Aerial (album)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Aerial'' is the eighth album by English singer-songwriter and musician
Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...
. It was released as a
double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...
in 2005, twelve years after her 1993 album '' The Red Shoes''.


Overview

''Aerial'' was Bush's first double album, was released after a twelve-year absence from the music industry during which Bush devoted her time to family and the raising of her son, Bertie. The anticipation leading up to the album's release was immense, with press articles devoted to Bush being printed months, even years before. Like Bush's previous album, ''The Red Shoes'', ''Aerial'' does not feature a cover photograph of Bush, but rather one that is emblematic of the album's celebration of sky, sea, and birdsong. The cover image, which seems to show a mountain range at sunset reflected on the sea is in fact a
waveform In electronics, acoustics, and related fields, the waveform of a signal is the shape of its graph as a function of time, independent of its time and magnitude scales and of any displacement in time.David Crecraft, David Gorham, ''Electronic ...
of a blackbird song superimposed over a glowing photograph. ''Aerial'' is one of Bush's most critically acclaimed albums. Musically, the album is a multi-layered work, incorporating elements of
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...
,
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
, classical,
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
,
flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
, and rock. As with 1985's ''
Hounds of Love ''Hounds of Love'' is the fifth studio album by English musician Kate Bush, released on 16 September 1985 by EMI Records. It was a commercial success and marked a return to the public eye for Bush after the relatively low sales of her previous ...
'', the album is divided into two thematically distinct collections. The first disc, subtitled ''A Sea of Honey'', features a set of unrelated songs including the hit single " King of the Mountain", a Renaissance-style ode to her son Albert "Bertie" McIntosh performed with period instruments, and a song based on the story of
Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= ’an daʁk} ; 1412 β€“ 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of OrlΓ©ans and her insistence on the coronati ...
named "Joanni". In the song "\pi", Bush sings the number to its 78th decimal place, then from its 101st to its 137th decimal place. The piano and vocal piece "A Coral Room", dealing with the loss of Bush's mother and the passage of time, was hailed by critics as "stunning" in its simplicity, "profoundly moving" and as "one of the most beautiful" pieces Bush has ever recorded. The second disc, subtitled ''A Sky of Honey'', consists of a single piece of music reveling in the experience of outdoor adventures on a single summer day, beginning in the morning and ending twenty-four hours later with the next sunrise. The songs are saturated with the presence of
birdsong Bird vocalization includes both bird calls and bird songs. In non-technical use, bird songs are the bird sounds that are melodious to the human ear. In ornithology and birding, songs (relatively complex vocalizations) are distinguished by func ...
, and all refer to the sky and sunlight, with the sea also featuring as an important element. Beginning with blackbirds singing in the dawn chorus, a
woodpigeon The common wood pigeon or common woodpigeon (''Columba palumbus''), also known as simply wood pigeon, wood-pigeon or woodpigeon, is a large species in the dove and pigeon family (Columbidae), native to the western Palearctic. It belongs to the g ...
cooing, solo piano, and Bush's son saying, "Mummy, Daddy, the day is full of birds," the piece begins with an early morning awakening to a beautiful day of sun shining "like the light in Italy"; it proceeds through a visit with a painter who is working on a new piece of pavement art ("An Architect's Dream" and "The Painter's Link") and then passes on to a crimson "Sunset". The interlude "Aerial Tal", consists of Bush imitating various samples of birdsong, while "Somewhere in Between" celebrates the ambiguous nature of dusk. "Nocturn", features a pair of lovers bathing in the sea after dark under a star-studded "diamond sky". The song cycle ends with "Aerial" and its euphoric welcome of the following morning's sunrise with the refrain "I need to get up on the roof...in the sun." In the album's initial release, ''A Sky of Honey'' features
Rolf Harris Rolf Harris (born 30 March 1930) is an Australian entertainer whose career has encompassed work as a musician, singer-songwriter, composer, comedian, actor, painter and television personality. He often used unusual instruments in his performan ...
playing the didgeridoo and providing vocals on "An Architect's Dream" and "The Painter's Link". Following Harris' 2014 conviction for
indecent assault Indecent assault is an offence of aggravated assault in some common law-based jurisdictions. It is characterised as a sex crime and has significant overlap with offences referred to as sexual assault. England and Wales Indecent assault was a broad ...
, his vocals were replaced on the 2018 remaster with new recordings by McIntosh. Other guest artists include
Peter Erskine Peter Erskine (born June 5, 1954) is an American jazz drummer who was a member of the jazz fusion groups Weather Report and Steps Ahead. Early life and education Erskine was born in Somers Point, New Jersey, U.S. He began playing the drum ...
,
Eberhard Weber Eberhard Weber (born 22 January 1940, in Stuttgart, Germany) is a German double bassist and composer. As a bass player, he is known for his highly distinctive tone and phrasing. Weber's compositions blend chamber jazz, European classical music, m ...
,
Lol Creme Laurence Neil "Lol" Creme (born 19 September 1947) is an English musician and music video director, best known for his work in 10cc. He sings and plays guitar, bass and keyboards. Biography Creme was born in Prestwich, Lancashire, England. ...
and
Procol Harum Procol Harum () were an English rock music, rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea, Essex in 1967. Their best-known recording is the 1967 hit single "A Whiter Shade of Pale", one of the few singles to have List of best-selling singles, sold over ...
's
Gary Brooker Gary Brooker (29 May 1945 – 19 February 2022) was an English singer and pianist, and the founder and lead singer of the rock band Procol Harum. Early life Born in Hackney Hospital, East London, on 29 May 1945, Brooker grew up in Hackney ...
. In one of his final projects before his death in 2003, long-time Bush collaborator
Michael Kamen Michael Arnold Kamen (April 15, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American composer (especially of film scores), orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, songwriter, and session musician. Biography Early life Michael Arnold Kamen was born in ...
arranged the string sections, performed by the
London Metropolitan Orchestra The culture of London concerns the music, museums, festivals and lifestyle within London, the capital city of the United Kingdom. London has frequently been described as a global cultural capital and is one of the world's leading business cent ...
. In the 2014 series of concerts in London, Before the Dawn, Bush performed "King of the Mountain", "Joanni" and the whole ''Sky of Honey'' song cycle live for the first time.


