The Kick Inside - Kate Bush

As debut albums go, there can't be many more that had the impact of this album. Startlingly original, wonderfully odd and definitely devisive. Fans and critics clamoured to talk about this strange young woman with a high pitched voice singing about murder, periods, incest, Heathcliffe, sex, love and death. Not your average pop album then?

Some got no further than the wild eyed woman waving her arms about on TOTP. I was very nearly in this camp, which my sister will vouch for as I moaned incessantly whenever this she came on our TV at home. But that was then.

Those who didn't get past it are missing the point. 'Moving', the opening track, is a wonderful ballad with a great vocal melody. And not at all screechy. Well not much and maybe the whale sounds were a step too far but we can forgive her for that for what follows rewrote the pop rule book. Anyway she was, after all, only seventeen or so.

Speaking of which, how on earth can someone so young write such a beautiful song as 'The Man With The Child In His Eyes'? Only being thirteen and writing as something as stunningly simple yet beautiful as this seems incomprehensible, especially when the current crop of starlets need a team of writers just to fill in their luggage tags. If I didn't know better I would suggest that it was actually written by someone else. But this is Kate Bush.

And then there is the hit single 'Wuthering Heights' which oh so easily could've consigned her to one-hit wonder status or even worse, novelty singleland. Hindsight tells us that it didn't, but releasing this as her first single was a very brave - her choice as the record company wanted to release the more rock orientated, and less adventurous, 'James and the Cold Gun'. She wasted no time in asserting the total artistic control clause in her contract. The material on this album covers subjects that I think it's safe to say had not been covered before or since.

'L'Amour Looks Something Like You' is a simple love song and despite the slightly naff title ends up being one of the highlights.

I could go on. But I won't. OK one more. 'Them Heavy People' is just about a straight forward as a Kate Bush song gets. And how fantastic it is; a sort of thank you note to those who helped her realise her ambition and let her record her songs. It may be overly harsh to suggest that the album sounds dated, and maybe it does, but the songs still sound as original as they did in 1978. So the posters may have long since been removed from my bedroom wall but I'm still as much in awe now as I ever was.