Which of 'Q' magazine's favourite 4 Banshees is your own personal favourite?

[BoysForSeles]

Over the years 'Q' have always been very keen on Kate ( in particular ), Polly, Tori & Bjork. Name your favourite one and one essential album for that artist ( or an essential album for as many of them as you want ).

[ameraal]

i've had this thing with tori ever since i heard spark...
these days not so mad about her and pj has been making great strides to the top, but tori it is still (until the next album perhaps then?)

essential i'd say From the choirgirl hotel

my pj album of choice these days after going from stories, through is this desire is currently to bring you my love
i still have to fully engage in listening to dry and rid of me though, i never find the right time/mood proportion

bjork has been pretty much just been there for me lately, it's been a while since i listened anything by her and this new timbollocksland thing isn't quite pushing me up to the necessary state of emergency it should
my essential bjork is homogenic

kate i only got into through moopy a couple of years back, i think hounds of love is exceptional
but i quite love aerial and the kick inside as well...the sensual world i put on hold after first listen, sans a couple of tracks and the dreaming and never for ever are still waiting

phew

ps i know i would probably be the ONLY one, but i'd seriously consider fiona if she was nominated

[Quandary]

PJ for always. Is This Desire? remains my personal favourite, but I am ready to give a 10-mark for also Rid Of Me and To Bring You My Love.

It's just Tori that I have less attatchment with these days..I'm enthusiastic about her past offerings (90's), but I just can't have the same level of excitement for her recent work.. For Björk & Kate, my appreciation remains constant.

[Xanthie]

TORI!

[Alex]

Tori is so DULL

[Loufoque]

1 TORI
2 Bjork
3 Kate
4 PJ Harvey

[lolly]

Kate
Bjork
Peej
Tori

[Dark Carnival]

I love Bjork, Tori and PJ equally. Bjork and PJ might be SLIGHTLY ahead but I really just can't chose.

[Suedehead]

It's a tough one. My overall favourite would be Tori as I've had the longest and most substantial and personal history with. I acknowledge that her more recent records are utter poo though. I've gone off Bjork the last couple of years. I'd say my #1 for the past few years or so out of that lot has been PJ Harvey though. And Kate is Kate, what can I say? I love her to bits.

As for the essential records -

Tori - Boys for Pele
Kate - Hounds of Love
PJ - Rid of Me
Bjork - Homogenic

[BoysForSeles]

PJ Harvey is the one I've liked/loved everything by since day one. Initially Tori and Bjork were right up there with her with their first three solo albums each but Tori has really gone off the boil with her last few releases although all her albums have something on them that makes them worthwhile buying. Bjork has forgotten to include tunes in most of her post-Homogenic work. Kate at her best is amazing but I'm a bit more in and out with her.

'Rid Of Me' is my favourite album from Polly but I'd say 'To Bring You My Love' would be the essential one. 'Under The Pink' for Tori, 'Post' for Bjork and 'Hounds Of Love' for Kate.

[loomer]

No contest - but the top 2 are great. And I admire Bjork. Tori is just not for me and I only liked the early stuff.

Even if she was more accessible - much like Joni Mitchell for me, she would still grate.

[Strawberry Jam]

Kate

Still feel I should get into Tori, but I want to get Fiona's Tidal and When The Pawn 1st so she may have to wait a while...

[jivafox]

My top 2 are PJ and Tori, they're the ones I can just pick up and go with. PJ will always be #1 because I "get" everything she does, whereas Tori goes on about Gods and Goddesses and Women far too much for my liking sometimes.

Bjork and Kate I just have to be in the mood for.

[cwej]

1. Bjork (Vespertine)
2. PJ (Stories)
3. Tori (Pele)
4. Kate... I actually know very little of her work, but something about her puts me off... I know she's the inspiration for a lot of the later banshees, but I just relate to the other 3 better.

[loomer]

1. PJ Harvey - as with Morrissey, depends on the mood! but as with Is This Desire, White Chalk is one I can always play. To Bring You My Love might cover both sides of Peej more comprehensively, but it's too bluesy and Nick Cave-esque for my taste

2. Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love or Aerial

3. Bjork - Homogenic by a mile


4. Tori - Little Earthquakes - I loved Silent All These Years and Winter is also lovely, but she lost me by Cornflake Girl. Believe it or not, I don't like nonsensical stream-of-consciousness prose!

And I know there's a lot more to her lyrics than that, but I feel she's too much effort and I don't need her when I already have my Kate. Sorry! Not in a class with the other three for me as she's the least original, even if a technically brilliant singer and the most talented instrumentalist there.

[loomer]

This site loves Tozza and added in an annoying new PJ Harvey section that makes my blood curdle - http://www.warr.org/amos.html

I'm aware how revered she is by some critics, Alan Jones of Music Week who I greatly respect loved Boys For Pele for one, but I don't see me ever liking her or Joni Mitchell, I'm very picky with banshees.

Sinead is another I like and I might also get into Fiona Apple, even though she annoyed me at the time, especially since she's younger than me.

[VoR]

1. Kate - By miles. The depth of quality in her material is leagues ahead of the rest. She hardly recorded any weak tracks in her whole career.

2. Bjork - In her 90's prime. Since Vespertine, however, I've completely lost interest.

3. Tori - When she's good she's GREAT. But her quality control is terrible and she can be a little too out there for me at times with her lyrics.

4. PJ Harvey - I should LOVE her, but something about her just doesn't connect with me.