Before The Dawn With Kate Bush To Get Digital Audio,CD, & LP Release In December

Flawless? No.

 

I agree. She's lost a little over the years, but I don't necessarily view that as a negative or a reason to reduce her performance on this set.

 

Of course not, my overall comment was simply that I wasn't connecting with the set. I completely respect the artist that she is and I'm a huge fan. I also understand that people are loving this set, but it's ok that I don't.

 

Yes it is!

 

No, it's not. You must conform your opinion to the majority here. There is no room for independent opinions.



(kidding)

 

Has any sleuth determined which shows all the tracks come from?

 

LOL...I'll get to work on that

 

I had the same reaction when I saw the show in London. I turned to the person next to me during the intermission and said I couldn't believe how great her voice sounded. I had heard bootlegs of the first couple dates and was a bit worried going into it. But my show was at the end of the run so maybe her voice/confidence grew stronger throughout the run?

 

I think the fact that she hasn't been touring for the past 30 years is one of the reasons why she still has such a good voice, even if she can't reach the really high notes any more.

 

It's not about reaching the really high notes anymore. She's aged, and most people's vocal range changes when they age. It's knowing how to use the new range that makes or breaks them.

 

And she's still very powerful.

 

I think that might be a good point about her voice benefitting from not touring, but then again I'm pretty sure she could have got away with a tour every 10 years before nstead of every 35 years (-: .

I dare say she has lost some of her range but I do believe that there was a conscious effort from Kate to expand and even change her singing range quite early on in her career. The high-pitched "Wuthering Heights" voice was starting to be viewed as a bit of a gimmick in the late 70's and I know I read an interview with her where she stated quite clearly that it was something she wanted to 'shake off'.

I love her voice now but do not put all of her change in vocal range down to either wear and tear or just aging. When was the last time she tried to sing like she did in the 70's anyway?

 

I just finished spinning the Audio Fidelity pressing of Hounds Of Love. As much as I love the album, I think her performances on the live album are mostly superior. I think she has matured and given these songs more emotional weight (and that's common as one gets older).

These aren't freshly exuberant rave-up style songs which require youth. These are deeper, thoughtful, rich, emotional songs, and she has more perspective now from which to sing them.

There are those who might lament that her voice has lost its angelic tone, or that the arrangements on the the original sound clearer, but I think the performances on the live album resonate more with me. I'm pulled in even more into the songs on the new live album. I loved listening to Hounds Of Love, but kept thinking that it missed the magical connection of directly connecting to her audience at the level she was clearly trying to do with the live show (and, again, this is from someone who didn't see it).

 

Agreed! I too have the marbled AF vinyl, and even though it sounds great, I think my go-to version for 'The Ninth Wave' has quite soon become the live set I only have on cd.

I'm not a big fan of live recordings and I it is not often that I can appreciate live material as good as regular albums, but there is just so much feeling and so much power in her performance.

 

I like the live set a lot on vinyl. Not having had the opportunity to jet over to London to catch her, this is the next best thing. Agree that the bass on the first slab is really heavy. I have the equipment to reproduce it, and it probably sounded the same live, but it's too much bass nevertheless. Happily they seemed to correct it as the album went on. I'm surprised they couldn't fix this in he mastering, though.

 

Kate has total control. Our Host has written of flying to England to get her approval on his mastering of Hounds of Love, if I'm not mistaken. The bass is there because she wants it there.

 

The second LP (Ninth Wave) may be one of the most enjoyable live performances I've ever heard. What a story, beautifully told and performed. Wow.

 

I am looking to get the vinyl LP version and just want to see if there is indeed a difference between the UK "Fish People" pressing and the US "Concord" version. Are both versions indeed pressed at Optimal and are the labels on the records the same? I would prefer the UK - Fish People version but would have to pay quite a bit more, somewhere I saw suggested that they are exactly the same it is just that the US version has a Concord sticker on the shrinkwrap- if this is the case I see no reason to pay more.

Anyone know for sure?

 

There is nothing about my copy, which I bought from Barnes and Noble, which suggests it was made in the US. The label says "Fish People". I'll check dead wax info later.

 

Hi Floyd, I posted all this info about US/UK versions earlier in this very thread. Here it all is again...And yes it's the same apart from the sticker. The below info is copied from Discogs listing and is accurate.

Notes
4 LP box set including 24-page booklet of liner notes, photographs and credits.

In loving memory of Ian Newton.

℗ 2016 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Noble & Brite Ltd. © 2016 Noble & Brite Ltd. This label copy
information is the subject of copyright protection. © 2016 Noble & Brite Ltd. Made in the E.U.

This version appears to have been sold and distributed in the United States under barcode 888072016583, which was done by placing a sticker over the original barcode. In turn, the United States version's hype sticker contains a Concord Records catalog number CRE00303. Copies purchased under that barcode in the United States do not appear to be a separate release, but simply contain different stickers on the outside of the shrink wrap.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

• Barcode: 0190295920166
• Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A, Etched): BG46276-01 A2 BG 0190295920166-A "V"
• Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B, Etched): BG46276-01 BA1 BG 0190295920166-B V
• Matrix / Runout (Runout Side C, Etched): BG46276-02 C1 BG 0190295920166-C V
• Matrix / Runout (Runout Side D, Etched): BG46276-02 D1 BG 0190295920166-D V
• Matrix / Runout (Runout Side E, Etched): BG46276-03 E1 BG 0190295920166-E V
• Matrix / Runout (Runout Side F, Etched): BG46276-03 F1 BG 0190295920166-F V
• Matrix / Runout (Runout Side G, Etched): BG46276-04 G1 BG 0190295920166-G V
• Matrix / Runout (Runout Side H, Etched): BG46276-04 H1 BG 0190295920166-H V
• Other (Sticker): 0190295920166
• Barcode (Sticker): 888072016583

Kate Bush - Before The Dawn »

 

The album is dedicated to Ian Newton. He was the monitor engineer for Before The Dawn, and convinced Kate that she and all the singers and musicians should be on in-ear monitors. That decision had as much to do with the exceptional quality of the recording as any single factor.

 

From Ian's obit in Front of House magazine:

 

I have regarded this release as a very special/important event, I already have the cd and today saw that the vinyl set had been reduced from $120AUD to $79.99 AUD, so of course muggins here just had to pick it up, I look forward to hearing it tonight along with a good Aussie Red...

 

So this has popped up on Amazon UK Before the dawn: Amazon.co.uk: Music »

Something is being released on 27th Feb, A CD that is £45? A Deluxe set?

 

It's listed as such.

Assuming that it's not a fluke of some sort, I'm salivating already, but again, taking apart the first word of this sentence, we find that…

…Amusingly enough, I had just been re-listening to the first couple of songs off the set…

I'm half tempted to Pre-Order without some sort of confirmation just in case it's limited and sells the allotment quickly. But, surely if the audio's done this well they would press a fair number, no…?