Never for Ever Information & Never for Ever Links at HealthHaven.com

Never for Ever
Studio album by Kate Bush
Released	September 8, 1980
Recorded	1979-80
Genre	Art rock, Soft rock
Length	37:16
Label	EMI
Producer	Kate Bush, Jon Kelly
Professional reviews
	Allmusic link;
Kate Bush chronology

Never for Ever is the third album by the British singer Kate Bush. Released in 1980, it was Bush's first ever no.1 album and was also the first 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.^[1] It has since been certified Gold by the BPI. Bush co-produced the album herself with Jon Kelly.

[edit] Production and style

Never for Ever was Bush's second foray into production (her first was for the Live On Stage EP earlier in the year), aided by the engineer of Lionheart, Jon Kelly.^[2] 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 "The Wedding List" to the wistful waltz of hit single "Army Dreamers". Never for Ever was the first Kate Bush album to feature synthesizers and drum machines, in particular the Fairlight CMI,^[2] 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. Never for Ever is the only album to date by Bush not to have a title track.

[edit] Release and impact

The album became Bush's first record to reach the top position in the UK album charts, also making her the first female British solo artist to achieve that status.^[3]^[4] Technically, Never For Ever is the first studio album (i.e. - not a greatest hits compilation) by any solo female artist to reach no.1 in the UK as only Barbra Streisand and Connie Francis had achieved the feat prior to 1980 but with compilation albums (Diana Ross had also achieved three UK no.1 albums by then but these were also compilations and were credited to Diana Ross & The Supremes and were therefore not solo albums).

In Japan, the CD booklet cover art was modified, as EMI-Toshiba execs decided that the illustration of various animals emerging from beneath Bush's skirt was too risque, and chose to enlarge a section of the original cover art, creating two different booklet covers: the outer one modified; and underneath the original.^{[citation needed]}

The album's cover was voted 'Greatest Album Cover of 1980' by Record Mirror.

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Kate Bush.

[edit] Side one

"Babooshka" – 3:20
"Delius (Song of Summer)" – 2:51 (A song referring to Frederick Delius)
"Blow Away (For Bill)" – 3:33
"All We Ever Look For" – 3:47
"Egypt" – 4:10

[edit] Side two

"The Wedding List" – 4:15
"Violin" – 3:15
"The Infant Kiss" – 2:50
"Night Scented Stock" – 0:51
"Army Dreamers" – 2:55
"Breathing" – 5:29

[edit] Personnel

Ian Bairnson: Guitar, Bass vocals
Brian Bath: Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Background Vocals
Andrew Bryant: Vocals, Background Vocals
Kevin Burke: Violin
Kate Bush: Piano, Arranger, Keyboards, Vocals, Producer, Harmony Vocals, Vocal Harmony
Paddy Bush: Harmonica, Mandolin, Balalaika, Bass Vocals, Sitar, Vocals, Background Vocals, Koto, Banshee, Saw, Mando, Delius
Stuart Elliot: drums, Bodhran
Larry Fast: Keyboards, Prophet Synthesizer
Martyn Ford: Orchestra
John Giblin: Bass, Fretless Bass
Roy Harper: Vocals, Background Vocals
Preston Heyman: Percussion, Drums, Background Vocals
Gary Hurst: Vocals, Background Vocals
Jon Jacobs: Assistant Engineer
Jon Kelly: Producer, Engineer
Duncan Mackay: Keyboards, Fairlight
Max Middleton: Keyboards, Moog synthesizer, Fender Rhodes, String Arrangements
Mike Moran: Keyboards, Prophet 5
Alan Murphy: Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Acoustic & Electric Bass
Del Palmer: Bass, Vocals, Fretless Bass
Morris Pert: Percussion, Timpani
Roland: Percussion
Adam Sceaping: Viol, String Arrangements
Jo Sceaping: Lironi, String Arrangements
Adam Skeaping: Viola
Joseph Skeaping: Lironi
John L. Walters and Richard James Burgess: Fairlight CMI

[edit] Chart performance

Chart (1980)	Peak position
UK Albums Chart	1
Germany	17
Japan Oricon	40
France	7
Australia	3
Norway's album chart	2
Sweden's album chart	16

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ http://www.chartstats.com/albuminfo.php?id=5079 Kate Bush Never for Ever chart history
^ ^a ^b "Kate Bush". NNDB. http://www.nndb.com/people/504/000025429/. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
^ Williamson, Nigel (2005-10-02), The Mighty Bush, Scotland on Sunday, http://gaffaweb.org/reaching/rev_aer_UK1.html, retrieved 2009-05-05
^^{[dead link]}Williamson, Nigel. "The Mighty Bush". Scotland on Sunday. http://gaffa.org/reaching/rev_aer_UK1.html. Retrieved 2007-04-03.

Preceded by Telekon by Gary Numan	UK Albums Chart number one album September 20, 1980 – September 26, 1980	Succeeded by Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) by David Bowie

[0] ttp://www.chartstats.com/albuminfo.php?id=5079 Kate Bush Never for Ever chart history

[NNDB-1] "Kate Bush". NNDB. http://www.nndb.com/people/504/000025429/. Retrieved 2007-04-03.

[MightyB-2] Williamson, Nigel (2005-10-02), The Mighty Bush, Scotland on Sunday, http://gaffaweb.org/reaching/rev_aer_UK1.html, retrieved 2009-05-05

[3] {[dead link]}Williamson, Nigel. "The Mighty Bush". Scotland on Sunday. http://gaffa.org/reaching/rev_aer_UK1.html. Retrieved 2007-04-03.

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