My top 50 PJ songs

[loomer]

Wonderful. The instant classic that's leagues above anything else on Uh Huh Her making it worth the purchase alone. I had hoped that would be higher actually, it's become about my favourite PJ song.. great stuff.

[Quandary]

6. The Dancer (on To Bring You My Love)



Cause I've cried days, I've cried nights
For the lord just to send me up some sign
Is he near? Is he far?
Bring peace to my black and empty heart

To Bring You My Love is such an intense record. It always amazes me how vocally tight and overwhelming the record is after all these years. With "The Dancer", she ends the record and this may be where all the emotions were saved for and given the space for the final cry out. Trembling guitar, mournful organ and Polly singing drama at its absolute high peak. It tears my heart out to hear how she presents pain and despair into the song. But there's also a theatral element to it. The 'Aah'-shouts after the chorus is a moment of cabaret, but then her vocals turn back with an even stronger groan. It's regarded by many as one of her best songs, and really, it really is. I'm always left perplexed after that final shout. What a spectacular closure!


Here's a performance at the BBC Studios in '95:

[Dandy]

I've never been a massive Peej fan (despite owning a few of her albums - of which 'Is This Desire?' would class as my fave) but I'm really liking the new single. Her angry side usually puts me off (Banshee wuss ahoy!) but this is a little over 2 minutes of ever so slightly gloomy and distinctly understated loveliness.

Have I just completely missed this side of her before?

[Quandary]

No, this is quite a new side of her. I only have heard the single and the live version of "The Mountain" so far, but the closest comparison would be some songs from the Is This Desire?-era, but that still seems like a departure from this new sound.. the feel is different somehow. I imagine White Chalk would be a record non-PJ Harvey fans may like or even the album that will make them fans...

Or that's what I think anyway. With the piano & her high-key voice, it surely will attract to another audience.

Dandy, which albums do you own btw?

[Dandy]

I have 'Rid Of Me', 'To Bring You My Love', 'Is This Desire?' and 'Stories...'

I don't really like 'Rid Of Me', just never been able to get it. The others all have moments that I absolutely love but, because I struggle to listen to certain other tracks, I have never really given them the attention they probably deserve. I doubt I've ever listened to them more than twice in total, maybe three for 'Is This Desire?'.

I shall certainly be buying the new one, I'm rather looking forward to it actually.

[Quandary]

5. Angelene (on Is This Desire?)



My first name Angelene
Prettiest mess you've ever seen

And so begins Is This Desire?, argueably her most experimental record. When this came out in '98 it must've surprised the public who was used to hear the banshee-formula from her. But no, with this record she chose to open the record with a mid-pace folk song and to not scare away the listener with her voice. Rather, she lets them in into a world of varying lifestories. For me, it was the second PJH record and she just stole my heart right away with this. She may be crawling in the skin of a different person than herself, but despite these perspectives a lot of songs from Is This Desire? just touch me somehow. The emotions shine through the narratives. Curiously enough, she seem to take three perspectives in "Angelene". First Angelene herself, the whore, then the man who gets betrayed. Those are the voices of the verses. And there's the 3rd person who does the chorus. The verses set a lonely tone but in contrast the chorus seems to light a way for hope. Such a moving chorus..This used to be my #1 PJ song for a long while and now that I'm writing, I wonder why this is JUST #5 now. It may rise again.

Some speculated "Angelene" was a response to Nick Cave, who wrote a handful of songs about her on The Boatman's Call, one of which was called "Green Eyes" and there's a line "Pretty mouth, green my eyes". However, the words seem to be taken out of JD Salinger's short story and so she chose to kept quiet about the split. Just shows what a private person she is.

And apparently there is a musicvideo for "Angelene"..few people who have seen it..godknows if that will ever surface

[Quandary]

I don't really like 'Rid Of Me', just never been able to get it. The others all have moments that I absolutely love but, because I struggle to listen to certain other tracks, I have never really given them the attention they probably deserve. I doubt I've ever listened to them more than twice in total, maybe three for 'Is This Desire?'.

Listen to those records, NOW I see I failed miserably to persuade non-fans with my countdown, oh well.. I understand how Rid Of Me is difficult though. It scared me away at first.. her records are real growers though. I hope White Chalk will bring changes then..

