Never For Ever

Product Information

Packaging could've been a bit better, but overall this is a worthwhile reissue to add to your collection! Never For Ever wa a much more layered and complex album than Lionheart, and took the characterisations and musical arrangements one step further. This visual medium communicates more about the essence of a record than mere word of mouth ever could. Bush’s artistic inspirations from horror literature and cinema were once again prominently featured on this album, with songs like ‘The Infant Kiss’, which tells the story of a governess who grapples with adult emotions for her young male charge, possessed by the spirit of an adult man.

Delius (song of the summer)- here we have a quirky and unusual song which is pure and exceptional as it links directly from the concluding 'shatter glass' verse of Babooshka and then it turns into summery sounds and backing vocals which makes this a very memorable song indeed. It followed her "Tour of Life" in Europe to promote her previous albums "The Kick Inside" and "Lionheart". One thing that did surprise me is that the 'worst move' mispronunciation from Babooshka wasn't addressed - it should have been fairly easy to soften out that 'T', but hey, that's a minor pedantic niggle 😊The packaging is lovely, it's now a gatefold digipak, and having the whole album artwork in your hands is much nicer than the much smaller image and black spine of the jewel case, and this adds to the vinyl-like experience.Ever since the mastery of her debut and with entries like ‘Wuthering Heights’, Bush has been a game-changer, but Never For Ever succeeded in its mission to signify her as an indisputable marvel of music and fuser of alternate worlds. This means that there isn't an immediate (ahem) 'Wow' factor, but the rewards become evident on repeated plays. Babooshka"'s motherly charm and flexible chorus make it one of her best tracks, proving that she can make the simplest of lyrics work for her through her tailored vocal acrobatics. Her gothic and even extreme inspirations are intrinsic to her artistry, proving once again that Bush was the true torchbearer of art-rock and experimentalism, using the macabre to go against what was expected of women artists of the era. Bush was pleased with the results (it depicts a multitude of animals and monsters emerging from under her skirt).

It was also the first album by a female British solo artist to top the UK Albums Chart and the first album by any female solo artist to enter the chart at number one. Bush's dramatics and theatrical approach to singing begin to solidify on Never for Ever, and her style brandishes avid seriousness without sounding flighty or absurd. While an artist may assert their psychedelic inclinations through their music, there’s something uniquely resonant in the use of vivid hues and retro-futuristic visuals, coupled with imagery that frequently hints at multifaceted dimensions. kate Bush is a one in a million artist, and that is certainly a well earned title to have, i have always loved her since i heard Babooshka and Running Up That hill, therefore i decided that i will purchase each of her albums one by one. What he created firmly resonated with Bush’s inner world, echoing the artistic influences she held dear.By extension, the cover art features a striking design that reflects the creative essence of the album and all of its messy yet stunning inclinations. On side-A of the original vinyl release label, however, she is depicted as a graceful white swan, abstract concepts that were also featured in the music videos for ‘Delius’ and ‘Babooshka’. Much like the album cover, which symbolises the diverse facets and emotions of life, ranging from the sombre to the radiant, the album’s sound, along with its title, Never For Ever, encapsulates the notion that this amalgamation and turbulence are all transient and that nothing endures eternally.

However, as someone has already commented, the older albums do seem to benefit from being remastering better, including this one.The true highlights of this album are the lilting waltz of Army Dreamers, as well as Breathing, a song about an unborn baby who reports on a nuclear holocaust from within its mother's womb. Never for Ever is the only studio album by Bush up to Director's Cut (2011) not to have a title track.