Published on Jul 21, 2022
This is where it all started.
Kate Bush was 19 when The Kick Inside was released. Discovered by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, she had spent two years recording, refining, and polishing these songs; she was a prodigy who had begun writing songs at age 11. Her band for Kick was a hand-picked group of musicians who had worked together before, seeing as they were members of the Alan Parsons Project (drummer Stuart Elliott, guitarist Ian Bairnson, and producer Andrew Powell). And when it hit the streets, it hit hard and made a splash; the debut single, “Wuthering Heights,” spent four weeks at #1 in the UK, and was the first self-written song by a female artist to reach that hallowed height.
Yes, I hear you asking, but is the album any good?
The answer is yes, mostly. Kick has its moments of excessive whimsy, and probably could have used a little trimming; out of the 13 songs on the CD, two are unnecessary baggage. But damn it, the woman was nineteen. At that age, it was probably questionable if I was sober and in my right mind. (Those who say I have never been in my right mind probably have a point. But I digress.)
Breaking it down, “Wuthering Heights,” “Moving,” and “Them Heavy People” are solid. “Room For The Life” should be a feminist anthem, and “The Kick Inside” is a heartbreaking story about brother/sister incest. (Yes, I said that. Yes, it’s true. No, I’m not that weird.) Bush handles sensuality and sexuality with astonishing maturity on “L’Amour Looks Something Like You” and “Feel It.”
Frankly, however, I can do without “Kite” and “Strange Phenomena.” These two tracks seem oddly slipshod, especially on the vocals; it feels like perhaps Bush wasn’t as invested in these.
And then there’s “The Man With The Child In His Eyes.” If I had to listen to one Kate Bush song for the rest of my life, this gentle and thoughtful ballad might be it.
Is The Kick Inside perfect? No. Does it have the seeds of her future greatness? Definitely. And come on, people, the woman was nineteen…