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[tuneful-ramblings]

The Kick Inside - Kate Bush: Album Review

Release Date: 17th Feb 1978

Hello

And so it has begun. Welcome to Tuneful Ramblings, where I plan to review/discuss a wide variety of music, whether it’s music I’ve loved for years, something I’ve just discovered or something someone has requested me to review. Oh, and one last thing: There will be rambling. You have been warned. :)

What is it to me?

I’ve chosen to begin with one of my all time favourite albums by one of my all time favourite artists. There will probably be a fair amount of bias in this review, and I’m not sorry about it.

The Context

Picture the scene. It’s 1978, Britain. Things are okay, but something is missing and no one is quite sure why. Until… hark! A distant warbling can be heard over the rolling English countryside. It gets closer and closer until it lands amongst the mortals and suddenly, everything falls into place. For the first time, Kate Bush graces the speakers and screens of anyone brave enough to listen. And all across the land, everything is well.

The Tracks

1) Moving ‘Don’t think it over, it always takes you over’ The Kick Inside’s first track, Moving begins with 20 seconds of whale noises (because why the hell not?), establishing the somewhat meditative atmosphere of the album. I can’t name any other songs that start in this way. (Actually, I can, and I will in a minute.) Anyway, after those 20 seconds, the whale is upstaged by Bush’s famously high songbird-like call. Shockingly, she sings about movement in this song, apparently as a tribute to her mime instructor. It does have a kind of rhythm that makes me want to sway, so I guess she succeeded there. I’m no drummer, but I must say that the soft drumstick tapping and occasional quiet cymbal are pleasantly relaxing. Moving is not my top pick from the album, but I like it more each time I hear it. Ramble Rating: 8/10

2) The Saxophone Song ‘Of all the stars I’ve seen that shine so brightly, / I’ve never known or felt in myself so rightly’ The second song on the album begins with, you guessed it, more whale noises! It always strikes me how young and sprightly Bush’s voice sounds in this song. I can’t believe she was around my age when some of these songs were recorded (and I’m still fresh out of the womb). Honestly, I’m not entirely sure of the song’s meaning (and why should I be? I didn’t write the blinkin’ thing), but it’s the kind of tune that very easily gets stuck in my head. Long story short though, if you like the sounds of whales and saxophones, you’ll probably enjoy this one. Ramble Rating: 8/10

3) Strange Phenomena ‘You pick up a paper. You read a name. / You go out. It turns up again and again.’ Strange Phenomena explores the link between female energy and the universe, and the psychic powers women are said to gain around that time of the month. Previously to hearing this song, I wasn’t aware of this myth, and I’m not sure if I can testify in favour of it because I like to think I’m quite psychic all the time, regardless of the ‘phase of the moon’. Only quite psychic though, not enough to make a living out of it. But yes, as someone who experiences a lot of coincidences *cough* accurate premonitions *cough* in my every day life, the lyrics of this song speak to me. Ramble Rating: 8/10

4) Kite ‘I got no limbs, I’m like a feather on the wind / I’m not sure if I want to be up here at all’ I always assumed this song was simply about escapism but, upon revision, I’ve discovered it’s true that if you assume, you really do make an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’. With mention of Beelzebub and not knowing ‘how to get down’, I now theorize that Kite may revolve around being coerced to leave your life behind based on someone else’s promises and then regretting it. Or maybe not. I don’t know. Ramble Rating: 7/10

5) The Man with the Child in His Eyes ‘Maybe he doesn’t love me / I just took a trip on my love for him’ This beautiful song is almost a lullaby, rocking our inner children to sleep. Maybe our inner children can learn from our outer elders. Or maybe we can learn from others with inner children. Okay, I’m done. Ramble Rating: 9/10

6) Wuthering Heights ‘Too long I roam in the night / I’m coming back to his side, to put it right’  Wuthering Heights was Kate’s first big hit and is probably her most iconic track. Now, I don’t want to sound dramatic here, but this song changed my life. After rediscovering this video a couple of years ago, I fell in love with three things: Kate Bush, Noel Fielding and Emily Bronte’s novel, Wuthering Heights. I’m not going to bore you with the details, but, long story short, I can see many aspects of my life and creativity which have been influenced in some way by this holy trinity. For that, I am eternally grateful. Oh yes, and at some point, I taught myself the entire dance routine from Bush’s ‘red dress’ Wuthering Heights music video. No regrets. I’m sure it’ll come in handy one day… Ramble Rating: 10/10

7) James and the Cold Gun ‘You’re a coward James / You’re running away from humanity / You’re running out on reality’ I don’t know who James is, but this song is lit. Yep, I really did just say that. I don’t know how else to describe it. You just have to hear it for yourself. I dare you to listen to this song without tapping your foot. Ramble Rating: 9/10

