Every so often, someone will come along and record an album that is as close to perfection as you could possibly get. One such instance was in 1985, when Kate Bush created ‘Hounds of Love’.

The overall effect of the album is dreamlike. Many of the songs have got a strong cinematic feel and ‘Cloudbusting’ is actually based around some of the philosophical writings of Wilhelm Reich. Its content is highly stylised with sound samples, complex rhythms and super-slick production. A couple of the tracks, most notably the singles, have an ‘eighties’ style about them but in many ways it is timeless.

Reviews of the album were excellent on its release and it did incredibly well in the charts. It actually entered at the number one position and succeeded in knocking Madonna’s (yawn) ‘Like a Virgin’ from the top.

Kate Bush has always maintained that the album is in two separate parts. She even used the sound of a steam train slowing down and stopping at the end of ‘Cloudbusting’ to emphasise this. The second part (or what used to be side two) is woven around the story of a girl lost at sea. Again, the dreamlike quality of the album is evident as the girl ‘drifts’ in and out of her thoughts and consciousness.

In 1997, the album was re-issued with 12” remixes of, ‘The Big Sky’ and ‘Cloudbusting’. Also included were four B sides; ‘Be Kind to my Mistakes’, ‘Burning Bridge’, ‘My Lagan Love’ and the sublime, ‘Under the Ivy’.

‘Hound of Love’ is a record that is quite literally awesome. The production is so expertly done and the many drum patterns on the tracks will leave you breathless. When Kate Bush went into the studio to record this album she was at the pinnacle of her creativity.

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Bit of news, I was talking with my brother the other night and he says that in the economic slump lots of companies are turning towards team building london to stimulate the employees. It’s a likable concept but it is never going to encourage people as much as a nice big check is it?