[Dandy]

That's not entirely true... your countdown is the only thing that had made me remotely interested in her again. I'm waiting for it to finish and then I'm going to make a cd-r of the highest tracks I own and maybe that will break me in, so to speak.

[Dandy]

Oh and, if nothing else, your top 10 albums has made me order 'Treasure'.

[loomer]

Angelene is magnificent. Hope Instrumental #3 is coming up soon.

[loomer]

Oh and, if nothing else, your top 10 albums has made me order 'Treasure'.

One of my favourite albums as well.. Quandary's list was quite brilliant, Bonnie Prince Billy's "I See A Darkness" as well.

[loomer]

Apparently the bside "Wait" is one of her first demos.. she must sound more girl-like on that. I don't do singles.. way too costy to invest from now.

I didn't realise it was VINYL only.. I went to the ONE HMV that still sells singles and was looking frantically for the CD in their very limited selection. Pah, fuck that.

This Peel Sessions CD is tremendous, btw.. some great versions.. way too SHORT though, it could've been complete. She was a big Peel artist.. I remember her regularly being on the Festive 50.

[Quandary]

Oh and, if nothing else, your top 10 albums has made me order 'Treasure'.

!

I saw you listed Blue Bell Knoll in your top 10, which is an excellent album (THAT titletrack remains amazing) as well but Treasure is just..what the title says, really. I was literally blown away when I first heard it. Although it's a bit more toward the early Cocteau sound (less dream-pop, more banshee-ish), but it's also the album where Liz started using her angelic voice. And the contrast of those two sides of her voice is just...I have no words for her. Before I got Treasure, she was just the voice of "Teardrop" to me but now I just can't live without Elizabeth Fraser anymore. A lot more people should invest in Cocteau Twins btw. They're easily one of my favourite bands EVER.

Anyway, good to hear the PJ list is inspiring afterall Will try to finish it this week. Hope you managed to get the nonalbumtracks too..

[Quandary]

I didn't realise it was VINYL only.. I went to the ONE HMV that still sells singles and was looking frantically for the CD in their very limited selection. Pah, fuck that.

This Peel Sessions CD is tremendous, btw.. some great versions.. way too SHORT though, it could've been complete. She was a big Peel artist.. I remember her regularly being on the Festive 50.

She digs those vinyl singles, doesn't SHE? Don't worry, "Wait" is interesting but not really special according to the hardcore-buyers.

Yeh, the Peel Sessions compilation is fabulous but why oh why did it have to be a SELECTION? She surely did the double of that amount. One can hope we''ll get the COMPLETE sessions some day.

(Oh and I saw you repped me for the top 10, cheers )

[Quandary]

4. Horses In My Dreams (on Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea)



Rode a horse around the world
Along the tracks of a train
Broke the record, found the gold
Set myself free again

There are songs that you keep coming back to on some occasions. This would be for me one of those songs. I hardly give Stories.. a spin, but this is a personal favourite of mine. One that I only seem to listen before sleep. It shares a similar mood as "Beautiful Feeling", but it's still different and it's the song that's most out of place on the album. As if quietly drifting. At night. I vaguely remember that in particular with this song, she pressued herself not to sound too much as Patti Smith and putting extra effort doing the vocals. I think it even may have been Thom Yorke's comment. Her vocals sound 'hard' throughout in contrast to the rest of the record. When she sings "I have pulled myself clear", it's so calming and freeing. It has a strange effect on me. Women singing about horses. It seems to result in significant songs.. (Patti Smith, Tori Amos, Goldfrapp, Bat For Lashes etc.)

[loomer]

Oooh.. I'm rather surprised at that! Didn't see that coming at all.. especially considering it's off Stories but a pleasing surprise all the same, interesting choice.

NME gave White Chalk 7/10. Hoped for more, but it'll do!

[Quandary]

that's why I said it was a 'personal' favourite

Anyway, top 3 time! And I don't think it's that difficult to guess anymore..










































see?

