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Kate Bush — Aerial
Notre cote : 9,5/10

Voici donc arrivé le huitième album dans la carrière de 27 ans de cette incroyable artiste britannique. Découverte à 16 ans par David Gilmour de Pink Floyd, elle prendra le monde d’assaut à 19 ans avec son classique Wuthering Heights.

The Red Shoes, paru en 1993 n’était pas son meilleur opus, mais dès les premières notes d’Aerial, on comprend que ces douze années d’attente en valaient la peine. Il faut savoir que, d’une part, Kate Bush est reconnue pour son perfectionnisme et de l’autre qu’elle a donné naissance à un garçon en 1998 (dont elle parle sur la pièce Bertie).

Sur Aerial, on retrouve la Kate Bush classique. Sans les comparer directement, ce disque m’a donné envie de me racheter ses premiers albums, surtout Lionheart et The Dreaming. Sa musique est totalement originale, ne sent pas le réchauffé le moins du monde. On sent aussi bien la filiation avec le rock progressif qu’avec son côté plus pop.

Cet album se présente comme un album double, mais ce sont vraiment deux disques bien dinstincts et tout aussi excellents l’un que l’autre.

Le premier, A Sea of Honey, contient les pièces plus rock et plus pop, ainsi que le premier extrait, la superbe chanson King of the Mountain. Les autres qui se détachent du lot sont particulièrement Pi — seule Kate Bush pouvait chanter les chiffres du nombre Pi! — et A Coral Room.

A Sky of Honey, le deuxième disque, est une oeuvre conceptuelle en 9 parties sur le thème de la lumière et des chants d’oiseaux qui décrit une journée à partir de l’après-midi jusqu’au lendemain matin. Ç’a l’air très ésotérique quand on essaie de le décrire, mais ça donne un résultat tout à fait délicieux pour l’écoute.

Je pourrais vous parler longtemps de ce disque, mais la qualité du travail de Kate Bush parle d’elle-même et la plupart des mots sont superflus...

Gabriel Eyes Genesis

Original frontman says reunion talks are imminent

Will the Lamb lie down on Broadway once more? For years, the former members of Genesis have said that they are ready, willing and able to reform the group at original frontman Peter Gabriel's whim -- and for years Gabriel has adamantly refused. Until now. "The odds [of a Genesis reunion] are better now than before," Gabriel tells Rolling Stone. "We're going to have the conversation."

Aside from a one-off concert in 1982, Gabriel has not stood on stage with the classic five-man Genesis lineup since the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour ended in May of 1975. Phil Collins, who had played drums since joining the group prior to its third album in 1971, took over as vocalist in 1976 and lifted the British art rockers to stadiums all over the world. Collins quit the group after 1992's We Can't Dance tour to focus on his successful solo career. Remaining members Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford recruited former Stiltskin vocalist Ray Wilson for the 1997 release Calling All Stations, which fared so poorly that Genesis were forced to cancel a tour of American theaters. The group quietly folded in 1998.

Since then, a large cult of fans (particularly of the Gabriel era) have kept the Genesis flame alive. Phil Collins played with Genesis tribute band the Musical Box -- who recreate the Gabriel era with frightening precision -- when they visited his hometown of Geneva, Switzerland recently. Earlier this week, Collins reaffirmed his desire to drum again for the real thing during a Tel Aviv press conference. Last month, guitarist Steve Hackett told the Chicago Sun-Times that he received a phone call from Genesis management. "There's a movement to put us all together again," he said. "I do think it will happen."

Notorious perfectionist Gabriel warns that any reunion concert would require serious preparation time. "When we got back together in 1982, I don't think we rehearsed," he says. "To really do it properly, we'd have to take more time. It's quite a commitment."

When pushed to definitely say if the group is reuniting, Gabriel remains coy: "I wouldn't put money on it . . . yet."

Peter Gabriel Live 8 At Eden Africa Calling

Dorrie Williams-WheelerBellaOnline's 1980s Editor

Peter Gabriel is an artist who has clearly been influenced by African music. This was evident since the 80's. For the video for his song "In Your Eyes" he was joined live on stage by African singers and dancers. It was no surprise when Peter Gabriel organized Live 8 At Edden Africa Calling.

Some may recall there was a bit of an outrage when the line-up for the Live 8 concerts were announced. Many complained that there were not enough African, or African-American music artists on the roster for an event that was to benefit Africa. Bob Geldof expressed that this was due to the fact that he didn't want to lose viewers, Peter Gabriel even recalls a conversation he had with Gabriel about the topic. The statement in the booklet reads, "I telephoned Bob Geldof to see if we could increase the African element on his show. Bob's reply was that their job was to gurantee that billions of eyes around the world watched their programme and heard all of the messages, and that any unfamiliar names whether they come from Africa, London, or Tasmania might well lose viewers."

