Rid Of Me

There aren't enough stars in the sky to give this album the recognition it deserves. I love the raw emotion that the music breathes, the live feel of Albini's production, the occasional odd time signatures, and of course Polly Jean Harvey's impressive vocal performance.

This is the best case for dynamics in rock I've heard yet. It's produced well enough to overcome my dislike of some of the grungier stylings, and doesn't fall into indulging itself proggishly. After the fifth track, things get more experimental and, for the lack of a better word, sketchy. To the album's benefit. The attitude is immediately catchy, and the return of "man-size" is the formal cherry on top. Easy to see why this is essential, harder to figure out how to move from appreciating it to loving it.

5.0 + With stewardship from Steve Albini, this album fully realizes PJ Harvey's explosive potential. Her vocals punch like a fist as she expounds on sexual frustration and deviance, bending genders with violent abandon. The recordings feel raw, like they can come undone at any moment, from the dramatic interplay of soft-loud-soft on the title track, to the jagged string ensemble on "Man-Size Sextet." This album simultaneously defines and typifies an early-90s alternative/grunge sound with more balls than almost all albums of that or any other era. Truly a highlight in an incredible string of albums from her early career.

Can you imagine being as bad at your job as the person who mixed this album? Best track: Rub 'Til It Bleeds

A strange, sexual and raw album. Uncomfortable in parts. Loved it.

Like a cat slowly dying from eating a rat that died from consuming rat poison.

Album screams early 90's. Everything fell flat for me. Sounds like it was recorded in a garage and mixed by someone learning how to. Thought I would like this album but by the end was left scratching my head.

It’s stunning. So raw and powerful. There isn’t much to it, yet it’s everything.

Surprised on how much I didn't like it. Seemed like atonal rock music with no melody whatsoever. Seem to remember trying to give PJ Harvey a try in the past and having a similar response. 1.5/5

The transition from near whispering quiet to in your face loud really works on Rid of Me. This is reminiscent of the low to loud technique the Butthole Surfers used on their Locust Abortion Technician album. I hear that in the late 80s PJ worked as a mantis abortion technician so it's no surprise that she would be drawn to that B Surfer's album for inspiration. It's great that the App sent us her albums in order. Rid if Me is better than Dry. The only real personnel change is that Albini produced it. I thought this really worked but Albini never produced for her again and she had a wholesale change of bandmates for her next album. Not sure why such major changes were needed but her third album is even better than this one.

Noisy indie-rock/punk-rock album. Well mixed, but could benefit from being even noisier/bordering on industrial music. 8/10

This bitch crazy band the music matches her energy. Really enjoyed this one, punky grunge with a really great thread running throughout

Rid Of Me fait une très belle entrée dans le Top 10 des pochettes les plus moches du générateur. D'un point de vue musical, tous mes espoirs étaient concentrés sur le titre éponyme, apparemment plébiscité par sept millions d'abrutis sur la plateforme Spotify à l'inverse de la suite de l'album quant à elle complètement anonyme. Dans ce premier morceau, PJ Harvey n'a qu'une seule obsession : agresser nos oreilles avec des changements de volume absolument insupportables. PJ aura beau essayer de me récupérer avec la suite, en vain. Le mal était fait. Et ce n'est certainement pas cette punkerie des plus dégueulasses qui aurait pu me convaincre de ne pas accorder la pire des notes. PS: Dans ma critique de Lady in Satin de Billie Holiday, vous avez été nombreux à remarquer la faute que j'ai commise dans le nom propre du premier président de notre Vème République. Je vous prie de m'en excuser.

I guess I’m a PJ Harvey fan now. 5/5

I don't understand the poor mixing comments. She's certainly mixed low on many of the songs, but I can't see how it isn't intentional. I think the low mixing being intentional comes off clearest on 'Hook'

This one has a special place in PJ Harvey's discography, thanks to Steve Albini recording it. He hates the term "producing", you know, and for fans of his unmistakable drum sound, it's one of his best work ever, iconic in its own right. But all that would be useless if this record wasn't *also* one of the greatest collections of tunes PJ Harvey has ever assembled for an album, and, even more importantly, one of her best studio performances ever. Raw, pure, unburdened by studio production shenanigans (the ones Albini hates so much). You can't beat the emotion that comes out of albums like that when they're good. And this one is very, *very* good. Part succubus, part hysterical wench, Polly Jean teases you with opener "Rid of Me", displaying those nineties quiet-loud-quiet dynamics in quite an extreme understanding of them, and relentless in its obsessive, clearly sexual thump. Then, after that terrific introduction, she piles on inspired swampy blues riffs like it's only a second nature to her, shredding them one after the other until her hands bleed. It's as if the great African American bluesmen of the past were possessing the spirit of a white middle-class British girl, her body shaking with the tremors and emotional scars they left inside her innocent soul. Don't call the exorcist, please, because it's a treat listening to this young woman moaning, yelling, grumbling, hushing, shrieking, or just simply lulling or singing those admirable tunes--that some people complained that the voice was buried in the mix has always seemed mind-boggling to me: actually, given what PJ Harvey sometimes does with said *outré* voice, it would probably have been very awkward to listen to had it been louder. Here, it's just perfect, especially if you add the fact that the lyrics are one of a kind too, filled with suggestive innuendoes, more graphic details, and Freudian slips of the tongue. Check out "Man-Size", "15 ft. Queenie", "Dry", " Legs", "Snake" or "Yuri G" for examples of that. There's an understated S&M / bondage mood hanging over those lyrics and music. But even if you don't get kinky that way, it's a treat, lyrically and musically speaking. To put it in a nutshell, Polly Jean puts on a hell of a freak show here, and yet she is so inspired, and sounds so entranced, that the results are actually nothing short of blissful (see closer "Ecstasy", for instance). Through mud, she digs gold. Through a sense of the grotesque, she reaches sublime skies. This here is the mark of the true Romantic. And it doesn't hurt that said Romantic is also such an insanely great singer and guitar player. One that's raw, pure, unburdened--except by that delta devil whispering devilish things in her ears. You still haven't called that exorcist, I hope. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: less than 780, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens:  approximately a half so far  Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter

Dry was shockingly frank in its subject and sound, as PJ Harvey delivered post-feminist manifestos with a punkish force. PJ Harvey's second album, Rid of Me, finds the trio, and Harvey in particular, pushing themselves to extremes. This is partially due to producer Steve Albini, who gives the album a bloodless, abrasive edge with his exacting production; each dynamic is pushed to the limit, leaving absolutely no subtleties in the music. Harvey's songs, in decided contrast to Albini's approach, are filled with gray areas and uncertainties, and are considerably more personal than those on Dry. Furthermore, they are lyrically and melodically superior to the songs on the debut, but their merits are obscured by Albini's black-and-white production, which is polarizing. It may be the aural embodiment of the tortured lyrics, and therefore a supremely effective piece of performance art, but it also makes Rid of Me a difficult record to meet halfway. But anyone willing to accept its sonic extremities will find Rid of Me to be a record of unusual power and purpose, one with few peers in its unsettling emotional honesty. [Source: https://www.allmusic.com/album/rid-of-me-mw0000096498]

sometimes it really does feel like this

PJ Harvey is another one of those artists that seems to only be discussed among critics and other people who are really into music. I don’t think I ever heard anything by her before the late 00’s. Seems like she was too big for the indie circuit, but not quite mainstream enough to crack the charts in the US. Similar story to a lot of musicians on this list. Anyway, I’ve been in the mood for 90’s “alternative rock” the last few days, especially new-to-me tracks, so this was good timing.

++: Rid of Me, Legs, Rub 'til It Bleeds, Hook, Man-Size Sextet, 50ft Queenie, Yuri-G, Me-Jane, Ecstasy +: Missed, Highway 61 Revisited, Man-Size, Dry, Snake 9,1/10

I discovered PJ Harvey over the summer and have listened to several of her albums multiple times. She's a critic's darling. And I think if I had been just a bit older in the 90's I'd have had a massive rock crush on her. She just has such an exotic vibe. Still, I don't know how to rate this album. Tons of grit and ferocity, all done in a minimal, tortured, lo-fi style. So it's kind of repetitive. Like her strumming that sounds cut-off and unusual tempos/timing - it starts with Rid of Me (including soft to hard) and it's in many songs. And I really do like that song and many others (Missed, Rub Til it Bleeds, 50ft Queenie, Yuri-G, Man-Size, Me-Jane) but I wonder if the rest are too similar or if I'm not appreciating their nuances enough. It's for sure a 3 and not a 5 for me. After a few listens I found myself adding more to my "really like" list, with differences in what I liked about them (some muted sound, some wall of sound). So I talked myself into a 4.

Trying to rate this album without knowing the trajectory of her career. Filthy, grungy, garage rock at its core. Unrefined sound. Glimpses of creative risk with Mansized Sextet. This is music that a local band who used to play at the barn at the end of the dirt road is now playing at all the nearby dive bars.

(3/5) So, our group of four have had three PJ albums in as many weeks. Some of the Reddit forums on this project have noted that sometimes happens. What it's doing is giving me a bit of a Harvey hangover. I like her stuff enough and finding her through the list has been revelatory, but I'm not in **love** with her stuff to go deep diving. I'd honestly say that 4 of her albums is too much. So, this album is super grungy, 90s sounding and I like it for that time and place, but damned if I'm not getting tired of her. DIMERY ducks it up again by giving us too much of something and not moderating better. I think 2 of her's would have sufficed. This and her later "Stories.." would have been a fine showcase of her work, talents, and growth. Now, I'm suffering from the headache and I need a break. It's not her, it's me..

OMG! Amazeballs! Almost as good as Fiona Apple! Love love love! Perfect for singalongs and sleepovers! fuck you PJ Harvey reclaiming my time

Oooooooh PJ Harvey!! I will always remember how big of an impact Down by the Water made on me when I first heard it. It has such a sinister sound to it. I've never heard this album before. But so far I'm liking it. I like the slow trancelike intro to the first track. I'll make you lick my injuries. Love that line. 1993 I was 14 when this album came out. This was a time in my life, when so much media was censored from me. So theres no way I would have even gotten my hands on this. The album does not sound polished. It sounds like the band is in the room with you, possibly too close, possibly holding a broken bottle. That dynamic is the point. The quiet parts are really quiet, and then the loud parts come in like violence. It’s not mixed to be comfortable; it’s mixed to make you lean in and then get punched. The whole album is full of sexual tension, anger, humiliation, control, and revenge — but it never feels like a tidy confession. It feels more like performance art dragged through blues-punk mud. Yeah this album was so dope!