3. To Bring You My Love (on To Bring You My Love)



Like Captain Beefheart on his debut, Polly introduces herself "I was born in the desert" for her debut as a solo artist. It was THE reborn of PJ Harvey and a career defining moment. Not many front-women of bands have succeeded on their own after splitting (okay, Björk is a special case.), but Polly did. There she was, with a complete new look and a complete new sound. And "To Bring You My Love" was the opening song for this new matured phase. No more hard rock from the first second, but it starts calmly and lets you get soaked into that atmosphere, which John Parish & Flood are so good at producing. Without changing the relaxed pace, it lifts its tension bit by bit. What gets me always are her vocals. The way she raises it along with those thundering guitars. The way she spells those words in a horrid way. The calm middle part. And then those howls..especially the final one. That is one of the most impressive and unbelievable vocal moments I ever witnessed in a song. That vibration in her voice. Almost Satan-ish. It makes me freeze whenever I hear it. Can you believe it's a woman or a human voice at all? Just incredible. She clearly mastered herself with To Bring You My Love.

Forsaken heaven
Cursed god above
Lain with the devil
Bring you my love

TO BRING YOU MY LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE

[VoR]

I LOVE that one!

[loomer]

Gotta love that blue eyeshadow.

[Quandary]

The #2 and #1 kinda switch by mood, so they're actually tied, but for this moment this is #2 then:


























2. Catherine (on Is This Desire?)



Envy must be one of the ugliest human emotions. And that's what "Catherine" is all about. It may come across as a silent not exciting song that may easily get lost in the environmental noise, but please, if you didn't appreciate this yet, listen to this carefully. It's one of her darkest songs. Of one of the darkest emotions. Those dooming sound of the drums & bass.. Hear how expressive her vocals are. Full of hatred..And last but not least, to those words..

I envy the road, the ground you tread under
I envy the wind, your hair riding over,
I envy the pillow your head rests and slumbers,
I envy to murderous envy your lover

'Til the light shines on me
I damn to hell every second you breath



Depressing, yes..but it grips me by my heart. The final verse is lighting the shadow a bit by wisphering her imagined victory and at the same time even more sad. The way she continues singing and fades with the silence.... Similarly to "The River", it takes you deeper and deeper into the darkness as listener. Hauntingly beautiful.

Oh my Catherine
for your eyes smiling
and your mouth singing
with time I'd have won you
with wile I'd have won you
or your mouth singing

Here is a performance from Sessions @ West 54th (1999) and the performance on Please Leave Quietly is my favourite on the live dvd too..:








SO that leaves only one particular song, eh?

[loomer]

Ahem. To stop redecorating the forum for a minute, in honour of National POLLY day. What a FABULOUS avatar, Quanders.

[Quandary]

So did you guess what's #1?



















Well?


































Yes, indeed!


1. Rid Of Me (on Rid Of Me)



Who doesn't love this?

PJ Harvey is...Dark. Agressive. Feminist. Scary. Raw. Witch. Loud. Riot-grrrl. Mysterious. Disturbing. Vamp. Weird. Banshee. I remember having heard these kinda public impressions all over and over again. But when I started with Stories.., I got the impression she seemed as an accessible artist. Even when I continued with Is This Desire?, which surely contained more rock, she still didn't seem all that controversial or disturbing. But then I had Rid Of Me in my hands and played it. And my god. I'll NEVER forget the first time I heard "Rid Of Me". First of all I couldn't hear her voice so well..(Afterwards, I read it was the sound Steve Albini aimed for), so turned up the volume a bit more. A continious strum of the guitar was heard with a weird rhythm.. I didn't really listen to the words but her voice seemed raw. Then the first shocking part:

Lick my legs I'm on fire
Lick my legs of desire

"Where did that voice come from?" I thought. So eerie and did I hear LICK MY..? I wondered and the song continued..

I'll tie your legs
Keep you against my chest
Oh you're not rid of me
Yeah you're not rid of me
I'll make you lick my injuries
I'm gonna twist your head off, see

And then: BANG

Till you say, don't you wish you NEVER never met her
Don't you don't you wish YOU NEVER never met her

That quite took my breath away. I just got into some more guitar music at that time but that was the LOUDEST banging sound I had ever witnessed. So confronting. And I was shocked how intense her vocals became. As if she was being tortured. I thought I was listening to a soundtrack of a snuf movie. So violent and scary..and it got even more uneasy and uncomfortable to listen as it continued. "You're not rid of me". "Don't you wish you never met her". Powerful words from a woman who seemed to be meaning every word of it. Who seemed to be shouting out those words at the time she was suffering of pain and anger. Towards the end, where the chorus and the bridge blend together, you can hear how her voice gets more intense and agressive. And finally repeating "Lick my legs.." with a broken voice. After the first spin, I had to stop the album and take a moment to let it all sink in... I was shocked but intrigued. And there started my obsession. And well, now it's my favourite song. Solo or band, live or on record, this remains her most phenomenal song she had ever written. And perhaps also her most impressive and her most well-known signature song. One of the songs that changed my musicworld.








