PJ Harvey - The Peel Sessions 1991-2004

PJ Harvey does her best work naked. For all the tantalizing changes in direction over the past 15 years, it was the British songwriter's barebones disc, Rid of Me (and its raw companion piece, 4-Track Demos), that made the greatest impression. These recordings from the late John Peel's celebrated BBC Radio show see her returning time and again to her basic blues roots, offering delightfully bruised takes on both early classics like "Sheela-Na-Gig," from her first performance on the show, through "You Come Through," a track that was recorded at a tribute shortly after Peel's passing. Along the way, there are plenty of rarities, stylistic diversions, and traces of dark humor to make Harvey fans wish the package could have been twice as long. --Aidin Vaziri Amazon.com

Where are my two faves?

Although all of these tracks are terrific, my two favorite PJ Harvey/John Peel tracks were NOT included! Where are "Claudine (My Inflatable One)" and "Primed and Ticking?" Those are two of her best songs ever, and I was extremely disappointed to find them missing. Definitely detracts from what could have been a perfect (and more complete) collection. Now I'm waiting for the sequel! September 28, 2008

simply a wonderful collaboration

Among my Polly Jean CD's this one stands out as a quintessential expression of her long collaboration with drummer Rob Ellis. The key for me, is to listen to his terrific timing and how pj's guitar and voice fits against his framework. Ellis has over the years become my favorite drummer; here's why.

As for the collection, and songs therein, these are as terse and honest as her live performances. As you listen, you can place the songs in the context of her major releases -- here's Rid of Me, here's Is This Desire? and so on.

I like this one a lot. December 8, 2007

interesting

PJ Harvey has been one of the most interesting musicians of the past 15 years. The records have been hit or miss. But there have always been great songs. John Peel was an early enthusiast. Remember when Polly Harvey came on the scene, we were recovering from heavy metal, rap, and rave, and just at the beginning of grunge. This is probably the greatest female music done after Patti Smith and The Pretenders. There are early bits like "Oh My Love" and "Victory" from 1991. Some stuff she did with John Parrish. Not a lot of hits here. A few cover songs. One by Willie Dixon. PJ Harvey has a lot of records out there. This is another one for the pile. More a tribute to John Peel than a showcase for rare tracks. Pretty good anyway. May 26, 2007

Great addition for PJ fan.

While most of the songs on the disc are available on PJ's back catalog, this collection gives you a nice sample of live developement of her work. The standouts for me were the somewhat rare tracks like "Naked Cousin" and "That Was My Veil." Not to mention a really cool version of Willie Dixon's "Wang Dang Doodle." Most of these songs should be well known to devoted fans but for you newbies, it's a good selection of her art and poetry. Always great! January 9, 2007

In All Her Glory

The waif with the mouth that roars, P.J. Harvey is both the thinking person's feminist, and a smash-mouth rock and roller. In my book, that makes her one of the most exhilarating performers on the planet.

This cd nicely recaps P.J.'s career, with tracks from her debut, "Dry"and most of her projects since then, with the exception of "To Bring You My Love" and "Is This Desire?". All songs were drawn from performances produced by John Peel for the BBC, which gives them a slightly different luster, and a rock solid punch.

P.J.'s songs can be described as little expressionist dramas writ large in black and white, and wonderful balancing acts of dynamics and minimalist sound. She sometimes combines huge shards of grunge rock with absurdist lyrics. Check out "Naked Cousin" , an off-the-wall ditty that paints a picture of a Bacchanalian madman running through the fields in abandon. Sounds weird? Well, it ROCKS like crazy. Her Rainer Ptacek cover, "Losing Ground" is another delight, matching switchblade edginess with Captain Beefheart dissonance. The best track from "Dance Hall at Louse Point"--"That Was My Veil" , is here, along with the prettiest song from "Stories From the City..."("Beautiful Feeling") . The album closes with "You Come Through" done beautifully and sincerely as a tribute to the late John Peel.

This cd is sure to please longtime P.J. fans, and it's a good sampler for the uninitiated.

Five stars. January 1, 2007

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