News

Kate Bush announces a new illustrated edition of The Dreaming

The ‘Escapologist Edition’

By Paul Sinclair

Comments

69

Kate Bush / The Dreaming Escapologist Edition

Kate Bush is following up her ‘Baskerville Edition’ of Hounds of Love with another illustrated vinyl edition of one of her studio albums, this time 1982’s The Dreaming.

Called, the ‘Escapologist Edition’ this edition represents the album in totally new artwork, which has been designed by Timorous Beasties, the same Glasgow-based design studio responsible for the new Hounds of Love.

The Escapologist Edition of The Dreaming features new artwork (click image to enlarge)

This time though, there’s no gizmos such as flashing lights and solar panels, just new illustrated artwork for front, rear and inner sleeves picking up the same theme as the original, the escape of Harry Houdini thanks to his wife passing him the key to the padlock via a kiss (as told in the song ‘Houdini’ on the album). This means the cost of acquiring this is lower than the Baskerville Edition of Hounds of Love by a cool £100, and in fact the Escapologist Edition of The Dreaming can be picked up for the same price as the Indie Exclusive ‘smokey’ coloured vinyl version.

The Escapologist Edition of The Dreaming is pressed on 180g black vinyl and uses the 2018 remastering. It will be released on 14 February 2024 via The State51 conspiracy.

It’s available to pre-order via the SDE shop using this link or via the pre-order button below.

Image from one side of the inner sleeve (click to enlarge)

Tracklisting

Kate Bush / The Dreaming Escapologist Edition

The Dreaming Kate Bush / Escapologist Edition

    • Side 1
      1. Sat In Your Lap
      2. There Goes A Tenner
      3. Pull Out The Pin
      4. Suspended In Gaffa
      5. Leave It Open
      Side 2
      1. The Dreaming
      2. Night Of The Swallow
      3. All The Love
      4. Houdini
      5. Get Out Of My House

SuperDeluxeEdition.com helps fans around the world discover physical music and discuss releases. To keep the site free, SDE participates in various affiliate programs, including Amazon and earns from qualifying purchases.

Related Content

69 Comments

69 thoughts on “Kate Bush announces a new illustrated edition of The Dreaming”

  1. Comparatively speaking, this is a better visual design than what was presented in 1982. So as a re-release, it’s kind of nice to see something different (and good). But it feels weak without additional music. I can’t reconcile the thought put into the art presentation against the lack of thought with the music included. For the price, at least include the b-sides and alternate versions from the singles for this album. It’d be a nicer, more thoughtful package.

  3. So my guess will be that the cover for Lionheart will feature a heavily drawn lion. Hounds of Love will be a dog or 2. The Sensual World will be a flower. The Red Shoes will be a ballet shoe. Ariel will be a bird. 50 Words for Snow will be a snowman. And, The Kick Inside could be a baby or kite (to match the British cover).
    But what could Neverforever be? And will she do The Director’s Cut and Before the Dawn?
    And to get a little crazy – Will The Whole Story wrap things up with a super detailed drawing of Kate?
    Only time will tell.

  4. A book of Kate Bush artwork from around the world would be a very good idea.
    The new covers are very much in keeping withe the current fashion of wallpaper like design.Coralie Bickford-Smith with the cross-hatching of John Vernon Lord perhaps. Each to his own but at least its not Ronnie Wood.

  5. Why is she getting textile designers to update her record covers? Whatever you may think of Timorous Beasties’ fabrics, this looks like an A Level Art project.

  6. Having purchased the Houds Of Love reissue I also decided to get this one, seeing as it’s “only” 100£ less. Of course it’s still ridiculously overpriced, but not that much more than what is happening at the moment.

  8. >>” the escape of Harry Houdini thanks to his wife passing him the key to the padlock via a kiss (as told in the song ‘Houdini’ on the album)”

    Spoiler Alert!
    lol!

    Well, this design is more thematically cohesive, I’ll say that!

  10. Without wanting to repeat any of the points already made in the comments, from the special presentations we know of it seems like we may be getting a set of artwork across her studio catalogue that unifies the look and feel of the albums (assuming the work by Timorous Beasties, which began with Before The Dawn continues).

    I’ve seen many albums repackaged over the years in far less flattering covers – often without the knowledge of the artists themselves. So at least with this, Kate is at the helm and is actively managing her legacy. Doesn’t mean those of us with the original releases or the 2018 remasters will be buying or replacing what we have with these new presentations (personally I like the illustrations but won’t be forking out for these).

    This more illustrative approach reminds me of book covers – they leave a lot more room for the listener to invent their own imagery, which I quite like. I’m sure if the series continues they’ll all look well if displayed together, and perhaps that’s the point.

