Music Feeds’ Love Letter to a Record series asks artists to reflect on their relationship with an album they love and share stories about how it has influenced their lives. Here, Lindsay O’Connell of RAAVE TAPES sings the praises of Kate Bush’s The Kick Inside (1984)
Stream RAAVE TAPES’ latest single, ‘Red Flag’.
Lindsay O’Connell, RAAVE TAPES on Kate Bush’s The Kick Inside (1984)
You were my mother’s first album at 12 years old; mine at 8.
You were whispering ‘You’ll find me in a Berlin bar’ when I was walking Mitte at 19 and feeling thirsty. I hear the call for Heathcliff in supermarket isles while I’m picking out the mundane items of life. You were there when I had my first breakup and Moving was telling me to be sad for the moment, but to move forward fluidly. And how many times have I danced around to James and the Cold Gun, kicking and twirling at the risk of my houseplants? (2x Peace Lilys and a still suffering Golden Palm.)
You made your mark on an 8-year-old ballet girl that never knew that leotards and art-rock could work synonymously (they shouldn’t). I too could be the girl that sang softly and radiated strength. You are the soundtrack to my childhood (boy howdy is my father sick to death of his three girls wailing to The Man with the Child in his Eyes on long road-trips, getting back at us only by blasting Metallica). You were the soundtrack of being a teenager and finding that some of the artists that I love hold you as their influence too. You’re my inspiration for being a musician.
When I started in Raave Tapes, I was unsure of my identity. It took me a time to feel like I belonged in the music world, that I was the type of person that belonged on stage. Kate released you when she was 19! And it was different, it was bold and an expression of who she was to the whole world. I found that I could summon that strength, that boldness and take on my musical aspirations that same way. Inspirations like you are the reason why I found that drive to pursue music, to walk into this wonderful world of performance and writing.
This is my love letter to you. I’ll never stop holding you in the highest esteem, nor stop listening to you on repeat, reliving the nostalgia of childhood memories, the most important moments of my life sound-tracked by you. The Kick Inside was, is and will always be my favourite album released.
- Yours faithfully,
- Lindsay
- RAAVE TAPES
Further Reading
Love Letter to a Record: Kat Edwards on Andy Shauf’s The Party
Kate Bush Is Reissuing ‘Running Up That Hill’ As A CD Single For The First Time
The Wombats Cover Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ For Like A Version
