Babushka's Tale of the Red Shoes (The Red Shoes - Kate Bush)

Member Name: Nar2

Product:	The Red Shoes - Kate Bush
Date:	25/10/08 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A commercial collaboration featuring many other pop artists & celebrities, a few good songs

Disadvantages: Amidst a lot of poorly written and not particularly aspiring songs.

Kate Bush has always been a major influence in my musical life. Her voice and her music touch me where other musicians dare to go. So many different emotions and elements surround this singer when she sits down to write a song. She is best known to older generations of people as the lady who screeches her voice and dances around the moors looking for Heathcliff from Emily Bronte's book, "Wuthering Heights,". To younger generations, the phrases "ethereal" and "haunting" most spring to mind. Like her only number one single to date, "Wuthering Heights," (1978) was based on the book by Bronte, Kate chose to use elements displayed on her single "The Sensual World," (1989) where the lyrics themselves are based loosely around Molly Bloom's Speech from "Ulysses," by James Joyce.

Once again then, Kate Bush uses a literary source as the basis of her inspiration for 1993's album and quite a few years from 1985's "Hounds of Love," with the Greatest hits/"The Whole Story," sandwiched in between and "The Sensual World," album of 1989 which also gave the spring board for a folk trio of ladies from Bulgaria, simply known as "The Bulgarka Trio.". This time, "The Red Shoes," is based around the fairy tale from Hans Christian Andersen; the story of a girl with magical red shoes who ultimately cannot stop dancing because of the power that the shoes have themselves. The original take being that the shoes did dance all by themselves and even when the little girl who had worn these shoes had them cut off along with her feet, the shoes continued to dance.

By 1993, a lot had happened to the singer on many personal levels; her strong personal relationship with her bass player, Del Palmer had diminished although on professional levels he was still present for the engineering of this album and to play on the album itself. Another personal relationship for her of perhaps greater standing was the sudden loss of her mother. This album is therefore dedicated to her mum.

Tracklistings

1: Rubberband Girl

This song, the first single couldn't have been anything more than a strong message that Kate Bush had arisen from the ashes. Musically the song starts with a basic beat and just doesn't change its beat or style giving a strong Ska-Music style of brass, saxophones and a thumping steady bass line awash with Kate's crooning voice. Against this is a loop of music; a sequence which is constantly repeating itself whilst Bush sings about "bouncing back to life," and if you listen to some of the backing vocals towards the end of the song, you will hear an influence of Prince (or the Artist Formally Known As, Symbol) (he would eventually contribute the basis of a song on this very album) where the backing vocals are said rather than sung but made to appear as if they are actually being sung but in different speeds to combine the two together. It's a simple 1, 4, 5 chordal song which is totally not a song that I would have assumed Kate Bush could master without some kind of lush harmony and interesting vocal texture. Although Rubberband Girl charted well, it made a few listeners including myself stand back a bit; it certainly has a commercial mainstream quality about it despite Bush falling in modal scales to emphasize the character she is playing out in the song, reiterating words such as "a Rub-a-dub-a-dub...Rubberband Girl," and can therefore becomes boring to listen to. It's not so much as hypnotic but just frenetic and it's a song that although I am happy to listen to, I would have expected a little bit more. There is a brass quartet and a tenor saxophone added to show a little brassy, live atmosphere but ultimately it's over shone by this incessant beat from the drums.

The most interesting version of this song is a dance U.S mix released on the B-side of Kate's second single, "And So Is Love." I was quite surprised by this version as it's a disco like dance mix and shows that her voice is quite capable of releasing something as springy as this. This version is so much better than the extended remix of the song, which was released as a CD single and 12" - the editing is so poor that at times you can hear a slight time change when the first couple of bars are introduced and spliced into the original song. The song didn't chart very well either when it was released, sitting uneasy against fresher talent with bouncier songs and vibrant textures. Whilst this has no bearing on the actual song on the album it does show that for both versions including what you hear on the album, that Rubberband Girl has a slight weak structure to it and as a fan I can't help but wonder if this was a track that was written quickly to complete the album.