DON’T YOU WISH YOU NEVER, NEVER MET HER?

So energetic! Her best album

Such a solid album.

Saw PJ this year and she's just as good live as she was back then

RoM is my favourite PJH LP, a knock out, a rocker, a total demon of a record. Grabbed this on release, already a noise-head going through an extended William Burroughs-phase, so I was an easy mark for this body-centric drama wrapped in the sound of a electric band pressed up against the ears. “Warts and all” was a description that I read when it came out, which I take to refer to how you can hear picks scraping on string, that sense of all the instruments being very close. As others noted, the stark B&W body photos on the sleeve are of the piece. The original CD was strangely quiet; a recent remaster appears to have fixed this while maintaining the acrobatic dynamics that entranced me back then.

The album that made a 19 year old me build a Chu Moy headphone amp! A raw & abrasive almost-masterpiece that is only let down (IMHO) by the unnecessary and jarring Man-Size Sextet. The OG PJ Harvey trio always sounded great, but Albini's production (not always my cup of tea) is truly fantastic here and elevates the music and lyrics fantastically well (as anyone who's heard the interesting but somewhat lacklustre-by-comparison versions on 4-Track Demos can attest to.) I'm giving it a bonus point for the uncompromisingly dynamic mix that is a giant middle-finger to the loudness war. Crank it fucking loud.

What a fantastic album. Incredibly tough and uncompromising. PJ'S absolutely drips with anger and attitude and ultimately strength and determination. Her emotional range is matched by her vocal range which never hits a wrong note. And the dynamics on this record are incredible, especially on Man Size and of course The title track which absolutely explodes when the full band kicks in. This album is not an easy listen, but once it gets its hooks in you it's impossible to set yourself free. 5 🌟

Holy shit, this was recorded at Pachyderm in Cannon Falls! Another masterpiece recorded there by Steve Albini. This album really has room to breathe and feels very natural and three dimensional with some nice production touches in the right places to punch up the drama. Her semi-unhinged performance is breathtaking. Quite a thrill ride and it brings me right back to that era, although, I'm ashamed to say, despite being peripherally aware of her, I slept on this in its time. I regret that now. If this came out today it would still sound as fresh and relevant as ever.

Grew on me while listening. Definitely takes a bit to get on its wavelength. Grungy, heavy. Some instrumentals reminded me of Soundgarden. Uncomfortably visceral lyrics. Gross stuff, smushed in your face.

Incredibly raw lyrics and aggression are palpable from this record. A masterclass in authentic songwriting

…in which she buries him and spits on his grave

Rid of Me This was a real grower, it took a few listens to get into the scuzzy, grungey intensity and rawness but after a while I really started to appreciate its twisting, abrasiveness and uneasiness. It also definitely benefits from being played loud, where you can really feel the snarl in the guitar and the thump of the drums and bass. I love some of the guitar sounds that she and Steve Albini conjure up, the prowling opening to Rid of Me before it kicks in (love the unsettling backing vocals on this too), the solo on 50 ft Queenie, the break on Dry and the slide on Ecstacy in particular. She’s such a characterful singer and performer too, that she manages to sell every song, even if they are all broadly in the same ballpark, and is great at creating some memorable melodies like 50ft Queenie and Yuri-G amongst the caustic sonic attack and biting lyrics. I didn’t find it as fascinating and as stellar as Let England Shake, and I probably prefer the slightly softer edged Stories from the City, but as a singular album of scratching, sludgey, punky, bluesy grit it's very good. I’m keen to come back again so I’ll go 4. 🐍🐍🐍🐍 Playlist submission: Dry

Didn't like it when it came out, and it's still a disappointment after the first album but sounds great today. Glad to hear it again

I really like this album. It's raw female rock and it's fantastic. It's risky, experimental and honest. It's sexual and tense in places, and fun in others. I loved it.

Aggressive, bare bones rock. Fuckin great.

Raw as the uncooked chicken it feels like PJ is slapping me across the face with.

Only knew of later PJ Harvey stuff which I liked, but dang this album is punk as fuck, really raw in the best way. Live this would vibe so hard. Rid of Me is great. Legs is intense, love her raw screaming. Hey, another recording at Pachyderm Recording Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Guess I know where to go and keep it local if need be in the future. The albums starts to drag a bit as it goes on though and never manages to reach the heights of the first tracks as well as going maybe a couple songs too long. Still very good, I never knew this side of PJ Harvey and I'm keen to listen more. 4.5 to 4.

PJ doesn't mess around. This is raw, dark, edgy and straight up, like she decided, ok I got my guitar, some songs I gotta get out, I need a bass player and a drummer. Let's go! The songs sound more similar (to each other) than other albums of hers and there isn't one I want to hum along to after listening. I'm giving a half-point bonus for the album cover and the fact she played violin and cello on Man-size Sextet.

