| Never for Ever | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 8 September 1980 (1980-09-08)[1] | |||
| Recorded | September 1979 – May 1980 | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road andAIR, London[2] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:16 | |||
| Label | EMI (UK) EMI America (US) Harvest (Canada) | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Kate Bush chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Kate Bush studio album chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Never for Ever | ||||
| ||||
Never for Ever is the thirdstudio album by English singer-songwriterKate Bush. Released on 8 September 1980 byEMI Records, it was Bush's first No. 1 album and was the first album by a British female solo artist to top theUK Albums Chart, as well as being the first album by any female solo artist to enter the chart at No. 1. It has since been certifiedGold by theBPI. It features the UK Top 20 singles "Breathing", "Army Dreamers" and "Babooshka", the latter being one of Bush's biggest hits. Bush co-produced the album withJon Kelly.
Beginning production after her1979 tour,Never for Ever was Bush's second foray into production (her first was for theOn Stage EP the previous year), aided by the engineer ofLionheart (1978),Jon Kelly.[5] After initially consideringEric Stewart for the position of producer, she ultimately decided to produceNever for Ever herself alongsideJon Kelly, who was to be theaudio engineer.[6]
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.Andrew Powell had worked on the orchestration for those two albums, although Bush decided to proceed without him onNever Forever. Bush commented that she had "nothing against Andrew at all because he is a fantastic arranger", but said that she was "strong-minded" and wanted to make more creative decisions on her own.[6] The range of styles onNever 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 digitalsynthesizers anddrum machines, in particular theFairlight CMI,[5] which was programmed byRichard James Burgess andJohn L. Walters.[7] 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 filmThe Innocents, which in turn had been inspired byThe Turn of the Screw byHenry James.[8] "The Wedding List" drew fromFrançois Truffaut's 1968 filmThe Bride Wore Black.[9] "Delius (Song of Summer)" was inspired by the 1968Ken Russell television filmSong of Summer, which portrays the last six years of the life of English composerFrederick Delius, whenEric Fenby acted as hisamanuensis. Fenby is mentioned in the lyrics ("in B, Fenby").[10] "Blow Away (for Bill)" commemorates her lighting director Bill Duffield, who had been killed in an accident atPoole Arts Centre during her 1979 tour.[11] The song links his name to those of several music stars who died in the previous three years—Minnie Riperton,Keith Moon,Sandy Denny,Sid Vicious,Marc Bolan—and one earlier icon,Buddy Holly.
Never for Ever is the only studio album by Bush up toDirector's Cut (2011) not to have a title track. According to Bush, the title alluded to conflicting emotions, good and bad, which pass, as she stated: "we must tell our hearts that it is 'never for ever', and be happy that it's like that".
The album cover is an illustration (in pencil) by artist Nick Price, who had also designed the cover for the programme for her 1979 tour. Bush was pleased with the results (it depicts a multitude of animals and monsters emerging from under her skirt). Of the concept, Bush said that it reflects the title, depicting good and bad things that emerge from one's self. The album was released on compact disc in Japan in 1987 with the cover art modified. A section of the original cover art was enlarged, creating two different booklet covers: the outer one modified; and underneath the original.[12] The album's cover was voted 'Greatest Album Cover of 1980' byRecord Mirror.
"Violin" and "Egypt" were performed live duringThe Tour of Life in April–May 1979. "The Wedding List" was aired in a BBCChristmas Special on 28 December 1979.[13]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [15] |
| The Great Rock Discography | 6/10[16] |
| Mojo | [17] |
| MusicHound Rock | [18] |
| Q | [19] |
| Record Mirror |  [20] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [21] |
| Smash Hits | 8/10[22] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 6/10[23] |
With work on the album completed in May,Never for Ever was released on 8 September 1980. Over the following week, Bush undertook a record-signing tour of the UK – including London, which resulted in lengthy queues downOxford Street.[24] During October she also undertook promotional appearances for the album throughout Europe, most prominently in Germany and France.[24] In the US, the album was initially unreleased following the failure of her debut. As Bush gained a cult following over the coming years, however,Never for Ever was belatedly released in 1984 following the entry into the charts of her fourth album,The Dreaming.
Never for Ever entered theUK Albums Chart for the week ending 20 September 1980, at No. 1. It remained there for one week and stayed in the top 75 for 23 weeks.[25] The album became Bush's first record to reach the top position on the UK Albums Chart, also making her the first female British solo artist to achieve that status.[26] Technically,Never for Ever is the firststudio album (i.e. not a greatest hits compilation) byany solo female artist to reach number 1 in the UK.Barbra Streisand andConnie Francis achieved the feat prior to 1980, but only with compilation albums. (Diana Ross too had achieved three UK number 1 albums by then – but not only were those compilations, they were credited to Diana Ross & The Supremes, and were therefore not solo albums.)
Three singles were released from the album, all of which fared well in the charts. The first, "Breathing", reached No. 16 in the UK, as did the third, "Army Dreamers".[27] The second single, "Babooshka", became one of Bush's biggest hits, peaking at No. 5 in the summer of 1980 in the UK and faring even better in Australia, where it reached No. 2 and was the 20th-best-selling single of the year.[27][28]
In November 2018, Bush released box sets of remasters of her studio albums, includingNever For Ever.
The album was favourably received by music critics at the time, save for a review inRecord Mirror, which criticised it as "depressing" with "meanderingly unattractive" music. The publication was also complimentary of certain tracks, including "Babooshka", "Army Dreamers", and "Breathing".[20] Based largely on this album, Bush was voted "Best female artist of 1980" in polls taken inMelody Maker,Sounds, theSunday Telegraph, andCapital Radio.[24] Bush herself has said that it was her favourite album to date. More recently,AllMusic gave the album a favourable review, complimenting the three singles most highly but said that Bush would improve on the formula on later albums.[14] In 2020,Rolling Stone includedNever for Ever in their "80 Greatest albums of 1980" list, praising Bush for her songwriting and her imagination.[29]
All tracks are written by Kate Bush.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Babooshka" | 3:20 |
| 2. | "Delius (Song of Summer)" | 2:51 |
| 3. | "Blow Away (For Bill)" | 3:33 |
| 4. | "All We Ever Look For" | 3:47 |
| 5. | "Egypt" | 4:10 |
| Total length: | 17:41 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "The Wedding List" | 4:15 |
| 7. | "Violin" | 3:15 |
| 8. | "The Infant Kiss" | 2:50 |
| 9. | "Night Scented Stock" | 0:51 |
| 10. | "Army Dreamers" | 2:55 |
| 11. | "Breathing" | 5:29 |
| Total length: | 19:35 | |
Credits are adapted from theNever for Ever liner notes.[7]
Production
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[47] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[48] | Gold | 100,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[49] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| Japan (Oricon) | — | 17,910[36] |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[50] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[51] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States | — | 39,000[52] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