2. And So Is Love

Eric Clapton plays on this song but he never appears in the video which is a great shame because his guitar is dripping in sorrowful emotion. Again if you listen intently you will realise that this guitar solo has been pre-recorded and not recorded live with Kate Bush when she first recorded the song. It's a wonderful slow ballad but it is very sad to listen to, not just because of the darkness that this song gives out in terms of acoustics and lyrics, but also because of the fact that the real title of the song is "Life Is Sad and So Is Love." This was an expression that Kate had heard a man say and it touched her to write a song about it. Add to this Kate's own backing vocals and you begin to wish that Bush should really have just considered Clapton, her piano and her voice. Period. Apart from an incessant reverberant bass drum that has been recorded with added soft vibration characteristics, this song is a lot better than most on the album, but the other annoyance I hate about this song is the long drone of a synth pipe that begins at the start of the song and goes on until the song is about to finish. It's really present if you had added tweeters on your sound system and its an effect she could have done without. Thankfully in the style of most other songs written by Kate Bush, the drum does play off beats which adds some interest to the song and allows the effect of being alone come out. What makes it special?

Once again Kate's use of off beat rhythm adds interest against Kate's unfailing but sorrowful voice as she sings about a love that has become sad. It could well be a song written for her then ex boyfriend Del Palmer who doesn't play bass on this song.

As far as lyrical content goes, the words are very sparse and backing vocals come in whenever they are needed. Sometimes then this song doesn't come off the way it should - certainly if Kate had more intent to release something to show her hurting she could have elaborated more on the lyrics as well as the melody line. Sometimes this just comes out as very blunt, almost as if the singer is saying "deal with this."


3: Eat The Music

Perhaps Kate was having a joke at the time because apart from a silly title this is quite a good song to listen to. It's another 1, 4, 5 chordal song meaning that she doesn't play about with harmonic structures that has made most of her other albums successful and individual, but rather she strays to the point of doing just basic music line and interspersing it with some unusual instruments such as the Valiha, Kaboosy and crisp, stringed guitars. The song has a very Mexican, Spanish feel; perfect for dancing which also makes a preview in her film. It's a good song to work to, or even when you're driving. But when could you select a song by Kate Bush intended to be anything else when its only just pure music? The lyrics are romantic but they don't quite gel with the colour of this bright music. Of the words selected, she can by quite saucy at times as she croons:

"Split me Open, With Devotion
You Put Your Hands In
And Rip My Heart Out..."

and:

"Like a Pomegranate
Insides Out
All is revealed
Not only women bleed..."

Infact on closer revelation, Kate sings about a love of her man who identifies her needs as a woman, not just sexually perhaps but romantically, emotionally and the whole embodiment of being a woman. Using fruit as a metaphor for "a song of seeds, The food of love," she finishes the song stating to "Eat The Music." Ahhh! Her lyrics aren't that simple after all then!

This song's instrumental structure is really simple though, and perhaps it displays some enjoyment against the latter sad and painful "And So Is Love," song before it. I wish I could say that I love this song and that it brings me great emotion - but it doesn't. It's just a song that doesn't have that "wow" factor.


4: Moments of Pleasure

There are very few songs that Kate Bush has done recently with the use of just a piano and an orchestra. This is one of them. The first time I heard this song, I cried - I was just moved by the emotion of the words and the desperation in Kate's voice as she reiterates that "being alive can really hurt." This song displays all the people that she has lost in her lifetime not just the death of her mother. What appeals to me about this song, is just the simplicity of the song itself. There are no difficult bridges to get over, or indeed to get stuck by and the inclusion of just the piano and the orchestra together bring over and convey a sweetly written melody. The last song by Bush I had heard which made me feel sad was the beautiful 1978 hit "The Man With the Child in His Eyes." Orchestrations aren't massive by any detail although the use of a string orchestra is paramount and nothing else added other than some glinting use of the harp. Certain lyrics don't really make much sense unless you know what she is actually talking about. "Douglas Fairbanks," is a reference to the man that directed the original film of The Red Shoes. He died whilst Kate was making her rendition of the film and when she sings about "In a balcony in New York, " she tells the story of him waving his walking stick but in hindsight, he isn't fit physically. These little stories here and there in the lyrics are summed up in the chorus:

"Just being alive,
It can really hurt
And these moments given
are a gift from time...
Just let us try
to give these moments back
to those we love
to those who will survive."