The first third of the album is swamped in the dirty muddy guitar and falls into the habit of sounding too similar on each track, which ultimately makes all of the songs blend into each other. Using the contrast of quiet and loud for verses and chorus quite a lot, it can sound quite sparse and thin in places. But the choice of chords and solid back beat keeps it interesting. Really like how raw it is, but fuck me the riffs drag on. The songs are quite linear, built around one riff or idea and expanded upon and dragged out for 3 minutes. Wasn’t sure of the album at first, but by the end of it I was a fan. 4/5 - quite liked it, might listen to more PJ

One thing I appreciate about Harvey's artistry is how undeniably 'her' each album she makes is. This sophomore effort has all the classic PJisms - gnashing guitars, looming interludes, creeping voices in the background. Things do tend to get a bit homogeneous and too blandly 90s grunge in the middle, but some discordant interludes snap things back into focus sharply for a strong finish.

PJ Harvey casts a long shadow, and for a long time from listening to her later work, I never quite got it, but it comes through loud and clear on here. I've put four stars now, but given what this is making me think — that you can put the music on this record up against most of the angriest, noisiest, most cathartically chaotic music of the 90s and it'll win most of the time — it'll probably be a 4.5 to 5 star someday. Great first impression.

A powerful, raw, emotional experience. Her voice is otherworldly, and I love the abrasive instrumentation.

When I heard "Steve Albini" and "grungier," I really expected to get into this one, despite it being her 3rd entry we've gotten in the last two weeks. Alas, that impression was short lived. While the three works we've reviewed have been rather varying stylistically, I can't say that I've loved any of them, and this one falls somewhere between "Stories" (my personal preference) and "Let England Shake," but it's not getting the nod up from a 3.5/5, either.

My fourth encounter with PJ on this list. And holy heck, that breakdown in the opening track! PJ Harvey's gonna stop my heart one of these days. There's an intense punkish element to this music, with hints of Patti Smith, Dolores O'Riordan, and (maybe) Björk. But grittier than all three. The melodies are a little wonky throughout the record, but you can tell Harvey's singing with utter determination and passion. There's also a sort of trepidation in her voice, heard in the slightly wavery tone that's become her signature by this point. It's particularly apparent in the songs Legs, Rid Of Me (title track), and Me-Jane. The style is more rock-oriented than her later works, and I think it works pretty well with Harvey's vocal quality. Lots of post-punk elements such as atonality, slightly industrial drumming, and chords that don't match the melody (although we also see this with Dylanesque folk-rock, so it could be a universal thing). Man-Size Sextet is insane. It's uncomfortable, screechy, unnerving, and (tonally) matches its lyrics dead-on. The only track to prominently feature strings, and it does so in a brutal fashion. Another unconventional technique is the ultra-bendy guitar playing in Dry. The solo near the end of the song is wild. But is the music *good*? Well... not exactly. It's engaging, sure - because of how it breaks music conventions rather than how it builds upon them. Every song is likeable enough, so I can't give lower than 3 stars - but the songs just aren't enjoyable (or relatable) enough to warrant any higher than that either. Atonality should be reserved for very exceptional cases, maybe once per album at a stretch, but this record relies entirely on not having a catchy melody. Or indeed any catchy/memorable moments at all - whether they be riffs, hooks, vocal hooks (which happen just a couple of times here), or something else. You can grab someone's attention and also have the musical chops to justify it, but Harvey doesn't quite get all the way there. Still, it sounds pretty badass. 3/5 Key tracks: Rid Of Me, Rub 'Til It Bleeds, Man-Size Sextet

Don't know what to think....I like the Albini production and the quiet/loud dynamics. Needs a few more memorable hooks. It probably needs more listens. I like how she puts everything into the lyrics... 3

2.5

Dreary

Screechy....

No.

I wonder if any artist who was about to make an album of harsh, discordant, unpleasant-sounding music ever thought to themself, “Hey, maybe instead of doing that, why don’t I try to make an album that people might actually want to listen to?”.

What even is this. It's the morning after the 2024 election, and this is not the hangover cure I need for that shitshow. 2*

Signature Steve Albini production, but the album isn't good. Monotonous, repetitive, whatever you want to call it. I get why people could like this but I don't. It's like they're trying so hard to sound a certain way but failing to do so, because I don't think anyone would want to sound this bad. This rating may be too harsh but I don't think it belongs with the three-stars.

She's talented and unique, just not my favorite. She just came and played at the Met here in Philly so good for her to have this kind of staying power.

Remarkable musician and the production is amazing and sounds modern, but the songs are just not there for me.

