Bush had been a fixture on the UK charts since day one, but the American public didn’t catch on until her brilliant fifth LP, Hounds of Love. It’s a “break-out” album in every sense of the word, offering her most concentrated blast of sensual hooks and polished production. Robert Christgau once called “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” “a woman’s orgasm in 4:58,” and it’s hard to think of a more apt description, but it’s only one ecstatic highlight in a flawless first half — from the yearning “Hounds of Love” (complete with fake dog barks) and the philosophical, cello-led “Cloudbusting.” By contrast, the album’s darker, more impressionistic second half (a conceptual suite titled The Ninth Wave) tends to drag a bit. Nonetheless, Hounds of Love remains a towering achievement.