"Joan Crawford on Acid" - A look at PJ Harvey (lyrics, blues)

**Piss Me Off** · 06-10-2008, 02:26 PM

The original idea was to do a journal on Morrissey and The Smiths but i scrapped that idea, my first go at writing shouldn't cause them any injustice

So i thought about it and i thought i'd do it on the artist i love nearly just as much, PJ Harvey.
I'll do a sort of review for each album and basically sum up why i love it. I'll try to be as critical as possible as well. Feel free to add your thoughts as well, if you want to hear the albums yourself then i'll give anyone an upload.

First album coming up shortly...

**right-track** · 06-10-2008, 02:35 PM

Approved. Look forward to reading it.

**Piss Me Off** · 06-10-2008, 02:42 PM

Dry (1992)

In some ways Dry is the quintessential PJ Harvey album. It's raw, honest and tense, themes that for the most part run throughout her career. It's a brilliant combination of her catchiest singles, her dirtiest blues songs and some of her best lyrics, in that they play off the music perfectly.

It's incredibly hard to choose just one PJ Harvey album as my overall favourite, but when push comes to shove i always tend to end up saying this one, purely because of the emotional attachment I have with it. In the short period of my life where I not only seemed to be going through a depressive state (yay!) but also an enormous musical enlightenment, Dry was one of the 5 albums that made an enormous amount of sense to me, and I played it for hours on end. When you're an angsty confused teenager you can find an awful lot of comfort in a voice like Polly's...

Musically the bass is the real winner here. Stephen Vaughan deserves a lot of credit, his basslines dominate most of the songs and are never less than the dirtiest they can be.
PJ before this album had only been playing guitar for about 5 years, but it doesn't show here. Her guitar parts are brilliant and blend with the bass perfectly. She's a very competent musician technically, which is something that is often overlooked I think. The album is just as raw and worn as the title suggests.

I could bang on about how awesome this album is as a feminist work of art, but that would be boring and cliched and i'm sure she wouldn't agree. She didn't help the cause by posing on the NME topless, but as time went on it appeared that she just likes getting naked, fair play I suppose. Its obvious that the lyrics throughout the album are quite often directed towards the ineptitude of men, but there's moments like Oh My Lover where the warmer, more human side of PJ comes through and its clear she needs love just like anyone else. You'll see me say it many times throughout these reviews, I adore her honesty. With this album, especially as its the debut, there's enormous amounts of confidence but none of the ego, which is what I look for in my rock idols. And a bit of angst, always

The first track, Oh My Lover, is all about the angst luckily. Here's the first showing of one of her sins, Lust. The amount of pure sexual desire that comes through her voice and words is so explicit i'm sure it would have made many of the blues forefathers that this song was influenced by very flustered. It's nothing like 50 Cent's idle innuendos, it's a very real account of the desperate passions a person can have. The bass for it is perfect, just as throbbing and dark as it should be.
I must admit this song wouldn't make a top 10 PJ songs for me, but its a brilliant example of why she's so brilliant in the first place, and his hence a brilliant opener.
And then it kicks off with O Stella. The groove on this song is brilliant, the repeated mantra of 'And I think I see her smiling' is one of the catchiest moments in the album, and the riff after she introduces the song is an awesome moment. This song never fails to get my head moving. PJ's voice is as pained as ever but the song bounces along at a brilliant rate, its definitely one of the more upbeat numbers.
Dress. Ohhh yes. The first PJ Harvey song I ever heard, I was in love with it straight away. I love how sweet her voice sounds while singing some of her most sneering lyrics, dealing with the effort a girl will go through just to get a man's attention. The guitar and drums compliment each other brilliantly, giving it that chugging feeling while still feeling light. This was her debut single of course, and it caught a lot of people's attention in the same way it caught mine. Not only is it her finest single, I'd say its one of the best singles of the 90's. Lo-fi but pop at the same time, gorgeous.
Victory is probably my least favorite of all the tracks, after the high of the first 3 this doesn't deliver as much. I wonder if she'd been listening to Patti Smith when she wrote this. The bass line leaves a lot to be desired, but its got a brilliantly heavy chorus, and the slide guitar throughout is gorgeous. It's not awful by any means, but it's not her at her best.
Happy and Bleeding, what a gorgeous song. Starts off with that sweet little guitar riff with a middle-eastern sort of guitar pitching in from time to time as well. The song throws you off at the start as a less-aggressive ballad, but that soon changes. PJ sings with so much bitterness (“This fruit was bruised, dropped off and blue, out of season, happy and bleeding”) and when the bass decides to kick in any feeling of restbite is lost. Its more or less the longest song here and its brilliant.
Big long annoying pause and we're onto Side 2. Sheela-Na-Gig, the second and last single. To be fair its every bit as catchy and great as Dress, I just think I have more of an attachment to Dress. I think she may more well known for this song as opposed to the other, and i'm fine with that, because this is awesome. It's another song just oozing with confidence and sexual appeal, In particular its perfect for showing just how much charm the girl has. The sections where two PJ's are firing arguments at each other could have a place in any successful pop single. Addictive as hell, you've been warned.
Hair is next, along with lusty PJ. Her voice on this is incredible, she sings in such a non-rushed way, as if she wants to describe this man Samson as perfectly as possible. The desire is amazing. And then its back with the rock in the chorus, I think this song would sound just perfect live, i'd be singing along for sure. Delilah my babe!
Joe is a highlight for me, I love it when she whips out the distortion like she does here. The guitars remind me of what Steve Albini might sound like if it wasn't so much like a chainsaw. I can't really do the guitar work any justice, it's just so damn noisy and brilliant, it certainly “clears the **** out of my eyes” in the morning. Sonic Youth eat your hearts out. The riff right in the middle is another awesome moment. Turn this up loud.
Here's the main highlight for me though, Plants and Rags, a contender for my favourite PJ Harvey song overall. The form of the song is unrivalled, starting from a simple acoustic song and then morphing into what ends up an epic piece of lo-fi indie music. I think of this song as being what David Bowie – Starman would be like if Sonic Youth decided to rip it up and start again with an array of classical instruments. Lots of gorgeous distorted guitar again, and the cello and violins (latter played by PJ) add a dimension that really makes this song one of a kind. I love it, it cheers me up no-end, even though there seems to be no hope in PJ's voice at all.
The noise is ended by the silent, brooding bass of Fountain. The silence doesn't last long though, as its another loud chorus. The lyrics concern nudity again, and the difficult situations it causes (“what to do when everything has left you?”). This songs a grower, though it does suffer a little after the greatness of the previous track. Casual listeners will probably end up skipping for the last track...
And what a last track it is. Water starts with that humble little guitar part, but by the time we're at the chorus we're hit by the loudest bass part in the album and PJ throwing any sweetness she had at this point up in the air, shouting the title. Blasphemous lyrics about walking on water as well, it's all good. Might just be one of the catchier moments of the album, and has all the bombast of a typical loud closer that you'd expect. The albums ends on that her straining out her final note. If you ask me it's all over too soon.

