phoenix - the history of the demos

The Kick Inside Recording Sessions: July, August 1977

The actual recording sessions for the album. Very probably our 'Kick Inside Demos' are from these sessions. These demo recordings are of a far more refined and polished type, and are fully orchestrated and produced. They are probably among the many tracks which were worked on prior to the final selection of the thirteen songs on The kick inside. Five of the titles are familiar:

Moving, Don't push your foot on the heartbrake, L'Amour looks something like you, Kite, Strange phenomena, Scares me silly (But it gets me going)

This sixth track is an unreleased song. It is extremely bouncy and catchy, laden with melodic hooks. Its lyrics are fascinating, as well (they describe the challenge of retaining the original spark of feeling of a song during the recording process). Just a thought I have sometimes: Listen to "The kick inside" as an early Demos album. An officially released Demo album by Kate herself. Makes a big difference. Listen to the "Kick Inside Demos" first, then change to the album "The kick inside". Strange, mysterious experience!

NOVERCIA Just because it's funny. Official form:

"Particulars of directors of the company Novercia Ltd.:
Patrick Bush, musician and instrument maker, Director of Novercia Ltd...
John Carder Bush, writer, Director of Novercia Ltd...
Catherine Bush, Singer, Director of Novercia Ltd...
Robert John Bush, Medical Practitioner, Director of Novercia Ltd...
Hannah Patricia Bush, Company Director, Director of Novercia Ltd..."

The babooska demos:

Finally, there are two known demo versions of the song "Babooshka". Recorded some time between January and June 1980 during the sessions for "Never for Ever". Excerpts from the demos were apparently played by Kate herself on a Capital radio programme called "Small Beginnings" on July 17th, 1982. Both are almost exactly 2 min. long. The first demo of "Babooshka" features Kate on piano, and she has added one backing vocal during the choruses. The second version has a percussion pattern from an early rhythm-box, and features a synthesizer and, in addition to the lead vocal, at least two over-dubbed backing vocals.

"Turkish delight - a fake'

The only song falsely presented so far as a Kate Bush song is "Turkish Delight": from Homeground No. 32, p. 8: "A track which has appeared on certain 'instant' tape cassette bootlegs recently has caused some puzzlement. The name of the track is 'Turkish delight'. It isn't written or performed by Kate. It was recorded by an outfit called 'China Doll', and it was released by EMI (Parlophone) as a single in July 1983. It was a cold methodical rip-off of an accountant's view of what constituted the 'Kate Bush Style'. DJs who could not find space for Tenner on their programmes, found space for this travesty, introducing it as 'the new Kate Bush single' (yet another one). We thought it sounded like Faith Brown doing an impression of Pamela Stephenson doing an impression of Kate on a bad day. "

To me it sounds even now quite good. I wasn't sure for some weeks although I noticed some slight differences in the voice. Strange experience.

How the demos reached the public ear

The piano demos:

The first presentation of the demos to the public was in 1982 when local DJ John Dixon presented 22 piano demo songs on his KSTM radio station in Phoenix. He had worked for EMI at the time of Kate's initial signing, and aquired the tapes then. It is not clear if all the available bootleg versions of the demos come from this source. There are several differences in the recording quality, which might indicate different sources. Also "Organic Acid" the 23rd piano demo, which only appeared once on the fifth Demos-EP points to a second source. There are also rumours about other demos in the possession of DJ John Dixon, like The man with the child in his eyes, Kite etc.

The kick inside demos:

No idea. Maybe also John Dixon?

The song titles

Nobody knows Kate's titles. They are only guesses. The following early sources are known: (Many other obscure, but wrong labelings appeared later on CD's and LP's.)

The phoenix broadcast 1982/1987:

The Phoenix broadcast titles seem to be the nearest to the original because DJ John Dixon read them directly from the original (!) tape! What follows are the song titles in succession as they appeared on the Phoenix tape (IED's titles in brackets): duration from Home Demo CD:

1. The Kick Inside (Brother) (demo version) 3'39
2. Hammer Horror (demo version) 2'41
3. It Hurts Me (Feeling Like a Waltz) 2'54
4. Stranded At The Moonbase (Keeping Me Waiting) 2'52
5. Kashka From Baghdad (demo version) 2'30
6. Surrender Into The Roses (Carmilla) 1'28
7. Oh To Be In Love (demo version) 3'07
8. Rinfy The Gypsy (Playing Canasta in Cold Rooms) 4'07
9. On Fire Inside A Snowball (Hot in the Ice) 2'27
10 Dali (Ferry Me Over) 3'03
11. Where Are The Lionhearts (On the Rocks) 2'23
12. Violin (demo version) 2'07
13. The Craft Of Love (Craft of Life) 2'56'
14 The Gay Farewell (Eddie the Queen) 2'27
15. Something Like A Song 2'10
16.Frightened Eyes 3'15
17.The Disbelieving Angel 2'10
18. Nevertheless, You'll Do 1'57
19. Come Closer To Me Babe (Who is Sylvia?) 3'47
20. So Soft (You're Soft) 2'46
21. The Rare Flower (Pick the Rare Flower) 2'59
22. While Davy Dozed (Davy) 3'09.

