Kate Bush: Avant-Garde for Women

"¡Hey you, woman; listen to this, because you are a woman!"...

I can understand Wuthering Heights  would sound in the end like a drill (I was five then, but I can clearly remember every radio and TV broadcast playing it - and I live in Italy!), but you cannot say it's a bad song. It's a wonderful one, great harmonies, an impressive structure. By the way, some of Kate's best songs are duly hidden in her albums: the nightmare of "Get out of my house", the summer dream of "Delius", the allucinatory experience of "Waking the Witch"...

A thread on Kate... I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. When in September 2005 I discovered she would publish a new album I almost collapsed... Yes, I really like her, almost idolize her, so I cannot be objective. I have to arrange my thoughts a little before writing anything, so I'll come back tomorrow.

Asyte2c00 wrote: [QUOTE=Dick Heath]   As for Nico, I haven't listened to much of her output so i can't say.

Neither had I until I discovered the recently released Rhino Records double Nico' s The Frozen Borderline 1968-70. John Cale's production and musical contribution adds to the weirdness.

Dick Heath wrote: How does Kate Bush compare with Bjork or Nico?

andu wrote: blaughida wrote: I don't understand the preoccupation of people on this site with breaking down listening habits by gender.   All I see in this kind of thread are statements like "my ex-girlfriend doesn't like prog."  It's a rather basic concept that you can't generalize to an entire population based on one person!  And the idea that taste in music is closely linked to gender is just ridiculous--though I'm not going to deny that social norms often make it more difficult for girls to be exposed to and to explore certain types of music (and people on PA are certainly not helping to correct this by constantly stating that it's unusual for women to like prog).  There is no one reason that all women who listen to Kate Bush like her music, any more than every male Kate Bush fan would give the same reason if asked why they like her music. That's not happening because we prog-boys want to extend our understanding on  music, but because we need practical precepts on what to do when girls and prog are both in our lives and - as always - need to be reconciled; we wouldn't want to miss any of them (unfortunately, usually girls go while prog stays). So until the next time this situation occurs, we make scolastic debates on the issue.

Thanks for the honest explanation of your motives

But...I have yet to meet a boy around my age who tolerates any prog other than prog-metal (and they all vehemently deny any connection said music has to anything they consider "progressive rock," if they've heard the term, because, well, it's 2007 and that stuff's not cool, yo).  So should I make threads about how no young men like anything other than metal and rap, because that has generally been my experience?  I think certain people on PA are proof that's not true of all men born in the '80s or early '90s, and I should think the not-really-so-small contingent of women on PA might lead you to stop generalizing about every member of our sex (though you are of course welcome to complain about anyone you know with terribly unsophisticated taste in music).  More of my female friends than my male friends like Kate Bush and anything on this site that isn't metal; it all depends on who happens to be in your circle.

blaughida wrote: I don't understand the preoccupation of people on this site with breaking down listening habits by gender.   All I see in this kind of thread are statements like "my ex-girlfriend doesn't like prog."  It's a rather basic concept that you can't generalize to an entire population based on one person!  And the idea that taste in music is closely linked to gender is just ridiculous--though I'm not going to deny that social norms often make it more difficult for girls to be exposed to and to explore certain types of music (and people on PA are certainly not helping to correct this by constantly stating that it's unusual for women to like prog).  There is no one reason that all women who listen to Kate Bush like her music, any more than every male Kate Bush fan would give the same reason if asked why they like her music.

That's not happening because we prog-boys want to extend our understanding on  music, but because we need practical precepts on what to do when girls and prog are both in our lives and - as always - need to be reconciled; we wouldn't want to miss any of them (unfortunately, usually girls go while prog stays). So until the next time this situation occurs, we make scolastic debates on the issue.

I believe some of Kate Bushes's catalog is more inaccessible than some avant-garde.  Plus, her use of unconventioal meter and risque lyrical matter make produce a rather controversial, avant-garde image which is reflected within her music. 

blaughida wrote: I don't understand the preoccupation of people on this site with breaking down listening habits by gender.   All I see in this kind of thread are statements like "my ex-girlfriend doesn't like prog."  It's a rather basic concept that you can't generalize to an entire population based on one person!  And the idea that taste in music is closely linked to gender is just ridiculous--though I'm not going to deny that social norms often make it more difficult for girls to be exposed to and to explore certain types of music (and people on PA are certainly not helping to correct this by constantly stating that it's unusual for women to like prog).  There is no one reason that all women who listen to Kate Bush like her music, any more than every male Kate Bush fan would give the same reason if asked why they like her music.

Dont try and understand it. It's not that important. This was turning into more of a KB appreciation thread, anyway. We shouldn't generalise, you're right, but people are sharing their own experiences and not claiming to be applying these experiences to 'an entire population' as you claim.

richardh wrote: I started listening to Kate Bush because of the semi -orchestral musical arrangements. Wuthering Heights was very orginal for its time (1978) when the charts was full of new wave and dance music. She stood out from the crowd. Of all her albums The Dreaming and Hounds Of Love display her 'progressiveness' the best. Aerial is also excellent ,although there is nothing in her back catologue to be ashamed of!