Here is the classic performance on American Televison :





And now I'm finally FINISHED with this.....so I can get lost in the new LP, White Chalk.

[loomer]

So did you guess what's #1?

No, I didn't actually.. I thought you would've went with "Catherine" - one of her less accessible tracks, but a very interesting choice with your commentary since you said it was your fave in that polly girl thread.

Great stuff though, I knew "Rid Of Me" would be top 3.. same for me too, utterly astonishing, one of the best songs about love and rage ever recorded.. I vividly remember hearing this on The Evening Session all those years ago and that's what got me into her, from there I bought the album right away. So raw and powerful and in a sense something she'll never be able to top or recreate.

FABULOUS thread, Quandary.. *claps* well worth the wait, I'm so glad I harangued you into doing it.

[VoR]

This thread inspired me to FINALLY play Is This Desire, which I've had for ages but never bothered.

In fact to be honest despite owning all of Peej's studio albums aside from Uh Huh Her, i've only really listened to To Bring You My Love and Stories From The City.

Anyway I liked it. It felt very short. I really need to properly get into her, but I'm just not in a very banshee place lately. Dunno why.

[Quandary]

FABULOUS thread, Quandary.. *claps* well worth the wait, I'm so glad I harangued you into doing it.

Hehe I see it took me TWO months to get through the whole top 50 If it wasn't PJ, I probably wouldn't have bothered finishing it..

I know some people who are not really big about her but even they were very impressed when they saw a live video of a solo "Rid Of Me". I hope one day I can see her perform it on stage..

[Quandary]

This thread inspired me to FINALLY play Is This Desire, which I've had for ages but never bothered.

In fact to be honest despite owning all of Peej's studio albums aside from Uh Huh Her, i've only really listened to To Bring You My Love and Stories From The City.

Anyway I liked it. It felt very short. I really need to properly get into her, but I'm just not in a very banshee place lately. Dunno why.

It just turned to autumn, so it's the perfect season for that record

And may I add, Is This Desire? seems to be a favourite of English teachers..and they read a lot of English literature (hint hint).. Not sure if that has got anything to do with all those literature references in the songs but anyway, it's not the easiest record try and give it a few spins whenever you're in the mood. It's my all time favourite record....

[Quandary]

Here is the entire top 50:


50. The Darker Days Of Me & Him
49. The Bay
48. Naked Cousin
47. 50ft Queenie
46. Nina In Ecstacy
45. Working For The Man
44. Is This Desire?
43. A Place Called Home
42. Uh Huh Her
41. Down By The Water

40. This Mess We're In
39. The Garden
38. Man-Size
37. Somebody's Down Somebody's Name
36. Nickel Under The Foot
35. Teclo
34. This Is Mine
33. Memphis
32. Sheela-Na-Gig
31. Will's Song

30. Legs
29. Kick It To The Ground
28. My Beautiful Leah
27. Long Snake Moan
26. Shame
25. Harder
24. Dry
23. There Will Never Be A Better Time
22. Oh My Lover
21. Rebecca

20. Meet Ze Monsa
19. Reeling
18. Missed
17. Fountain
16. The Sky Lit Up
15. Plants & Rags
14. A Perfect Day Elise
13. Send His Love To Me
12. No Girl So Sweet
11. Hook

10. Taut
9. Dress
8. The River
7. The Desperate Kingdom Of Love
6. The Dancer
5. Angelene
4. Horses In My Dreams
3. To Bring You My Love
2. Catherine
1. Rid Of Me


Now that White Chalk is out, the list would be ALREADY different The bottom five would have not made it..

[loomer]

Here is the entire top 50

The Northwood and My Own Private Revolution woz robbed! Great stuff though.. I'm gonna make a playlist of this.. I'd like to know which Chalk songs would make the list now. I'm listening to disc 2 of Patti Smith's Land as a "break" from Polly.