doesn't sound bad but not interesting

223. Rid of Me - PJ Harvey (1993) 10.3.26 Variety: 5 Adequacy: 4 Listenability: 4 Uniqueness: 5 Emotionality: 5 = 4.6 rounded up to a 5 "I'll measure time/ I'll measure height/ I'll calculate/ My birthright" Wow. Our third PJ Harvey album in about two weeks. I think that might be the tightest cluster for a single artist we've had yet. Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea I consider to be her best album, and I gave it 5 stars. Let England Shake was quite good, but only got a 4 from me. Dry is the other one left we haven't gotten to yet, and I honestly do not remember much about it except that I liked it enough to hang on to the CD. Rid of Me I remember liking quite a bit, but it's been so long since I listened to it, I'm not sure how it ranks with her others. I think going forward whenever I finish the last album by an artist with multiple entries I might try and listen to other albums around it and see where everything sits. Harvey is one of those musicians who doesn't seem to have made a bad album yet, my measure, though I have yet to listen to her last two all the way through. And that doesn't even include all the collaborations she's done. I also appreciate that Harvey tries to do something completely different on each album and seems to hate repeating herself. This puts her up in an echelon of artists who have long careers full of experimentation but who still manage to bed and shape that experimentation towards something they still think people would want to hear. She's up there with Bjork, Radiohead, Nick Cave, Beck and a few other big acts to come out of the 90s that managed to stay relevant by adapting and updating their sounds. And I'm pretty sure at this point in time, she's only maybe ten years older than me, so hopefully she has several more decades of putting out cool shit. My memories of this album are very colored by seeing her very striking music videos, and then discovering this album first before I even knew Dry had been out. At the time I think I has also just started listening to Tori Amos, and I found Harvey to be a more raw and muscularly rock n roll antidote to the ( still very raw) piano stuff Amos was doing. But they are tied together in time. Bjork I had already been well aware of, and had maybe primed me for some more esoteric music by talented women. Of hose three I think Harvey has maybe held up the best. Amos I eventually fell off and stopped following, and Bjork I still hear occasionally when my wife picks up her latest. Harvey feels both more approachable than either of those two, and I think straddles the line better between experimental and mainstream, with the other two being pretty squarely over the fence in each direction. Hopefully this one holds up. THE TRACKS Side one "Rid of Me" - The title track starts off with a droning repetitive bit that build and builds until Harvey comes in with her husky, menacing vocals and takes us on a creepy little journey through obsession, possession, and jealousy. When the chorus EXPLODES it's full of anger and power, and it leaves almost as fast as it came in, and gives the impression of danger and harm in way some of the best metal songs are able to do. I'm not sure if it's Harvey herself providing the background vocals, or Rob Ellis or both, but it's creepy and very effective. "Missed" - I've read that Harvey was a fan of Slint and this track has more than a little bit in common with their stuff on the Spiderland album, at least rhythmically, and the repetitive, tense, hangdog guitar lines make the comparison pretty strong. Where she differs is in her embrace of the dynamic range between the cold droning beat, and how full of emotion her voice is. There's also more than a little blues DNA in here, though it's so twisted around and mutated, you have to listen closely. "Legs" - This one dives even deeper into the blues sound, though through a GIANT, ragged punk lens that also feels like it was more than a little influenced by some Noise Rock. The guitar work is maybe the only thing on here approaching the grunge sound, and I still get confused by that being applied to much of any of her work. This has far more in common with stuff like Pixies, or Pere Ubu than anything coming out of Seattle at the time. We get another darkly obsessive, possibly romantic song here, and with more threats of bodily harm and mutilation. "Rub 'til It Bleeds" - More than anything yet, this one sounds like it could have come off a number of later albums, with it's rubber bandy guitar lines, the understated drum work, and Harvey's vocal gymnastics. The Slint influence is still there, and it's the very dry and almost reverbless production sound that ultimately gives it away, and makes it sound raw and frayed and like you're sat on the stage in the middle of the chaos when it jumps up, and they're just playing all around you, Harvey yelling right in your face. As an ode to masturbation, it's maybe not quite up there with "She Bops", "Turning Japanese", or "Dancing With Myself", but it's certainly pretty damn memorable. "Hook" - This one had the sort of Tom Waits-sh, banging on a garbage can lid, hobo band sort of feel to it which was interesting, but all the interesting noises sort of drowned Harvey out of her own song, and it feels like her vocals are barely there. The first one on the album that has back of my neck itching in anticipation of more of the same. This is the type of song I can imagine being much more impressive live. That doesn't translate as well here though. "Man-Size Sextet" - This was very cool and unexpected. Had completely forgotten about it. A sort of re-interpretation of her own song ( still 4 away) and quite the swing, especially as a side one closer. It's sort of like performance art piece, withe the lyrics of that song almost more spoken than sung over top of some very tense strings that feel straight out of a postmodern Krzysztof Penderecki orchestral piece. I can see a lot of people choosing to stop here, and not sure i could blame them. I liked it though. Side two "Highway 61 Revisited" - Dylan's classic (though never one of my favorites of his) is barely recognizable here, and Harvey performs the magic trick of making something so well known into something she absolutely owns. I stopped to go back and listen to the original for comparison's sake, and yeah... I think Harvey's is the better experience. The opening tinny radio sound that then busts into nervous and almost panicky sounding piece that sounds like it's falling down an endless staircase is augmented by multiple dynamic and distinctive sections, which make the Dylan original sound boring. "50ft Queenie" - Harvey gets to tackle some pyschobilly sounds on this one, with some sleazy, crackling guitars the Cramps or the Butthole Surfers would be proud of. And all of it's buried underneath some MASSIVE drum and bass that gives the impression of some crazed revelers dancing around a giant bonfire that's rising ever higher. Also - hand claps! "Yuri-G" - Much as I love the previous track, and the one right after this one - this is maybe my dark horse pick for favorite. The atmosphere is dark and dirty, and the processing on Harvey's vocals give the impression of another obsessed, lost and confused state of mind. And this tie we've got a ton of cool textures like the cello bits, the buzzsaw guitars and the frenetic drumming. "Man-Size" - The actual, legit inarguably best song on the album and one full of awesomeness. The guitar work alone on this is enough to elevate it into 5-star territory, but it's one of Harvey's best and most magnetic vocal performances throughout her entire catalogue. It's sexy, and threatening, and full of a confidence and commanding power you don't often see outside of some of the top tier metal vocalists like Rob Halford or Bruce Dickinson. It's also got a hell of a music video that melted by teenage brain at the time. This is an all-timer, one of many that Harvey has contributed. "Dry" - How can you follow that up? With something that's much more of a standard bit of catchy and simple alt-rock where we get a some more sexual metaphors, housed in a very straight forward dressing down of a romantic partner and their ... inadequacies, that's almost as funny as it is poppy. Well, as poppy as Harvey gets. "Me-Jane" - Some more psychobilly guitar and bass work here on an awesomely crunchy and rhythmically exciting piece that see's Harvey writing from the point of view of Tarzan's long suffering mate Jane. Even in 1993 Tarzan is a reference that was WELL past it's sell date, and the fact that she manages to pull this off without it being a complete joke is nothing short of impressive. That it fucking rocks is just a bonus. "Snake" - Assuming the voice of the put upon women of fiction is a well Harvey is not afraid to immediately draw from again, only this time it's a burner of a track in which Eve ( of Garden fame) gives that damn serpent a piece of her mind. Rob Ellis's drum work throughout has been amazing, but deserves a special callout here, as it's especially explosive. Harvey gets her rasp on and ends up providing some very cool and crazy vocal effects, almost sound like one of those accordion straws when you pull them apart. Crazy. "Ecstasy" - The downright bluesiest track on the album, the guitar riff repeats and bends within an apocalyptic bed of thrashing cymbals and Harvey's emotional and tortured vocals that for some reason reminded me of Lene Lovich in the vibrato and twisted syllables. This really makes me want Harvey to record a punked out blues standards cover album. I can easily see Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs being a big fan of this song in particular. HIGHLIGHTS - "Rid of Me" - "Missed" - "Legs" - "Rub 'til It Bleeds" - "Man-Size Sextet" - "Highway 61 Revisited" - "50ft Queenie" - "Yuri-G" - "Man-Size" - "Dry" - "Me-Jane" - "Snake" - "Ecstasy" MIDLIGHTS - "Hook" LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS I like that Harvey, whether she may or may not be working out personal issues in her music, never makes it obvious or spells out anything and lets the listener build these narratives out of what at least appears to be dark little vignettes. You get very little stuff form her that could ever be mistaken for an "I feel this way or that" heart on your sleeve type thing that someone like Tori Amos is great at. If Amos is making her narratives up out of whole cloth, she manages to convince you it's real. With Harvey it could be the very opposite, and you'll never know. There remains a wall of ambiguity that I really, really like. This is probably Harvey at her most rocking, and would be the album I'd recommend to someone who was into metal or grunge. I had forgotten just how damn good it is, and would probably put it up right amongst her finest. I think Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea is still her overall most accomplished album that I've heard, and I full expected White Chalk ( an easy 5-stars but not on the list) to beat this out, but now I'm not so sure. This is at least in rival for second best I think. I'll try and find time to work in a full catalogue re-listen before we get to that last one. Unless it also pops up within the next week or two... She's also got a couple of albums she collaborated with John Parish that I don't think I've ever heard, so might work those in as well. Overall an excellent album, and a joy to revisit. Harvey deserves all her spots on the list and remains fully cemented as one of the rock greats. Possible turn-Offs might include: - raw, and dry production sound - lyrics that might have you blushing if you don't wear headphones - lots of left turns into more artsy territory that come out of nowhere You Might enjoy this if you: - dig strong female vocalists - like complex textures in your heavy music - are looking for something that varies in style throughout PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Nah FURTHER LISTENING Precursors: - Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan - Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart - Easter by Patti Smith Group - Surfer Rosa by Pixies - Goat by The Jesus Lizard - Spiderland by Slint - Stateless by Lene Lovich Contemporaries: - Debut by Bjork -Last Splash by the Breeders - Under the Pink by Tori Amos - Bricks Are Heavy by L7 - Exile in Guyville by Liz Phair Descendants: - In Utero by Nirvana - Tidal by Fiona Apple - Garbage by Garbage - Call the Doctor by Sleater-Kinney - Fever to Tell by Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Marry Me by St. Vincent - The Record by Boygenius