Dry was met with a lot of critical praise, just like it should have been. PJ Harvey came onto the scene as a strong, vibrant character and she'd continue on with this with her next album. It was with this album that she in turn influenced many important bands (Kurt Cobain was taking note) and it was here that her hooks were at their most strong.

Verdict: Not only one of the best debuts i've heard, but a strong contender in my top 10 albums ever. Aggressive, addictive and exciting. Not many albums make have the sort of impact this does on me, this has stayed and will stay with me for years.

**jackhammer** · 06-10-2008, 03:16 PM

Great review. She is an artist that has passed me by but I managed to get Dry and Stories From The City recently. I have only managed to hear SFTC so far and immediately fell in love. She is Britains answer to Patti Smith and should be heralded as such.

**Piss Me Off** · 06-10-2008, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

Great review. She is an artist that has passed me by but I managed to get Dry and Stories From The City recently. I have only managed to hear SFTC so far and immediately fell in love. She is Britains answer to Patti Smith and should be heralded as such.

Phew, that's good! Coming from you thats a huge compliment.
I started with SFTC as well, its a... well actually you'll have to wait

**jackhammer** · 06-13-2008, 03:07 PM

I went out and bought 'Dry' on hard copy on the back of your review. It's going to hit my CD player as soon as this Big Brother crap has finished and I get my front room back!

**Piss Me Off** · 06-13-2008, 03:07 PM

Listen to it loud please.

**jackhammer** · 06-13-2008, 05:52 PM

'DRY' is phenomenal. A few more listens will shape a review from myself.

**Piss Me Off** · 06-20-2008, 08:26 AM

Rid Of Me (1993)

Something tells me PJ didn't get laid much inbetween this album and the last.

If Dry was a document for the lonely and lustful then Rid Of Me sees this sentiment increased ten-fold. This album is sex for the most part. She's not even trying to be subtle. “Lick my legs, i'm on fire, lick my legs of desire”, “And you'll believe me, i'm calling you in, I'll make it better and rub 'till it bleeds”.
Call me tame but before this I don't think i'd listened to anything this explicit (and if I did it certainly wasn't as well written as this).

I don't think there's anything as forgiving and accessible as Dress or Sheela-Na-Gig here, there'll be songs that get stuck in your head but there's nothing as close to a traditional pop song like them. For the most part the songs are drawn out and bluer than blue. No compromises here, PJ does like that uncomfortable feel and the album is just as grey as the cover suggests. Yes there are those shots of light where she may actually seem to be having a good time (Me-Jane, Yuri-G) but often the songs take the formula of her picking out the most desperate notes she can on her guitar, letting it build up and up until there's that crash of distortion. Yep, desperation is a good word for this, on songs like Legs you feel like she wants to give up at any point and break the mic-stand in half. Rub 'Till It Bleeds is perhaps the most apt song here, this is rawer than raw. I always have this image of her in all black, singing in this empty white room. Lonely, pissed off and wanting to break free.

This is her heaviest album. It often gets called a grunge album, if so it's one of the best. Kurt Cobain was quite vocal about how it was one of the major inspirations in the making of In Utero, they wanted that same feeling of raw aggression and hopelessness. He did a good job, but I don't think even he matched this for the sheer amount of vitriol. No surprises Steve Albini produced this, everything is spot on and just as jagged and extreme as you'd expect. The man should get a lot of credit here, the album could have been a completely different beast without him.

So it all seems a bit morbid, doesn't it? After all of this i'd still call it a fun album. I can happily dance and sing along to it, though i'm not sure many others could relate to this sentiment. These tortured little songs still make me smile and still cheer me up. Call me weird but they do. I wouldn't play it at a party though, goes without saying. Onto the songs!

