Released in May 2011, the album features four tracks taken from
The Sensual World (1989) and seven from
The Red Shoes (1993) which have been re-recorded while retaining most of the original instrumentation. Regarding the entirely new lyrics to the song "
The Sensual World", now re-titled "Flower of the Mountain", Bush said this: "Originally when I wrote the song "The Sensual World" I had used text from the end of
Ulysses by
James Joyce, put to a piece of music I had written. When I asked for permission to use the text I was refused, which was disappointing. I then wrote my own lyrics for the song although I felt that the original idea had been more interesting. Well, I'm not James Joyce am I? When I came to work on this project I thought I would ask for permission again and this time they said yes. It is now re-titled "Flower of the Mountain" and I am delighted that I have had the chance to fulfill the original concept. For some time I have felt that I wanted to revisit tracks from these two albums and that they could benefit from having new life breathed into them. Lots of work had gone into the two original albums and now these songs have another layer of work woven into their fabric. I think of this as a new album." All the lead vocals on ''Director's Cut'' and some of the backing vocals have been re-recorded, with some of the songs transposed to a lower key to accommodate Bush's matured voice. Additionally, the drum tracks have been reconceived and re-recorded, with some of the tracks featuring
Steve Gadd. Bassist
Danny Thompson also appears and, on backing vocals,
Mica Paris. Three songs have been completely re-recorded: "
This Woman's Work", "
Rubberband Girl" and "
Moments of Pleasure". ''Director's Cut'' is available as a digital album, a standard CD in a case-bound book, a deluxe version ("Collector's Edition"), consisting of a
box set including ''Director's Cut
, The Sensual World
and The Red Shoes
(re-mastered from digital to analogue), and two-disc vinyl. Director's Cut
was recorded using analogue equipment. Bush stated in an interview for BBC radio that she never liked the "hard-edged sound" of the digitally recorded The Red Shoes
and feels both the new recordings of the songs from this album and the re-mastered The Red Shoes'' have a "warmer, fuller sound". The album peaked at No. 2 on the
UK Albums Chart and has spent 8 weeks in the top 100. It fell quickly down the chart after its first week but sold consistently and has since been certified Gold in the UK. and also reached the top 10 in the Netherlands and Norway. ''Director's Cut'' versions of "Lily" and "Top of the City" were performed live for the first time during the 2014
Before the Dawn series of concerts. In November 2018, Bush released box sets of remasters of her studio albums, including
Directors Cut. ==Singles==