Lionheart was the first of her albums that I got. Hounds of Love had just been released but Lionheart was the cheapest in the shop and I could afford it on my pocket money. It’s a lovely little album. I think it gets slated a lot because Kate herself isn’t keen on it - it was rushed and she had arguments with producer Andrew Powell (she got an “Assisted by Kate” production credit but you can imagine he didn’t take to this 20-year-old telling him how to do his job!). It must have been difficult - her life had changed, she was still promoting her first album and then EMI whisked her off to France to record the second. Plus only three songs were newly-written. However, in 1989, Kate did reflect on Lionheart and said, “Considering how quickly we made it it's a bloody good album, but I'm not really happy with it".
I’m re-reading the ‘Under The Ivy’ biography at the moment. In addition to this spurring me to seek out the demo recordings from the 70s/80s that are frequently referred to in the book, one thing that has depressed me tonight is how the author laments Kate’s lack of live re-arrangements of her songs (due to her stage-phobia*), and what a travesty and a loss to the universe this is. One such performance that is mentioned, as a teaser of what could have been, is this one of ‘Breathing’: Chills. *I know it’s more complicated than that, but you know what I mean…
Lionheart is the masculine (in it's many forms) equivalent (and gayest!) of the feminine The Kick Inside. I love it. I love this recent interview Elton John gave, he spoke at length about Kate...
My physical therapist gave me some homework today: dance to at least one song every evening. I just did the full routine for Wuthering Heights in our living room and feel alive
A Coral Room just came by on my iPod. Over 16 years have past since Aerial's release, man, does time fly or what? I remember listening with happy tears in my eyes when King of the Mountain was first played on the radio....
And 10 years now since her last studio album too. Not far off the 12 year gap between The Red Shoes and Aerial.
Aerial is such a joy and a return-to-form after some of the… less-effective production choices scattered across parts of The Sensual World and The Red Shoes. Even though some of the songs are an acquired taste (‘Pi’ and ‘Bertie’ I’m looking at you), they’re still saved somewhat because they just sound nice. It wouldn’t be fair to hold up ‘A Sea Of Honey’ with Side 1 of Hounds Of Love because, really, nothing compares. But ‘A Sky Of Honey’ certainly holds its own against ‘The Ninth Wave’. Speaking of a new album… I wouldn’t complain about another song suite like the ones just mentioned.