The opener Rid Of Me is contender for her best opener overall and is seen as one of her trademark songs, it's still a live regular. It's divine. Starting with those light chords and Polly in those hushed tones uttering “You won't get rid of me...”, this song seeps into your head just like that intention suggests. The build up to this song is one of the best i've heard. PJ is patient, putting everything into each word and then BANG, the song crashes in. Back to quiet, the little voices in her head shouting “lick my legs!” and then we're thrown back into the distortion chaos. I've made it sound much more insane than it actually is, and I can't really give justice to just how powerful a song it is either. The song ends with her shouting the legs part again and the album has kicked off to a great start.
At first you think Missed tones everything down, PJ's voice seems at far more peace than usual. Then that chorus hits and we're back with the quiet-loud-quiet dynamic, which I think PJ does brilliantly. The distortion on this album is brilliant through and through, at times it's crushing but it always fits the songs and Polly's voice.
I used to hate Legs. The first time I heard it it her voice was just too abrasive for me. Doesn't sit well with your average NME-bands indie kid. This is one hell of a grower though, so much attitude to it. One minute she's mourning “you were going to be my life”, next the riff is back on and she's threatening “got to ease my aching head, no other way to cut off your legs”. Even a nice little death threat at the end, lovely. This is a highlight.
Rub 'Till It Bleeds is another contender for favourite PJ Harvey song. This song made me sit up and listen. Yes, this is the same template as Rid Of Me quite clearly, but i'd argue that this rocks far more. The violence-tinged lyrics combined with that full blown violent guitar playing gets me moving everytime. For an artist that isn't really seen as particularly heavy this is very heavy. I remember I used to spend ages playing along with this with the amp turned up as loud as I could bear. This is the centerpiece if you ask me, but I never really see this song get mentioned, even by other PJ fans. Shame, if PJ had done a few other numbers as down right aggressive as this I wouldn't have complained.
Hook is probably the low point of the album for me. It's a lovely little opening riff, a heavily distorted blues lick, but the songs doesn't really seem to go anywhere interesting like the others here do. Great bass though.
And here come the nightmares. The last track of side one, Man-Sized Sextet, is PJ taking things to extremes. No compromises indeed. Chilling violin and cello are the deal here, which would be perfect for the most OTT horror film ever. PJ sings of being skinned alive among other things. It's the sort of song you really shouldn't fall asleep and wake up to, because you will likely **** yourself. Do I like this? No idea.
Side 2, opened by Highway 61 Revisited, a Bob Dylan cover. This is a good lesson in how to do a cover, completely change the basis and tone of a song and still make it sound just as good. What once was an upbeat country song is turned into a hellbent full-blown rock song, and it suits PJ perfectly. I'm sure Dylan's pretty happy with it, I urge all Dylan fans to give it a go too.
50ft Queenie is the first single off the album and is somewhat the party piece of the whole thing, there's no song here like it. The song's almost rockabilly in its sound, and PJ sings with so much confidence, proclaiming herself “king of the world”. It's all over a bit too soon.
Yuri-G is another highlight for me, a combination of the poppier tunes of the first album with the heavier feel of this one. How the hell this wasn't a single I will never know. The breakdown after the 2nd chorus with that dirt riff always conjures images up with me, it's moments like this when I have to consider that PJ is the coolest person ever. Again, over too bloody soon!
Man-size next, 2nd single and a far more accessible version of track 6 before it. It's a nice song and all, but I can't really call it proper single material when there's far better candidates such as Yuri-G and Me-Jane. Bit average, I think I may prefer the other version because it's something a little different.
Dry is actually a left-over from the first album, and if it weren't for the title I wouldn't have noticed, it fits in really well. The song has a more upbeat feel to it than the other songs which may not be surprising, but PJ is still complaining about feeling dry, whatever context that may be in. Even though it follows some more poppy songs it does feel like a moment of rest-bite. Lovely song.
Me-Jane has such an odd feel to it, it does feel very stop-start. At no point does it actually stop and run with one riff or something, it'll instead go quiet and go back to that quiet bassy little lick. That's until the end where it reaches it's climaxand there's that great refrain of Polly going “don't load it on me Jane!” It's an odd one but catchy enough to be a single methinks.
Snake is a short little ditty, nice and angry but most note-worthy for the lyrics if you ask me. Any song that refers to snake in the Garden of Eden as a “salty dog, a filthy liar” has got to be a winner with me.
Ecstacy is a gorgeous end to the album, and is some of PJ's best guitar work if you ask me. The slide guitar riffs here are some of the dirtiest riffs i've heard, and this is reflected so well in PJ's voice as well, enough distortion to do Albini proud no doubt. It feels like a perfect closer for the album, why have a half-arsed ballad or another rocker when you could instead make a guitar sound like it's dying?

Rid Of Me is one of the 4 of PJ Harvey's albums that seem to have an even claim to the title of her best album. This is the album where her persona as a bit of a minor Bowie-style chameleon becomes a bit clearer, though this won't be fully developed 'till the next album.

Verdict: Perfect for sitting in a dark room with a pack of cigs and a bottle of whisky. This is lustful, desperate, aggressive PJ at her best. If you're into your 90's rock, this is a must.

