On Stage (EP)


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 with "Them Heavy People" as the lead track, and peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.

Background

On Stage was recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon on 13 May 1979. It became Bush's first official live performance on vinyl. The EP was the only audio 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EMI chose to initially release it as two 7" vinyl records packaged in a cardboard gatefold sleeve, this edition quickly superseded by a single disc version, which crammed all 4 tracks onto one 7" vinyl record, with a 33RPM speed rather than 45RPM.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.
A promotional video was made for "Them Heavy People", depicting Bush against a black background with the two dancers from her live shows. The single'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 and "Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake" from Lionheart.

Charts

Track listing