Aerial
Studio album by
Kate Bush
Released7 November 2005
Recorded1996–2005[1]
StudioAbbey Road Studios (London)
Genre
Length79:58
LabelEMI
Columbia (US)
ProducerKate Bush
Kate Bush chronology
Live at Hammersmith Odeon
(1994)		 Aerial
(2005)		 Director's Cut
(2011)
Kate Bush studio album chronology
The Red Shoes
(1993)		 Aerial
(2005)		 Director's Cut
(2011)
Singles from Aerial
  1. "King of the Mountain"
    Released: 24 October 2005

Aerial is the eighth album by English singer-songwriter and musician Kate Bush. It was released as a double album in 2005, twelve years after her 1993 album The Red Shoes.

Overview

Aerial, Bush's first double album, was released after a twelve-year absence from the music industry during which Bush devoted her time to family and the raising of her son, Bertie. The anticipation leading up to the album's release was immense, with press articles devoted to Bush being printed months, even years before.[2] Like Bush's previous album, The Red Shoes, Aerial does not feature a cover photograph of Bush, but rather one that is emblematic of the album's celebration of sky, sea, and birdsong. The cover image, which seems to show a mountain range at sunset reflected on the sea is in fact a waveform of a blackbird song superimposed over a glowing photograph.

Aerial is one of Bush's most critically acclaimed albums.[3] Musically, the album is a multi-layered work, incorporating elements of folk, Renaissance, classical, reggae, flamenco, and rock. As with 1985's Hounds of Love, the album is divided into two thematically distinct collections. The first disc, subtitled A Sea of Honey, features a set of unrelated songs including the hit single "King of the Mountain", a Renaissance-style ode to her son Albert "Bertie" McIntosh performed with period instruments, and a song based on the story of Joan of Arc named "Joanni". In the song "", Bush sings the number to its 78th decimal place, then from its 101st to its 137th decimal place.[4][5] The piano and vocal piece "A Coral Room", dealing with the loss of Bush's mother and the passage of time, was hailed by critics as "stunning" in its simplicity,[6] "profoundly moving"[7] and as "one of the most beautiful" pieces Bush has ever recorded.[7]

The second disc, subtitled A Sky of Honey, consists of a single piece of music reveling in the experience of outdoor adventures on a single summer day, beginning in the morning and ending twenty-four hours later with the next sunrise.[8] The songs are saturated with the presence of birdsong, and all refer to the sky and sunlight, with the sea also featuring as an important element. Beginning with blackbirds singing in the dawn chorus, a woodpigeon cooing, solo piano, and Bush's son saying, "Mummy, Daddy, the day is full of birds," the piece begins with an early morning awakening to a beautiful day of sun shining "like the light in Italy"; it proceeds through a visit with a painter who is working on a new piece of pavement art ("An Architect's Dream" and "The Painter's Link") and then passes on to a crimson "Sunset". The interlude "Aerial Tal", consists of Bush imitating various samples of birdsong, while "Somewhere in Between" celebrates the ambiguous nature of dusk. "Nocturn", features a pair of lovers bathing in the sea after dark under a star-studded "diamond sky". The song cycle ends with "Aerial" and its euphoric welcome of the following morning's sunrise with the refrain "I need to get up on the roof...in the sun."

In the album's initial release, A Sky of Honey features Rolf Harris playing the didgeridoo and providing vocals on "An Architect's Dream" and "The Painter's Link". Following Harris' 2014 conviction for indecent assault, his vocals were replaced on the 2018 remaster with new recordings by Bertie McIntosh.[9][10] Other guest artists include Peter Erskine, Eberhard Weber, Lol Creme and Procol Harum's Gary Brooker. In one of his final projects before his death in 2003, long-time Bush collaborator Michael Kamen arranged the string sections, performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra.

In the 2014 series of concerts in London, Before the Dawn, Bush performed "King of the Mountain", "Joanni" and the whole Sky of Honey song cycle live for the first time.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Entertainment WeeklyA[13]
The Guardian[14]
The Independent[15]
Mojo[16]
NME7/10[17]
Pitchfork6.4/10[18]
Q[19]
Rolling Stone[20]
The Times[21]

On 13 November 2005, Aerial entered the UK Albums Chart at number three, selling 91,473 copies in its first week on release.[22] In Canada, the album was certified Platinum (100,000 copies sold). On 10 January 2006, Bush was nominated for two BRIT Awards for Best British Female Solo Artist and Best British Album for Aerial.[23] On 27 January 2006, the album went up against Demon Days by Gorillaz and Coles Corner by Richard Hawley in the pop category of the South Bank Show's Annual Arts Awards, but was beaten by Hawley. UK music magazine Mojo named it their third best album of 2005, behind I Am a Bird Now by Antony and the Johnsons and Funeral by Arcade Fire. Rob Chapman, writing in The Times stated that "...its closing triptych, Somewhere in Between, Nocturn, and Aerial, represents the most joyous and euphoric finale to an album that you will hear all year."[21]

