POLLy Jean Harvey - The PJ Harvey results thread

re: the letter. another one of my faves. how come that all those raw songs place so low? some great, subtle drumming on that one.

Er...Stories from the....

*must concentrate*

i am assuming the low placing of the letter is more a reflection of general antipathy towards UHH, because that is one of her best singles

It was the only track from that album that I could actually remember when I started this poll. Once I'd re-listened to the album a bit I really liked It's You as well.

'the garden' is p hot

I was wondering if PJ had a song called "The Innertube."

swimsuit otm

The (correct) countdown so far:

60 Ecstasy - Rid of Me
59 We Float - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
58 The Darker Days of Me and Him - Uh Huh Her
57 Snake - Rid of Me
56 Fountain - Dry
55 One Line - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
54 The Mountain - White Chalk
53 Easy - 4-Track Demos
52 The Last Living Rose - Let England Shake
51 Black Hearted Love - A Woman A Man Walked By
50 Meet Ze Monsta - To Bring You My Love
49 Working for the man - To Bring You My Love
48 White Chalk - White Chalk
47 All and Everyone - Let England Shake
46 Victory - Dry
45 The Devil - White Chalk
44 Legs - Rid of Me
43 Catherine - Is This Desire?
42 The Garden - Is This Desire?
41 The Letter - Uh Huh Her

I am already regretting giving To Bring You My Love the shaft in my voting. Right now I'd put both "Meet Ze Monsta" & "Teclo" high on my ballot, like the album's finally making sense to me (& I got it the day it came out!). funny how long it can take.

To Bring You My Love is another album where I tend to twin the tracks, which played out in my voting: I went for "The Dancer" over "Teclo", "Long Snake Moan" over "Meet Ze Monsta", "C'mon Billy" over "Send His Love To Me"... though in each case the preference is marginal or even basically non-existent (could easily have switched the last choice, for example).

http://cdn.euroffice.com/eo/item/742887/0-Huge-0.jpg

40. Water (Dry) - points 124, 6 votes

"the letter" has one of the best riffs PJH has ever written

"catherine" - she does so much with so little

"the garden" - i think i voted for this; i always think i underrate it, though, because ITD is such an embarrassment of transcendent riches that something like this, where the intensity feels more muted, taking second place to the story she's telling, doesn't stand out so much.

Does anything exist of Polly's time before she became PJ Harvey? I gather she played coffee shops, gigging bands, etc for about five years before things started moving for her. But I know nothing about them, or the scene she was part of (if there was one).

http://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/1321336763_ether.jpg

Twinning tracks is far easier with TBYML.

this was the band she was in with john parish before forming PJ harvey:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr9K1MUmcuA

god that hurt

Yeah I wouldn't've voted for that

sticking with "sprang fully-formed from the skull of zeus" tbh

When Under Ether is really good though, glad it made it

i don't think it's appeared yet. expect it to.

It's coming (hence the picture), real life just interrupted me...

39. When Under Ether (White Chalk)- 127 points, 7 votes

Following the Youtube trail from that Automatic Dlamini vid, I came across a song of theirs called Water(!) that is a more interesting precursor of later stuff. You could really imagine this ending up on Dance Hall at Louse Point in some form:

(terrible sound quality by the way)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXfio75zGAw

That pre-PJH youtube clip is fascinating (xp - the first one, haven't seen the Water one yet)

If When Under Ether is this low, I'm suspecting The Piano won't make it. ;_;

I like that Water clip a lot. Could imagine that showing up on The Chart Show Indie Singles on a quiet week.

After a week or two thinking of PJ, I decided to try to get vinyl versions of all of her albums. Already had Dry and the most recent two (plus A Woman A Man Walked By). I used to have Rid of Me before an ex borrowed it permanently. But they're pretty expensive! This afternoon I got a replacement Rid of Me for £42 and 4-Track Demos for £20 on ebay. There's an Uh Huh Her auction ending in half an hour, but it's at £43 already goddammit.

I like that Water clip a lot
I'm surprised to say I do too.

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/Sutton-Gallinsky_Adam_E-lowrez.jpg

38. Written on the Forehead (Let England Shake) - 130 points, 6 votes

great song

One of my votes.

never understand why people rated the closing stretch of LES over the opening stretch

i've just realised "the slow drug" might not place :(

the second PJH's murmured backing vox >>>>>>

Shit is getting real now.

i've just realised "the slow drug" might not place :(

I ranked it high.

never understand why people rated the closing stretch of LES over the opening stretch

OTM. For me, the first 8 songs on LES are incredible, and then it immediately tails off, with the final 4 all being just decent.

37. Reeling (4-Track Demos) - 132 points, 6 votes

Were we meant to specify between the demo and the b-side?

ROBERT DE NIRO SIT ON MY FACE

This is the best. Well not the actual best, I only had it no.11 - but woo, what an impact

Were we meant to specify between the demo and the b-side?

No - all versions get counted together, I was just asked upthread to put the album name after the track (if possible).

voted for "Reeling." Love that feedback screech.

In that case...

37. Reeling (4-Track Demos / 50ft Queenie b-side) - 132 points, 6 votes

http://www.whatalesyou.co.uk/ugc/beer/Stella%20Artois/Stella/st-patricks-beer-stella-artois-ss.jpg

36. O Stella (Dry) - 132 points, 8 votes
Live at Glastonbury 1992

(or possibly Reading)

let england shake may drop off toward the end, but "written on the forehead" is amazing. one of the last tracks i cut; wish i'd found a way to keep it.

and yeah, "reeling" has always been one of my favorites. as with "easy", i can't imagine why it didn't make the rid of me cut.