A while back, I started my own ‘greatest albums if all time’ playlist and this is already on it. It’s frustrating that I was 30+ years late to the PJ Harvey bandwagon, but I’m glad I got here eventually. I'm fortunate that this list gave me PJ Harvey's first album, Dry, first and let me start at the beginning. I've since also reviewed Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, but I try not to compare albums to the artist's later works when possible. Compared to Dry, this record shows some remarkable growth and a much more focused sound. That's kind of a weird thing to say about an album that Steve Albini was brought in to produce, but it's true. Where Dry felt very DIY and raw, Rid Of Me has about as much polish as you would put on a grunge record in 1992/1993. The little bits of cowpunk twang have been omitted - or at least they're now running through a fuzz pedal so they don't twang like they used to (see "Ecstasy"). Dry was gritty because the recording equipment probably wasn't good but this feels gritty because they CHOSE to make it feel that way, it doesn't feel like you're hearing the recording equipment or the process at all (if that makes any sense), just a band playing themselves into grunge history. That all sounds like I'm giving reasons why this record is better than Dry, and I'm actually not sure I feel that way. Both albums are amazing in different ways and I don't know if I could pick one over the other. That said, Dry had some unrealized potential (mostly in the recording) and I gave it 4 stars for that. This album doesn't suffer thesame problem (at least by comparison) so I'm going to rate it higher. I think it's a case of two 4.5 star records being rounded differently. required postscript: I love to talk about how this album was recorded by Steve Albini in the same remote Minnesota studio - in the same winter(!) - as Nirvana’s In Utero. This one was recorded first and, for my money, it's the better of the two albums. I don’t think anyone gets as excited as I do about this incredibly niche fun fact, but I also don’t think I know anyone who rates Polly Jean as highly as I do. Some day I'll make a pilgrimage up to Cannon Falls so I can see Pachyderm Studio for myself.

