
Under the Ivy
The Life and Music of Kate Bush
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Narrated by:
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Mia Hutchinson-Shaw
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By:
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Graeme Thomson
About this listen
In this updated edition of Graeme Thomson’s critically acclaimed biography, a near-exhaustive survey of Kate Bush’s life surveys everything from her upbringing in South London to her stunning return to live performance in August 2014.
The original edition of Under the Ivy was called one of the best music biographies ever, and this updated edition adds a wealth of new research to include the complete scope of Bush’s oeuvre. With over seventy new interviews and in-depth analysis of her triumphant return to the stage after thirty-five years, this is the most complete Kate Bush biography and a must for any fan.
Detailing everything from her upbringing to her early exposition of talent to her subsequent evolution into one of the most stunningly creative and fascinating visual and musical artists alive today, Under the Ivy truly is the story of one woman’s life. This is in no way a superficial rumor-mill, however, as Thomson writes with great detail, accuracy, and above all admiration for her work, this is in equal parts a biography and an analysis of Kate Bush’s art.
Focusing on her unique working methods, her studio techniques, her timeless albums, and inescapable influence, Under the Ivy is a true exploration of one of the world’s most underappreciated yet gifted artists. Thoroughly enjoyable, this book will be an eye-opening journey of discovery for somebody unfamiliar with Bush but will also reward a long-term fan with new insights and fresh analysis
©2010, 2015 Omnibus Press (P)2023 Blackstone PublishingVery in-depth and full of facts and stories
Agree that narrator lack of pronunciation at times got annoying but really engaging
Highly recommended
Fascinating
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Poor narration
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Great Account
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weird accent
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More research on pronunciation!
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Great book
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Despite all this detail we are only given a surface impression of who Kate Bush is, through her music and second hand via quotes from interviews of those who have worked with her. There is no direct interview or connection with Bush, which helps to maintain that alluring mystic that has been present throughout her career.
On a negative note the narration on the audio book is incredibly frustrating. Although read in a BBC King’s English style and yet the pronunciation of random words had me shouting the correct word aloud as I walked the dog with my headphones on, like a sufferer of grammar torrents. I don’t work for the Grammar Police, but when the city of Rouen in France is said perfectly and yet Van Gogh is “Van Go,” solitude is “soo-lit-ood” (Superman never lived in the Fortress of Soolitood). It may be done for a US audience with a buoy (pronounced ‘boy’ in English) referred to as a “booee,” but I’m inclined to believe the narrator didn’t have a clue what they were reading considering the repeated mispronunciation of bands and artists like Spandau Ballet “Spand-are Ballet,” Yazoo “Yaz-ooor,” Tupac Shakur “Tor-pack Shark-or,”and Tori Amos “Torry A-mooss” are just a few examples. If only someone had stopped them and said, ‘Look mate, you’re saying it wrong. Ya need to say it like this.’
Other than this I did enjoy this book, which gives an appreciation of the work that has gone into all of Bush’s endeavours and songs. As a result I’ve gone through my back catalogue and been inspired to re-listen to all of her music. My advice is if the pronunciation issue is likely to drive you up the wall avoid the audiobook and read the actual book.
All This Woman’s Work (to date)
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Fascinating
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Disappointing narration
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The narration isn’t that bad but some basic pronunciations are wrong. Like tour is repeatedly pronounced tooer.
Great story. Narration not the best.
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