Kate Bush Vinyl Albums: The Complete Buying Guide
Kate Bush Vinyl Albums: The Complete Buying Guide
Few artists in the history of British music command the kind of devotion that Kate Bush inspires in her fans — and fewer still have a vinyl catalogue that rewards serious collecting quite like hers does. From her extraordinary debut in 1978 to her glacial, introspective later work, every one of her ten studio albums is worth owning on vinyl. This guide covers the full discography, explains the current reissue landscape, and helps you decide where to start — and where to go next.
Why Kate Bush on Vinyl?
Bush has always understood vinyl as an art form in itself. Her albums were conceived as complete, unified listening experiences — with Side One and Side Two carefully sequenced, artwork that rewards close inspection, and recordings full of textural detail that opens up on a good turntable. She has said: "An album on vinyl is a beautiful thing, given a strong identity by its large-scale artwork. There's a much more personal connection with the artist and their work."
Her resurgence in recent years — driven first by her legendary 2014 concert residency Before the Dawn, then supercharged by the use of "Running Up That Hill" in Stranger Things Season 4 in 2022, which sent the song to number one across eight countries and made her the oldest female artist ever to top the UK singles chart — has brought an enormous new audience to her music. Many of them are discovering vinyl for the first time through Kate Bush. If that's you, welcome: you've picked exactly the right place to start.
The Current Reissue Landscape: Fish People Records
In late 2023, Bush's label Fish People — in partnership with new distributor The State51 Conspiracy — reissued all ten of her studio albums on 180g vinyl, with new lacquers cut from the 2018 remasters by legendary mastering engineer Bernie Grundman. These are the pressings to buy. They sound superb, are widely available, and come in two editions:
- Standard black vinyl editions — 180g, with the Fish People label design.
- Indie exclusive colour vinyl editions — Each album pressed on a colour sympathetic to the artwork, with Japanese-style OBI strips and resealable poly-bag sleeves. These are unlimited editions, always available from independent record shops.
Kate Bush Vinyl In Stock at Viking Records
1. The Kick Inside (1978)
Bush was just 19 when this was released, and it remains one of the most extraordinary debut albums in British music history. Powered by the operatic drama of "Wuthering Heights" — which went straight to number one and announced her as a genuinely unique presence — The Kick Inside is a record of astonishing range, from the raw emotion of "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" (written when she was just 13) to the dark folk of "Them Heavy People". It doesn't sound like anything else from 1978, and it still doesn't sound like anything else today.
Start here if: You want to understand where it all began, and you love a debut album that arrives fully formed.
Key tracks: Wuthering Heights, The Man with the Child in His Eyes, James and the Cold Gun
Pressing: 180g remastered vinyl LP
2. Lionheart (1978)
Released just eight months after The Kick Inside, Lionheart was made under considerable label pressure and Bush herself has been ambivalent about it over the years. That said, it contains real treasures — "Symphony in Blue", "Wow" and "In Search of Peter Pan" are all vintage Bush — and completists will want it in the collection regardless. It's the weakest entry point to her catalogue, but it's still a far more interesting record than most artists manage in a lifetime.
Start here if: You're already a fan working through the full catalogue.
Key tracks: Wow, Symphony in Blue, In the Warm Room
Pressing: 180g vinyl LP
3. Never for Ever (1980)
The record where Bush's ambitions began to outrun the conventions of pop. Never for Ever was the first UK album by a female solo artist to debut at number one on the UK Albums Chart — a landmark at the time — and it shows her beginning to take real control of the production process. "Babooshka" and "Army Dreamers" were both top five singles, but it's the weirder, more experimental material — "The Breathing", "Violin", "Delius" — that makes this essential.
Start here if: You want to hear Bush beginning to find her true artistic voice.
Key tracks: Babooshka, Army Dreamers, The Breathing
Pressing: 180g remastered vinyl LP
4. The Dreaming (1982)
The most challenging, abrasive and divisive album of her career — and one of the most genuinely avant-garde records ever to crack the UK top five. Bush produced it entirely herself, a first for a female artist in the mainstream, and pushed the Fairlight CMI synthesiser to its limits. It was commercially risky and critically bewildering on release, but time has been extraordinarily kind to it. The Dreaming now sounds like the missing link between Peter Gabriel's experimental period and the art rock of the following decade.
Start here if: You like your music challenging, surprising and unlike anything else.
Key tracks: The Dreaming, Sat in Your Lap, There Goes a Tenner
5. Hounds of Love (1985) ★ Start Here
The masterpiece. Consistently ranked among the greatest albums ever made — by critics, by musicians, by fans — Hounds of Love is the album that defines Kate Bush's career and her place in music history. Side One delivers five of the most thrilling pop songs she ever wrote, including "Running Up That Hill", "Cloudbusting" and "The Big Sky". Side Two — the seven-part song cycle The Ninth Wave — is something else entirely: a harrowing, hallucinatory sequence about a woman adrift at sea, clinging to consciousness. It is one of the most ambitious Side Twos in the history of the album format.
This is where you start if you're new to Kate Bush. No question.
