The Red Shoes is tragic... I don't dislike any song on it, but the production is so, soooo bad. If I had to guess, I would say it was done in 1986, and totally botched. But no, it was 1993, and they took a good amount of time producing it. WTF?

That said... love the album. The title track, "Top of the City" and especially "Song of Solomon" are a few of my all-time favorites.


I'll be the Rose of Sharon for you
I'll do it for you!

Oh and Eat The Music kind of sucks, but I really like the lyrics ("He's a woman at heart, and I love him for that").

And So Is Love and You're The One are not bad, but waaay too generic for me. I never listen to those.

The last two you mentioned are my all-time fav. of Kate, ha. I agree that the arrangement for these two are a bit generic, but the lyrics and her performance in them are way too moving.

The Red Shoes
 

Discussion thread for Kate's seventh album The Red Shoes. Thoughts, opinions, memories, interpretations, videos, likes and dislikes - everything TRS here!

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Kate Bush
The Red Shoes
(EMI)
Released: November 1993
Chart: UK No.2 / US No.28

• Rubberband Girl
• And So Is Love
• Eat the Music
• Moments of Pleasure
• The Song of Solomon
• Lily
• The Red Shoes
• Top of the City
• Constellation of the Heart
• Big Stripey Lie
• Why Should I Love You?
• You're the One

Kate's seventh album, The Red Shoes, was produced in the midst of the breakdown of her relationship with Del Palmer and her mother Hannah's death. It finally arrived four years after The Sensual World and proved to be her last new release for a dozen years. The album was accompanied by a short film directed by Kate and also starring Miranda Richardson entitled The Line, The Cross & The Curve. Songs from The Red Shoes, along with its predecessor The Sensual World, were reworked on Kate's 2011 album Director's Cut.

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- SINGLES -

"Rubberband Girl"
Released: September 1993
Chart: UK No.12 / US No.88
Tracks: Rubberband Girl / Rubberband Girl (Extended Mix) / Big Stripey Lie / Show A Little Devotion / Home for Christmas

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"Eat the Music"
Released: September 1993
Tracks: Eat the Music / Eat the Music (12") / Big Stripey Lie / Candle in the Wind / You Want Alchemy / Shoedance

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"Moments of Pleasure"
Released: November 1993
Chart: UK No.26
Tracks: Moments of Pleasure / Moments of Pleasure (instrumental) / Home for Christmas / Show a Little Devotion

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"The Red Shoes"
Released: April 1994
Chart: UK No.26
Tracks: The Red Shoes / You Want Alchemy

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"And So Is Love"
Released: November 1994
Chart: UK No.26
Tracks: And So Is Love / Rubberband Girl (US Mix) / Eat the Music (US Mix)

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Unforumzed TRS listening party thread

TRS was my first Kate CD, purchased when I was in high school. I loved it at the time, but little did I know what wonders awaited me in her back catalog. While now it's pretty clear this album doesn't rank anywhere near the top, I couldn't live without the following songs...

The Red Shoes
Rubberband Girl
And So Is Love
Big Stripey Lie
Moments Of Pleasure
and possibly... Constellation Of The Heart or Lily.

I have a soft spot for The Line, The Cross, and The Curve. I just loved it when once I got it, showed it to all my friends. Many laughs were had. I haven't watched it in eons, but I am glad Kate did it, even if she hates it now.

Recently I saw The Red Shoes (1948 film) on a big blow-up television at a free outdoor event near where I live. It was most interesting; made me wonder just what it was about the story that fascinated Kate so much.

In any case, I like this album a lot. There's a fragility in the lyrics that cannot be denied, and most of the music is just ace.

Yes, it has some stinkers but also some of her best - Moments Of Pleasure, The Song of Solomon, Top Of The City...
I think the production sounds a bit dated even for 1993, had she used real drums the overall sound would be much, much better. I listened to the Peter Gabriel album Plays Live (1983) and I noticed the drum machine sound is almost indentical to what was used on TRS.

i love TRS. the whole album. it may not be on par with HOL, TD, or even Aerial, but it has many great songs and interesting ideas. although, the fact that it sounds rather dated cannot be ignored. when i listen to other albums released in '93, this fact becomes painfully clear. jane siberry's When I Was A Boy was released the same week, and that album sounds remarkably fresh, even today. still, TRS is a very good album.

sidenote: this is my mother's favorite album. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/smile.gif with that in mind, the rebel in me may want to re-evaluate my remarks...