**Piss Me Off** · 07-06-2008, 07:24 AM

4-Track Demos

Quite an odd one to review this one, i'll try and keep it short. Half a year after Rid Of Me PJ released the demo's to that album, which has become known as a proper album now. Not just that, it's seen as one of the best things she's done.
Rid Of Me is a good album to do it with. Take away Steve Albini, take away most of the drums, take away the crushing distortion. This is just PJ and PJ alone, her voice, guitar and the odd record she'll have on in the background. All of this makes this her most personal record. Of course she is personal in the studio later on in her career, but these are just her raw thoughts and ideas, no influences apart from herself.
Most would think taking away the studio distortion would make this a far less abrasive affair, but anyone thinking this is just a toned-down PJ and an acoustic guitar is seriously wrong. This is even rawer than Rid Of Me, PJ's voice really stretched to it's limits. At times she's howling, hoping to make the listener as uncomfortable as possible.

The quick sum-up of the demo's: Tormented PJ sings on top of guitar, minor distortion and the occasional crazy backing vocals and organ and violin. Some songs really benefit from the stripped demo's, Rid of Me with just the guitar is gorgeous (something she does live) and Ecstacy with just the slide guitar is beautiful.

One problem I have with this album is the fact that I simply like the album versions of the songs more. I like the extra bite which is added to them, and to be fair they're a lot easier on the ears. The demo's are a nice departure every now and again but its the album versions I keep coming back to.
One could also critisise it as the full amount of songs from Rid of Me aren't here. Then again who cares because you have a couple of non-album songs here. These are the main attraction for me, and some of them are just as good as the album songs.

Reeling is an uptempo rocker, in the same vein as the likes of Yuri-G. PJ still sounds like a monster though, growling 'Take me to the moon' like it's a threat. She also sings of 'Robert De Niro sit on my face', which sends plenty of crazy images through my mind. This is just one of the coolest songs she's done, PJ spits the words out like someone who couldn't give a **** what anyone thinks. Sends my head reeling anyway.
Driving reminds me heavily of Nirvana, very similar chord progression. Add this as another 'PJ being ****ing cool' song, her driving with a hundred different bibles by her side. Quite rightly left off the album I think, I just don't think it would have fitted in and it would have been one of the weaker tracks, but you may be able to have stuck this in another album. S'alright, just could have done a lot more with it.
Hardly Wait is a gorgeous song, a minimal ballad type song which makes me think PJ should do more songs like this. I can see why it wasn't on the album, her voice is as sweet as honey and the song just wouldn't work with the aggressive style of Albini's production. Similar to Plants and Rags in it's compostition as song, but not quite as epic.Not a bad thing of course, this is a simple little song and is all the better for it. The joint best song here I think, and deserves a place as one of her best songs. Severely underrated
Easy is the weakest here I think, it's just very 'meh'. It's a very typical PJ song for that era, (think Man-Size) but there's nothing particularly special about it. Would have benefited from a full band version maybe, there's moments where the layered guitars indicate it could be pretty promising. As it is though it doesn't arouse anything in me. Proof perhaps that minimal isn't always the best route.
M-Bike, the other favourite here for me. Another up-tempo rocker, mostly powered by her acoustic. The story of a male and his obsession over a certain motorbike, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a personal story judging on the effort PJ puts into her words. A really well written song as it builds up and up 'till PJ can endure no longer. Probably could have made it onto the album, though it's that acoustic guitar that does it for me and again that might have been lost in the production. So yeah, another lost highlight in her career.
Goodnight is the closer, a down-tempo song built around, mmmm, slide guitar. It isn't a patch on it's cousin Ecstacy but then again what is? Cool lyrics, though at times lost in her voice, where she imagines herself as unsatisfied american housewife (possibly). It does deserve to remain in demo form, but as a closer here it's a great end.

In context with it's release as a British album it's quite an interesting release, there was nothing really as personal and raw as this.
Even as a big fan though i'm not sure it deserves the heaps of acclaim it gets. Good album especially as they're demos yes, but for it to get more credit than some of her other albums is a bit silly to me. Realistically as well casual music fans aren't going to go for this over the majority of her other albums. Personally as a fan I think it's great but I just can't see it as one of her best albums when the finished product is overall better and the songs as demos are outshone by the quality of songs on her other albums.
As a collection of demos it's brilliant, as a proper album then it's a tad overrated. It just shouldn't be seen as an album.

Verdict: A very interesting look at how PJ works, and some lovely little unheard gems. Though I for the most part dig it though she's done far better album wise and I couldn't really recommend it as her best for any casual fan just getting into her. Should be listened to after her other stuff, or at least after Rid Of Me, so perhaps its one for the fans.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

06-10-2008, 02:26 PM
Piss Me Off Moodswings n' Roundabouts Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: England Posts: 2,047	"Joan Crawford on Acid" - A look at PJ Harvey The original idea was to do a journal on Morrissey and The Smiths but i scrapped that idea, my first go at writing shouldn't cause them any injustice So i thought about it and i thought i'd do it on the artist i love nearly just as much, PJ Harvey. I'll do a sort of review for each album and basically sum up why i love it. I'll try to be as critical as possible as well. Feel free to add your thoughts as well, if you want to hear the albums yourself then i'll give anyone an upload. First album coming up shortly... __________________ There's nothing worse than roadside surgery y'know, you don't have your own tools and its just.... murder. Last FM Rate Yr Music Muxtape