This Fish People indie-exclusive pressing is on 180g Raspberry Beret coloured vinyl, housed in a spot-varnished sleeve with a matte obi-strip — one of the most beautiful vinyl objects currently in production.
Key tracks: Running Up That Hill, Cloudbusting, The Ninth Wave (the full Side Two)
Pressing: 180g Raspberry Beret coloured vinyl, obi-strip, spot-varnished sleeve
6. The Sensual World (1989)
A warmer, more earthbound record than its predecessor — Bush described wanting to make an album that felt like coming in from the cold. Opening with one of her most sensual and celebrated songs (the title track, built around a passage from James Joyce's Ulysses), The Sensual World is rich, detailed and deeply satisfying. "This Woman's Work" is among the most emotionally devastating songs in her entire catalogue.
Start here if: You want something a little more accessible after Hounds of Love.
Key tracks: The Sensual World, This Woman's Work, Love and Anger
7. The Red Shoes (1993)
Bush's most collaborative album — featuring contributions from Eric Clapton, Prince, Jeff Beck and Nigel Kennedy — The Red Shoes arrived during a difficult personal period and has something of a fractured, restless energy as a result. It yielded her last UK top ten single for nearly three decades ("Rubberband Girl") and was followed by an eleven-year recording hiatus.
Key tracks: Rubberband Girl, Moments of Pleasure, You're the One
8. Aerial (2005)
The return. Eleven years after The Red Shoes, Bush came back with a double album of breathtaking ambition and serenity. Split into the accessible A Sea of Honey and the continuous suite A Sky of Honey — a meditation on birdsong, light and the passing of a single day — it debuted at number three in the UK and reminded the world exactly what it had been missing.
Key tracks: King of the Mountain, How to Be Invisible, A Sky of Honey
9. Director's Cut (2011)
A unique entry in any discography — a revisited version of tracks from The Sensual World and The Red Shoes, re-recorded and reimagined. Not an album for newcomers, but fascinating for devoted fans who know the originals well.
Key tracks: Flower of the Mountain, The Deeper Understanding, Moments of Pleasure
10. 50 Words for Snow (2011)
Bush's most austere and unhurried record — seven long, slow-moving songs built around piano and winter imagery, featuring Elton John and Stephen Fry. Not for every listener, but for those who find their way into it, it becomes one of her most rewarding albums.
Key tracks: Wild Man, Snowed in at Wheeler Street, 50 Words for Snow
Also Available: Best of the Other Sides
A companion to the main catalogue, Best of the Other Sides draws together rare tracks, B-sides, cover versions and remixes from the 2018 box set campaign — including previously unreleased material. Pressed on green vinyl, it's a fascinating document for anyone who wants to explore the edges of her output beyond the studio albums. A collectors' item rather than a starting point, but for fans already deep in the catalogue, it's essential.
Pressing: Green vinyl LP
Buy Best of the Other Sides on Vinyl
Where to Start: A Simple Guide
Complete newcomer? Start with Hounds of Love. It is the album that best represents everything Kate Bush does brilliantly. If you love it — and you will — go to The Kick Inside next to hear where it all started.
Came to her through Stranger Things? Buy Hounds of Love first — "Running Up That Hill" opens Side One, and from there you'll understand why the whole album means so much to so many people.
Already a fan completing the collection? The Fish People reissues mean the whole catalogue is now available in consistent, high-quality 180g pressings. Start with what we have in stock and work outwards.
Browse All Kate Bush Vinyl at Viking Records
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Kate Bush album to start with?
Hounds of Love (1985) is the near-universal answer. It contains her most celebrated songs — including "Running Up That Hill" and "Cloudbusting" — alongside the breathtaking Side Two suite The Ninth Wave. It's the album that best represents everything that makes Kate Bush one of the greatest artists in British music history.
Which Kate Bush vinyl pressing should I buy?
The Fish People 180g reissues, released in late 2023 with lacquers cut by Bernie Grundman from the 2018 remasters, are the recommended modern pressing. The indie-exclusive colour vinyl editions are particularly beautiful — Hounds of Love on Raspberry Beret pink vinyl is one of the finest vinyl objects currently available.
Why did Kate Bush become so popular again?
"Running Up That Hill" was featured in Season 4 of Stranger Things in 2022, triggering a massive global resurgence. The song reached number one in eight countries — including the UK, where it made Bush the oldest female artist ever to top the singles chart — and introduced her music to an entirely new generation. She was subsequently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. The song also featured in the final season of Stranger Things in 2025, pushing it past 1.5 billion streams on Spotify.
How many studio albums did Kate Bush make?
Kate Bush released ten studio albums between 1978 and 2011: The Kick Inside, Lionheart, Never for Ever, The Dreaming, Hounds of Love, The Sensual World, The Red Shoes, Aerial, Director's Cut, and 50 Words for Snow.
Is Kate Bush making new music?
As of 2026, no new studio album has been announced. Bush has always worked at her own pace — there was an eleven-year gap between The Red Shoes and Aerial — so patience is the only sensible approach. In the meantime, there's a lifetime's worth of extraordinary music to explore in her existing catalogue.