Obviously, Peter Gabriel disagreed. The Live 8 at Eden event was organized and included in the Live 8 fold. The concert was recorded on July 2nd, 2005. Peter and the events organizers decided that all of the performers should be African. Therefore, unless you are familiar with African musicians you may not recognize the names of many of the performers on the set list. The two disc CD includes performances from the artists and a speech from Nelson Mandela. The booklet includes the text of Mandela's speech.

It's a really great DVD for people who may be interested in African music. Artist featured on the DVD include Thomas Mapfumo, Mariza, Moudou Diof Beyeza Shishka, Youssou N'dour, Geoffrey Oryema, and many more. The DVD also includes a 28 minute documentary. You can view more about the DVD at here. In other Peter Gabriel news, Still Growing Up: Peter Gabriel Live & Unwrapped, a two-DVD set, from Rhino Entertainment arrives in stores on November 22nd.

Peter Gabriel Live E-cardDigging In The Dirt WMA Format
Sledgehammer Live WMA format
Peter Gabriel Official Website

Phil Collins : "I'm open for it"

British pop star Phil Collins posing for photographers after arriving in Tel Aviv on Sunday. (AP)

Pop legend Phil Collins arrives in Israel ahead of farewell concert

By Haaretz Service

British singer and songwriter Phil Collins said on Sunday he would be open to a reunion of his old band Genesis, a day before he is set to perform in Israel as part of his what he calls his final tour. "I'm open for it," said Collins, 54, the most prominent international music star to perform in Israel since the start of the Intifada more than five years ago. "I'm happy to sit behind the drums and let Peter (Gabriel) be the singer. If (a reunion) happens, I'll be there. If it doesn't happen ... it would just be because there are too many things in the way," Collins told reporters in Tel Aviv.

Collins' concert on Monday in Jaffa, a quarter of Tel Aviv, is part of his "First Final Farewell Tour." He said that he would stop touring "soon" in order to be able to spend more time with his family, but would like to continue to record music. Collins said he wasn't afraid in Israel. He performed in Lebanon a day earlier. "I wish it wasn't like this," Collins said of the conflict. "I sit and watch stuff on the television, I think, 'Why, why, why.'"

Groups like progressive rockers Jethro Tull, boy band Westlife and metal bands Megadeth and the Scorpions, have performed in Israel during the uprising. Other artists, such as Madonna, have cancelled planned concerts, though she visited Israel last year on a Kabbalah pilgrimage.

The progressive rock group Genesis formed in 1967 and were internationally successful for more than 30 years. Collins, the band's first drummer, took over as singer after Gabriel quit the group in 1975 to become a solo artist. Collins left in 1996 to concentrate on his own solo career having already scored solo hits in the 1980s with such smash hits as "Against All Odds", "Easy Lover", "Another Day in Paradise" and "In the Air Tonight". After a shuffle of band members, including an Israeli drummer, Genesis finally called it quits in 1998.

Réunion de Genesis ?

Réunion de Genesis, au tour de Gabriel d’être intéressé

Le leader original affirme que des pourparlers sont imminents en vue d'une réunion.

Reverra-t-on la célèbre formation se regrouper? Depuis des années, les anciens membres de Genesis ont laissé savoir qu'ils sont prêts à reformer le groupe au premier signe de son leader original, Peter Gabriel. Et depuis des années, celui-ci refuse sans détour. Jusqu'à maintenant.

«Les probabilités d'une réunion sont meilleures qu'elles l'étaient auparavant», a déclaré Gabriel au magazine Rolling Stone. «Nous allons effectivement tenir cette conversation.»

Mis à part un unique concert donné en 1982, Gabriel n'est pas apparu sur une scène au sein de la formation classique des cinq musiciens de Genesis depuis la fin de la tournée Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, en mai 1975.

Phil Collins, batteur de la formation depuis qu'il s'était joint à Genesis avant le troisième album du groupe, en a repris les rênes en 1976 en tant que chanteur principal, menant la formation de rockers britanniques raffinés vers un triomphe dans les stades de la planète.

Collins a laissé le groupe après la tournée We Can't Dance de 1992 pour se concentrer sur une carrière solo qui a connu beaucoup de succès. Les membres restants Tony Banks et Mike Rutherford ont ensuite recruté l'ex-chanteur de Stiltskin, Ray Wilson, pour enregistrer l'album Calling All Stations en 1997. Cet album a eu si peu de succès que Genesis a été forcé d'annuler une tournée nord-américaine. Le groupe a cessé ses activités peu après en 1998.

