

Doug that was an impeccable reaction. Thank you.

[@mightyV444]

My Big Sister had bought the 'Hounds Of Love' LP back in the day, and when borrowing it from her and asking her opinion on it, she said, "Side A is great! And it has all the hits on it, too! 😃 But Side B is just plain weird! 😳", LOL! 😄 I think it was through 'The Ninth Wave' that I discovered that I actually quite _enjoy_ weird Music, too! 😄 I also fell asleep one evening while listening to it, and it triggered some veeery strange but also very cool dreams 😁

[@smca6094]

Fascinating breakdown, particularly enlightening with your recourse to Kate in interview. Having first heard this album when it was originally released and numerous times subsequently I'm always astonished by her utterly unique sound. Truly one of the greatest artists of contemporary music .

[@matthewridley4652]

This is a really interesting watch. I was 13 when this album was released and I was utterly transfixed by The Ninth Wave.

[@philmus1]

No it's the Shipping Forecast on BBC Radio 4 Longwave which twice a day issues weather information to ships in sea areas such as Dogger and German Bite around the coast of Britain

[@charlesberton2581]

Wow! This is going to be great, Doug, and I didn't even watch it yet. Thank you!

[@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095]

Utterly Astonishing. This is one of her best pieces after _The Dreaming._ I am amazed you never listened to her before you started this channel. You should really get all her CDs, or at least make a playlist of all her songs, in order, and listen to the whole lot. For your next review, please do _"Get Out of My House"_ from _"The Dreaming"._ You will be amazed. {:o:O:}

[@Lola_Santoro]

As big of a following/fanbase that Kate Bush has, I wish more people understood how incredible her music is. I was a 19yr old metal head when this album came out, but I was already a Kate Bush fan. "The Hounds of Love" (and especially the Ninth Wave) have always been in the top 5 of my favorite albums. In fact, Kate's "The Dreaming", is also probably in the top 5. And, I'm still a metal head. lol

[@An_Cat_Dubh]

A masterpiece. Funnily enough, the recordings that you have listened to previously really do NOT cover the range of material that KB produced in her heyday. Much of her earlier music is both quirky and fantastical, with interesting, concise song structures (that you don't get much sense of from "Running Up that Hill" or "This Woman's Work", as great as they are).

[@mightyV444]

'An Cat Dubh' also is a great song! 😀 It had popped into my mind only the other day! 😊

[@soupdragon151]

A black cat? Lol

[@mightyV444]

@@soupdragon151 - Yup! 😊

[@SuperThaidave]

I remember waiting for the record shop to stock this at its initial release. The Ninth Wave has been one of my my favourite pieces of music since that day back in 1985. Beautiful, mysterious, original and unique this is Kate's finest moment in my view. Sublime. Thanks for doing justice to it.

[@eikeharnischeh]

The choir section is Tsintskaro by Hamlet Gonashvili from Georgia. Werner Herzog used this song for his remake of NOSFERATU with Klaus Kinski.

[@DanielHeikalo]

This magnificent album was a huge popular hit! Can you imagine anything like this happening now?

[@soupdragon151]

It was a huge hit everywhere except the US sadly. Her third no. 1 album in the UK alone

[@pauloconnor5254]

The Jig of Life musicians included John Sheahan (one of the mainstays of The Dubliners - seminal Irish Folk / Ballad group) & Liam O Flynn (Irish Folk revivalist group, Planxty), which roots this song firmly in the "Irish" traditional music camp!!!

[@JKThom-59]

It was so fun watching you recognize this womans brilliance! I learned something about that suite. Fascinating when her note choices match lyrical mood. So nice to see her brilliance recognized in the US more. Thank you for insights.

[@harrynac6017]

Thank you for taking us on a ride. I hadn't heard this for a long time, and was surprised that I knew it so well. Luckily there was nobody here to witness my singalong.

