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Back in 1986 or thereabouts, I was a member of the Mile End Road public music library in east London. This was in the wake of Kate Bush releasing “The Hounds of Love” and I was taking a close look at her back catalogue. One fateful day, I took three or four records back to my digs and among them was Kate’s 1982 album “The Dreaming”.
That record completely blew me away - like no other album has before or since. I reviewed “The Dreaming” on Citizens of Boomtown early last year (Album club Kate Bush – The Dreaming | Citizens Of Boomtown) and although it’s a record you’ll either love or hate, for me it is simply the greatest rock/pop album of all time.
Now coming from the Mayor of Boomtown, that might sound a bit odd – maybe even a bit disrespectful – but you have to appreciate that my love for Kate Bush’s music and my love of The Boomtown Rats’ music are very different – these two artists occupy very different niches in that vast open space between my ears!
Even after all these years, I still look forward to the sheer indulgence of playing this record – I rarely play it while I’m doing something else, making sure I clear some space in my diary, so I can properly listen to it and fully engage with the music.
Since that fateful first listening back in 1986, I’ve been trying to find a record that comes close – a piece of music that approaches the genius, the depth and the detail of “The Dreaming”. Every so often I’ll Google “records like The Dreaming” and Google will send me links to other artists and their records – so I’ve explored Tori Amos, Bjork and more recently Lykke Li and Zola Jesus – but although there’s a lot of great music out there, nothing comes close.
So, this is my plea to the citizens of Boomtown: can you recommend a record, that is as powerful and as majestic as the Kate Bush masterpiece known as “The Dreaming” – can you break the drought that’s lasted for me since 1986??
While you're havin' a thunk, here's one of the stand-out tracks form the album
As I gave it a thunk, the album(s) that came immediately to my mind were ones that bring me right back to when I was a tadpole-ette. Well produced and all my fav instruments. The overall strength of both albums allows them to be burned into my life's soundtrack and always take me back. Sofie's choice between Every Picture Tells a Story and Never a Dull Moment, but I'll post Los Paraguayos from Never a Dull Moment.
I was extremely enthusiastic about the Zutons. Who Killed the Zutons, their first album was excellent. They are another band who use a lot of sax…
Two albums come to mind to recommend.
Tubular Bells: Mike Oldfield
& The Zombies: Odyssey & Oracle