Depuis lors, un groupe important d'admirateurs — férus en particulier de l'ère de Gabriel — ont contribué à maintenir la flamme Genesis en vie. Phil Collins a joué récemment en compagnie de Musical Box, un groupe hommage à Genesis originaire de Sherbrooke qui recréé avec une précision stupéfiante l'ère Gabriel, lors de leur visite dans la ville de Genève, en Suisse, où habite Collins.

Plus tôt cette semaine, Collins a réaffirmé son désir d'être de nouveau le batteur pour le groupe original lors d'une conférence de presse à Tel Aviv. Le mois dernier, le guitariste Steve Hackett a révélé au Chicago Sun-Times qu'il avait reçu un appel des gestionnaires de Genesis. «Il y a un mouvement qui cherche à nous réunir tous», a-t-il dit. «Je crois bien que cela va arriver.»

Perfectionniste notoire, Gabriel prévient qu'un concert de réunion exigerait une préparation minutieuse.

«Lorsque nous avons joué de nouveau ensemble en 1982, je ne crois pas que nous avions pratiqué», dit-il. «Pour faire du bon travail, nous avons besoin de plus de temps. C'est tout un engagement.»

Devant l'insistance des médias à savoir s'il était certain que le groupe se réunirait, Gabriel s'est gardé une certaine réserve: «Je ne gagerais pas mon argent là-dessus... encore.»

Goldfrapp en tournée avec Coldplay

Le duo anglais accompagnera le groupe Coldplay pour sa tournée européenne. Quatre dates sont prévues en France. Goldfrapp a annoncé l'annulation de son concert prévu initialement le 7 novembre à la Cigale, un live qui pourrait finalement être reprogrammé en février 2006. Dans un même temps, le duo se consacre à la première partie de la tournée européenne de Coldplay et sera donc de passage le 17 novembre au Dôme de Marseille, le 18 au Zénith de Toulouse, le 28 à la Halle Tony Garnier de Lyon et le 29 au Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy.

Alison Goldfrapp et Will Gregory, qui ont créé Goldfrapp à la fin des années 90, possèdent déjà trois albums à leur actif ("Supernature", "Black cherry", "Felt mountain"). Ils ont déjà collaboré avec de grands noms de la scène trip-hop tels que Tricky, mais aussi avec d'autres artistes comme Peter Gabriel, Bryan Ferry, ou encore John Parish.

Nature's girl

Kate Bush's land of plenty

KATE BUSH "Aerial" (Columbia)

Kate Bush 's music could serve as the soundtrack to a cherished children's fable. On "Aerial," the eccentric singer's first album in 12 years, her glowing melodies and breathless vocals set a graceful backdrop for lyrics that address magical washing machines, enchanted forests, witchy incantations, and that most mythic of heroines, Joan of Arc. All this may sound too precious, infantile or just plain daft for words. But the sophistication of Bush's music, the inventiveness of her arrangements and the credibility of her pop persona more than carry her through.

What a loon this woman remains.

Twenty-seven years ago, Kate Bush emerged as pop's most left-field diva - a kind of proto-Bjork, one whose sound Tori Amos ripped off (and dumbed down). From the start, Bush's semi-classical music, storybook lyrics and ghostly voice made her a compelling character as well as an elusive one. More than a decade ago, Bush quit music to raise a child. Now she has returned with a work that feels quintessential. It's a tale told in two disks, the first housing seven songs that mine memory and childhood perception. The second luxuriates in the power of nature.

On both, Bush's music evolves slowly, creating mood pieces that draw from classical music and folk. At times, her sound suggests Peter Gabriel mixed with Pink Floyd. On the first CD's standout cut, "Bertie," Bush melds chamber music with her most blatant foray into traditional British folk to date. "Pi" - a salute to the spiritual possibility of numbers - is driven by a haunting pulse of a beat, while "Coral Room" relies on Bush's solo piano playing.

Bush finds a lyrical highlight in "Mrs. Bartolozzi," a recollection from her childhood in which nothing more momentous happened than an encounter with mud that necessitated extra use of the washing machine. Yet Bush's telling of the story nails the way children can become entirely enveloped by the most mundane of experiences. Bush raises this simple tale to the level of opera. The second CD presents a pastoral tone poem that chronicles a day spent in nature from late afternoon to dawn. Bush's interpretation shows the careful composition and beauty of a well-realized still life.

On the surface, Bush's vision of the world may seem terribly idealized. But, buried below the surface, there's a tension in her yearning to capture the vitality and reach of consciousness. As with any Bush disk, it will take time for listeners to work their way into her world. But once you're in, you may be reluctant to break the spell.