The Dreaming was Kate Bush' fourth album; by that time, she had already reached a comfortable status and was becoming kind of tired of playing the same piano-melody-song game. With Never For Ever' success, Kate knew it was time to try something different. By that time, Kate met Peter Gabriel (with whom she would later cooperate in Don't Give Up), who showed himself very interested in the way Kate composed her songs. When she told him she would do the melody in the piano, then start adding other instruments and voices, he told her : 'Darling, that's not the way it is done. First you do the drum beats, then you sing along with it and THEN you start adding instruments." And so she did.
The Dreaming is a weird album, in which recordings Kate barely left the studio and experimented things that had never been done before, such as didjeridoo ("The Dreaming"), animal sounds wisely added by her brother Paddy ("Get Out Of My House") and sang about delicate issues such as the aborigenies ("The Dreaming") and the Vietnam War ("Pull Out The Pin"). When she mastered it and delievered it to EMI for editing and distribution, they thought she was mad and refused to edit the album. But they couldn't turn their back on their golden girl so, after a few negotiations, a few copies of the album were released in UK. As expected, it sold bad. Kate was said to be "crazy", "possessed", or, less dramatic, "too advanced for her time".
To redeam herself, she released "Hounds Of Love" and EMI forgave her (although there was still a few problems with Hounds Of Love' major single, Running Up That Hill, that was supposed to be called A Deal With God; the title was changed because no song containing the word God in the title was allowed to be broadcasted).
25 years later, the album is more fabulous than ever. Now there is history enough to look at The Dreaming with admiration and listening to it is a vital experience to any musician. My advice : buy it in vinyl.
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