Never for Ever
| Never for Ever | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Kate Bush | ||||
| Released | 7 September 1980 | |||
| Recorded | September 1979 – May 1980 | |||
| Genre | Art rock, baroque pop | |||
| Length | 37:16 | |||
| Label |
EMI (UK) EMI America (USA) Harvest (Canada) |
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| Producer | Kate Bush, Jon Kelly | |||
| Kate Bush chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Never for Ever | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Smash Hits | 8/10 |
| AllMusic |   |
| Le Guide du CD | |
| Spin's Book of Alternative Albums | 6/10 |
Never for Ever is the third studio album by the English singer Kate Bush. Released in September 1980, it was Bush's first no. 1 album and was also the first ever album by a British female solo artist to top the UK album chart, as well as being the first album by any female solo artist to enter the chart at no. 1. It has since been certified Gold by the BPI. It features the UK Top 20 singles "Breathing", "Army Dreamers" and "Babooshka", which was one of Bush's biggest hits. Bush co-produced the album with Jon Kelly.
Beginning production after her 1979 tour, Never for Ever was Bush's second foray into production (her first was for the On Stage EP the previous year), aided by the engineer of Lionheart (1978), Jon Kelly. Bush was keen to start producing her work and felt that this was the first album she was happy with, since it was more personal.
The first two albums had resulted in a particular sound, which was evident in every track, with lush orchestral arrangements supporting the live band sound. The range of styles on Never for Ever is much more diverse, veering from the straightforward rocker "Violin" to the wistful waltz of hit single "Army Dreamers". Never for Ever was the first Kate Bush album to feature digital synthesizers and drum machines, in particular the Fairlight CMI, which was programmed by Richard James Burgess and John L. Walters. Like her previous two albums, it was initially composed on piano.
Bush's literary and cinematic influences were again to the fore. "The Infant Kiss", the story of a governess who is frightened by the adult feelings she has for her young male charge (who is possessed by the spirit of a grown man), was inspired by the 1961 film The Innocents, which in turn had been inspired by The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. "The Wedding List" drew from François Truffaut's 1968 film The Bride Wore Black. "Delius (Song of Summer)" was inspired by the 1968 Ken Russell TV movie Song of Summer, which portrays the last six years of the life of English composer Frederick Delius, when Eric Fenby acted as his amanuensis. Fenby is mentioned in the lyrics ("in B, Fenby"). "Blow Away (for Bill)" commemorates her lighting director Bill Duffield, killed in an accident at Poole Arts Centre during her 1979 tour. The song links his name to those of several music stars who died in the previous decade—Minnie Riperton, Keith Moon, Sandy Denny, Sid Vicious, Marc Bolan—and one earlier icon, Buddy Holly.
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