At the end of this song Kate begins to say goodbye to all the people that she has lost in her lifetime, firstly beginning with her mother who left the saying "Every old sock meets an old shoe," as some meaningful saying to indicate the finality of everything, perhaps. It's a beautiful saying and one that I had not heard of before until I got this album. Even if you don't understand the specifics of this song, listen to Kate's voice as she turns this song into a masterpiece. Her voice is edgy, ethereal and melts at the ends of every line towards the chorus. This is one of my very favourite songs on the album but it is also the ONLY song on the album which has just a string orchestra and a piano with Kate singing on it.


5: The Song of Solomon

Here is one of the first songs on the album that features the excellent haunting voices of the Bulgarian folk trio, The Trio Bulgarka who were first featured on Kate's earlier album of 1989, "The Sensual World". The song is based loosely around the Biblical verse of Solomon. Kate doesn't often get spiritual but without being blasphemous she displays the simple regularity that a woman can get sick of love. She almost blows away the spiritual aspect by announcing that she "don't want your bullshit, yeah...'just want your sexuality," in the chorus.

It's a slow sad song but at the same time it's not really sad by the realism of the lyrics. The music appears to be sad with an acoustic guitar to play down its basic song structure against Kate's strong backing vocals and the Trio Bulgarka. Against a floaty accompaniment by electronic means, a reverberating effect which is used throughout the film, "The Line, The Cross & The Curve," more of a keyboard with some guitar interspersed through it, the song lifts after Kate announces that she will become different metaphors of women that have existed, as characters to consume love. Her voice is tinged with hurt as she uses the initial statement of the song to wanting the sexuality and not excuses.

What makes the song worth listening to? Not so much the electronic effects of supplying accompaniment but the strong polyphonic line of Kate's own backing vocals against her excited tinged tone of the solo vocal line. Add to this the sparkling Trio Bulgarka who don't really make much of an effort to come out, and they begin to sound like a strong band of women on hand to support the vocal line. Not just musically but physically identifying with the need to be understood. It only works on the level that the song's actual rhythm is slow - but that poor Trio don't get to shine much here - which is of great pity.


6: Lily

Lily is a spiritual medium that Kate knows in real life and also plays a cameo role in the film Kate arranged and wrote to supplement and promote The Red Shoes album. Unless you really know a lot about the film, and to some extent Angels you won't really be able to identify with this song. It's not so much about understanding as from the basics, Kate is using Lily as a support through her own anguish - possibly from the death of her mother, but the reason is unclear.

In the film, the song makes more sense as it is played when Kate has taken the red shoes to her own feet and she feels confused by its constant hypnotic self-effects. In the film, yes it makes sense because she recites the use of Angels to guide her through the difficult journey as the new Red Shoes girl. But if you haven't seen the film then let me explain a little here;

Kate is in a studio and is preparing to make a video for "Rubberband Girl." It is not like any Kate Bush video you may have seen because she acts a little, talking here and there after the song ends. She is dancing towards a mirror, like that of a dance studio and sees the narrator (and real life dance & mime instructor Lindsey Kemp) ushering her to go towards the mirror. She can see that if she looks closely enough there is a Red Shoes girl beyond the mirror. Therefore in the song, "Lily," she asks for spiritual assistance to literally perhaps lift her from the hell that she has got herself into. Lily uses the powers of Angels to help her spread her power, which is why a short prayer is said at the beginning of this song. If you know your Angels, then you will know that Kate refers to them sitting on the left and right hand sides of her, but in retrograde because she has gone through to another world, through the mirror. This is why Gabriel is before her and Raphael is behind her and with Michael to her right and Uriel to her left!

But then again as a listener you could well be in the band that I've joined in the last couple of years; this song is about as interesting as a bowl of cold, wet semolina. It suffers from too many "ugh's" that's have qualities from Annie Lennox rather than Kate and the song is ruined further by too many electric guitars and a thumping bass line. Infact the electric guitars that are present play in thirds between the verses and give off a grungy effect not really heard of since Kate wrote her 1982 turning point album, "The Dreaming." The fact that "Lily," was a song included on a freebie tape I bought with a women's magazine a couple of years ago says it all - its just one of those songs that pass you by - and certainly lets Kate down massively against the class of songs she has written before.


