PJ Harvey - 4-Track Demos

PJ Harvey - 4-Track Demos

This is a difficult, but overall rewarding record. It is a ferocious album, sometimes frightening. It is sandwiched between the utterly fierce "Rid of Me" and the diabolic "To Bring You My Love", both of which are very good records. "4-Track Demos" has that quality of wounded animal rage that is so typical of PJ Harvey at that time. These are only demos, but PJ Harvey tends to record on top of her demos, rather than replacing them. Some of the songs ended up on "Rid of Me", and it is interesting to hear the demo tracks in the finished result. Other songs have never been otherwise released -- too bad. There are some good songs here, but they really need to be finished up. I recommend this record only for fans of PJ Harvey, as it is a bit too primitive for the general public. November 25, 2008

A Few Gems as Few that are better on later releases

Its a 4 track demo, so the fact that some songs are early versions of things later improved upon isn't much of a surprise. There are a few tracks that are just great and do not appear on later albums (not sure why because they are damn good). So, for a non collector type like me, it was still a worthy purchase. June 3, 2007

Ready for some close-up?

If you like "Rid of Me", then buy this CD! Although I like the polish of her final product, these demos really give you insight into her true vocal power. This stuff explodes from DEEP inside her. Uncomfortable at times. Moving. April 27, 2006

Yours Truly

These days, with everyone knowing everything there is too know about music and the musicians who make it, I have given up on trying to classify anything, or on claiming to know what's good and what's bad anymore. But this record is good. The songs are sincere, well written, and true to self. She really let herself shine and was shameless in releasing and promoting this definitive material. This isn't for everyone, but if you can put your finger on emotion and enjoy artistic expression in music, this one's for you. April 10, 2006

Rid of Me demos

Personally I'm a fan of Steve Albini's production on Rid of Me. Even though the album didn't quite reach the heights of Dry, which I still consider her best album. Rid of Me was a great record and I really love listening to these demos. I think any fan of hers can appreciate them. The release was a reaction of sorts to critics of Albini's production on Rid of Me and certainly a more raw take on the material. This album is easily worth owning just for "Hardly Wait." It's one of her best songs and this was it's only offical release. The song didn't make it onto Rid of Me, I still don't understand why. January 9, 2006

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