After an unlikely global smash hit that was 37 years in the making, and a long-overdue induction into the Rock Hall, Kate Bush is named as ambassador for the U.K.’s Record Store Day 2024.
The English singer rarely appears in public, on TV or radio. Though, being asked to serve as ambassador for RSD is “a huge honor,” she writes in a message on her official website. “It really is a great privilege.”
The 65-year-old “Wuthering Heights” singer is a life-long vinyl advocate. Last year, her label Fish People reissued her albums on wax, spanning 10 studio efforts, including U.K. No. 1s Hounds of Love and Never for Ever, The Dreaming, and her debut The Kick Inside, plus the remix album Director’s Cut.
“There’s a special emotional connection that happens between the possessor of an album, the music and the artwork,” she said at the time, “when it exists in the real world. It’s something we can treasure in a unique way.”
Those reissues feature the remastered audio from a 2018 campaign, when Bush’s entire musical output was released on vinyl across four box sets, including songs that had never before been pressed on wax.
Bush’s comeback is the stuff of legend. Powered by the fourth season of Stranger Things, Bush’s 1985 hit “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God”) became a chart phenomenon all over again.
By mid-2022, she was No. 1 on Hot 100 Songwriters Chart, and the song had logged multiple weeks at No. 1 in Australia and the U.K., where she was anointed as the oldest female artist ever to lead the Official U.K. Singles Chart (at 63 years and 11 months).
In the U.S., “Running Up That Hill” topped both Billboard Global Charts, and, climbed to a new peak position of No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Then, in November 2023, Bush was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.
To celebrate her new ambassadorial role, Fish People will issue an exclusive 10″ UV printed disc “Eat the Music” (single version), “Lily” and “Big Stripey Lie,” to coincide with RSD on April 20.
“The added bonus of vinyl is that it encourages people to listen to albums,” Bush continues, “an art form that I’ve always thought can be treasured in a unique way.”
In the U.K., over 260 stores participate in RSD in every corner of the country, reps say, and is one of the biggest new music events on the calendar.
Bush is a national treasure in her homeland, where she has bagged seven top 10 singles, including two No. 1s; and 12 top 10 albums, including three leaders.
Read Kate Bush’s RSD message in full below:
What a huge honour to have been asked to be Ambassador for this year’s Record Store Day. It really is a great privilege.
Isn’t it great to see how the resurgence in vinyl has taken the Music Industry by complete surprise? It had decided to leave vinyl far behind, but it would seem that not everyone agrees! I love that!
I know there are many, many artists who are just as excited to see the audience turning the tide.
In the same way that some people like to read a book on Kindle but also want to have a book as a physical object, a lot of people like vinyl and streaming. Both have different appeals.
The added bonus of vinyl is that it encourages people to listen to albums. An art form that I’ve always thought can be treasured in a unique way.
An album on vinyl is a beautiful thing, given a strong identity by its large-scale artwork. There’s a much more personal connection with the artist and their work.
It’s been fun putting designs together for some of the previous RSDs. This year’s design echoes the cancelled release of ‘Eat the Music’ as the first single from the album, ‘The Red Shoes’.
The image was intended to be on the cover of the single bag and is now on the disc as a UV print.
The title, ‘Eat the Music’, is meant to be a playful nod to ‘If music be the food of love, play on,’ from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
Each year Record Store Day gathers more attention, more momentum, and attracts more people who cram into indie record stores all over the world to see what’s up. What’s new?
This year, I hope you have a fantastic time at this very important event, and that you get to celebrate music that’s been specially released for you.
Very best wises,
Kate
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