06-10-2008, 02:35 PM
right-track Avin' It! Join Date: May 2005 Location: THE PEOPLES ЯEPUBLIK ФF MAИCUИIA Posts: 5,192	Approved. Look forward to reading it. __________________ Choose Liverpool. Choose the dole queue. Choose to scam disability benefit. Choose mind-numbing, grinding efficiency over flair. Choose Torben Piechnik, Istvan Kozma and Paul Stewart. Choose not to win a single league title since the backpass rule was implemented. Choose penalties. Choose car stereos, hubcaps and stanley knives. Choose to trade on your proud sense of tradition and then not lift a finger in protest when two American billionaires who don't even know the name of your club decide to buy it. Choose to win the European Cup whilst only having to play seven matches. Choose to bask in a perpetual, sickening, media love-in. Choose celebrities who ** off out of your city as soon as they have earned the money to do so and then spend the rest of their lives harping on about how wonderful it is. Choose to sing about Munich until confronted with your own tragedy. Choose to end it all in an orgy of self pity, just another excuse to perpetuate the grief culture spawned by your selfish, insular **ed-up excuse for a city. Choose your future. Choose Scouse.

06-10-2008, 02:42 PM
Piss Me Off Moodswings n' Roundabouts Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: England Posts: 2,047	Dry (1992) In some ways Dry is the quintessential PJ Harvey album. It's raw, honest and tense, themes that for the most part run throughout her career. It's a brilliant combination of her catchiest singles, her dirtiest blues songs and some of her best lyrics, in that they play off the music perfectly. It's incredibly hard to choose just one PJ Harvey album as my overall favourite, but when push comes to shove i always tend to end up saying this one, purely because of the emotional attachment I have with it. In the short period of my life where I not only seemed to be going through a depressive state (yay!) but also an enormous musical enlightenment, Dry was one of the 5 albums that made an enormous amount of sense to me, and I played it for hours on end. When you're an angsty confused teenager you can find an awful lot of comfort in a voice like Polly's... Musically the bass is the real winner here. Stephen Vaughan deserves a lot of credit, his basslines dominate most of the songs and are never less than the dirtiest they can be. PJ before this album had only been playing guitar for about 5 years, but it doesn't show here. Her guitar parts are brilliant and blend with the bass perfectly. She's a very competent musician technically, which is something that is often overlooked I think. The album is just as raw and worn as the title suggests. I could bang on about how awesome this album is as a feminist work of art, but that would be boring and cliched and i'm sure she wouldn't agree. She didn't help the cause by posing on the NME topless, but as time went on it appeared that she just likes getting naked, fair play I suppose. Its obvious that the lyrics throughout the album are quite often directed towards the ineptitude of men, but there's moments like Oh My Lover where the warmer, more human side of PJ comes through and its clear she needs love just like anyone else. You'll see me say it many times throughout these reviews, I adore her honesty. With this album, especially as its the debut, there's enormous amounts of confidence but none of the ego, which is what I look for in my rock idols. And a bit of angst, always The first track, Oh My Lover, is all about the angst luckily. Here's the first showing of one of her sins, Lust. The amount of pure sexual desire that comes through her voice and words is so explicit i'm sure it would have made many of the blues forefathers that this song was influenced by very flustered. It's nothing like 50 Cent's idle innuendos, it's a very real account of the desperate passions a person can have. The bass for it is perfect, just as throbbing and dark as it should be. I must admit this song wouldn't make a top 10 PJ songs for me, but its a brilliant example of why she's so brilliant in the first place, and his hence a brilliant opener. And then it kicks off with O Stella. The groove on this song is brilliant, the repeated mantra of 'And I think I see her smiling' is one of the catchiest moments in the album, and the riff after she introduces the song is an awesome moment. This song never fails to get my head moving. PJ's voice is as pained as ever but the song bounces along at a brilliant rate, its definitely one of the more upbeat numbers. Dress. Ohhh yes. The first PJ Harvey song I ever heard, I was in love with it straight away. I love how sweet her voice sounds while singing some of her most sneering lyrics, dealing with the effort a girl will go through just to get a man's attention. The guitar and drums compliment each other brilliantly, giving it that chugging feeling while still feeling light. This was her debut single of course, and it caught a lot of people's attention in the same way it caught mine. Not only is it her finest single, I'd say its one of the best singles of the 90's. Lo-fi but pop at the same time, gorgeous. Victory is probably my least favorite of all the tracks, after the high of the first 3 this doesn't deliver as much. I wonder if she'd been listening to Patti Smith when she wrote this. The bass line leaves a lot to be desired, but its got a brilliantly heavy chorus, and the slide guitar throughout is gorgeous. It's not awful by any means, but it's not her at her best. Happy and Bleeding, what a gorgeous song. Starts off with that sweet little guitar riff with a middle-eastern sort of guitar pitching in from time to time as well. The song throws you off at the start as a less-aggressive ballad, but that soon changes. PJ sings with so much bitterness (“This fruit was bruised, dropped off and blue, out of season, happy and bleeding”) and when the bass decides to kick in any feeling of restbite is lost. Its more or less the longest song here and its brilliant. Big long annoying pause and we're onto Side 2. Sheela-Na-Gig, the second and last single. To be fair its every bit as catchy and great as Dress, I just think I have more of an attachment to Dress. I think she may more well known for this song as opposed to the other, and i'm fine with that, because this is awesome. It's another song just oozing with confidence and sexual appeal, In particular its perfect for showing just how much charm the girl has. The sections where two PJ's are firing arguments at each other could have a place in any successful pop single. Addictive as hell, you've been warned. Hair is next, along with lusty PJ. Her voice on this is incredible, she sings in such a non-rushed way, as if she wants to describe this man Samson as perfectly as possible. The desire is amazing. And then its back with the rock in the chorus, I think this song would sound just perfect live, i'd be singing along for sure. Delilah my babe! Joe is a highlight for me, I love it when she whips out the distortion like she does here. The guitars remind me of what Steve Albini might sound like if it wasn't so much like a chainsaw. I can't really do the guitar work any justice, it's just so damn noisy and brilliant, it certainly “clears the ** out of my eyes” in the morning. Sonic Youth eat your hearts out. The riff right in the middle is another awesome moment. Turn this up loud. Here's the main highlight for me though, Plants and Rags, a contender for my favourite PJ Harvey song overall. The form of the song is unrivalled, starting from a simple acoustic song and then morphing into what ends up an epic piece of lo-fi indie music. I think of this song as being what David Bowie – Starman would be like if Sonic Youth decided to rip it up and start again with an array of classical instruments. Lots of gorgeous distorted guitar again, and the cello and violins (latter played by PJ) add a dimension that really makes this song one of a kind. I love it, it cheers me up no-end, even though there seems to be no hope in PJ's voice at all. The noise is ended by the silent, brooding bass of Fountain. The silence doesn't last long though, as its another loud chorus. The lyrics concern nudity again, and the difficult situations it causes (“what to do when everything has left you?”). This songs a grower, though it does suffer a little after the greatness of the previous track. Casual listeners will probably end up skipping for the last track... And what a last track it is. Water starts with that humble little guitar part, but by the time we're at the chorus we're hit by the loudest bass part in the album and PJ throwing any sweetness she had at this point up in the air, shouting the title. Blasphemous lyrics about walking on water as well, it's all good. Might just be one of the catchier moments of the album, and has all the bombast of a typical loud closer that you'd expect. The albums ends on that her straining out her final note. If you ask me it's all over too soon. Dry was met with a lot of critical praise, just like it should have been. PJ Harvey came onto the scene as a strong, vibrant character and she'd continue on with this with her next album. It was with this album that she in turn influenced many important bands (Kurt Cobain was taking note) and it was here that her hooks were at their most strong. Verdict:** Not only one of the best debuts i've heard, but a strong contender in my top 10 albums ever. Aggressive, addictive and exciting. Not many albums make have the sort of impact this does on me, this has stayed and will stay with me for years. __________________ There's nothing worse than roadside surgery y'know, you don't have your own tools and its just.... murder. Last FM Rate Yr Music Muxtape Last edited by Piss Me Off : 06-10-2008 at 03:19 PM.

