The Afterword

Musings on the byways of popular culture

Menu

Navigation

You are here: Home / Features / 12 Albums in 12 Months – Lionheart

12 Albums in 12 Months – Lionheart

by 33 Comments

Stan Deely on 12 Albums in 12 Months – Lionheart

In early 1977, as a precocious 13 year old, I started reading the NME. This acquainted me with a new phenomenon to me, being aware of, and hearing the debut album by artists. That year’s soundtrack was Rattus Norvegicus, The Clash, In the City, Damned Damned Damned etc. Shortly after I become acquainted with a subsequent phenomenon – the disappointing sophomore second album syndrome typified by No More Heroes, Music for Pleasure, Love Bites etc – albums that seem to follow the same template as the debut just with weaker songs. (Although I’ve got a soft spot for the oft derided ‘This is the Modern World’ by the Jam. Despite a couple of shockers written by Bruce Foxton, I reckon Paul Weller’s writing goes into new territories and that there’s a couple of minor classics on it.)
On the first few listens Lionheart, released just over half a year after her eclectic and totally wonderful debut, seemed to conform to this stereotype. The songs are broadly from the same template as the Kick Inside, but seemed weaker, more mannered and with less variety than on the debut.
So will that remain the case, or will the album win me over? Let’s go through the tracks
RHAPSODY IN BLUE
Starts on a high. Satie influenced piano. Killer tune and probably the most thought out and impressive lyrics on the album. Kate alone in her blue room (A nod to Bowie?) musing on life, love and the universe. Light, effortless and catchy. Nicely symphonic without overdoing it – the kind of light symphonic pop that 10CC were doing at the time.
IN SEARCH OF PETER PAN
First few listens I just couldn’t register this song. It seemed to pass without making an impression but then it started to come into focus a bit.
Similar in style to a lot of tunes on the first album. Piano led ballad, the vocals in a high register that I find borderline challenging but it seems to soften as the song moves on. Picks up with a jaunty rhythm and gets pretty theatrical with some dramatic chords and chord changes. Builds nicely. Nice chorus. Then repeats. Competent but doesn’t really go anywhere the first album didn’t.
WOW
A hit after the lead off single Hammer Horror failed to make the top 30. Spooky beginning, possibly featuring a synth. Manages to be quite minimalist and understated yet forceful. Explodes in the chorus. Similar in many ways to Wuthering Hieights with its restrained verses leading into a lush, operatic, slightly over the top chorus. In fact you could almost sing the chorus of Wutherig Heights to this. A tribute to the actors life, treading the boards etc. Probably helped by an iconic video which I’m not sure I know but can imagine. Watching her on a recent Kate Bush at the BBC programme it is amazing how wide she could open her eyes whilst staring right into the camera. .
DON’T PUSH YOUR FOOT ON THE HEARTBRAKE
The first three songs all seemed to have a similar pace and rhythm but this one ups the tempo and the excitement. Starts with pacey piano, the band join in giving it further tension and pizzazz and then into a beakneck four to the floor beat for the chorus. Second verse ups the pressure featuring the whole band. At last here she seems to match the variety, playfulness and general WTFness of The Kick Inside tracks like Kite and Room for the Life
I’m not a Queen fan except for the odd song (I like all the ‘novelty ones – We Will Rock You, Crazy Little Thing and Another Bites the Dust) but this one reminds me of Queen in its control of dynamics
OH ENGLAND MY LIONHEART
What would have been side one ends with the title track – just Kate, her piano and strings. A heartfelt meaningful piano ballad a la ‘The Kick Inside. Can’t say that I am particularly taken with this one. It sounds meaningful to Kate but as someone, who due to inept teachers, has a shocking ignorance of British history I don’t really get what she is on about. And isn’t she of Irish descent. Maybe like Morrissey she too is Irish Blood, English Heart.
FULLHOUSE
Very archetypal early Kate Bush. Contains all the ingredients. Mid paced, mid 70’s pop rock..A bit non-descript but I can imagine it working well interpreted in theatrical dance on the Tour of Life. Her vocal reminds me of Lyndsey De Paul – remember her.
IN THE WARM ROOM
Just Kate and piano. For me it works better than the similar Lionheart. . Shades of Lady Grinning Soul – a piano led ballad about ‘getting it on’ I think her vocal works well on this. It can get a bit too much when she is using her high pitch and the song is over arranged but here stripped down with just piano it is very affecting.
KASHKA FROM BAGHDAD
Continues the rather subdued theme of the previous song. Slightly eccentric arrangement, featuring a secondary piano line, with a touch of Aladdin Sane about it, that at first sounds a bit incongruous and unnecessary but ends up adding to the overall downbeat mood.. More of a mood piece than a complete song. Picks up a bit towards the end. Once again I wonder how it was portrayed on the Tour of Life. All things considered I like this one – it’s a bit different and breaks up the album.

