Kate Bush Album Poll: The Dreaming (1982)

I listened to this album twice tonight and I’m absolutely stunned by it. Bush called this her “I’ve gone mad record” and also said it was “angry”. There’s nothing like it in Bush’s discography nor has the music world ever heard anything quite like it either. It’s experimental, but this aspect of the album doesn’t deter one away from the heart of music, which I think reveals itself on repeated hearings. There’s so much going on in these pieces that it’s difficult to assimilate everything on an initial listen. This album takes time to unlock and I believe I finally ‘got it’ tonight. Despite the artistic freedom KB was experiencing, she was sure to not forget to provide the listener with plenty of melodies and hooks (yes, that’s right, I said hooks). If you’re into Eno, Krautrock, Peter Gabriel, late Talk Talk, etc., The Dreaming is the next logical step in the ascent into madness. But, seriously, I love this album more now then I did initially. A masterpiece without a doubt in my mind.

 

+ Peter Hammill

 

Did you even listen to the album? While I agree there is definitely some sound manipulation being done here and there, there are still plenty of instruments that sound like what they should sound like and not even sonically altered. The fretless bass (played courtesy of Eberhard Weber, but also Del Palmer) sounds like it should. The electric guitar work sounds like it should. The didgeridoo sounds like it should. The piano sounds like a piano...anyway, you get the point. I think it’s important to understand that the production was important to KB, but it was used only as a tool to reach a different soundscape. I think it’s quite clear that KB knew exactly what she was doing with The Dreaming and this is evident in every second on the album. If you can’t hear the greatness of the album or just don’t like it, that’s fine, but don’t say nonsense like she couldn’t 'see the forest for the trees’ when The Dreaming is still considered a landmark album of hers.

 

Solid effort from me, as I feel hounds of love is her masterpiece, couple of tracks on the dreaming don’t quite work for me , more experimental than great songs, but I will put night of the swallow in the masterpiece category- that’s a fantastic song

 

No, I've never actually listened to the album in the 36 years that I've owned it! Thanks for discounting my viewpoints as "nonsense".

 

You’ve never heard this album? Wow...thanks for stopping by!

 

Best album she made.

The insane Kate never reared her head after

 

Which is fine because I feel that Hounds Of Love and The Sensual World are masterpieces that came after the ‘madness’.

 

Interesting songs, but the record sounds awful.

Sometimes harshly bright, sometimes muddy.

I have an original emi Canadian pressing in mint condition.

Hope they fix the sonics in the upcoming reissue.

 

I don’t own the vinyl of it, but the CD (original EMI mastering) sounds great to these ears.

 

I was being sarcastic.

 

Enjoy a few tracks and fully support the experimentation, but it's not a personal favourite. Being Kate, it's still a very good album.

 

Sounds like an album of its time but a masterpiece on its own.

A lot of records from the 80’s have moved out from my collection but not this one.

 

The longest album of hers to 'get', but now I bask in its utter quirky brilliance.

 

Listened to it for the first time in what must be decades this week. It was only on the iPod dock while taking a long soak, but I'm now mightily intrigued. Once I'm past the funny voices (There Goes A Tenner) there's a whole sonic world in there to properly explore... so I've decided to dive in at the deep end and have ordered a new vinyl copy. Give it the kind of listen it deserves.

 

I actually love the sound of it on vinyl. I own a repress from 1993 (Special Markets pressing) and it sounds excellent and truly menacing, much more so than the CD.

 

I can't split Never For Ever thru to Hounds Of Love....
Each one is individually brilliant.
She never scaled these heights again.

 

Menacing? Interesting...

 

Bass-y, like a whole world of sound collapsing all around you. Fantastic.

 

Now I'm REALLY looking forward to it. I do like albums that become an immersive experience to listen to.

 

It's incredible - take your time, have a good seat and a nice drink, you'll have a blast!

 

In 83, my father came to my apartment to pick me up. We were playing The Dreaming when he showed up. His comment was that you must need to do drugs to like it.

 

And by doing so, they both managed to make albums that sounded like nothing that had come before, or since.

 

Thanks for the recommendation. I was aware of this book, but hadn't bothered to read it. I'm reading the latest Kindle edition (updated after Before the Dawn), and I love it.

 

One of my strongest memories of a reaction to a new recording. I remember picking this up a few days after release. Was familiar with and owned the albums preceding this one. Slit the plastic wrap, took out the sleeve and the vinyl, ah the new record smell, dropped the needle, the drums started, and I was stunned for the next 45 minutes. Just ...wow!