06-10-2008, 03:16 PM
jackhammer A Cabled Discount Join Date: May 2007 Location: U.K Posts: 5,201	Great review. She is an artist that has passed me by but I managed to get Dry and Stories From The City recently. I have only managed to hear SFTC so far and immediately fell in love. She is Britains answer to Patti Smith and should be heralded as such. __________________ My music collection.cough cough enjoy. Ha Ha charade you are. My dvd collection.

06-13-2008, 03:07 PM
jackhammer A Cabled Discount Join Date: May 2007 Location: U.K Posts: 5,201	I went out and bought 'Dry' on hard copy on the back of your review. It's going to hit my CD player as soon as this Big Brother crap has finished and I get my front room back! __________________ My music collection.cough cough enjoy. Ha Ha charade you are. My dvd collection.

06-13-2008, 03:07 PM
Piss Me Off Moodswings n' Roundabouts Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: England Posts: 2,047	Listen to it loud please. __________________ There's nothing worse than roadside surgery y'know, you don't have your own tools and its just.... murder. Last FM Rate Yr Music Muxtape

06-13-2008, 05:52 PM
jackhammer A Cabled Discount Join Date: May 2007 Location: U.K Posts: 5,201	'DRY' is phenomenal. A few more listens will shape a review from myself. __________________ My music collection.cough cough enjoy. Ha Ha charade you are. My dvd collection.