COFFEE HOMEGROUND
This Music Hall waltz takes me back to 1970’s BBC Light Entertainment, – Good Old Days, Seaside Special, guest act on the Two Ronnies etc.. Chrous sounds like she is singing ‘Healthcliff’ but it is in fact ‘Crippen’. A jokey song about poisoning and murder! How serious is she?
There are also shade of Eastern Europe/Weimar republic in the melody. Definitely crosses into theatrical rock. Okay as an example of what the band can do but not one I will be returning to very often.
HAMMER HORROR
The first single from the album released October 1978 and only made it to number 44 which is weird as it’s a tune and a half. Dramatic opening chords. Operatic first verse and then the signature almost ompah pre chorus verse. Catchy chours.
Slightly strange subject matter for Kate. I though her more high culture, English Literature A level than the schlocky Hammer Horror films. However one has to remember that they were on every Friday evening and premier background sexual wallpaper for getting it on with your first girlfiend whilst she was babysitting for the posh young couple down the road. Would this have been young Kate’s experience?
Not me though. At the time this virgin was listening to John Peel on Friday nights. I believe he had a one hour slot 10 – 11pm before being bumped off for Tommy Vance’s Friday Rock Show exactly when this single was released.
Shame she didn’t continue down this path. She could have done the Carry Ons or even the Confessions films. I would have liked to have seen that on the Tour of Life.
Speaking of the Tour of Life I half watched but mostly listened to a whole concert on dodgy Youtube video whilst on a night shift recently. The bands sounds pretty good, especially on some of the Lionheart songs. The theatrics veer between corny and inspired but you gotta hand it to the girl singing, acting, dancing and changing costume without a breather for almost two hours. I was surprised how estuary the breathless song (and dance) bird sounded at the end when she addressed her loving audience.
THE VERDICT
I think it’s because she set such a high standard with The Kick Inside that this album feels a bit disappointing. If this had been her debut I think it would have been just as lauded. Along with the high points, Rhapsody in Blue (single in Japan), the two singles and Don’t Put your Foot on the Heartbrake,the songs that seemed a bit disappointing and uninspired on the second half of the album continue to reveal new facets and grow on me.
Your opinions as ever are valued. A worthy sophomore effort or disappointing one? Where does it stand in the canon? And I would love to have your opinions on the Tour of Life album/DVD/concert. Judging from your responses to the Kick Inside review I don’t think there’s anyone on the site who saw the Tour Of Life but I’d love to be proved wrong.

0

Comments

  1. Great review as usual.

    Whilst I still love Lionheart, I do tend to agree that it doesn’t reach the heights of The Kick Inside and it’s probably my least played of all her albums. I wouldn’t class it as a disappointing follow up though.

    That said, I still think “Oh England My Lionheart” is one of her best ever tracks.

    • I agree on OEML, I love it. I listened to the album again this morning and I still really like it, uncluttered as she would be later by Fairlight sound effect buggering about, overloaded multitracked backing vocals and genrally too-much-studio-time-availabilityitis.

