4. Is This Desire? (1998) - 124 points, 4 first places, 21 voteshttp://merlin.pl/Is-This-Desire_PJ-Harvey,images_big,26,5245632.jpg
― BBC 'Witch' Song (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:42 (ten years ago) link
only on ILM! yay!
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:43 (ten years ago) link
I was around at the time and have vinyl Dry somewhere, but am now really regretting not shelling out for the double-disc. (memory says it might've been in indie shops only, which is a pretty poor show Chain With No Name, if you're reading)
― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:43 (ten years ago) link
yeah there could be a gulf in perspective between ppl for who whom dry was first contact w/ huge impact and ppl for whom it was just 'the early stuff' or whatever
― balls, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:43 (ten years ago) link
ITD really made folks in my neck of the woods go "whaaaa...?" in '98. Certainly it sounded like a holding pattern compared to its predecessors. It didn't grab me until three years later.
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:44 (ten years ago) link
i am still hoping that to bring you my love might win this but that is probably a delusion.
― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:47 (ten years ago) link
Dry was my number one by a mile (and obviously the first one I heard).
― BBC 'Witch' Song (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:48 (ten years ago) link
No chance xp
― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:48 (ten years ago) link
Many may have already seen this -- wicked outfit and a bitchin' guitar (anybody know what kind it is?).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airline_(guitar) or later copy
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:48 (ten years ago) link
i loved it but was slightly disappointed, i think 'broken homes' earlier that year had probably warped my expectations
― balls, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:51 (ten years ago) link
3. To Bring You Love (1995) - 128 points, 3 first places, 22 voteshttp://images1.makefive.com/images/entertainment/music/greatest-rock-records-of-all-time/pj-harvey---to-bring-you-my-love-7.jpg
― BBC 'Witch' Song (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:51 (ten years ago) link
"Teclo" opened this album for me.
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:51 (ten years ago) link
of course. but can we do that again with corret title plus cover art?
― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:53 (ten years ago) link
sorry, there is the cover out of nowhere...
― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:54 (ten years ago) link
Re: Airline Guitars-Jimmy Reed was also fan in his post Vee Jay years
― Sheela-Tubb-Mann, You Real Know-It-All (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:55 (ten years ago) link
but can we do that again with corret title plus cover art?OK - To Bring You My Love
― BBC 'Witch' Song (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 21:58 (ten years ago) link
2. Let England Shake (2011) - 132 points, 3 first places, 21 voteshttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/5f/Pjharveyletenglandshake.jpg/220px-Pjharveyletenglandshake.jpg
― BBC 'Witch' Song (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:01 (ten years ago) link
Can you correct the no.10 while you're at it?
― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:01 (ten years ago) link
1. Rid of Me (1993) - 170 points, 10 first places, 22 voteshttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ViblFdHNGDo/T6OrP2h37RI/AAAAAAAADgw/_nbZIB0d9SU/s1600/pj+harvey+rid+of+me.jpg
― BBC 'Witch' Song (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:05 (ten years ago) link
I didn't vote for it, but can't argue with that landslide
― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:07 (ten years ago) link
Lots of people were saying before the poll that it would be interesting because there was no real consensus. In the end, 'Rid of Me' won quite convincingly over the others, but it's true that there was hardly anything to separate the next four albums. It's interesting that Dry picked up noticeably fewer votes, but more number ones, than TBYML / IST? / LES.
― BBC 'Witch' Song (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:08 (ten years ago) link
Who else with so many great records, and without much of a pause between, would have a 1-2 so far apart?
― Eyeball Kicks, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:08 (ten years ago) link
Leonard Cohen might.
― Eyeball Kicks, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:09 (ten years ago) link
possibly the best album albini recorded which is saying something
― balls, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:10 (ten years ago) link
same 1-2 as me so i am happy.
never heard those dry demos before. 'oh my lover', you came a long way baby
― Roberto Spiralli, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:11 (ten years ago) link
Chronologically? Eighteen years *is* a long time. Johnny Cash?
― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:11 (ten years ago) link
Let England Shake has the worst cover out of all of these I think. Or second-worst to Uh Huh Her.
― Eyeball Kicks, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:12 (ten years ago) link
i never understood why "rid of me" was supposed to be her token album. for me it represents a huge drop of quality after "dry". there is something cartoonish in the music. all the seemingly more experimentalish character of "rid of me" never conviced me. the songs are lesser songs, the title song is ok but can hardly compete with any of the songs of "dry". can someone try to explain?
― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:23 (ten years ago) link
Nope
― Call me at **BITCOIN (DJP), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:26 (ten years ago) link
Just let the rollout happen. I sure there will be plenty of chances for people to expand on why songs from Rid of Me are so facemelting awesome.
― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:27 (ten years ago) link
The songs are far better, as a cohesive statement it's a real work-of-art, the power of it is uncompromising and awesome. Which is not to say I like it (well, I do, but I don't love it) but as a *thing* it is uberimpressive.
― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:29 (ten years ago) link
It's like George Foreman's fist
― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:32 (ten years ago) link
that doesn't make sense to me. if you don't love it why the hell did you make it no. 1? in music impressive doesn't mean shit without a personal connection.
― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:32 (ten years ago) link
you can dance around george foremn's fist you know. muhammad ali did it.
― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:34 (ten years ago) link
actually ali didn't
― balls, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:37 (ten years ago) link
ok he had a different winning strategy against foreman i forgot but that still doesn't explain anything.
― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:44 (ten years ago) link
indeed
― balls, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:47 (ten years ago) link
I love it and I didn't even vote for albums! Some of the reasons that I love it are personal/biographical and I'm not all that interested in sharing those; the other reasons are related to the general amount of audacity it took to make a record like Rid of Me, then and now. The sensation of listening to it when I was 18-19 years old was unforgettable. You can't look at the cover and tell me that there's not a special record in there.
― and that sounds like a gong-concert (La Lechera), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:49 (ten years ago) link
what the fuck at these results???
i don't think i've ever thought of Rid Of Me as essential - everything about that aesthetic was improved on 4-Track Demos. the production is absolutely horrible. i don't hate it because as ever, it has the songs - and i think i'd go for the ROM version of "50ft Queenie", certainly - but i can't have listened to it front-to-back more than 3 or 4 times in my life (i first heard it in 1995 i guess).
had been hoping Is This Desire would be the surprise ILM-ish #1 - surprised to see it so low. oh well i'll always have the joy of knowing that PJH herself agrees with me.
Uh Huh Her is maybe a minor work but i'll rep hard for it - when it's bad it's rote, but when it's good it's as incredible as peak PJH. i sort of feel its minor status makes it more interesting, somehow, and i'll ALWAYS appreciate its timing - to follow SFTCSFTS with that is kinda why i love PJH as an artist.
sad for Dance Hall, although i guess i didn't expect it to do well - i'm really surprised PJH fans in the '90s would just ignore it. it was the first PJH release after i became a fan, i remember being HYPED.
― flamenco drop (lex pretend), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:53 (ten years ago) link
i find dry a tremendously accomplished debut, but in the end an, uh, dry run for rid of me. the latter is monumental, has great songs, and is menacing as hell (which i appreciate a lot).
it is also pure sex.
i can understand why she changed tack -- she could hardly have taken rid of me any further -- and i love nearly everything she's done. i don't find her more recent stuff as singular or striking, that's all.
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:55 (ten years ago) link
i remember being put off by the production when i first heard it, but i came around. it's totally fitting, at any rate
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:57 (ten years ago) link
i know ALOT of ppl who basically wrote her off once 'pj harvey' ceased to be the name of the band
― balls, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:58 (ten years ago) link
she feels so BURIED in Rid Of Me, 4-Track Demos she's just out in front screeching as she should have been all along
― flamenco drop (lex pretend), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 22:59 (ten years ago) link
i think i agree w/ lex, rid of me has kind of an oppressive sound, really hard to listen all the way through. used to love it but probably would take any of the others before that one.
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 23:03 (ten years ago) link
oppressive is the point
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 23:04 (ten years ago) link
lol at ppl being mystified that an intense rock artist's most intense rock album might prove to be her most popular
― balls, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 23:07 (ten years ago) link
have a hunch that 'fool in the rain' didn't win the zeppelin poll either
i don't think ROM is as emotionally intense as ITD or White Chalk (or 4TD!) by a long way
― flamenco drop (lex pretend), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 23:13 (ten years ago) link
sounds like a poll
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 23:14 (ten years ago) link
lol who's talking emotions
― balls, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 23:15 (ten years ago) link
Stories.. demos etc
https://pjharvey.kontraband.store/products/stories-from-the-city-stories-from-the-sea-demos-lp
― piscesx, Wednesday, 6 January 2021 19:20 (three years ago) link
I'm happy to get the chance to have all the albums on vinyl (just need this and Uh Huh Her now), but I'm not forking out for any more of the demo albums. The To Bring You My Love demos have minor differences in arrangements, but in terms of song structure, composition, phrasing etc they are identical bar by bar to the final release. I can't imagine this will change with later releases. Is she going to put out Uh Huh Her and White Chalk demo albums? They already sound like demos! (Don't get me wrong, I like them, but still...)
― Eyeball Kicks, Thursday, 7 January 2021 23:11 (three years ago) link
It’d be nice if there were CD versions of these reissues.
― Everything's Blue In This Whorl (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 8 January 2021 11:32 (three years ago) link
There's a CD edition of the just-released Is This Desire? Demos set--I just ordered a copy from my local shop; am really into the drum machine backings on pretty much this whole thing, and am glad that it's (at the time of this post) all up on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQxxfsns0ho
― Kangol In The Light (Craig D.), Wednesday, 3 February 2021 20:18 (three years ago) link
Think he might have meant CD reissues of the actual albums.
― "what are you DOING to fleetwood mac??" (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 3 February 2021 20:21 (three years ago) link
Her B-Sides, Rarities & Demos is fantastic in a way that (to me) the LPs haven’t been in a minute. Loving this.
― The Triumphant Return of Bernard & Stubbs (Raymond Cummings), Saturday, 7 January 2023 17:29 (one year ago) link
Yeah, it's a great compilation. There are a few bizarre choices and weird omissions―but that's to be expected with such big retrospectives―and the third CD (or LPs 5 & 6) is a bit of a mixed bag as it features everything from her early/pre-90s songs, soundtrack work, unreleased demos, to a Nick Cave cover and some one-off singles, but the first two parts are an amazing, surprisingly cohesive listen.
― ˈʌglɪɪst preɪ, Saturday, 7 January 2023 18:35 (one year ago) link