06-20-2008, 08:26 AM
Piss Me Off Moodswings n' Roundabouts Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: England Posts: 2,047	Rid Of Me (1993) Something tells me PJ didn't get laid much inbetween this album and the last. If Dry was a document for the lonely and lustful then Rid Of Me sees this sentiment increased ten-fold. This album is sex for the most part. She's not even trying to be subtle. “Lick my legs, i'm on fire, lick my legs of desire”, “And you'll believe me, i'm calling you in, I'll make it better and rub 'till it bleeds”. Call me tame but before this I don't think i'd listened to anything this explicit (and if I did it certainly wasn't as well written as this). I don't think there's anything as forgiving and accessible as Dress or Sheela-Na-Gig here, there'll be songs that get stuck in your head but there's nothing as close to a traditional pop song like them. For the most part the songs are drawn out and bluer than blue. No compromises here, PJ does like that uncomfortable feel and the album is just as grey as the cover suggests. Yes there are those shots of light where she may actually seem to be having a good time (Me-Jane, Yuri-G) but often the songs take the formula of her picking out the most desperate notes she can on her guitar, letting it build up and up until there's that crash of distortion. Yep, desperation is a good word for this, on songs like Legs you feel like she wants to give up at any point and break the mic-stand in half. Rub 'Till It Bleeds is perhaps the most apt song here, this is rawer than raw. I always have this image of her in all black, singing in this empty white room. Lonely, pissed off and wanting to break free. This is her heaviest album. It often gets called a grunge album, if so it's one of the best. Kurt Cobain was quite vocal about how it was one of the major inspirations in the making of In Utero, they wanted that same feeling of raw aggression and hopelessness. He did a good job, but I don't think even he matched this for the sheer amount of vitriol. No surprises Steve Albini produced this, everything is spot on and just as jagged and extreme as you'd expect. The man should get a lot of credit here, the album could have been a completely different beast without him. So it all seems a bit morbid, doesn't it? After all of this i'd still call it a fun album. I can happily dance and sing along to it, though i'm not sure many others could relate to this sentiment. These tortured little songs still make me smile and still cheer me up. Call me weird but they do. I wouldn't play it at a party though, goes without saying. Onto the songs! The opener Rid Of Me is contender for her best opener overall and is seen as one of her trademark songs, it's still a live regular. It's divine. Starting with those light chords and Polly in those hushed tones uttering “You won't get rid of me...”, this song seeps into your head just like that intention suggests. The build up to this song is one of the best i've heard. PJ is patient, putting everything into each word and then BANG, the song crashes in. Back to quiet, the little voices in her head shouting “lick my legs!” and then we're thrown back into the distortion chaos. I've made it sound much more insane than it actually is, and I can't really give justice to just how powerful a song it is either. The song ends with her shouting the legs part again and the album has kicked off to a great start. At first you think Missed tones everything down, PJ's voice seems at far more peace than usual. Then that chorus hits and we're back with the quiet-loud-quiet dynamic, which I think PJ does brilliantly. The distortion on this album is brilliant through and through, at times it's crushing but it always fits the songs and Polly's voice. I used to hate Legs. The first time I heard it it her voice was just too abrasive for me. Doesn't sit well with your average NME-bands indie kid. This is one hell of a grower though, so much attitude to it. One minute she's mourning “you were going to be my life”, next the riff is back on and she's threatening “got to ease my aching head, no other way to cut off your legs”. Even a nice little death threat at the end, lovely. This is a highlight. Rub 'Till It Bleeds is another contender for favourite PJ Harvey song. This song made me sit up and listen. Yes, this is the same template as Rid Of Me quite clearly, but i'd argue that this rocks far more. The violence-tinged lyrics combined with that full blown violent guitar playing gets me moving everytime. For an artist that isn't really seen as particularly heavy this is very heavy. I remember I used to spend ages playing along with this with the amp turned up as loud as I could bear. This is the centerpiece if you ask me, but I never really see this song get mentioned, even by other PJ fans. Shame, if PJ had done a few other numbers as down right aggressive as this I wouldn't have complained. Hook is probably the low point of the album for me. It's a lovely little opening riff, a heavily distorted blues lick, but the songs doesn't really seem to go anywhere interesting like the others here do. Great bass though. And here come the nightmares. The last track of side one, Man-Sized Sextet, is PJ taking things to extremes. No compromises indeed. Chilling violin and cello are the deal here, which would be perfect for the most OTT horror film ever. PJ sings of being skinned alive among other things. It's the sort of song you really shouldn't fall asleep and wake up to, because you will likely ** yourself. Do I like this? No idea. Side 2, opened by Highway 61 Revisited, a Bob Dylan cover. This is a good lesson in how to do a cover, completely change the basis and tone of a song and still make it sound just as good. What once was an upbeat country song is turned into a hellbent full-blown rock song, and it suits PJ perfectly. I'm sure Dylan's pretty happy with it, I urge all Dylan fans to give it a go too. 50ft Queenie is the first single off the album and is somewhat the party piece of the whole thing, there's no song here like it. The song's almost rockabilly in its sound, and PJ sings with so much confidence, proclaiming herself “king of the world”. It's all over a bit too soon. Yuri-G is another highlight for me, a combination of the poppier tunes of the first album with the heavier feel of this one. How the hell this wasn't a single I will never know. The breakdown after the 2nd chorus with that dirt riff always conjures images up with me, it's moments like this when I have to consider that PJ is the coolest person ever. Again, over too bloody soon! Man-size next, 2nd single and a far more accessible version of track 6 before it. It's a nice song and all, but I can't really call it proper single material when there's far better candidates such as Yuri-G and Me-Jane. Bit average, I think I may prefer the other version because it's something a little different. Dry is actually a left-over from the first album, and if it weren't for the title I wouldn't have noticed, it fits in really well. The song has a more upbeat feel to it than the other songs which may not be surprising, but PJ is still complaining about feeling dry, whatever context that may be in. Even though it follows some more poppy songs it does feel like a moment of rest-bite. Lovely song. Me-Jane has such an odd feel to it, it does feel very stop-start. At no point does it actually stop and run with one riff or something, it'll instead go quiet and go back to that quiet bassy little lick. That's until the end where it reaches it's climaxand there's that great refrain of Polly going “don't load it on me Jane!” It's an odd one but catchy enough to be a single methinks. Snake is a short little ditty, nice and angry but most note-worthy for the lyrics if you ask me. Any song that refers to snake in the Garden of Eden as a “salty dog, a filthy liar” has got to be a winner with me. Ecstacy is a gorgeous end to the album, and is some of PJ's best guitar work if you ask me. The slide guitar riffs here are some of the dirtiest riffs i've heard, and this is reflected so well in PJ's voice as well, enough distortion to do Albini proud no doubt. It feels like a perfect closer for the album, why have a half-arsed ballad or another rocker when you could instead make a guitar sound like it's dying? Rid Of Me is one of the 4 of PJ Harvey's albums that seem to have an even claim to the title of her best album. This is the album where her persona as a bit of a minor Bowie-style chameleon becomes a bit clearer, though this won't be fully developed 'till the next album. Verdict:** Perfect for sitting in a dark room with a pack of cigs and a bottle of whisky. This is lustful, desperate, aggressive PJ at her best. If you're into your 90's rock, this is a must. __________________ There's nothing worse than roadside surgery y'know, you don't have your own tools and its just.... murder. Last FM Rate Yr Music Muxtape