It's a wonder how such a bold and forward-thinking album turned out to be so flawless. Everything is just how it should be. Albini's mixing is marvelous, making the most out of every guitar strum and drumbeat. The music demands your attention every step of the way and constantly surprises you with so many little nuggets of creative brilliance. The real star is obviously Polly, though. She offers a phenomenal, charismatic and diverse vocal performance, enriched by great lyricism. It's as blunt and aggressive as it gets, exactly the way these themes should be presented. With all of that said, her subsequent two albums are even better and it's an absolute shame they aren't included in the list. Favourite track: Yuri-G 5/5

This is straight-up beef carpaccio. It's so very raw. And for many, it's cringy to their delicate palates. The very thought of uncooked meat makes their stomach turn, but for the rest of us - wow! This one is high quality all the way, with lemon that gives it a zesty kick in the ass. Eat up!

Most albums are released. This album is unleashed. Where her first album was emotionally brutal - Rid of Me matches that brutality musically. The first side especially is the feeling of breaking down and verges on falling apart completely. Voice and drums are right at the edge of falling into the abyss with shards of guitar pushing them ever closer. Side two is tighter and has some songs that could be described as catchy (depending on you mood) before Me-Jane charges in to knock your block clean off. Ferocious. You simply can't leave this album without feeling something.

Don’t get me fuckin’ started. It’s a 7/5. An all timer. A friend for life. It makes you want to go back and retrospectively lower the scores of all the other albums. I like it.

On her second album, PJ Harvey once again blew me away. The immediacy of this album, the intimacy and the (in the most positive way) dirt of the album are incredible. It lives in a grim and menacing world that constantly fluctuates between paralyzing quietness and overwhelming noise, accompanied by a voice that demands your attention and guides you to the light - or maybe to disaster. An impeccably produced album that showcases the force that Harvey’s voice can create without being overwhelming. There is no artifice on here, there is only PJ Harvey’s soul projected onto us.

Love how the title track is just one riff for like five minutes—she pulls it off too. Such a classic

Day 389 Don’t know if I’m just in a good mood at the moment or what but this is the 3rd 5/5 album I’ve had in a row. This was amazing. Highlights Legs Rub til it bleeds Dry

Raw, emotive, feminist post-punk. This is PJ Harvey unleashed by Albini's production, and the result is perhaps her strongest album. One of the great female fronted rock albums of all time, and the early introduction to one of the most interesting pop artists of the last 20 years.

For reasons I don't understand, I had never listened to this album — and holy fuck, it’s fierce. PJ Harvey sounds like an absolute battle axe, self-determined and eager to punch holes in the patriarchy with lines like “I’m calling you weak,” the gender and power ambiguity of “50 Foot Queenie” and the whole “lick my legs” refrain, which flips the script on conventional sexual dynamics. Steve Albini’s production boils everything down to bone and gristle, leaving the listener feeling abraded sonically and conceptually. Fans of latter-day Harvey might be surprised to hear her sound this raw and pissed off.

As if more evidence was needed that PJ Harvey is one of the best women in rock music history. The rawness and the emotion here are both amazing, taking her sound in a very different and much harsher direction compared to her already fantastic debut. It's rare for artists to actually get more aggressive as they go, but I'm so glad that she did that with this album as it gives even more depth to who she is and how that's reflected in the music she makes.

Holy hell fuck yes. This album holds a special place in my heart. Raw. Blast at full volume and get messy. 5/5

Incredible that I only find out about PJ Harvey and this album just now. I don't usually listen to albums from this list twice, let alone spend the rest of the day catching up with the rest of the artists' discography.

My 2nd PJH album, it’s intense! I’ll likely call it her grunge album. There are some good reviews here already, I won’t try to summarise what’s good about the album, will take me some time to process it. (Should I pause the generator and just listen to this and other PJH albums?) It will take me extra long to process Man-Size Sextet - I’m excited by its inclusion - reminds me of the version of Hyperballad that Björk did with some famous string quartet - I liked that one for its austerity, which also made it readily intelligible. Anyway, for now I’ll say this is Pretty Wonderful, 9/10 - I may give it a higher rating when I get to know as individuals the songs that I don’t yet get, which would probably get me over the feeling that “it’s a bit same-y”.

