Customer Reviews

4-Track Demos

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Without producer Steve Albini and her band (drummer Robert Ellis and bassist Stephen Vaughan), PJ Harvey's music is stripped to its barest essence. Rid of Me was as raw as they came, but 4-Track Demos goes farther, leaving Harvey with only her guitar and voice. And thus was corrected one weakness about Rid of Me -- the vocals had been mixed back, obscured by clouds of effects (Albini has an alleged hatred for the human voice). Here on 4-Track Demos, Harvey's vocal work is right in your face, and what she lost in the gut punch of the excellent Vaughan/Ellis backbeat, she gained in expressive clarity and emotional impact. This is a rare glimpse into the making of a masterpiece, almost like Bruce Springsteen's Tracks boxed set. Sometimes what an artist gives up (or employs) en route to completing an album is just as fascinating as the finished product itself. In the case of Rid of Me and 4-Track Demos, the two are intrinsically linked, and make for essential Harvey listening whether separately or jointly.

This is one raw album. Lyrically, vocally and instrumentally. It's also PJs best record as far as revealing that she has a sense of humor. On her other records, that humor is often difficult to see, even though it's there. It just takes time to notice it. Here, the humor is quite evident, all the while the music is still shaking your fillings and stomach content by it's stark, powerful and raw directness.

One thing I've admired about PJ Harvey is her willingness to sound bad. That is, not always singing in a pretty or melodious voice. Sometimes her voice is used as an instrument of discordance. Wailing, shreiking, moaning, you name it, PJ does it.. and there is a lot of it on display here. It can be quite alarming if your listening tastes are a little more sedate. Certainly unlike most of what has been heard on the radio or MTV over the last 20 years. But if you are a Diamanda Galas fan? no sweat. Nothing will surprise you here! Of course, when PJ Harvey wants to she can sing with the sirens, but with this record, her prettiest singing is left elsewhere.

This record contains many songs that ended up on the 'Rid Of Me' of me record. Some people prefer this record to that one as PJ's vocals are more "there" here, as opposed to the studio 'ROM' record, which lowers the vocals a bit in relation to the instruments. On balance, I prefer the studio 'ROM' a little more, as there is a little more filler on this 4-Track Demo record. Still, lots of great stuff here, and a must for any major fan. For everyone else, unless my description appeals to you, I would suggest this be the last PJ record you explore. Check out some of her other ones first.

This collection of stripped-down demos is PJ Harvey's best record. Certainly not for everyone, but if you love Polly Jean for her more hard-edged, noisy, raw work, you'll be well pleased with "4-Track Demos." The versions here of tracks from "Rid of Me" are excellent, some (like "Rub 'Til it Bleeds") are better than the studio tracks.

But I must say, the otherwise-unrealeased songs are even better...the raunchiness of "Reeling," the laid-back tension of "Driving"... "M-Bike" is a favorite, about competing with a boyfriend's motorcycle for attention. It would be funny if it wasn't delivered with such passion and anger -- such is Polly's power. The dirge-like "Goodnight" reminds me a bit of Mazzy Star (or is it the other way around?), and took a little growing on me, but is also an excellent track.

In short, if you like PJ Harvey, this record is essential. I would also argue this is a good introduction to her. "4-Track Demos" captures Polly Jean's essence and, if you can swallow it, gives you an idea of the talent and intensity of this artist.

PJ Harvey originally released these demos due to the negative response she received from "Rid of Me." The critics, you'll recall, were complaining that Albini had buried her vocals in a tinny mix and that Harvey herself had failed to build on the promise of "Dry". Harvey said, "No, the songs stand up" and indeed the critics embraced this release as the TRUE second Harvey album... But we now know that's a bunch of malarky. "Rid Of Me" has vindicated itself over the years, and "4Track Demos" has become, in effect, the THIRD PJ Harvey album. Why?

Because these aren't just rough versions of "Rid of Me" songs... They exist in their own right. Listen to the viola on "Hook", or the speed added to "Rid of Me". Mostly, listen for what was left OFF of "Rid of Me", songs like "Driving" and "Hardly Wait" are vintage Harvey. And "Easy" and "Reeling" (with its great "Robert DeNiro sit on my face" lyric and "Take me to the moon" refrain) are simply two of her best songs. But guess what, because Harvey put them all together, everybody wins! Now we get a "Rid of Me" with the full band suspension AND the more intimate, bluesy "4 Track Demos". In fact the most curious thing about "Demos" is how MUCH Harvey's production sounds like Albini's. Indeed, the vocals are, in anything, even more restrained here. But it doesn't matter, this is a neat little package great for any Harvey fan. Probably not for newcomers, but a great one all the same. Here's to hoping we eventually get to hear more "Demos".