7: The Red Shoes

Like "The Jig of Life," from the Hounds of Love album (1985) Kate returns to her Irish roots here supplying another Irish jig. Here and more importantly is the title track for the film and the album. It's a poetic melody line as she uses Irish idioms such as crushed notes and penny whistles to supply an accompaniment against clear and springy fiddle music. I have always loved the song, but side for the lack of a proper drum kit, the song begins to take over on a life of its own. Kate wanted this song to be hypnotic and it certainly feels like this. Here she begins to live the life of the Red Shoes girl, as she finds the shoes are "dancing a dream and make the dream come true." Infact the chorus says it all:

"She gotta dance, she gotta dance
And she can't stop till them shoes come off...
These shoes do a kind of voodoo
They're gonna make her dance 'till her legs fall off...
Call a doctor, call a priest
They're gonna whip her up like a helicopter."

The song works if the main intention was to convey a hypnotic feel that never ends. The song was an actual single release that didn't chart too badly and it put the album firmly amongst the "alternative" brigade as this was the last song released from the album itself.


8: Top Of The City

"One More Step To the Top of the City," is how Kate begins this song with her piano. She remarks straight after that "We're just a couple of pigeons, living..." Right from the beginning, she sets the tone for this song, talking about a guy who has been seen with another girl. It could well be about her ex lover in her band. She uses the "Angel's shoulders," as an indication of it being the highest point in the city and with her ladder she can see just what he is up to! Perhaps the use of the Angel is to indicate a safe haven.

It is interesting to hear that the similar sound of the piano right from the beginning has a warning tone to it, and if you are a fan of Kate Bush, its very similar to the chords played at the beginning of "Wake The Witch," from "The Ninth Wave," on the Hounds of Love album (1985).

Thus, as Kate talks about watching lights going on and off "with her," you could get the distinct impression that the song has developed to that point when she first sings the chorus. Listen carefully to the bass line though and you'll realise that she gives more time to the player as he unravels his fingers on the strings allowing the bass guitar to have more of a melody line against the backlash of the strong accompaniment and the song.

The song isn't very interesting, not just because of the "ooh ahh," backing vocals that don't really change but because of the rhythmic idioms she has adopted to put a beat that sits uneasy with the song. It could have been a slow ballad but it some how doesn't work. A shame really.


9: Constellation Of The Heart

Like "The Big Sky," and "Love and Anger," these are some of the songs that I have loved over the years from Kate where she uses a strong male workforce of backing vocals behind her music, almost as if they are in a factory. This song uses similar elements, where she builds up voices and then uses the backing vocals to question and answer the soloist lyrically.

There's a funky electric guitar playing against a bass line that is constant but what becomes apparent rather immediately is the fact that she doesn't allow the drummer to elaborate much on the drums. Sometimes this can become monotonous, as the drum beat never changes. Perhaps Kate just wanted to write this to indicate and convey a constant rhythm of heart beats against the main subject of love.

"Constellation of the Heart," deals with running away from the pain of love at its most basic level. Kate sings again that "being alive can really hurt," and here in the song she would most rather run away towards the stars to escape the realism of human love and its effects.

Right at the beginning the strong backing chorus tell the story;

"We take all the telescopes
And we turn them inside out
And we point them away from the big sky
Put your eye right up to the lens, now
and here we'll find the constellation of the heart."

It couldn't be more obvious then that Kate has put this strong chorus of singers in to act like a protection. But she doesn't seem convinced which is why she adds the dialogue in the middle of the song where the chorus tell her that something is happening to her and that love has taken over.

Musically the song is poppy interspersing a hum drum beat against funky electric guitar and a keyboard which plays out the song and accompaniment. Listen out for Kate's voice as she cries out that she doesn't want to face love.


10: Big Stripey Lie

Those who have favoured Kate's wacky years and tunes that she has written displaying a ruthless kind of feel will adore Big Stripey Lie. Think "The Dreaming" meets the '90s and you will see a song that unashamedly throws up two fingers in the air to the critics. Here is a grungy hard nosed edge song, with Kate whining and throwing her voice about as if it's not supposed to fit with the harmonics of the song.

Sparse lyrics show that Kate doesn't want to hurt anyone and that she could be good for the person or elements. Listen out for the crying tones of Nigel Kennedy as he plays his violin through the song. I think it is supposed to be a sorrowful counter melody against the normal music in the song, which at times is chaotic with electric guitar coming in and out (played by Kate, herself) Think of the song from Mado Album version rating = 5/10. nna, called "Act of Contrition" and you have a similar b-side song here.