    But I do feel for the completists who may have only just purchased the coloured vinyl and/or black vinyl reissues. It does seem a little soon to have yet another version of The Dreaming 2018 remaster out, even if it was mentioned at the time that other special presentations would be announced. Never imagined it would be like this, but maybe KB reissues really are a bit like buses…

  12. Hm, could it be that Kate actually thinks that this is what the fans are waiting for? Of course she couldn´t care less what the fans want. If she wants to put out the same stuff over and over again, she has every right to do so. But despite all her undisputed genius, she might overrate the meaning and the impact these releases have amongst the record buying audience. Also the artwork looks more like a draft by a graphic design student and it amazes me that it seems to meet her aestetic standards. I never imagined that releasing the same album (3 times?) in the last five years, only to be distinguished by the packaging, could appeal to her. Maybe in the meantime she´s a little bit more out of this world than in recent decades. Which is a good thing, but only when it comes to her music.

  13. (trying to get into the KB or KB Team’s frame of mind:) what a wasted opportunity! We could have added a little plastic key, or even one of those diary mini padlocks, and have charged £100 more! It worked for the Hounds Of Love ….

  14. As much as I’ve tried (and believe me, I’ve tried), this is the one album of Kate’s I just can’t get into (you got a new Fairlight…we get it!) and the one thing about it I love is the cover which is actually my favorite cover ever from her, so this is just a big pile of no for me. Still living in hope that someday we’ll see a Blu-ray of Before the Dawn. If she is in need of funds, can pretty much guarantee that will take care of it! Personally, I’d be willing to sacrifice ever hearing any alternate versions or work-in-progress versions just to see that show.

    2. Sadly, Before The Dawn, will never be released visually. That much is certain. It will soon be ten years and it would have happened already if the will was there. She obviously wasn’t happy with the results for whatever reason (we can all speculate what that might be) and decided not to release it. My memories of the concert are now hazy, so I would love to be proved wrong.
      I’m not even hopeful that we will ever see a new album. Only two in the last thirty years and now 65 years old. The odds must be long.

      1. Maybe Neil and Chris should give her a call and see if they can pull another Liza Minelli rabbit out of the hat… (cat, I’d like you to meet some pigeons)

  15. The original cover is both iconic and brilliant in equal measure. Not sure what this reimagining is meant to achieve. As was previously commented on THOL, this new artwork is very reminiscent and derivative of “Stand Up” by Jethro Tull. A bit of a shame for Kate Bush´s legacy.

    1. You’re right. If this is gatefold sleeve, only thing missing is an cut-out of Kate, which pops up like members of the Jethro Tull does in Stand Up cover!

  18. Well, I imagine the point is to make as much money as possible, if the last one sold out, who can blame her for doing this again. Fans get their “rare Pokémon” edition, artists make money, Kate gets a laugh, I don’t get it, but who cares. I know editions like this are a new trend, I guess it makes more sense than buying a NFT.

  19. This isn’t doing it for me, I’m afraid. Can’t be spending hundreds and hundreds of pounds on continual new “presentations” of the same material over and over again. Disappointing that she seems set on spending years doing this, rather than potentially much more interesting genuine “special editions” of actual material.

  20. So is this going to be a series, where she re-imagines all her albums in the same way? Whatever, I couldn’t care less. If Kate wants to do it, good on her, she can, and is perfectly free to do so. However, I have zero interest in it.

  21. This new artwork immediately following the coloured vinyl issues is really taking the Mickey isn’t it?. Now, if the 2 were combined then I could almost see the point but I’m sure that will happen in another couple of years! The record company greed has no limits and it’s a shame Kate is either in support of this or oblivious to it. Either way I’m kind of disappointed in her.

    1. At the rate the alternative covers have followed the coloured vinyl, the combined package is only a matter of days away. It’s a win win to recycle the unsold covers and coloured editions.

      I’d be fed up if I’d just spent many hundred of pounds to get the coloured vinyl editions, to then think I have to do the same again to get the different covers. I’ve bought everything ‘Kate’ throughout my life up until these two campaigns, but find it so easy to ignore these.

      The covers so far are worse than the originals. How can any potential new artwork for Never For Ever look anything other than worse than the original release, which was great across all four sides of the gatefold sleeve?

    2. That is one of the strangest things about all this… it has really lowered my esteem for Kate Bush, which is something I ***NEVER*** imagined happening.

      But it’s almost self-parody at this point.

      It’s sad.
      I’m sad.

      And I am certain that was never her intention.

    3. I’m Very disappointed in her. As I said on the HOL reissue thread, she won’t give us the long, long asked for update of The Whole Story and a remastered video collection but she’ll allow a bland overpriced reissue series of her albums with new, and definitely less interesting, artwork? A lot of artists, even Madonna, don’t really want to do GH releases (they think its a ripoff to their fans that they buy the same music again) and I remember reading somewhere Kate didn’t even want to participate in The Whole Story so how do you explain this series? She’s done more reissuing this century than new material. Maybe to keep our attention until she comes up with something new?

