The first time I heard PJ Harvey I almost had an orgasm. Thankfully, it was indeed ALMOST because I was standing in the middle of a record store. Kempmill Records in the Laurel shopping center to be exact.
I was doing my thing, browsing the cds up and down the aisle..... that guy, Joe, was working. I always remembered him. He seemed cool. We used to talk music anytime I came in there. Good thing we were in a record store because we were not too far from this music we spoke of.
So, there I was.... minding my own business.... there was a cd playing. Sounded kind of different. Cool. Way different and way cool in fact. I had never really heard anything like it before. Kind of raw and bluesy. Dirty sounding. Girl singer. Drums sounded powerful. It got my attention completely first. Then, I was digging it like a grave. I thought maybe when I passed by the counter as I was leaving I would ask him who it was. Might wanna check some more of this band out or something. Just as this idea came into my head the girl singing let out this horrific and tortured sounding wail unlike anything that I have ever heard before. So much for waiting until I left to ask who that was. I had to know RIGHT NOW! So, I raced to the counter and asked Joe in a wavering voice
"Dude, who the hell ....is that?"
He pulls out this cd from behind the counter. PJ Harvey. "Rid of me".
I bought it right then and there. Her second release, actually. After taking it home and listening to it and falling in love, I immediately bought her first one, "Dry".
I have always kind of had a thing for girls with guitars. Love 'em. Most likely it's because I happen to love girls and I also happen to love guitars, so it only makes sense that if you put the two together you get orgasm city, baby.
Probably my goddess of all time would be Lousie Post, circa 1995. Man, she just made me tingle in the all the right places. But, PJ Harvey.... there has never been anybody else like her before or after. Sadly enough..... even PJ Harvey is not anything like PJ Harvey anymore.
If you love great music, that is passionate, a little bluesy, equal parts loud and soft, and full of rage, heart and pure uncut emotion, those first two PJ Harvey cds are just begging for you to go check them out. She would enjoy a decent amount of success with her third release, "To bring you my love", and I liked that one too. But, it's not of the same caliber as those first two, let me tell you.
The biggest transition from "Rid of me" into "To bring you my love" is that PJ gave up playing guitar onstage as she tormented and seduced the microphone and concentrated her efforts on being more of a vocalist. She danced around the stage like a sexually charged serpent high on volume and lyrical anxiety. Still ever the frontwoman, but in losing the guitar I feel like she lost her edge and each consecutive release of hers found itself alienating me further and further from her music.
I don't know what she has been up to these days. By 2004's "Uh huh her" I had had enough and I gave up hope that Polly Jean Harvey would ever dazzle me again as she had on that day in Kempmill Records and the few years that followed.
Still, I give credit where credit is due and a true music fan never forgets their heroes, even if they move on to less glorious pastures.
Music is indeed orgasm and some of the most multi-orgasmic throes of melodious passion that I have ever found ransacking my body and my senses is from those first two PJ Harvey releases, "Rid of me" and "Dry". If you have never heard them before I urge you to give them a listen. You might wanna have an extra pair of shorts on hand though.
*****From Musicequalzorgasm blog page. Original post date 8/25/2010*****
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