Hounds of Love by Kate Bush 1985

Never cared much for Kate Bush. Wuthering Heights her big first hit, drove me nuts. All the other stuff was too winsome and too freaky. Yes, she was gorgeous but I kept well away from her records. 

In 1985 I was in the UK and the big song was Don't Give Up with Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush duetting. I was already a big fan of Peter Gabriel and honestly I didn't mind that song. I happened to read an article on Kate Bush where she described learning new ways to write and record using techniques she had learnt from Peter Gabriel. In Tower records, Picadilly Circus. the morning I was to leave for home I tried to get some new cassettes to listen to on the long flight back to Australia. Picked up my usual retro stuff plus some modern alternative but on a whim I picked up Hounds of Love. The reviews were great.

Listened to my tapes on the Sony Walkman all the way and by the time I hit Perth there was only one cassette to go. I thought I'd give Kate a shot. The plane was empty so I stretched out, the sun streamed through the windows and the album just transported me. I was locked deep inside my headphones with Kate Bush. it was really magnificent. 

I've tried other Kate Bush albums purely because this is so good but they never reach the same level. This truly a one off for me.

Years later exploring the night sky just outside Chang Mai in Thailand a little worse for wear it and in a slightly altered state, it was the Hounds of Love cassette I reached for to provide the soundtrack. Great album.