Kate's first New Release after I became a fan, I think I hold TRS in higher esteem than many people do. I used to have it playing on endless repeat while I played a game on my Spectrum 128+3 where you were a frog hopping round a castle collecting runes. Wish I could remember what that was called.

Rubberband Girl - Has basically one chord, (G#sus4 or something) which she bends and strains at all the way through the song, which is terribly clever
And So Is Love - I dont like blues but I like this, and the (very underrated) video with the daed birdie makes me cry
Eat The Music - LOVE it and wish they'd gone with it as the lead single. The 12" takes the bassline to all sorts of funky places and the lyrics can be interpreted rather filthily. Let down by the awful cheesy drum machine though - imagine this with a steel band.
Moments of Pleasure - TWW pt2 but pulled off very nicely. Speaking of which, my official virginity losing song, TMI fans!
The Song Of Solomon - "Dont want your bullshit... just want your sexuality" Auntie Kate is emo-horny and it's brilliant
Lilly - And now an old lady is doing spells. This is a fantastic album.
The Red Shoes - Return of the shitty 'drums' but the song still soars. Odd choice for a single though when they overlooked ETM.
Top of the City - Perfectly evocative of what it's trying to evoke, sad but graceful, nice piano/bass interplay.
Constellat[SKIP]
Big Stripey Lie - Dirty scary stuff which I love
Why shou[SKIP]
You're the One - So sad it aches, I always had a soft spot for Whiter Shade of Pale (as a kid having keyboard lessons I could almost intuitively play it on the organ despite it being way above my level at that point)

So yeah, an amazing, unusual, 10 track album from Kate.

There is not 1 song that I don't like on TRS.
Sure, I now, they're not all up to her standard but those songs themselves are quite enjoyable or just fun (even Constelations).

Wow. I am happy to see a TRS thread go along so positively. I adore this album. What I love most on it easily ranks as high as some of the stuff she seems to get the most praise for.

There is just some intensely beautiful stuff on here, and in some ways I think it seems to gel in a way some of her earlier stuff doesn't -that is to say while genius and beautiful, much of her early stuff seems more raw and experimental where The Red Shoes seems a bit more (mellowed/matured?) and effortless.

It also has the two funkiest Kate songs ever on it. If I'm just playing a couple quick tracks from the album these days I tend to go for Lily, Top of the City, Song of Solomon or Moments of Pleasure. When the album first came out I couldn't get enough Rubberband Girl or Eat the Music.

I've heard fans razz on this album for years, but I was unaware that Kate herself has decried it. That makes me sad.

In case any one hasn't heard lovely the Prince-free demo of Why Should I Love You:

I still love that version of Why Should I Love You?

I keep being tempted to "finish it off" with the extra vocal parts that she obviously left space for. Maybe some day I'll try it as a project.

I do like this album, although it's patchy. Some beautiful songs, some bad production choices, and some not so great songs too.

I had a huge problem judging this album objectively when it first came out. My initial reaction was, "OMG, she sounds like she's beating herself to death with a happy stick!" Then I saw it was dedicated to her mother Hannah who had recently died, and I heard she broke up with Del, and I allowed my worries to influence my opinion of the music.

I used to think Moments of Pleasure and You're the One were sappy, and now I find them very heartfelt and beautiful. I love Rubberband Girl and would like to hear Sir Paul McCartney cover it. But I think my favorite song is the title track.

The Line, The Cross, and The Curve? She was waaay too hard on herself regarding that. It's great fun.

That version of Why Should I Love You completely transformed the song for me. I have never warmed to the album version but I find that one really beautiful and a highlight from that era really.

Moments of Pleasure will always be in my top 5 favorite kate songs.
I only figured out a few years ago what the list of names at the end meant, and now the song is even more precious to me.

I always forget how great this album is. There's such warmth and romanticism to it and it has some of my favorite songs. "And So Is Love," "Moments of Pleasure," "The Song of Solomon," and "You're the One" are all classics.

Big Stripey Lie! What a weird 'messy' sounding song -- usually her music is so controlled and precise, especially as her albums took longer and longer to produce. I love it though.

I don't think she has, has she? I know she is not pleased with The Line, The Cross, and The Curve, but I've never heard anything negative from her about the album itself.

All I know is Kate said she thought that TRS was too long.