[loomer]

"Dry" was probably intended to be on the same titled debutalbum, but later appeared on Rid Of Me

I rather like the original demo version of this, the b-side to "Dress". I think in a way releasing 4-Track Demos was a mistake... especially in the same year as its parent album! It was like she was saying there was something wrong with the original album and it kinda clutters her discography.. it is a good album, but a little unnecessary I feel. Would have been good if it was just a limited bonus disc on Rid Of Me, like the initial copies of Dry.

Quandary, is that Nina Nastasia album really good then? You had it as your avatar for ages, even before it was released I think! Like Peej, she was a Peel favourite.

[Quandary]

I would include "White Chalk", "The Mountain", "The Piano", "Grow Grow Grow" and "The Devil" straight away now.. but it's way too early ofcourse. I really am in love with the first two in particular though. And I detest "My Own Private Revolution" btw..

Oh and I stopped associating Patti with PJ these days. PJ is too far AHEAD of her. And old Patti doesn't really rock my world anymore...

I rather like the original demo version of this, the b-side to "Dress". I think in a way releasing 4-Track Demos was a mistake... especially in the same year as its parent album! It was like she was saying there was something wrong with the original album and it kinda clutters her discography.. it is a good album, but a little unnecessary I feel. Would have been good if it was just a limited bonus disc on Rid Of Me, like the initial copies of Dry.

I guess it would've seem more logical if she included it as a bonus disc, but hey, then most fans of now would have not gotten hold of it. Plus PJ is a maverick in whatever she does. Who releases a damn album full of demos? I hope she does a rerelease of the Dry Demos some day I think the demos are quite an essential part of her work and it reflects her style and methods. And normally demos are not too interesting, whereas her's are. Raw solo Peej

Quandary, is that Nina Nastasia album really good then? You had it as your avatar for ages, even before it was released I think! Like Peej, she was a Peel favourite.

Oh don't get me started in a PJ topic! I HEART Nina Nastasia. She's my favourite female singer/songwriter of recent years. You Follow Me is a brilliant collabration album. It's a musical duet between Nina singing on guitar & Jim White (Dirty Three), who also contributed on White Chalk, on drums/percussion. So just two musicians with their main instrument experimenting around. Fyi, the official website gives a description which does the quality its justice. I don't know how familiar you are with her work? It surely isn't her most instant album, but once you get through, it becomes a very special record.

And it has to be said. I can rarely fault Peel's taste !

[VoR]

PJ Harvey is someone I always felt i SHOULD like, to the point where I have all her albums bar White Chalk but in practise I've never really bothered with aside from a few songs.

However this thread has inspired me to change that. I'm not quite a loon yet but Teclo is my big discovery of the moment. Where does that voice of hers come from?

[Quandary]

She's an amazing vocalist, isn't she? You seem to specially like the TBYML-songs eh? Good to hear it's inspirating some

Oh and VoR, if you already own all her records, you better buy White Chalk some day. Almost everyone has been enthusiastic about it.

[loomer]

BEST THREAD EVA! Come back Quanders.

And I detest "My Own Private Revolution" btw..

lol, another joke about shit b-sides. Like I do with Kylie.. this has to be the 48th best Kylie song ever! For some obscure b-side. Though hers are often good too!

Oh and I stopped associating Patti with PJ these days. PJ is too far AHEAD of her. And old Patti doesn't really rock my world anymore...

QUITE

Though poor Polly will have her work cut out for her doing an album as important as Horses.. then again, she self composes and didn't need the blokes.. even when they were part of the 3 piece(?) band in the beginning. She castrated them Madge-style and used them as toys.

I still would kill to see Smith live though.. stream-of-consciousness poetry tastic. Smith won the battle, but Polly won the war with a huge VICTORY

[loomer]

Her angry side usually puts me off (Banshee wuss ahoy!)

Oh you pussy boy! Well not literally. lol..

Courtney Love called her "angry vagina music" once circa ROM

She also said "the only person that makes me feel shit is PJ Harvey"

Quite right love, as you can't play and write your own stuff, beyond lyrics.

[jezzicaz789]

Hi , I am a new member of forum. Would a newcomer be warmly welcome here? Good day you guys!!!

[funky]

yeah you're welcome but not with that signature. That'll have to go.