In an article for Stylus Magazine, Marcello Carlin reflected that "Aerial was a triumph, a towering dual masterpiece arriving like a huge galleon into the shallow pool of enforced worthiness and happiness which defined that era’s pop. It sought to give new life to dead souls—whether Elvis or her own mother or even the number Pi—and found that renewed life in young Bertie."[24]

Single

The only single from the album was "King of the Mountain". The song makes references to Elvis Presley and the film Citizen Kane. The track was played for the first time on BBC Radio 2 on 21 September 2005, and was made available for download on 27 September. The B-side (or second track) of the single was a Marvin Gaye cover, "Sexual Healing", recorded in 1994, and was not available on any of her albums until the release of the compilation The Other Sides in 2018. The single entered (and peaked in) the UK singles chart at No. 4, and gave Bush her first top-five hit in twenty years and her third-highest singles chart placing. The song also peaked at No. 6 on the UK download chart.

Re-releases

In mid-May 2010, Aerial was released for the first time on iTunes. The second disc, A Sky of Honey, plays as one track, and its title was changed to An Endless Sky of Honey. Each track title is merged altogether on the sleeve. In August 2010, the CD version was reissued by Sony Legacy in the United States.[25] The following year Bush re-released Aerial alongside others of her albums on her own label Fish People, where they appeared again in 2018 in remastered versions.

On the 2018 remastered edition, A Sky of Honey reverted to its original nine tracks. The parts of "An Architect's Dream" and "The Painter's Link" originally performed by Rolf Harris were removed in light of the sexual assault conviction against Harris and replaced by performances by Albert "Bertie" McIntosh, Kate Bush's son.[26]

On 17 May 2015, a sequence from the song "π" was featured on The Simpsons' twenty-sixth-season finale, "Mathlete's Feat".[27]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Kate Bush

A Sea of Honey
No.TitleLength
1."King of the Mountain"4:53
2."π"6:09
3."Bertie"4:18
4."Mrs. Bartolozzi"5:58
5."How to Be Invisible"5:32
6."Joanni"4:56
7."A Coral Room"6:12
A Sky of Honey
No.TitleLength
8."Prelude"1:26
9."Prologue"5:42
10."An Architect's Dream"4:50
11."The Painter's Link"1:35
12."Sunset"5:58
13."Aerial Tal"1:01
14."Somewhere in Between"5:00
15."Nocturn"8:34
16."Aerial"7:52

Note: The 2010 CD reissue combines all parts of "A Sky of Honey" into one track lasting 42:00.

Personnel

  • Kate Bush – vocals, keyboards (1 –3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 13 –16), piano (4, 7, 9, 12)
  • Dan McIntosh – electric and acoustic guitar (1, 2, 5, 6, 10, 12, 14 –16)
  • Del Palmer – bass guitar (1, 5, 6, 14, 16)
  • Paddy Bush – backing vocals (1)
  • Steve Sanger – drums (1, 16)
  • Stuart Elliott – drums (2, 5, 12, 14)
  • Eberhard Weber – electric upright bass (2, 9)
  • Lol Creme – backing vocals (2, 15)
  • Eligio Quinteiro – renaissance guitar (3)
  • Richard Campbell and Susanna Pell – viol (3)
  • Bill Thorp – string arrangement (3)
  • Robin Jeffrey – renaissance percussion (3)
  • Chris Hall – accordion (5)
  • Michael Wood – male vocal (7)
  • Albert McIntosh (Bertie – Kate Bush's son) – "The Sun" (8), "The Painter" (10, 11, in 2018 edition)
  • Peter Erskine – drums (9, 10, 15)
  • London Metropolitan Orchestra strings (9, 11)
  • Michael Kamen – orchestral arranger and conductor
  • John Giblin – bass guitar (10, 12, 15)
  • Rolf Harris – "The Painter" (10, 11), didgeridoo (11) (first release only)
  • Gary Brooker – backing vocals (12, 14), hammond organ (14, 15)
  • Bosco D'Oliveira – percussion (15, 16)
Production