Reception

On 13 November 2005, ''Aerial'' entered the UK Albums Chart at number three, selling 91,473 copies in its first week on release. In Canada, the album was certified Platinum (100,000 copies sold). On 10 January 2006, Bush was nominated for two
BRIT Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
for Best British Female Solo Artist and Best British Album for ''Aerial''. On 27 January 2006, the album went up against ''
Demon Days ''Demon Days'' is the second studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was first released on 11 May 2005 in Japan and on 23 May 2005 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Virgin Records. Produced by the band, ...
'' by
Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, ...
and ''
Coles Corner Coles Corner is the name given to the corner of Fargate and Church Street in Sheffield, England in sight of the cathedral. It was the site of the old Cole Brothers department store until it moved to Barker's Pool in 1963. The modern building wa ...
'' by
Richard Hawley Richard Willis Hawley (born 17 January 1967) is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. After his first band Treebound Story (formed while he was still at school) broke up, Hawley found success as a member of Britpop band Longp ...
in the pop category of the
South Bank Show ''The South Bank Show'' is a British television arts magazine series originally produced by London Weekend Television and broadcast on ITV between 1978 and 2010. A new version of the series began 27 May 2012 on Sky Arts. Conceived, written, ...
's Annual Arts Awards, but was beaten by Hawley. UK music magazine ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...
'' named it their third best album of 2005, behind ''
I Am a Bird Now ''I Am a Bird Now'' is the second album by New York City band Antony and the Johnsons. It won the Mercury Prize on September 6, 2005. After winning the prize, the album shot up the UK albums chart from #135 to #16 in one week, the biggest jump ...
'' by
Antony and the Johnsons Antony and the Johnsons is an American music group presenting the work of Anohni and her collaborators. Career British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Anohni's music through his Durtro label ...
and ''
Funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...
'' by
Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and RΓ©gine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member S ...
. Rob Chapman, writing in ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' stated that "...its closing triptych, Somewhere in Between, Nocturn, and Aerial, represents the most joyous and euphoric finale to an album that you will hear all year." In an article for ''
Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...
'', Marcello Carlin reflected that "''Aerial'' was a triumph, a towering dual masterpiece arriving like a huge galleon into the shallow pool of enforced worthiness and happiness which defined that era’s pop. It sought to give new life to dead soulsβ€”whether
Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
or her own mother or even the number Piβ€”and found that renewed life in young Bertie."