Don't get me wrong, Rid of Me was a perfectly good album, but something noticeably was lacking. The band in Rid of Me added a lot, but took very much from the raw unmistakable energy of Harvey's voice pure. 4-Track Demos hits you with that energy right away with the very different rendition of "Rid of Me" and it only gets better. A MUST HAVE!!

i am a fanatic of PJ Harvey. I got into her only about 2 years ago, but every one of her albums i know front and back. To Bring you My Love is my favorite, followed by Rid of Me, which these tracks are taken from. If you like PJ Harvey for her extremely ferocious, gritty, and unforgiving vocals you will love this album. There is more great vocals from polly jean on this album than on any other ones. Rid of Me is one of the rawest records of the 90's if not of all time. But you havent heard anything till youve heard this album. It may prove a bit unsatisfying, as the only instruments used on this whole album is the guitar and her vocals. Drums were a key factor into making the music emotional on Rid of Me and i miss the drums and other instruemnts on this album. But there is also some other great songs and rarities on this CD not heard anywhere else which is worth the price of the CD alone. They dont measure up to the quality of songs on Rid of Me, but its still PJ. I was also disappointed there isnt a demo version of "Man Size" or "Man Size Sextet" (the superior version IMO) on this CD. But this will satisfy any hard core PJ harvey fan, and for these types of fans only. Others will slam it and think its terrible. But this CD is showing what PJ does best, make ferocious, nail-bitingly scary blues/alternative/grunge/whatever music.

Step on up and hear Polly jane sweat the blues.

This album STILL almost hurts me. When I first bought it (I was 15 or something- a girlfriend recommended it) I simply hated it. HATED IT. Too honest. Too sincere. It was too raw, to open, too discomfiting. This makes most punk, hardcore- goth, whatever look like bland treacly window dressing. Polly Jane, within these terrifying little gems, cuts her throat open and spits venom in your ears. She hangs you with her guts. Wow. This music is so personal its a tad disturbing.

And still gorgeous. This razor sharp lil' collection is vastly better than the more polished and mediocre 'Rid of Me,' from which most of these tracks ended up- albumwise. It was her second, which makes this her 2 and a half, right before her masterful "To Bring You My Love,' a milestone.... it's been downhill trek from there, in my opinion.

Which is not to say that the album is noisy or subversive or transgressive or some other such pc, tame lit-jargon BS. It's just that she doesn't care how she affects the listener- you can tell she's singing these songs primarily for herself.

Trivia!!!! A great scene in a great little movie- 'Strange Days,' Juliette Lewis is in some post-grunge band and covers two PJ Harvey tracks, 'Rid of Me,' and 'I can Hardly Wait.' Both are from this album. Ms. Lewis, who can sing quite admirably in fact, pales in comparison with Ms Harvey.

Stand out tracks: Easy (my fave- what a great guitar lick!), Rid Of Me, Yuri-G, Ecstasy, M-Bike, I Can hardly Wait and Legs (the way she wales still raises the hairs all over my body)

A great catch!

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.

If you're listening to "Stories from the city" right now... and it's your first listen to PJ, a warning: stay away form this one for awhile.. move backwards through her cd. I first bought "Is this desire" and since then became a huge fan! I found stories to be very good, a little dissapointing though as it lacks alot of the emotion of earlier albums. "To bring you my love" is so emotional it can be hard ot listen to. It sounds so desperate, so needing, so lost. It really makes you empathetic for PJ. I bought Dry afterwards. Although the songs are amazing, the recording was unbearable. Half the time I can't even hear the music. So I exchanged it for the only other cd the music store had that i didn't, 4 track demos. I bought it thinking it was an official album (I guess i didn't get the hint from the title). Anyways I started noticing alot of the songs we're different then the ones i had download previously (I guess free music downloads does entice me to buy albums). These songs are so raw, so un-produced, so artistic. Listening to it feels like you're visiting the contemporary art gallery. Ok so my review is a little incoherent and doesn't make much sense... but if you're really into PJ don't hesitate to buy.

Over the last decade, PJ Harvey has had some amazing albums. However, each one was different from the one before it, and in my opinion were not as good as the albums before them. PJ Harvey came out of virtually nowhere back in 1991/1992 with her debut album, "Dry". Incredible album. Raw, uninhibited, and very enjoyable. "Rid of Me" followed, making the Dry/Rid of Me albums like Jekyll and Hyde. "Rid of Me" was a vicious collection of rage and pain, and was an album that required some headache medication after you listened to it.

This seemed not to be a problem for the fans PJ was picking up along the way, and "Rid of Me" made them beg for more. To satisfy, PJ released "4-track Demos" in the same year.

I have heard some pretty intense music so far in my life, but none of it matches "4-track Demos". These versions were recorded before "Rid of Me", so it's pretty obvious that PJ was at her angriest and in-the-moment when recording the demos. Nothing sounds pleasant, and somehow that's beautiful. The guitar EQ's are made so crunchy that sometimes the vocals and guitars clash so badly you don't know whether to shut the album off or turn the volume up. Again, this is a beautiful quality of this album.

Needless to say, this was a milestone in both PJ Harvey's career and the music world's career. This is an album you'll hear and say: "I've never heard anything like this before." "4-track Demos" is a must-have, especially if you own "Rid of Me". You need to hear the music that WAS...before producer Steve Albini unleashed his production demons on "Rid of Me" and drowned out most of the emotion found on "4-track Demos".

So, grab some Tylenol and get ready for one unique listening experience.