07-06-2008, 07:24 AM
Piss Me Off Moodswings n' Roundabouts Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: England Posts: 2,047	4-Track Demos Quite an odd one to review this one, i'll try and keep it short. Half a year after Rid Of Me PJ released the demo's to that album, which has become known as a proper album now. Not just that, it's seen as one of the best things she's done. Rid Of Me is a good album to do it with. Take away Steve Albini, take away most of the drums, take away the crushing distortion. This is just PJ and PJ alone, her voice, guitar and the odd record she'll have on in the background. All of this makes this her most personal record. Of course she is personal in the studio later on in her career, but these are just her raw thoughts and ideas, no influences apart from herself. Most would think taking away the studio distortion would make this a far less abrasive affair, but anyone thinking this is just a toned-down PJ and an acoustic guitar is seriously wrong. This is even rawer than Rid Of Me, PJ's voice really stretched to it's limits. At times she's howling, hoping to make the listener as uncomfortable as possible. The quick sum-up of the demo's: Tormented PJ sings on top of guitar, minor distortion and the occasional crazy backing vocals and organ and violin. Some songs really benefit from the stripped demo's, Rid of Me with just the guitar is gorgeous (something she does live) and Ecstacy with just the slide guitar is beautiful. One problem I have with this album is the fact that I simply like the album versions of the songs more. I like the extra bite which is added to them, and to be fair they're a lot easier on the ears. The demo's are a nice departure every now and again but its the album versions I keep coming back to. One could also critisise it as the full amount of songs from Rid of Me aren't here. Then again who cares because you have a couple of non-album songs here. These are the main attraction for me, and some of them are just as good as the album songs. Reeling is an uptempo rocker, in the same vein as the likes of Yuri-G. PJ still sounds like a monster though, growling 'Take me to the moon' like it's a threat. She also sings of 'Robert De Niro sit on my face', which sends plenty of crazy images through my mind. This is just one of the coolest songs she's done, PJ spits the words out like someone who couldn't give a ** what anyone thinks. Sends my head reeling anyway. Driving reminds me heavily of Nirvana, very similar chord progression. Add this as another 'PJ being ing cool' song, her driving with a hundred different bibles by her side. Quite rightly left off the album I think, I just don't think it would have fitted in and it would have been one of the weaker tracks, but you may be able to have stuck this in another album. S'alright, just could have done a lot more with it. Hardly Wait is a gorgeous song, a minimal ballad type song which makes me think PJ should do more songs like this. I can see why it wasn't on the album, her voice is as sweet as honey and the song just wouldn't work with the aggressive style of Albini's production. Similar to Plants and Rags in it's compostition as song, but not quite as epic.Not a bad thing of course, this is a simple little song and is all the better for it. The joint best song here I think, and deserves a place as one of her best songs. Severely underrated Easy is the weakest here I think, it's just very 'meh'. It's a very typical PJ song for that era, (think Man-Size) but there's nothing particularly special about it. Would have benefited from a full band version maybe, there's moments where the layered guitars indicate it could be pretty promising. As it is though it doesn't arouse anything in me. Proof perhaps that minimal isn't always the best route. M-Bike, the other favourite here for me. Another up-tempo rocker, mostly powered by her acoustic. The story of a male and his obsession over a certain motorbike, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a personal story judging on the effort PJ puts into her words. A really well written song as it builds up and up 'till PJ can endure no longer. Probably could have made it onto the album, though it's that acoustic guitar that does it for me and again that might have been lost in the production. So yeah, another lost highlight in her career. Goodnight is the closer, a down-tempo song built around, mmmm, slide guitar. It isn't a patch on it's cousin Ecstacy but then again what is? Cool lyrics, though at times lost in her voice, where she imagines herself as unsatisfied american housewife (possibly). It does deserve to remain in demo form, but as a closer here it's a great end. In context with it's release as a British album it's quite an interesting release, there was nothing really as personal and raw as this. Even as a big fan though i'm not sure it deserves the heaps of acclaim it gets. Good album especially as they're demos yes, but for it to get more credit than some of her other albums is a bit silly to me. Realistically as well casual music fans aren't going to go for this over the majority of her other albums. Personally as a fan I think it's great but I just can't see it as one of her best albums when the finished product is overall better and the songs as demos are outshone by the quality of songs on her other albums. As a collection of demos it's brilliant, as a proper album then it's a tad overrated. It just shouldn't be seen as an album. Verdict:** A very interesting look at how PJ works, and some lovely little unheard gems. Though I for the most part dig it though she's done far better album wise and I couldn't really recommend it as her best for any casual fan just getting into her. Should be listened to after her other stuff, or at least after Rid Of Me, so perhaps its one for the fans. __________________ There's nothing worse than roadside surgery y'know, you don't have your own tools and its just.... murder. Last FM Rate Yr Music Muxtape