It's hard not to have a crush on Kate Bush

It's hard not to have a crush on Kate Bush - standard girl crush, complex woman of the world crush, eccentric artist crush, perfect British babe crush, oddball musical diva crush, why can't the rest of 'rock n roll' be like her crush. She is a fascinating figure in a realm (the singer/songwriter) that sells idiosyncrasy like iced lemonade to the Arctic. People don't want their balladeers weird. They prefer they spend their time in singular contemplation, worrying about love and life between lovers and livers. But Bush never did that. Hell, her first major hit was based on a classic Gothic romance novel and her first album was named after a song about abortion. Before there was Tori Amos, Bjork, or Sarah McLachlan, there was Kate Bush...and none of those aforementioned sirens can hold half a candle to the earnest Englishwoman's substantial power. For those who know little of what we are talking, something like Kate Bush: A Life of Surprises (The Story So Far) will be a revelation. It will argue for why so many think so much of this important musician. Fans, however, will be drawn to the subject, but might find the treatment a tad trying.

This two disc DVD collection is just that - two separate (and previously released) DVDs in one package. The first disc is a decent Kate Bush biography, tracing her career from teenage phenom to lost in exile wife and mother. It systematically walks through each of her studio albums (from The Kick Inside to Aerial), discusses her one and only live tour, the influence of dance (and its study) on her muse, and the various minor scandals that plagued her otherwise exemplary entertainment life. We get snippets from her compelling music videos, interviews with music journalists, friends, and collaborators, and witness the slow and steady rise from unknown quantity to frilly first Lady of England. The second disc breaks down her "classic album", Hounds of Love, providing a track by track dissection of the record, her song styles and approach, and the epic 'side long' suite that makes up the work's last sonic act.