Kate Bush ‎– Never for Ever (1980)

Never for Ever is the third album by English vocalist/songwriter/performance artist Kate Bush, released in 1980 on EMI.

“Violin”- Open cadence Dmajor power chord sustain, drops to G and back amid searing violin (Kevin Burk, Bothy Band, reminding somewhat of Graham Smith on the later Van Der Graaf material) Straight into lyrics @ six seconds in over the punky four-wallops per bar pattern of Preston Heyman (who also helped Atomic Rooster update their sound that year on their self-titled comeback album). Kate Bush yelps, sighs and soars with newfound aggression, more akin to Nina Hagen or Daniel Dax than her vocals on the first two albums… a martial snare-roll accent on the bridge as she sings “Jigging along with the fiddle-dee-dee”, slight buzz in the rhythm guitar, four chords in all (D,G,C,F), – the tension between F and Dmajor on the bridge (no typical relative minor) creates urgency, keeps you on your toes (F to Dminor would give you tonal continuity with F in both chords, going to D major sends the third up a half-step to D#) – lead guitarist entangles the violin during the second half.. Lyrically, it’s an animated take on the emotional impressions that the sound of a violin has on the narrator.

Tracklist:
A1. “Babooshka” (3:20)
A2. “Delius (Song of Summer)” (2:51)
A3. “Blow Away (For Bill)” (3:34)
A4. “All We Ever Look For” (3:48)
A5. “Egypt” (4:12)
B1. “The Wedding List” (4:15)
B2. “Violin” (3:15)
B3. “The Infant Kiss” (2:50)
B4. “Night Scented Stock” (0:51)
B5. “Army Dreamers” (2:58)
B6. “Breathing” (5:29)

Credits:
Kate Bush – piano, keyboards, vocals, harmony vocals, Fairlight CMI digital sampling synthesizer, Yamaha CS-80 polyphonic synthesizer (1, 4), arranger, producer
Ian Bairnson – bass vocals (2)
Brian Bath – electric guitar (1, 6, 7, 10), acoustic guitar (3, 4, 9), backing vocals (6, 9)
Alan Murphy – electric guitar (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10), electric guitar solo (7), acoustic guitar (4), bass acoustic guitar (9)
Paddy Bush – harmonica (6), mandolin (9), balalaika (1), bass vocals (2), sitar (2), backing vocals (1, 4, 5, 6, 9), koto (4), banshee (7), saw (6), “Delius” (2), Strumento De Porco (5)
Kevin Burke – violin (7)
Adam Skeaping – viola (8), string arrangements (8)
Joseph Skeaping – lironi (8), string arrangements (8)
Duncan Mackay – Fairlight digital sampling synthesizer (4, 9)
Max Middleton – Minimoog (5), Fender Rhodes (1, 3, 5, 6, 10), string arrangements (3, 6)
Larry Fast – Prophet synthesizer (10)
Mike Moran – Prophet 5 synthesizer (5)
John L. Walters and Richard James Burgess – Fairlight CMI digital sampling synthesizer programming
Del Palmer – bass (5, 6, 7), fretless bass (3)
John Giblin – bass (1), fretless bass (11)
Stuart Elliot – drums (1, 10), bodhran (9)
Preston Heyman – percussion (2, 3, 5), drums (3, 5, 6, 7), backing vocals (4, 6)
Morris Pert – percussion (10), timpani (4)
Roland – percussion (2)
Gary Hurst – backing vocals (1, 4)
Andrew Bryant – backing vocals (4)
Roy Harper – backing vocals (11)
The Martyn Ford Orchestra – strings (3, 6)
Jon Jacobs – assistant engineer
Jon Kelly – producer, recording engineer