Director's Cut [Box set]

Really glad I gave this another go, because my original review title was 'Not Many Moments of Pleasure' Given the nature of this album, it really has to be taken on a track by track basis, which is something I don't normally like doing. I must point out that The Red Shoes was never my favourite album. However reading KB's comments about the original digital mastering, I think that has had something to do with my dislike of the album. It always had an unlistenable quality about it, pity I didn't get the box set of this then!

Anyway, here goes

1. Flower of the Mountain - Musically softer & less vital but not radically different, lyrically the original has it.
2. The Song of Solomon - An improvement over the original for me, but Wop, Bam, Boom?
3. Lily - Pretty much the same as above, without the Wop, Bam, Boom bit
4. Deeper Understanding - Erm, Er, The original has it. Auto Tune, really?
5. The Red Shoes - Again I prefer this version, a more 'played' organic feel to it.
6. This Woman's Work - This was always the one that would struggle to win me over, and it hasn't. I'm not saying this new arrangement is awful, it's perfectly fine, but it isn't the same song that can move me to tears. And I don't think it ever would have, had this been the original version. Original wins!
7. Moments of Pleasure - Benefits from the stripped back production & calmer feel compared to the original. I do like the original, but this new arrangement is beautiful.
8. Never be Mine - As others have said nothing much different here, just a softer feel again. A pleasant reworking, that's all.
9. Top of the City - Never really liked the original, this is better..just.
10. And So is Love - Great song, this version does nothing to change that fact.
11. Rubberband Girl - Oh well, she sounds like she enjoyed herself. Something I'll never do listening to the original or this version unfortunately.

So overall, an album of softer, less produced versions of the songs. Did we need this? Probably not, but she's done it and it'll keep her in biscuits or tofu or whatever.

Finally, quite a bit has been said about the perceived poor sound quality of this album. Unfortunately this has more to do with the overly LOUD poor quality mastering we have suffered for the last 15 years, than any problem with this album. Yes, the vocals could do with a bit more 'space' and top end and the bass end is intentionally soft, but think we've all forgotten what voices & instruments really sound like. And as for the album being quiet, that's because the mastering engineer has done his job properly and given this album dynamic range. Quiet things are quiet, and loud things are loud, it's not all at one fatiguing, clipped level and it retains the emotional impact of the music. The engineer has allowed you to determine how loud the music is, you are in charge of the volume control. One day all albums will have a dynamic range, just like they used to!

This is a review of the three-disc Collector's Edition featuring newly-recorded versions of tracks from 'The Red Shoes(1993)'and 'The Sensual World(1989)'.The other two discs are a remastered Red Shoes and what seems to be an unchanged Sensual World.The newly recorded versions mainly feature new vocals,keyboards and percussion and are generally more stripped-down than the originals.Some songs are in a different key with entirely new vocal melodies and some are almost unrecognisable.I dont see this as an attempt to replace those old tracks-more like a re-imagining,like changing your furniture around.I have played the original recordings to death over the last 20 years and I personally prefer all of these updated versions.We again meet a quirky,playful and wierd Kate Bush,one that was maybe a little absent from the superb but earnest Ariel.

'Top of the City'from 'Shoes'I never really rated as a song,but the new version which is great,makes me realise that it was the original production that put me off,it always sounded a bit too big and epic for me,but this new take is better,less cinematic and leaner with more real sounding drums and shows off the song.

This version of Rubberband Girl is a real surprise-Something like 'Street Fighting Man'with muffled,naive vocals reminding me of Canned Heat or the really young Kate on Passing Through Air.

In a nit-picking moment I notice Eric Clapton's uninspired noodlings on And So Is Love remain intact.This song is probably the most unchanged rework on the record,but sounding much warmer than before

Moments Of Pleasure is revealed as a fantastic song-again free of the massive production that buried it before.This features a male-voice choir,maybe-giving a voice to the departed...

Never be mine,always a favourite has Kate bravely ditching the strong chorus and retaining the hypnotic Eberhard Weber bass melody to great effect

Probably the highpoint of this album is 'This Woman's Work'- a shimmering,crystalline piece of minimalism that almost made me float out of my chair.

The remixed version of Red Shoes does much to improve the sound.Some of the more musically-dense tracks that had sounded a little cluttered are now rendered clearer.I just wish some of those massive,reverberating 90's drums had been toned down just a little.I have always found this the most mixed of the albums-some killers but some tracks sounding like slightly overwrought 'normal'music which is a bad thing for a Kate Bush record.'The Sensual World' is a stunning piece of work-not actually requiring remastering as it has always sounded great.I am not going to review them in full here but I'd give Red Shoes 4 stars and Sensual World 5.

The actual singing is superb-with these long gaps between albums we notice in jolts how the voice changes over the years but the Kate Bush voice is still a beautiful instrument,capable of vast emotional depth and an effortless range of vocal textures from soft whispers to hard-edged bellows.She sounds more relaxed and playful than she did on Ariel,and on some of these tracks she does sound quite unhinged(In a good way).The backing vocals are beautiful,scary and unique-I have always carefully listened to Kate Bush BV's-an important component of the overall sound.

And the bass.Like Jimmy Page,putting the drums right up in the mix,Kate Bush's music has always featured the electric bass,allowing it to sing and be free.There is some awesome playing on this,with performances from John Giblin,Eberhard Weber and Del Palmer.In these more spacious versions the bass is melodic and prominent.

Any new material from Kate Bush is an event.My entire KB album collection of eight is now nine. I really liked this and I have to stop listening or I will become bored of it.Any fan will buy this anyway,and it seems more like a gift for us more than the general listener,but I hope it does well.Now Kate is in the mood for re-presenting her back-catalogue a cd of B-sides and 12" mixes would be really welcome-or do I get a USB turntable and dig out those old 45's?

I just wanted to say, a lot of the negative reviews on her are being pretty unreasonable. This triple disc version features ONE disc of reinterpretations. You also get the 2 original albums remastered. Kate wanted to try something different, for her own satisfaction, and released this boxset so as to present the originals with an improved sound quality AND her reinterpretations as an older woman. This is an extremely sensitive way to go about a project like this and represents decent value for money even if you're not interested in the new versions.I actually don't own 'The Red Shoes' and agree with Kate that the sound on 'The Sensual World' was very flat. I'm very happy with these remasters.