8) Feel It ‘The glorious union, well, it could be love / Or it could be just lust but it will be fun’ Tracks 8, 9 and 10 appear to be a collection of songs about love. Feel It is a rather sensual song, and I’m not sure quite what to say about it. I do really like it though, and it’s certainly another earworm. Ramble Rating: 8/10

9) Oh to Be in Love ‘I could have been anyone / You could have been anyone’s dream’ As a friend of mine once said, Oh to Be in Love is a very theatrical song. I don’t know about you, but it makes me want to parade about doing some kind of improvise musical theatre routine (who am I kidding, that is what I do!). It also makes me want to be in love with someone who isn’t a fictional character portrayed by Colin Firth (or indeed, Colin Firth himself). But I suppose that’s a story for another day. Ramble Rating: 7/10

10) L'Amour Looks Something Like You ‘The thought of you sends me shivery / I’m dressed in lace, sailing down a black reverie’ This is another track which has grown on me over time. It is nice. I like it. Wow, my reviewing skills are second to none right now. (My apologies, it’s gone midnight, but I’m determined to get this post finished today, it’s been far too long in the making.) This song often catches me out because the little twinkle at the very beginning sounds a lot like Wuthering Heights. Ramble Rating: 8/10

11) Them Heavy People ‘I must work on my mind / For now I realize / Everyone of us has a heaven inside’ I think Them Heavy People is all about potential we all hold within us. This is something that I think many people forget, or lack confidence in, as I’ve always believed that half of succeeding at something is believing that you can do it. The song is also a bop. Ramble Rating: 8/10

12) Room for the Life ‘Like it or not, we were built tough / Because we’re woman’ I’m not entirely sure whether this song is a celebration of motherhood or of womanhood in general, but, regardless, it has a lovely, jaunty, reggae-ish beat, and stands out from the rest of the album, sound-wise. I recall a recent episode of BBC’s Pointless where one of the three questions in the final round was to try to guess a song from The Kick Inside that could be pointless (meaning that none of the people in the ‘survey’ had said it), and the lady answering seemed to have merged Room for the Life with Them Heavy People, resulting her answering with ‘Heavy Woman’. Oh how I did chuckle. Besides that, Room for the Life makes me feel that, although I don’t particularly want to have a baby, it’s nice to know that I can. Ramble Rating: 7/10

13) The Kick Inside ‘Your sister I was born. / You must lose me like an arrow, / Shot into the killer storm.’ And last, but certainly not least, we come to the title track, The Kick Inside. The first time I listened to this track, I thought it was all well and good, until I heard ‘Your sister I was born’, and, well, I was rather disturbed and taken aback. I knew there must have been some interesting meaning behind the song’s incestuous tone, so I headed straight to the Kate Bush Encyclopedia, to find that it was inspired by a traditional folk song called Lucy Wan. This is probably the saddest song on the album, as it is essentially a suicide note written by a woman who has become pregnant with her brother’s baby and feels she must kill herself to save his reputation. Ramble Rating: 10/10

And on that light-hearted note, we have reached the end of this journey. Don’t expect my future reviews to be quite this long. It is only because this is one of my favourite albums that I had so much to say about it. Do let me know what you think of The Kick Inside, and please leave any requests for music you would like me to review next. :)

OVERALL RAMBLE RATING FOR ‘THE KICK INSIDE’ ALBUM: 8.2/10

[shizukufangs]

tell me abt your p5 oc insert au :0000

under the cut bc its long

big time munch - 05/02/2017and maemi tatsuko is yosukes adoptive younger sister(yosuke voice: im gonna love the city kids w all my heart)and himiko watanabe (narukami in this au) is yus twin sisterphantom thief of jokes - 05/02/2017I have the one shot Jared I’m gonna send it??? To u so you can send it in when u wantbig time munch - 05/02/2017and souyo is canon, and kanji/rise/naoto is canon, and himiko is dating kanamiand THENloves yumi ozawa - 05/02/2017GOODbig time munch - 05/02/2017there’s the next gen au which is an extension of the brosuke auphantom thief of jokes - 05/02/2017ID DIE FOR THE NEXT GENbig time munch - 05/02/2017where akira is himiko and kanamis son and hikaru is his older brother and hikaru is sent to watch over akiraand ise is maemis daughter who both live in tokyoand no one is cis or hetphantom thief of jokes - 05/02/2017literally no one is hetIt gets gayer everydayloves yumi ozawa - 05/02/2017goodphantom thief of jokes - 05/02/2017Ok so,,, u know Himiko’s gotta get that persona right?So here’s some context before I send the one shot (which I need to revise)big time munch - 05/02/2017hey emmett can u send it i have to go into the storephantom thief of jokes - 05/02/2017She is pissed at Yu for some shitYeah I’m gonna agdjakakbig time munch - 05/02/2017imma get those poptartsphantom thief of jokes - 05/02/2017GET THOSE POPTARTSANYWAYS here take thisyu_narukami: Himiko, please talk to mefunko_pop_narukami has blocked you.yu_narukami; Himiko, Im sorry. I should have told you. Please let’s talk this out.funko_pop_narukami has blocked you.yu_narukami: please Himiko, I’m worried.funko_pop_narukami has blocked you.yu_narukami: Himiko where are you?funko_pop_narukami has blocked you.yu_narukami; himiko please answer mefunko_pop_narukami has blocked you.yu_narukami; im coming into your roomyu_narukami; himiko why is yiur door lockedfunko_pop_narukami has blocked you.yu_narukami: Himiko pleadefunko_pop_narukami has blocked you.yu_narukami: himiko tjis isnt funnt