11: Why Should I Love You?

This is the song that most Kate Bush fans were eager to hear since they had heard that Prince was responsible for this song. As such the song is an arrangement by Prince and Kate together. The song begins with the haunted voices of The Trio Bulgarka singing out the basis of the song's chorus whilst Kate starts to sing words that would normally sit well on any Prince album, spelling out L.O.V.E with first letters of things that begin with these letters. As she sings about of all the people in the world, why should she love a person etc, the ears are treated to Kate's strong brass and woodwind section, largely reminiscent of "Eat The Music." The trouble is, that whilst there's a funky jazz organ supplying most of the accompaniment, the added brass do nothing for the overall sound, which at times feels overcrowded, not just with the brass and the organ but also with the backing vocals AND to make matters worse, Prince's pre-recorded vocals along with Kate's.

Kate's verses then resolve themselves to quieter moments, in this instance when the Trio Bulgarka swoon back in, which conveys softer moments and reflection in the artist's mind. Then as the chorus approaches Prince returns as well as the brass section.

The middle bridge of this song is interesting to explore as Lenny Henry makes a guest appearance, singing and repeating the same lyrics as the beginning. It could be someone else, but the guy genuinely has a nice voice! It doesn't rescue this song much and as a fan of Kate Bush, I was (and still am) severely disappointed by this song's structural foundations.

The hall marks of a song by Kate Bush are missing here. Slight energies of trying to cover guitar solos reminiscent of Prince for example are covered lightly by shimmering keyboards played by Kate but there is nothing here which stands out. Add to this a keyboard that stretches from speaker to speaker throughout the chorus towards the end and you'll hear a collaboration that has not really been that well thought out. Incidentally, this song is very similar to an outtake song called "Show Some Devotion," which appeared on the Rubberband Girl 4 track U.K single.


12: You're The One

This could well have been a song that Sarah McLaughlin or Dido could have written. Right from the start, Kate starts singing unaccompanied and gets accompanied by a warbled Hammond organ and a slow ballad beat with hi hat cymbals playing in off beats. The chorus doesn't take long to discover that she is singing about missing the love that she has lost and the person that makes her laugh and cry at the same time.

Kate asked Jeff Beck on this album as she loved it when he played guitar in the song, "A Whiter Shade of Pale." The addition of a heavy guitar coupled with the Trio Bulgarka and heart throbbing Hammond organ seems to work incredibly well. In respect to "A Whiter Shade of Pale," Kate includes the lyrical line "We tied ourselves in knots, doing cartwheels across the floor." Although basic, you get the feeling that all these crazy things out of love are the things and moments that she misses. It's an incredibly sad song but not enough I don't think to induce tears. The song really touches you on a lot of levels not just with the sensitive use of the Trio Bulgarka but with all the instruments used and Kate's sorrowful, almost pleading voice.



Kate's album was long overdue after 1989 when The Sensual World was released and this album was of her own doing, using artists such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Nigel Kennedy, Gary Brooker, Nick Kamen, Prince and of course The Trio Bulgarka to add flavour and incentive perhaps to show that she could cut the mustard above the rest of established artists. I think Kate is an established artist but I think she is also an Enigma. Lyrics at times may be literary based, whilst elements may also be influenced by stories and incidents. But to be honest with you, this is part of the panache that Kate Bush holds in her hand. It's just a little at a time with Kate as she invites you into her own world.

I miss older songs where orchestrations of mixing classical idiom with pop and awe inspiring effects tingle the hairs on the back of your neck and I miss her energies of making each song different with no relation to other songs music wise.

Yes there are some memorable moments and there are some sorrowful songs, but there is an energy lost which is abundantly clear on this album; the 2005 double album, "Aerial," brought Kate closer to the framework of originality than this album and indeed The Red Shoes is a must have for fans rather than those craving for another "Hounds of Love," credos - an album that tapped into more than just the Kate Bush fan. Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2008

The Red Shoes, released 1993.
Catalogue Number: 724382727729
Stock Number: CDEMD1047
Prices: £3-99 upwards to £13-99 available in most record shops such as HMV, Fopp, Woolworths and other mass sellers including online at Amazon.

A Music book is also available to buy which has been specifically written with Piano, Guitar and Percussion in mind.

Summary: The one album that sits outside the real realms of Kate Bush.