Das ist also grunge? Ist eigentlich ganz nett, weiß noch nicht ob ich alles verstehe aber klingt ganz nice

Very good discovery from this list. Loved this album a lot and I look forward to listening to the rest of her work

I’ve never been entirely convinced by descriptions of Rid of Me as simply “abrasive” or “confrontational”. They’re true, but they only describe the surface. Underneath all the noise is something much older. This is a blues record. Not in the sense of twelve bars or familiar licks, but in its grammar. Polly Harvey takes the language of the blues, desire, boasting, religion, sex, betrayal, bodily experience, and sets it loose in a thoroughly modern emotional landscape. It’s the language of the blues applied to love gone odd. Or perhaps better still: curdled love. Every song explores another mutation. Love becomes possession in “Rid of Me”. It becomes spiritual yearning in “Missed”. Manipulation in “Rub ‘Til It Bleeds”. Swagger in “50ft Queenie”. Obsession in “Yuri-G”. Physical domination in “Me-Jane”. By the time “Snake” arrives, desire itself has become body horror. Harvey isn’t writing about relationships ending. She’s writing about what happens when love spoils but refuses to die. Steve Albini’s recording is a huge part of why it works. The trio sounds astonishingly alive. Every sound feels deliberate yet completely in the moment. Harvey’s voice frequently disappears into the ensemble, clipped, distorted and half-buried, because it isn’t always functioning as a narrator. Sometimes it’s simply another instrument. Nobody asks what Eric Clapton is “saying” during a solo. Harvey often treats the voice in exactly the same way. The album constantly surprised me. “Missed” slips into an elegant 11/4 that never once feels mathematical. “Man-Size Sextet” suddenly abandons the band altogether for a voice and string sextet, somewhere between Bartók and Bernard Herrmann. Harvey’s reconstruction of “Highway 61 Revisited” strips away Dylan’s grin and exposes the song’s biblical grotesquery underneath. Then “Dry”, after forty minutes of deconstruction, almost sounds mainstream. I genuinely caught myself thinking, “Good Lord, she could enter Eurovision with this.” That’s less a comment on the song than on how completely the album recalibrates your ears. One phrase kept returning while I listened. Harvey’s world is full of corporeal feedback and resonances. Everything eventually becomes physical. Bodies, instruments and emotions continually set one another vibrating. Even “Ecstasy” ends up there. That huge ringing opening chord followed by the most insolent slide guitar imaginable, and suddenly “I’m in E” seems to mean ecstasy, the key of E, and being inside the guitar itself all at once. What impressed me most was how little of this feels self-conscious. The odd metres, the chamber strings, the buried vocals, the Dylan cover, none of it exists to show how clever Harvey is. Every decision serves the emotional world she’s built. By the end, I wasn’t hearing an alternative rock classic. I was hearing a feral modern blues record. Harvey takes the blues, to half-quote the album, sets it alight and sets it free.

HeadBanger.

Sexy fucking rock. Punk DNA of Patti Smith. Rid of Me, obviously excellent, but also Man Size and Dry standouts. Went and listened to some Nina Hagen after this one

This is by far my favorite thing PJ Harvey has done. I love how raw and uncompromised the album sounds. The guitars and drums sound so thunderous and alive. There were a couple of songs, I wasn't crazy about, but it is still all around a great album! Low 5!

I love her voice. This album has great vibes.

music is love

This was my entry to Harvey's catalog when I bought the CD of this on initial release. Although I think there are other albums of hers I like more, this is still powerful stuff. The cover of Highway 61 is brilliant. 50ft Queenie is another standout.

This is brilliant. I love the give no fucks attitude.

Unreal Rip albini :(

The raw energy and cynicism of Gen Xers in their youth, distilled into album form.

This album is an angry beast.

"Dry" hit me right between the eyes- raw, aggressive, angry, tender, and above all musical. "Rid Of Me" picks that torch right up and tosses some gasoline on it.

One of the most violent and intense albums I've ever heard. It's unlikely you'll give this one a 5 after your first listen, if you rate it that high at all. But as hard as it is to digest it, once you do, you'll be going back for more. The title-track nears an industrial sound, and 'Snake' is as disturbing as punk can be. Can't get enough of PJ Harvey's discography.

Lovely

I loved this album already. Such raw emotion and rocking sound.

just when i needed some female rage, this masterpiece came around. thank you generator

Meni jedan od najdražih albuma ikad

P J Harvey had passed me by. No idea why. Loved her voice, loved the drums.

Rid of Me has always been one of my favorites. I’m really drawn to its dark overall sound and the rough, distorted guitars, and I genuinely love every track. Although it shares some similarities with Nirvana, it feels more controlled and deliberate, with a unique sense of tension and aggression. There’s something raw yet precise about it that keeps me coming back.

Amazing album that really captures an angst and aggressive tone with some dynamics that her peers at the time didn’t really do in recordings.

all you need to make an all-timer rock album is: to know how good power chords sound with a few open strings, to have a supernatural instinct for dynamics, to be able to sing like a wild creature, and to be exactly this cool. easy right

Rocks. A true wildman of a singer. That’s what I like to hear.

missed this album when it first came out. I have had this blind spot for female artists most of my life which I am trying to remedy now, this album is helping with that. This album slaps. Ok.... Album is a high 4 but DEMANDS an immediate re-listen... Let's see how this goes. It goes well.