Single

The only single from the album was " King of the Mountain". The song makes references to
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
and the film ''
Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American drama film produced by, directed by, and starring Orson Welles. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Herman J. Mankiewicz. The picture was Welles' first feature film. ''Citizen Kane'' is frequently cited ...
''. The track was played for the first time on
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
on 21 September 2005, and was made available for download on 27 September. The B-side (or second track) of the single was a
Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...
cover, "
Sexual Healing "Sexual Healing" is a song recorded by American singer Marvin Gaye from his seventeenth and final studio album, ''Midnight Love'' (1982). It was his first single since his exit from his long-term record label Motown earlier in the year, followin ...
", recorded in 1994, and was not available on any of her albums until the release of the compilation ''
The Other Sides ''The Other Sides'' is a compilation album by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush. Released in March 2019, the set contained a selection of 12" mixes and B-sides as well as a selection of cover versions. Released as part of Bush’s definitive re ...
'' in 2018. The single entered (and peaked in) the UK singles chart at , and gave Bush her first top-five hit in twenty years and her third-highest singles chart placing. The song also peaked at on the UK download chart.


Re-releases

In mid-May 2010, ''Aerial'' was released for the first time on iTunes. The second disc, ''A Sky of Honey'', plays as one track, and its title was changed to ''An Endless Sky of Honey''. Each track title is merged altogether on the sleeve. In August 2010, the CD version was reissued by
Sony Legacy Legacy Recordings is an American record label that is a division of Sony Music. Formed in 1990 after Sony's acquisition of CBS Records, Legacy originally handled the archives of Sony Music-owned labels Columbia Records and Epic Records. In ...
in the United States. The following year Bush re-released ''Aerial'' alongside others of her albums on her own label Fish People, where they appeared again in 2018 in remastered versions. On the 2018 remastered edition, ''A Sky of Honey'' reverted to its original nine tracks. The parts of "An Architect's Dream" and "The Painter's Link" originally performed by
Rolf Harris Rolf Harris (born 30 March 1930) is an Australian entertainer whose career has encompassed work as a musician, singer-songwriter, composer, comedian, actor, painter and television personality. He often used unusual instruments in his performan ...
were removed in light of the sexual assault allegations against Harris and replaced by performances by Albert "Bertie" McIntosh, Kate Bush's son.


In popular culture

On 17 May 2015, a sequence from the song "Ο€" was featured on ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' twenty-sixth-season finale, "
Mathlete's Feat "Mathlete's Feat" is the twenty-second and final episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 574th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United Stat ...
".


Track listing

All tracks written by
Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...
. Side one # " King of the Mountain" – 4:53 # "Ο€" – 6:09 # "Bertie" – 4:18 # "Mrs. Bartolozzi" – 5:58 Side two # "How to Be Invisible" – 5:32 # "Joanni" – 4:56 # "A Coral Room" – 6:12 Side three # "Prelude" – 1:26 # "Prologue" – 5:42 # "An Architect's Dream" – 4:50 # "The Painter's Link" – 1:35 # "Sunset" – 5:58 # "Aerial Tal" – 1:01 Side four # "Somewhere in Between" – 5:00 # "Nocturn" – 8:34 # "Aerial" – 7:52 Note: The 2010 CD reissue combines all parts of "A Sky of Honey" into one track lasting 42:00.


