The Garden, a PJ Harvey Discussion Site

I first heard her on Murder Ballads and like everyone love the pre-White Chalk period.

She does dance for Pocket Knife this tour. It is quite a dance too. Fact is I can't think of a YouTube video where she does more dancing that that but I am all eyes to watch one if anyone can find one. We can have a dance off. Ha ha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sa9wfBAEfM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I'm certain you've seen it.
I find this dance to be enthralling.

Yes AWAMWB was animal like. Barefoot. Barking. She reminded me of a witch in a way.

I don't know. I saw her in the 90s in LA and much prefer this incarnation but it is a matter of choice. Pat saying her fashion sense went to Hell because she's 41 really isn't a valid criticism in my opinion. Maybe Pat will come back and flesh that out for us.

I know exactly what you mean about being drawn in by the earlier music. This seems to work with a lot of art. TBML is such a fantastic record.

I go through periods of her work. One month like TBML best, then Is This Desire, then another.

She can keep doing this forever.

revenire wrote: Come on. Hit the toilet? The LES shake dresses? Maybe I am looking at the wrong pictures. Older? She looks great. Stunning. Her LES dresses and headresses look like something out of epic myth.

What are you looking for anyway? The last three records 'A Woman A Man Walked By' - 'White Chalk' - 'Let England Shake" are favorites of mine. In a very creative career filed with high points she hasn't made a dog of an album in my opinion. LES is her masterpiece if you ask me.
I saw her last in Chicago for the 'A Woman A Man Walked By' tour and she moved plenty. I could not take my eyes off of her. She was mesmerizing.

Yeah if you want her to keep making the same record over and over then I can understand your criticisms. To me that is like asking Tom Waits (who switched up around 'Swordfishtrombones'), or Nick Cave (the excellent Grinderman I and II or 'Dig Lazurus Dig' prove his creative vitality is strong), or ______ (fill in the blank) to keep recording the same thing for 20 years. Why not buy a Greatest Hits record and keep it rotating? I'd be bored with that myself but I can understand it I suppose.

I completely agree with you here. I've been trying to find the words myself but couldn't, so thanks. It does sound to me like people here want Polly to repeat herself - well guys, you've heard her say her thoughts about doing that like 2,555,467 times already, so disappointment guaranteed for you with each new release. I think LES is Polly's most important record as of yet and musically second best only to ITD. I saw her at the Troxy in February, two nights in a row, and couldn't take my eyes off of her. I don't remember noticing Mick or John on stage right for that matter. I'm trying not to be judgmental because I get that maybe you guys just don't like the latest records, but it does frustrate me a bit to hear from you, that you're not willing - or are you? - to do what Polly keeps asking us to do - go the distance with her on each new, and different, record.

this whole thread has been disheartening
i say there's no such thing as PJ's "worst" album, only one that was slightly mediocre (but still pretty good)
and that is Stories...

As I said before, I don't like "worst" either. I've listened to White Chalk the least, I've listened to LES a lot more. So far...

revenire wrote:I first heard her on Murder Ballads and like everyone love the pre-White Chalk period.

She does dance for Pocket Knife this tour. It is quite a dance too. Fact is I can't think of a YouTube video where she does more dancing that that but I am all eyes to watch one if anyone can find one. We can have a dance off. Ha ha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sa9wfBAEfM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I'm certain you've seen it.
I find this dance to be enthralling.

Yes AWAMWB was animal like. Barefoot. Barking. She reminded me of a witch in a way.

I don't know. I saw her in the 90s in LA and much prefer this incarnation but it is a matter of choice. Pat saying her fashion sense went to Hell because she's 41 really isn't a valid criticism in my opinion. Maybe Pat will come back and flesh that out for us.

I know exactly what you mean about being drawn in by the earlier music. This seems to work with a lot of art. TBML is such a fantastic record.

I go through periods of her work. One month like TBML best, then Is This Desire, then another.

She can keep doing this forever.

that's an excellent video, i hadn't seen that!!! she just looks like she's having fun! and i definitely agree about the witch thing... almost as if during pig will not the sanity was momentarily gone & she became some primitive witch...

that's an excellent video, i hadn't seen that!!! she just looks like she's having fun! and i definitely agree about the witch thing... almost as if during pig will not the sanity was momentarily gone & she became some primitive witch...

someone posted a recent Pocket Knife where she forgot the words and then slipped a bit during her dance. it was pretty good too. i forget what thread i saw it in but it was great.

revenire wrote:that's an excellent video, i hadn't seen that!!! she just looks like she's having fun! and i definitely agree about the witch thing... almost as if during pig will not the sanity was momentarily gone & she became some primitive witch...

someone posted a recent Pocket Knife where she forgot the words and then slipped a bit during her dance. it was pretty good too. i forget what thread i saw it in but it was great.

....i would like to see this. if anyone finds the link...

Please don't suggest I'm not "willing to go the distance" with PJ. I've been listening to her music for over 20 years now, so i've done my fair share of "miles" both literally and metaphorically. On the whole i've loved most things she's produced but it's the harder rockier stuff that caught me and thrilled me first off. It's my "problem" if i don't get on with Let England Shake and liked White Chalk even less. The actual songs on LES are far stronger than WC and i love the song writing ,lyrics and concept of LES but not the high pitched vocal(which i don't think suits her or she manages very well)or the autoharp. I'm just gutted my favourite artist is releasing work that doesn't thrill or enthuse me anymore.

No, i don't expect PJ to repeat herself album after album, that would be ridiculous, i know how she works.I love the many different facets of her work.I expect to be challenged, intrigued and thrilled by her music but WC and LES have failed to do that for me.

Dismissing the word "worst" is semantics. When i started the thread i was just interested in people's views on their least liked PJ album. The word is used relatively (even WC and LES are better than the pap that passes for popular music at the moment). So please- feel free to replace worst with least enjoyed,least liked,least listened,disappointing, mediocre or what ever you want . I'm sorry if worst is too strong a word. Perhaps i was trying to provoke discussion.

12fingered wrote:this whole thread has been disheartening
i say there's no such thing as PJ's "worst" album,...

agreed

the famous dance of Pocket Knife

I WAS THEEEREE AAARghhh

i love how she always plays it off like "yep. ok. that happened. ooooooops" good on you, poll! hhaha