  2. Second album Syndrome often comes from record companies demanding a quick follow up, and the band or artist having to use old songs discarded for the debut or writing new stuff often without the muse.
    (Although I agree with your re-appraisal of The Modern World)
    Lionheart is probably me least heard KB album – it’s good, but not quite as good as it could be.
    Like many second albums, if the debut and second album were to be considered as a double, the lesser tracks are allowable.

    • My thinking exactly. Whilst reviewing this I thought it would be a good idea to burn both The Kick Inside and Lionheart to one CD and play the tracks randomly (but knew I wouldn’t get around to this). I agree that a similar approach would suit Damned Damned Damned/Music for Please, The Doors/Strange Days, Another Music/Love Bites, and loads others but not necessarily In The City/Modern World or In The City/Modern World as in those cases the second album differs either stylistically or sonically from the first.

      Anyone else with any recommendations for ‘two albums as one’ compilations?

      • Talking Heads – 77 and More Songs About Buildings And Food. The first time I heard them was on a twofer Chrome cassette.

        Purchased at Woolworths, Stevenage, summer 1983 with my cousin Simon – he bought the Speaking In Tongues cassette with the extended mixes. Why do I remember this shit?

      • Re-reading this post – the second example I meant above of a first/second album combination that would work less well was Inflammable Material/Nobody’s Heroes. I must try harder at proof reading.

  3. Great read, Stan.
    Small aside: back when singles were selling shedloads it was a weird phenomenon that even widely popular artists had only minor impacts with the first single from a new album and conversely many act’s biggest hits were third or fourth singles when the LP had been out for some time, which I suppose indicates that there wasn’t a lot of an overlap between the buyers of 7”s and albums.

  4. Great read, maybe next time mention it is a Kate Bush album in your title 😉

    Generally agree it is weaker than the debut, but still a good album that I like better now than I used to. As for her ancestry her father was English, her mother was Irish, but she was born in England and educated in the same country.

  5. What I like about Stan’s 12 Kate Bush Albums in 12 Months is that it is making me go back and listen to the albums as a whole. I have them all, but only ever dip into them and, even then, only occasionally. I tend to listen the songs that I know/like, but then drift off to something else.

    I picked The Dreaming off the shelf the other day … but I will leave my comments on that until the appropriate time.

    I am now on the second back-to-back listen through of Lionheart as I write. My go-to tracks on Lionheart are Symphony In Blue, the two singles and Don’t Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake. I have only ever half-heartedly listened to the others.

    I love Symphony In Blue. I don’t know what it is about it, but I suspect it is a subconscious Proustian rush of the late 70s. There is footage of Kate doing it on the BBC, perhaps Wogan or (as Stan mentions) Seaside Special, and perhaps Symphony In Blue stirs memories of evenings in front of the TV at home as a kid. Anyway, as somebody else said above, it is a great tune.

    I am another fan of the On Stage EP which was, as I said on the Kick Inside OP, my first Kate Bush record. It was also one of very few records I had, so Don’t Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake got a regular airing.

    The rest of the songs are still sort-of washing over me and I am less fond of the overly theatrical anyway. I obviously need some more listens.

  6. I’m in shock – there are people who doesn’t love In Search Of Peter Pan and Coffee Homeground?? By far my two favourites from this album…! 😀

  7. After raving about The Kick Inside, I must confess Lionheart never really got under my skin. It just doesn’t seem like a particularly great leap forward after the debut and I think it would take another couple of years before she found her feet as a mature artist.

      • Seconded.

        Even if you find some of the music a bit hackneyed (see ‘Violin’ from 1979 ‘At The BBC’ thing above) the visuals/choreography are always worth a watch.

        I have the 1979 Live CD if you need ‘help’.

    • I find them somewhat hard going. Her theatrical interpretations of her songs are “interesting” and a bit dated, sometimes I think better to hear them without that and, with one or two exceptions, the live versions are pretty close to the studio ones. Personally I found Before the Dawn to be superior, but I didn’t see any dates on the 79 tour.

Leave a Reply