PJ Harvey
Issue #30
PJ Harvey: The Peel Sessions 1991-2004 (Island)
By Elizabeth Rhodes
Published: December 1st, 2006 | 12:00am
PJ Harvey is not one of those artists who struggles to capture the muscle of their live sound in the studio — her recordings are always pretty darn brutal. That’s why it came as such a shock that these live sessions can even get a longtime devotee to kick her figurative black stilettos in the air and scream, “Victory!,” like it’s the first time she has heard the assortment of old classics, rarities, and covers.
PJ Harvey: The Peel Sessions 1991-2004 was released to commemorate the second anniversary of the death of influential British radio host John Peel, who aired thousands of live sessions to circumvent union restrictions that only allowed a certain amount of airtime for playing records.
The album begins with selections from Harvey’s 1991 debut, Dry. Brazen and celebratory, “Victory” roars without restraint and showcases the startling talent and unity of her early band with drummer Robert Ellis and bassist Steve Vaughn. Other highlights include a rare John Parish collaboration, “Naked Cousin,” and a cover of blues guitarist Rainer Ptacek’s “Losing Ground” laden with blunt swagger and aggression. The album’s most significant disappointment is the 4-Track Demos rendition of “Snake.” Stripped of Ellis’s furious punk drums, Harvey’s atonal cries are left painfully exposed.
Although she goes overboard once in a long-while, one of Harvey’s best qualities is that she has never been afraid of making an ugly sound or saying an ugly word. The constant musical and lyrical risk-taking on Peel Sessions would surely make Peel, who once famously said, “I just want to hear something I haven’t heard before,” very pleased indeed.
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