Kate Bush: The Dreaming (Rock Classics)

You couldconsider Kate Bush's The Dreaming to be her finest moment, depending on whetheryou value the rejection of compromise and see that as a sign of authenticity.Or, you may see her Hounds of Love - equal-parts artful and accessible - as thebenchmark for artistic integrity meeting commercial success: a slippery andcompletely unpredictable schizoid beast at the best of times. As much as The Dreaming seems to be viewedas Bush's most difficult record to consume, it's easy to forget that it was atop 20 album in multiple countries. In reality, it has a beautiful simplicity,if only for its intention to exist for its own sake - as they say, 'It is whatit is', and the rest is up to the listener. And what it is, is perhaps one ofrock's most pure examples of a musician doing their thing, simultaneously (andconveniently) operating at the top of their game, and not sweating the resultingviews of others. That recipe transcends genre, and even field itself. Ultimately, The Dreaming is just art -music, yes, but I suggest it crosses the line into sculpture. You can walkaround it, try to decipher it, and still be stumped. Isn't that how art issupposed to be.