Customer Reviews

Dry

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this cassette when it came out in 1992. I had long ago worn out the cassette. I just recently purchased the CD's to all her music, man I have missed it.
PJ Harvey is a powerful singer, song writer and musician. This CD is not for someone expecting happy, sappy love songs or a tame beat.
She exudes a raw, feminine, tough, and sometime comical outlook in her songs. She holds nothing back.
Each song is an experience.

Oh My Lover: she sings to her lover "You can love her and you can love me at the same time, much to discover." Not only is this song sexual, it's also pretty emotional to me. She asks him to "take at your leisure, take whatever you can find." Then she almost pleads with him to say her name and offers to take on his troubles. To me this song always represented a woman willing to go to the extreme to please her man, to keep him.

Dress: this is a really fast, upbeat song. But the lyrics are kind of sad. She's lonely and gets all dressed up and tries to get male attention. It reminds me of all the uncomfortable stuff we do trying to attract the opposite sex. At the end of the song, she's still alone.

Happy and Bleeding: I always took this song to be a celebration of a woman's amazing body and its capabilities. Whether or not that is the correct interpretation, I have no idea. "...fruit flower myself inside out, I'm happy and bleeding for you."

Sheela-Na-Gig: if you have never seen a Sheela-Na-Gig, you need to look one up in order to fully appreciate this song. This is one of the songs I feel she takes a more 'comical' approach. She is showing off her child bearing hips and other assorted 'assets' while her 'partner' is accusing her of exhibitionism. All the while she professes to find a new man. At one point he asks her to clean her "dirty pillows" because he doesn't want to be unclean.

Fountain: I always thought this song was beautiful. She starts it off by standing under a fountain and washing away a man. Then another man comes and saves her, only to leave her like the other one did. The beat starts off slow and then builds.

That's just a few of the songs on this CD and each one is remarkable in its own right. I will never tire of this CD, its music or its lyrics. PJ Harvey is in a class by herself.

and only the debut. PJ Harvey has to be one of the roughest, toughest rock/punk artists out there right now, and this album shows. Although her raw punk is more masterfully displayed on her next album, "rid of me", this CD takes awhile to grow on you and to sink in, but when it does it hits hard. This album lives up to all expectations i had for it. I own all of PJ's CD's, and this album comes in 2nd, behind the eclectic roller coaster of emotions, "to bring you my love". My favorites off this album are O Stella, Happy and Bleeding, Sheela-Na-Gig, and Water. But all of the songs are great and this album is filler-free. I dont know which songs were songs played on the radio or just album tracks, but that should tell you something, that all the songs are of that quality. the album creates a raw, indie, upbeat, dark, punk atmosphere you dont hear that much. So in conclusion, if you think Alanis Morrisette is on the edge, you ahvent heard anything yet.

Put your lipstick on and light a candle, this album is ready to take you for the ride of your life. Few bands or artists were able to kick off the "grunge" or "alternative" scene, but P J did just that. There's not a thing not to like about "Dry". The album starts out with the song "Oh My Lover" which pretty much tells you where her head is at, at the moment. If you can be a fan of PJ without having heard this cd first then you are a true fan. This album is like no other, with it's fast guitar slamming and despairing crackling of her voice (not to mention the cello) she trips this album like she's on the highway out. The album first takes you on with it's "bisexuality" theme with songs like "O Stella" and "Victory", and then gives you an eerie delightment with songs such as "Plants and Rags" and "Happy and Bleeding". But no album of her's would be complete without a nightmare to keep you thinking and "Fountain" does just that. This debut album of her's goes to show you she is not rythmically fallible and will get you going. In just 12 songs PJ signs her name in what will never be forgotten "a musical milestone".

DRY was PJ HARVEY's debut and in my humble opinion, one of the best debut albums from any artist, ever. Words cannot explain what an amazing album this really is. One would have to hear it to believe it. Over a decade later I still find myself going back again and again to this CD whenever I feel a need and it does the trick each and every time. I honestly love all her albums and while RID OF ME is still my favorite, I think DRY is her most creative, and an easier listen, making this album my top contender for that trip to LostIsland. All the songs are good, each raw with emotion yet still passionate, with a wide topic range, and all contain an interesting, melodic use of instruments and lushly beautiful lyrics. I won't go through each song because I feel my fellow reviewers have done a great job of that but I would like to share some thoughts on why I love this album so much.

From the beginning riffs of "Oh My Lover" I was hooked. What a great opening song, I can hear (and relate to!) the yearning and hurt in Polly's voice as she sings her heart out to an unfaithful lover. "Oh, my lover! Don't you know it's alright? You can love her, you can love me at the same time.."

