Kate Bush Reissuing Hit Album ‘Hounds of Love’ in Unique Vinyl Packages

November 2, 2023 12:00 pm

With Kate Bush set to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Friday, November 3, the acclaimed British singer/songwriter has announced plans to reissue her classic 1985 album Hounds of Love in a number of formats, including a few special vinyl editions.

Videos by American Songwriter

The new Hounds of Love reissues include an “illustrated vinyl” version called the Baskerville Edition and two unique box sets titled The Boxes of Lost at Sea that will be released on December 1. You can pre-order them here.

The album will also be reissued as a raspberry-colored vinyl LP, a standard black-vinyl LP, a CD, and a cassette, all of which will be available on November 20 and can be pre-ordered here.

The Hounds of Love (Baskerville Edition) features an alternate gatefold cover boasting artwork created by the Timorous Beasties design team. Inside the gatefold is a large illustration that includes a blinking red LED light that is charged by a solar panel attached to the sleeve.

Unboxing videos have been posted on Bush’s Vimeo page. The Baskerville Edition video features a young actor portraying the son of Wilhelm Reich, the doctor who designed the rainmaking device that inspired Bush’s song “Cloudbusting.” The video for The Boxes of Lost at Sea features archival interview footage of David Bowie praising Bush’s War Child artwork. Proceeds raised by The Boxes of Lost at Sea will be donated to War Child.

The Boxes of Lost at Sea are two uniquely designed boxes that each house a one-sided vinyl LP, each featuring a different illustration by Timorous Beasties on one side and music from side A or side B of Hounds of Love on the other. The box’s blinking red LED light is designed to be hung on a wall like a painting and was inspired by similar pieces of art Bush created in 1993 for a charity auction to benefit the War Child organization. The two Boxes of Lost at Sea sets can be purchased separately or as a two-box collection.

“It’s been great fun putting together these new versions,” Bush says of the special vinyl reissues. “They’ve been designed as a ‘set.’ It’s very exciting to see the resurgence of appreciation for the physical presence of albums released on vinyl. It’s how it’s always been for me, especially when I was a teenager.”

Hounds of Love was Bush’s fifth most successful album, reaching No. 12 on the Billboard 200 and topping the U.K. chart. It features Bush’s signature song “Running Up That Hill,” which at the time of its initial release peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 3 in the U.K. singles chart. The song found new life in 2022 when it appeared on the popular Netflix series Stranger Things, ascending to No. 3 on the Hot 100 and reaching No. 1 in the U.K. Other standout tracks on Hounds of Love include the title track, “The Big Sky,” and the aforementioned “Cloudbusting.”

The 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony takes place November 3 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and will air live on Disney+ starting at 8 p.m. ET. It’s not known if Bush will attend or perform at the event.