  22. Sorry, this is utterly pointless. Erasing the original cover art – which is a great shot of Kate – for this is a travesty. These are a money grab for people who collect KB releases, and nothing more. Of all the things I’d wish a new Kate release would be, I’ve never ever wanted different cover art.

  24. I like the artwork, but don’t understand the lack of extras, surely they can pop in an exclusive 7 inch, even if it’s a picture disc or something, that ceramic tile & stand on the KB site is crazy lol , at least it’s only £12, but got to say I’ve ordered the T shirt, that looks fab

  25. A more realistic (but still excessive) price than HOL.

    Interesting I think that all of the editions of HOL are starting to appear in retailers – a change from the “Kate’s website only” approach on launch. Something tells me the sales weren’t as high as they expected and now they are passing on to stores to sell. The bad thing about that obviously is that stores have to lay out to hold stock and at those prices it’s a big ask for the independent guys.

  26. Why she doesn’t release a book, that contains new artwork for the albums? Fans already own the music. Just waiting how many bands or artists go the same way and began release they albums with new artwork!

  27. For someone of the stature of Kate Bush whose body of work is anything but ordinary that artwork is shockingly poor. I thought she had higher standards than this. The recent coloured vinyl reissues at least are pleasing to the eye. These new cover designs look cheap.

  28. All these new releases are great and for the collectors must be wonderful but were are additional tracks or deluxe editions featuring the eras commercially released out put?

    Any updated dated The Whole Story would be incredible instead of rehashing the same albums over and over again.

  29. Somehow disappointing that “The Dreaming” does not get the same treatment as “The Baskerville Edition” of “Hounds Of Love”, just for the continuity. It would make my “decision” not to buy it, much easier. Why this album, at least in Kate´s opinion”, must get such a special presentation is beyond me. Maybe she feels that her albums are not arty enough and that ordinary Special Deluxe Editions might probably be below her.

  30. The only thing I want now from Kate is music or video we have not seen before or the albums remastered in multichannel. I feel sorry for the completist fans.

  31. I’ll never forget the first time I saw the cover all those years ago. Already considered the crazy lady of pop, the key sitting on her tongue seemed so fittingly bizarre, almost vampiric. And then there was the bonafide masterpiece of music and lyrics waiting inside. There’ll never be another album like this one.

    Only a true completist would buy into this pointless and expensive reissue campaign. I could almost, despite the boxsets, forgive her deluxing everything if she’d dig into the vaults and let us hear work in progress material and unsuccessful attempts at unheard tracks…but this? Nah, not a chance.

  32. I never bought or didn’t buy an album for the cover so this does nothing for me nor can I imagine this doing much for anyone except Uber-fans. Even Macca hasn’t pulled anything like this.

  33. Thank you Paul! I was going to order it directly from Kate’s website but your link to buy it made it easier for me. Love the new album artwork and this is one of my favorite albums by Kate!

  35. It seems that there will be no SDE’s of the albums, just more reworking of the artwork or coloured vinyl editions.

    I do not really see the point of the new artwork unless you are going to display it, or if you are a completist (at which point the company is taking the p*ss out of the fans).

    As with others – what is the point?

    Kate Bush releases are becoming a running joke – at least there is no cringeworthy video!

  40. don’t get me wrong i love kate bush, but, it’s getting a bit annoying, she refuses point blank to put out a dvd or bluray of her videos and the same goes for any deluxe editions with extra tracks etc. ive got her cd boxes and her vinyl boxes from a few years ago and they will do me fine.

  42. I don’t think this new artwork is that appealing. In fact I much prefer the original album artwork. I bought the brown swirly vinyl reissue recently and can see no reason on earth to buy this latest edition.

    1. And for that price you could have it sat in your lap…

      At least it’s approaching affordable…

      There were so many gadget gizmos she could have gone with for this… a padlocked cover with a real key, a hand grenade with a pin to pull or it could have been suspended in gaffa…

      I’ll stop now…

  45. The Dreaming… if there’s one lp from the 80’s that deserves a super deluxe edition, that’s this one ! How fascinating would it be to hear all the demos and work in progress songs… who knows, maybe one day !

  46. I guess Kate will give each lp this new cover treatment. I am happy with the remasters from a few years ago. I like the new covers but with no alternate takes or unreleased songs, I do not need them. Also, colored vinyl is nice but again not needed.
    Give us new music. Or how about a box set of 5.1 or Atmos mixes? Now that is something that would interest me.

Leave a Reply