Hell and High Water wrote:
When ITD came out, I thought it was too strange, and then I thought Stories was just kind of boring. It all changed when I heard live versions. ...
this reminds me of my own ill-fated first listening to those albums, which meant my appreciation (and eventual becoming a hard-core follower) of PJ was delayed by more than two years:
I had both ITD and SFTC on loan from the local library, along with a load of other music (on CDs, VHS tapes, and such), and upon first listening totally failed to like either album well enough to continue exploring the creations of PJ Harvey. if only that library had had some or other of the earlier albums rather than those (at the time her most recent ones) in their catalogue, then I would most probably have been hooked instantly (the way it happened later, when I got to listen to Polly's earlier works).
regarding ITD (which I'm now inclined to rank as my top favorite) and SFTC (which I'm more fond of than ever), however strange my initial failure to appreciate them would seem in retrospect (in the light of my overwhelming passion for Polly's music in all its periodical permutations), somehow it still makes sense to me that I didn't take to either album on first listening.
but if only I'd taken the time to listen twice, or three times, through each CD, before hurrying on to other items. it makes me feel ashamed, almost, and remorseful for sure (because I missed two tours, 2003 and 2004, because of this delay).