Total time: 60'54

So, I think, what we have here, appears to be the track-listing of Kate's original demo tape. They appear to be legitimate, though none of us can be certain of course. It is also interesting to mention that "Organic Acid" (5'45) is missing. When you calculate the duration of the whole thing, you come to something like 60'54 minutes. This indicates a C60 tape. So, maybe Organic Acid comes from another tape?

The 'Fiddle' Tape/CD:

IED: "Fiddle" is the title of an early (1988?) cassette-only bootleg of 22 of the demos, which IED picked up at a record swapmeet. From your description both "Fiddle" and "Alone at my piano" (CD) appear to stem from the same source (perhaps the Phoenix FM broadcast).

Dutch fanzine 'Kate': In the May '89 issue of the Dutch Kate Bush fanzine 'Kate', co-editor Theo Haast reports for the first time the six Kick Inside Demos:

1. Moving 2'37
2. Don't push your foot on the heartbrake 2'50
3. Kite 2'44
4. L'Amour looks something like you 2'08
5. Strange phenomena 2'40
6. Scares me silly (But it gets me going) 3'11

Total time: 16'10

What follows is a list of various titles that are in use for the demo songs. All titles in brackets are uncertain (i.e. more uncertain than the Phoenix titles) or wrong. Try to use the Phoenix titles only and prepare your Demos-CD with these titles! This helps to avoid confusion. Note: Organic acid and Scares me silly are not from the Phoenix broadcast. They are added for completeness sake.

(A Rose Growing Old) It Hurts Me - (Before the Fall)Organic Acid - (Carmilla) Surrender Into The Roses - Come Closer To Me Babe - (Craft of Life)The Craft of Love - (Coming Up) Surrender Into The Roses - Dali - (Davy) While Davy Dozed - Disbelieving Angel - (Eddie the Queen) The Gay Farewell - (Feeling Like a Waltz) It Hurts Me - (Ferry Me Over) Dali - Frightened Eyes - (Garden By The Willow) Something Like A Song - (Goodnight Baby) Come Closer To Me Babe - (Hold Me) While Davy Dozed - (Hot in the Ice) On Fire Inside A Snowball - (In My Garden) Something Like A Song - (In My Lovers Room) Rinfy The Gypsy - (I Don't See Why I shouldn't) Rare Flower - It Hurts Me - (Keeping Me Waiting) Stranded At The Moonbase - (Lionhearts) Where Are The Lionhearts - Nevertheless, You'll Do - On Fire Inside A Snowball - (On the Rocks) Where Are The Lionhearts - Organic Acid - (Playing Canasta in Cold Rooms) Rinfy The Gypsy - (Pick the Rare Flower) Rare Flower - (Queen Eddie) The Gay Farewell - Rare Flower - (Really Get's Me Going) Scares Me Silly - Rinfy The Gypsy - Scares Me Silly - (Set In The Snow) On Fire Inside A Snowball - (Snow) On Fire Inside A Snowball - (Snow Bowl) On Fire Inside A Snowball - Something Like A Song - So Soft - Stranded At The Moonbase - Surrender Into The Roses - (The Craft of Life) The Craft of Love - The Craft of Love - The Gay Farewell - (The Air Is Getting Low) Stranded At The Moonbase - (To Be With You) So Soft - Where Are The Lionhearts - (Who is Sylvia?) Come Closer To Me Babe - While Davy Dozed - (You're Soft) So Soft.

Conclusion:

Still a lot of confusion! But not so much as before!

We know for sure now: - the Babooshka demos are from a 1982 Capital radio programme

We know almost for sure now: - the Piano Demos are from 1976

We can presume (but not for sure) that: - Gilmour recorded something with Kate at East Wickham Farm. It's not clear if this conceivable tape has been sent to EMI. - the song titles from the Phoenix broadcast are Kate's own titles. - Organic acid is from another tape. - the 'Early years' LP is from one of the first two recording sessions (if the 'piano-only rumour' is true) - the Kick inside demos are from 1977.

It is completely unclear: - how often Gilmour visited Kate. - if Gilmour sent Kate to a studio to do professional piano demos (only one unclear interview confirmation.) - to which songs the following titles from 'The early years' refer to: You were the star, Cussi cussi, Atlantis, Sunsi, Go now while you can. They seem to be completely unknown songs. - who offered the Kick inside demos (maybe John Dixon, too?)

What we need most of all: - Kate in her own voice! - an official release of all demos with official lyrics and comments on each song! - the Q interview! - more early Gilmour interviews!

Nevertheless, despite all the mysteries and... "as much as many others would like to have it otherwise, the notions that Kate Bush is 'simply a woman', and that she is in any important way 'the same as all of us' are, frankly, absurd, and self-evidently untrue. Her life has been quite unlike any of ours, virtually from birth."

"She is, moreover, God."

And it is now universally acknowledged that she is the only thing in life worth wasting any thought on at all. Everything else is just killing time. There is no question whatever of the truth of this judgement, which is unanimous, absolute and irrevocable. (Love-Hounds Leading Committee)