[@novianovioTV]

Many thanks. The classical station here in the UK, Radio Three, also looked at this in October 2023, again, in the song cycle tradition. It suffered from cramming it into less than 15 minutes, with snippets of the music, which weren’t long enough, especially for newcomers to the whole piece. I am glad that you played the whole thing.

[@donaldolson4125]

I have probably listened to this album as much as any of my top 20 albums... hundreds of time. I never realized that side 2 was a suite of songs. I have watched many of your episodes and this one was the most enlightening (for me) of all that I have seen. I feel closer to the music. I enjoy your episodes and this one really solidified my interest in the rest of them. Thank you for sharing. Keep on keeping on.

[@stevedenning4928]

Thank you. I have loved the Ninth Wave since the eighties but it has always been a solo secret. Now I get to share how magical this suite is. Thank you.

[@pauloneill4728]

Brilliant video 👏. Love your reviews. I also like how Kate side steps the cliche of a big grand finish with a beautiful simple song instead.

[@MarcMartino]

Music is about what you're feeling at the time. It doesn't have to be complicated, it just has to be felt enough to be put into music. And that's an amazing thing that makes all our lives better! Life without music would suck!

[@brettlowton6961]

I used to scare the hell out of myself by putting my headphones on, switching the light off and listening to 'The Ninth Wave' in total darkness. Even after 38 years of first hearing it, this suite still blows me away.

[@henriktronstad7050]

A recommendation is her duet with sir Elton of her song Snowed in at Wheeler Street. Glorious ❤️

[@mightyV444]

Speaking of Elton, I'd heard Kate's version of 'Rocketman' years before his original! 😁

[@onsesejoo2605]

Kate Bush used the then state of the art Fairlight sampler synthesiser to create and manipulate sounds, including her own voice.

[@warrenbridges1891]

onsese joo Named after the Sydney Harbour ferry Fairlight, which was named after a northern Sydney harbourside suburb. We used to stop into Fairlight on the way to Manly Beach.

[@quistunes]

Missed the beginning. The 9th Wave changed my life. 💙

[@hilmarkoerner2603]

with the beautiful double bass by Eberhard Weber on "watching you without me", goose bumps....those deep gloomy bends. And the almost talking double bass on "morning fog" "deeper, deeper, somewhere in the deep is a light"

[@speakertx]

@Doug, the choir elements of Hello Earth are an arrangement of a Georgian folk song. On her next album, The Sensual World (and the next one as well,) she collaborated wth the Trio Bulgarka. If you have not heard Bulgarian folk music, I think you would be blown away bt it.

[@jonathanpoole5316]

It's really Communist corrupted pseudo folk music, it's what Communism does. It destroys the old and replaces it with a facsimile. The voices of The Mystery Bulgare and The Trio Bulgarka are incredible, as you might expect from the World's oldest existing all-womens' choir, but the significance is lost to history because of sick gangsters following a creed of pure evil. The greatest opponent of this after Solzhenitsyn, the amazing MILAN KUNDERA, made famous by the equally amazing and unfortunately late PHILIP KAUFMAN, describes the system employed by this shit culture of nonsense peddlars in great detail in his epic novel "The Joke". Every human that values freedom should make this the next book they read. Slava Ukraine!

[@kojionkong7058]

I cannot express you how grateful i am by taking a moment to hear your reaction on this suite. Real story : 86, an older friend of mine just press the play on his walkman and put his headphones on my ears making me to listen to "Under Ice". This is a 2'19" piece. The next day, i went to the music shop and bought all Kate's albums (and as you know, that was a time you had to commit to artists, as albums were not free). I never regretted eating potatoes and pastas for the next three months :) In the next part, the Helicopter sound is used by kind permission of Pink Floyd (as stated in the credits) at the exact moment you hear the voice saying : "Get out of the Water(s)".

[@lukedavis8212]

So glad you chose this song. Her singles are great but this suite is a whole new level of writing and production.

[@uncletom618]

Thanks so much Douglas! That’s was fabulous!

[@rockandrollpaddy]

Great reaction, thanks. You must listen to Cloudbusting, last track on side 1. And watch the video, it's amazing!