On Stage
EP by
Kate Bush
Released31 August 1979
Recorded13 May 1979
VenueHammersmith Odeon (London)
GenreArt rock
Length16:51
LabelEMI, Harvest (Canada)
ProducerKate Bush, Jon Kelly
Kate Bush chronology
Lionheart
(1978) 		On Stage
(1979) 		Never for Ever
(1980)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Edmonton Journal9/10[2]
MusicHound Rock[3]
Spin Alternative Record Guide5/10[4]

On Stage is a live recording of four songs performed on Kate Bush's Tour of Life in 1979. It was released on 31 August 1979 and peaked at number 10 on the UK chart.[5]

Background

On Stage was recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon on 13 May 1979. It became Bush's first official (non-bootlegged) live performance on vinyl. The EP was the only audio (non-bootleg) recording of Kate Bush live for years, until 1994 when 60 minutes of the concert was released on Audio CD. Although the recordings are purportedly all from the same date, the four tracks on this EP are quite different from those of the later release.

The record was released on 12" vinyl and cassette in many countries, while in the UK EMI chose to initially release it as two 7" vinyl records packaged in a cardboard gatefold sleeve, this edition quickly superseded by a single disc version, which crammed all 4 tracks onto one 7" vinyl record, with a 33RPM speed rather than 45RPM. The single was packaged in a gatefold sleeve.

The EP's peak at #10 gave Bush her third UK top 10 hit. Studio versions of all four songs were originally released on her first two albums; "Them Heavy People", "James and the Cold Gun" and "L'Amour Looks Something Like You" from The Kick Inside (1978) and "Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake" from Lionheart (1978).

Charts

Chart (1979–1983) Peak
position
Canadian RPM Albums Chart[6] 57
Dutch Single Top 100 17
Irish Singles Chart[7] 15
UK Singles Chart 10

Sales

The EP sold 5,980 units in Japan.[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Kate Bush

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Them Heavy People"4:08
2."Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake"3:37
Side two
No.TitleLength
3."James and the Cold Gun"6:25
4."L'Amour Looks Something Like You"2:41

References

  1. ^ Griggs, Tim. "On Stage – Kate Bush". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  2. ^ Hicks, Graham (22 March 1980). "Pop Records". Edmonton Journal. p. 141 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  3. ^ Galens, David (1999). Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. pp. 179–80. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  4. ^ Sheffield, Rob (1995). "Kate Bush". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 62–63. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  5. ^ Official Charts Company – On Stage UK Chart details
  6. ^ "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 38, No. 9". RPM. 30 April 1983. Archived from the original (PHP) on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  7. ^ Irish charts – Kate Bush
  8. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
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