Yu slammed his shoulder into the door. She must be really pissed, he reasoned, trying to control his shaky breathing. She must have been so pissed that she locked the door and didn’t let him in. It wouldn’t be the first time. Normally, she didn’t block him, but this was just different. He slammed his shoulder into the door again.

It didn’t open. No, it just hurt his shoulder and -oh fuck ouch- he regretted that. “Himiko, you’re in there, right? C'mon open up. This…” He swallowed. “I’m scared,” he finished. There was no reply. All he could hear was the rain pounding on the roof. “She’s in there,” he mumbled, kicking at the lock. “She has to be.”

It took a few kicks, but he broke through and…

Oh god, she wasn’t in there.

Why wasn’t she in there?

Her window was open, some rain splashing in from outside.

He took a tentative step into her room. Maybe, she was with friends, maybe she…

There was noise coming from his room.

A familiar laugh.

Himiko’s laugh.

Oh god please no.big time munch - 05/02/2017: )loves yumi ozawa - 05/02/2017OH NObig time munch - 05/02/2017: )phantom thief of jokes - 05/02/2017Ahdhjsa ok I have Maemi’s shadow tooloves yumi ozawa - 05/02/2017oHH NObig time munch - 05/02/2017YESYESSSS YES SEND ITbig time munch - 05/02/2017(also fun fact: maemi was camping when she went missing so everyone was even more panicked : ) )phantom thief of jokes - 05/02/2017“It’s a… kid’s room and…”

Maemi Tatsuko is sitting on a bed in the corner of the room. Her eyes are unfocused, like she’s seeing something they can’t. There’s a soft murmur in the back of the room, saying something Yu can’t quite make out. He thinks maybe she can understand it, and that’s why she’s near tears. Why she takes such slow cautious breaths. Why her hands shake ever so slightly. Yosuke’s the first one in behind him, and the first one to try and move her. She’s near catatonic as he talks to her. “Maemi-chan, c'mon, let’s-”

There’s a yelp from under the bed.

Yosuke stumbles back.

“The hell?” Kanji mumbles. The rest of the team is in the room now, crowding the small space. A small hand reaches out from under the bed, and Yosuke falls flat on his ass.

It’d be a lot funnier if a bloodied Maemi wasn’t crawling out from under the bed and bleeding out on the carpet.

“Big bro?” The other Maemi stands up abruptly, clutching at her side. Tears well in her eyes. “Big bro, it hurts so much, it hurts and hurts.” She looks younger than the Maemi on the bed, with rounder cheeks, and maybe even shorter.

She wipes at her eyes with her bloodied hand, smearing it on her face. “Please save me, help me. I can’t do it. I’m too weak and pathetic. I can’t save myself.”

Maemi shifts on the bed. “That’s not true. I’m not-” Her voice gives out, as she stands up to face herself. The other Maemi whips around, still crying. “So you’re strong? But you’re me and I’m so weak, I can’t save myself.” The other Maemi rambles on, “It’s always been someone else who did it, the police, Dad, big bro. I was never strong enough and I need someone to save me. I’m too wimpy, but are you strong?”Maemi shudders. “I can be, I will be,” she says finally. It’s determined, brave of her to say, but the shadow doesn’t stop quivering where she stands.

“Ive said that too and it’s always a lie, a big fat lie, and I’m useless, so useless. Big bro didn’t even tell me about this dangerous world he goes in.” Yosuke winces at her words. “And so I just need to admit how weak and pathetic and-”

The real Maemi’s hands are shaking, closed in tight fists, and she shouts at the top of her lungs. “Shut up! Shut up! You’re-” Himiko breaks in, yelling for her to shut up, to not say what she’s about to.

But it’s too late.

“You’re not me!”loves yumi ozawa - 05/02/2017OHwhy ARE YOU SO MEAN TO YOUR OCSphantom thief of jokes - 05/02/2017I don’t know but I just realized I have written mainly angst for this aubig time munch - 05/02/2017BECAUSE IT MAKES ME LESS MEAN TO MYSELFok that’s a liephantom thief of jokes - 05/02/2017The only other like completed story I have is Ise’s,,,,

(all writing is by @owlwyng and he made me cry)