Personnel

*Kate Bush β€“ vocals, keyboards (1 β€“3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 13 β€“16), piano (4, 7, 9, 12) * Dan McIntosh β€“ electric and acoustic guitar (1, 2, 5, 6, 10, 12, 14 β€“16) *
Del Palmer Derek Peter "Del" Palmer is an English singer, songwriter, bass guitarist and sound engineer, best known for his work with Kate Bush, with whom he also had a long-term relationship between the late 1970s and early 1990s. He released his first so ...
 β€“ bass guitar (1, 5, 6, 14, 16) *
Paddy Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female ...
 β€“ backing vocals (1) *Steve Sanger β€“ drums (1, 16) * Stuart Elliott β€“ drums (2, 5, 12, 14) *
Eberhard Weber Eberhard Weber (born 22 January 1940, in Stuttgart, Germany) is a German double bassist and composer. As a bass player, he is known for his highly distinctive tone and phrasing. Weber's compositions blend chamber jazz, European classical music, m ...
 β€“ electric upright bass (2, 9) *
Lol Creme Laurence Neil "Lol" Creme (born 19 September 1947) is an English musician and music video director, best known for his work in 10cc. He sings and plays guitar, bass and keyboards. Biography Creme was born in Prestwich, Lancashire, England. ...
 β€“ backing vocals (2, 15) *Eligio Quinteiro β€“ renaissance guitar (3) * Richard Campbell and Susanna Pell β€“
viol The viol (), viola da gamba (), or informally gamba, is any one of a family of bowed, fretted, and stringed instruments with hollow wooden bodies and pegboxes where the tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitc ...
(3) *Bill Thorp β€“ string arrangement (3) *Robin Jeffrey β€“ renaissance percussion (3) *Chris Hall β€“
accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''β€”"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...
(5) *Michael Wood β€“ male vocal (7) *Albert McIntosh (Bertie – Kate Bush's son) β€“ "The Sun" (8), "The Painter" (10, 11, in 2018 edition) *
Peter Erskine Peter Erskine (born June 5, 1954) is an American jazz drummer who was a member of the jazz fusion groups Weather Report and Steps Ahead. Early life and education Erskine was born in Somers Point, New Jersey, U.S. He began playing the drum ...
 β€“ drums (9, 10, 15) *
London Metropolitan Orchestra The culture of London concerns the music, museums, festivals and lifestyle within London, the capital city of the United Kingdom. London has frequently been described as a global cultural capital and is one of the world's leading business cent ...
strings (9, 11) *
Michael Kamen Michael Arnold Kamen (April 15, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American composer (especially of film scores), orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, songwriter, and session musician. Biography Early life Michael Arnold Kamen was born in ...
 β€“ orchestral arranger and conductor *
John Giblin John Giblin, is an active session musician, contributing mainly as an acoustic and electric bass player, and spanning genres of jazz, classical, rock, folk and avant-garde music. Best known as a studio musician, recording film scores and contem ...
 β€“ bass guitar (10, 12, 15) *
Rolf Harris Rolf Harris (born 30 March 1930) is an Australian entertainer whose career has encompassed work as a musician, singer-songwriter, composer, comedian, actor, painter and television personality. He often used unusual instruments in his performan ...
 β€“ "The Painter" (10, 11),
didgeridoo The didgeridoo (; also spelt didjeridu, among other variants) is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgeridoo was developed by ...
(11) (first release only) *
Gary Brooker Gary Brooker (29 May 1945 – 19 February 2022) was an English singer and pianist, and the founder and lead singer of the rock band Procol Harum. Early life Born in Hackney Hospital, East London, on 29 May 1945, Brooker grew up in Hackney ...
 β€“ backing vocals (12, 14),
hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
(14, 15) *Bosco D'Oliveira β€“ percussion (15, 16) ;Production *Del Palmer β€“ recording and mixing engineer *Simon Rhodes β€“ engineer (
Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...
) *Chris Bolster β€“ assistant engineer (Abbey Road Studios) * James Guthrie β€“ mastering *
Joseph Southall Joseph Edward Southall RWS NEAC RBSA (23 August 1861 – 6 November 1944) was an English painter associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. A leading figure in the nineteenth and early twentieth-century revival of painting in tempera, Sout ...
 β€“ "Fishermen" painting


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications and sales


References


External links


Official website

'I'm not some weirdo recluse'
(''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' 28 October 2005)
This Bush's mission finally gets accomplished

Aerial by Kate Bush: Music review
(''
National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...
'' 22 December 2005) {{DEFAULTSORT:Aerial (Album) Kate Bush albums 2005 albums EMI Records albums Columbia Records albums Art rock albums by English artists Progressive rock albums by English artists Rolf Harris