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Aerial
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[58] Platinum 100,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[59] Gold 23,811[59]
France (SNEP)[60] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[61] Gold 100,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[62] Gold 7,500^
Japan — 13,176[63]
Poland (ZPAV)[64] Gold 20,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[65] Platinum 300,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 1,100,000[66]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "FEATURE: In a Sea and Sky of Honey: Kate Bush's Aerial at Fifteen". Music Musings & Such. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "Kate Bush: The Sequel". The Independent. 2 September 2005. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
  3. ↑ "Aerial". MetaCritic.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
  4. ↑ Singh, Simon (20 December 2005). "Curse of a festive pedant". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  5. ↑ (sequence A112602 in the OEIS)
  6. ↑ Hilton, Boyd (5 November 2005). "Aerial review". Heat. Retrieved 4 April 2007.
  7. 1 2 Thompson, Ben (5 November 2006). "Ben Thompson reviews an album of two-halves". The Sunday Telegraph. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
  8. ↑ J. Cowley notes A Sky of Honey covers a single day through to next morning.
  9. ↑ Sinclair, Paul (7 November 2018). "Kate Bush removes Rolf Harris from the 2018 remaster of her album Aerial". SuperDeluxeEdition. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  10. ↑ Cashmere, Paul (13 November 2018). "Kate Bush removes Rolf Harris contribution from Aerial reissue". Noise11. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  11. ↑ "Reviews for Aerial by Kate Bush". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  12. ↑ Jurek, Thom. "Aerial – Kate Bush". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  13. ↑ Weingarten, Marc (14 November 2005). "Aerial". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  14. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (4 November 2005). "Kate Bush, Aerial". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  15. ↑ Gill, Andy (4 November 2005). "Album: Kate Bush". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 November 2005. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  16. ↑ Irvin, Jim (December 2005). "And is there honey still for tea?". Mojo (145): 96.
  17. ↑ "Kate Bush: Aerial". NME: 45. 12 November 2005.
  18. ↑ Leone, Dominique (9 November 2005). "Kate Bush: Aerial". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  19. ↑ Blake, Mark (December 2005). "Mother Superior". Q (233): 142.
  20. ↑ Walters, Barry (3 November 2005). "Aerial : Kate Bush". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 6 November 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  21. 1 2 Chapman, Rob (29 October 2005). "The Big CD". The Times. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  22. ↑ "The Official UK" (PDF). Music Week. 19 November 2005. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2022.
  23. ↑ "Search results for Kate Bush". The BRIT Awards. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 15 February 2007.
  24. ↑ Carlin, Marcello (16 April 2007). "This Sentinent Soul, This Living Breath". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  25. ↑ "Aerial: Kate Bush: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  26. ↑ "Kate Bush Deletes Rolf Harris From 'Ariel' Re-Issue". Nova News. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  27. ↑ "Simpsons, Episode 574, clip feat. Kate Bush's "π"". YouTube. 18 May 2015. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  28. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Kate Bush – Aerial". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  29. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Kate Bush – Aerial" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  30. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Kate Bush – Aerial" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  31. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Kate Bush – Aerial" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  32. ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 10.Týden 2006 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  33. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Kate Bush – Aerial". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  34. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kate Bush – Aerial" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  35. ↑ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 117, no. 48. 26 November 2005. p. 81. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
  36. ↑ "Kate Bush: Aerial" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  37. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Kate Bush – Aerial". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  38. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Kate Bush – Aerial" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  39. ↑ "Top 50 Ελληνικών και Ξένων Άλμπουμ" [Top 50 Greek and Foreign Albums] (in Greek). IFPI Greece. 11 December 2005. Archived from the original on 20 December 2005. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  40. ↑ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 17 November 2005". GfK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  41. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Kate Bush – Aerial". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  42. ↑ エアリアル/ケイト・ブッシュ [Aerial / Kate Bush] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  43. ↑ "Charts.nz – Kate Bush – Aerial". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  44. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Kate Bush – Aerial". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  45. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  46. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  47. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Kate Bush – Aerial". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  48. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Kate Bush – Aerial". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  49. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  50. ↑ "Kate Bush Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  51. ↑ "Kate Bush Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  52. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2005 – Albums" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  53. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2005" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  54. ↑ "Top Albums annuel (physique + téléchargement + streaming) – 2005" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  55. ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2005". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  56. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2006" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  57. ↑ "Top Albums annuel (physique + téléchargement + streaming) – 2006" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  58. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Kate Bush – Aerial". Music Canada.
  59. 1 2 "Kate Bush" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  60. ↑ "French album certifications – Kate Bush – Aerial" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 26 November 2021. Select KATE BUSH and click OK. 
  61. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Kate Bush; 'Aerial')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  62. ↑ "The Irish Charts - 2005 Certification Awards - Gold". Irish Recorded Music Association.
  63. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  64. ↑ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2006 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  65. ↑ "British album certifications – Kate Bush – Aerial". British Phonographic Industry.
  66. ↑ Cashmere, Paul (13 January 2007). "EMI Share Price Drops on Restructure Announcement". Undercover.fm. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
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