Let's do one more Kate Bush cover song..."Hounds of Love" is the third single released from Kate's 1985 LP "Hounds of Love" (the single came out in 1986). An ode to the fear of commitment, it is a great song but it took me a while to discover this in part because of the mid-1980s production techniques that worked well enough on "Running Up That Hill" don't really make the song "Hounds of Love" stand out.
It wasn't until a few years ago when Johan turned me onto The Futureheads and their 2004 self-titled LP where they do an excellent cover of "Hounds of Love" that I really appreciated the original. The Futureheads transform it from an art/prog rock song and strip it down to just a simple, new wave rock song. While busy channeling The Knack, The Futureheads speed up the tempo, replace the keyboards with guitars, and completely embrace the background vocals that otherwise sound a little awkward on Kate's version. And if that's not a solid formula for how to improve a rock song, then I don't know what is...
Kate Bush: studio version, TOTP version
The Futureheads: studio version, official video, live version, unplugged/live version
Wow. I've never heard that cover, but it's amazing and after listening to the song since I was 14 it's nice to have some insight into its meaning. Thanks for the great links.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ruby Red. The Futureheads do a great version, one that simultaneously honors and extends the original.
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