"Dress" is a great song. What a classic rock song. I remember hearing it for the first time nearly knocked me off my chair! It's fast with lots of guitar and a hint of salsa, I think. I swear you can't help but tap your foot to this song! I'm warning you, it's infectious! "Put on that dress, I'm going out dancing. Starting off red, clean and sparkling then he'll see me.." I think this song is about a disillusioned woman who learns that sometimes in life being dressed for success doesn't necessarily guarantee it.

One of my favorite PJ Harvey songs ever is "Sheela-Na-Gig." To me this is such an empowering song and I love to shout along with the lines, "Gonna wash that man right outta my hair!.. Gonna take my hips to a man who cares!.." The title (I hear) refers to a Celtic statue of a nude pagan girl amusing herself you know, down south. Hence the chorus, "Sheela-Na-Gig, You exhibitionist!" Starts off with excellent guitar and then we hear Polly's voice and this poetry:

I've been trying to show you over and over..
Look at these, my child bearing hips
Look at these, my ruby red ruby lips
Look at these, my work strong arms and
You've got to see my bottle full of charm...

"Plants and Rags" leaves me breathless. I cannot get enough of this song! I got goosebumps the first time I heard it. To me this is the best song of the album but I'm a bit bias because I feel this song has a very RID OF ME vibe to it and ROM is, ultimately, my favorite of all PJ recordings. Don't be fooled as this song is quite sinister. It starts off rather slow, with a bit of guitar and PJ's nonchalant vocals, "Plants and rags. Ease myself into a body bag..." The song gets even eerier soon enough, with heavy weird strings and the building drama of a creepy violin. You really start to get a sense for the song, especially as PJ's voice grows more urgent as she sings, "White and black. You looking for the sun, boy? The sun doesn't shine down here, no, no..." O Goodness, this song is so good, I wanna name a star after it!

And this album is so awesome that when I am King I shall declare everyday, PJ Harvey Day.

God bless Polly Jean.

Surely there have been few albums in history to earn such immediate hype as PJ Harvey's "Dry". Perhaps it's because Harvey combines the kind of personal, poetic lyrics one expects from Patti Smith with a bluesy/punk/adrenalin kick. But she's no three chords and the truth follower... Listen for the viola and cello intertwined in the rhythm of "Dress", her first single. The guitars roar, the bass and drums boil up the rhythm to a perfect, intermingling whole, and the strings ADD to that rhythm rather than trying to apply a sheen.

Indeed, there's not a whole lot of sheen about this record. The feelings are real and often angry (Check out the potboiler "Hair" or even the relatively quiet "Oh My Lover"), but it's the COMPLETE sound that they make which establishes this record. PJ Harvey is a BAND, not just a PERSON on this album... Really the only time that this happens as the persona of Polly Jean Harvey overtakes and eventually replaces the band. But that's all a few years away at this point, and this is right where a neophyte Harvey fan needs to start. Just cue up "Sheela-Na-Gig" or "Dress" and marvel at what you now own. Then start the album at the beginning and melt into the music... A perfect combination of words and sound.

PJ Harvey's debut shows a prodigious singer/songwriter/musician who, though yet to fully realize her potential, is already in touch with her raw talent. And though her singing and lyrics aren't fully assured at this point, her artistic persona already is. Dry maps out the thematic routes that all future PJ Harvey releases would follow. From this point on, it's just refinements and improvements.

The songs on this album have the freshness and punch of a debut album, a curious kind of naivete that Harvey will quickly outgrow. but remains fascinating. And the song hooks are immense while not sacrificing the gut punch of Harvey's ferocious mix of vocal pyrotechnics, impassioned guitars, and biting lyrics: The snaky green-river blues moans of "Oh My Lover" precursors "To Bring You My Love" three years down the road; "Sheela-Na-Gig" is like stadium rock adrenaline meets riot-grrl politics; and "O Stella" shows Harvey's reckless abandon, cutting her voice loose in sirenlike wailings that skirt melodramatic territory but is in some way fitting to the song.

This is still the low-profile dark horse of Harvey's catalogue. I remember spending months hunting for it upon its initial release. Now that Harvey's profile has been raised, Dry isn't quite so hard to find, and I still recommend it. It is an early foretelling of what PJ Harvey's music will be like in the next eight years, and you can find in it her musical blueprint at its earliest, undistilled form.

This is probably the only debut album I have purchased on it's release date, having heard PJ's radio sessions while living in England. This album was one of the very few indie albums of it's time that lived up to the hype and still delivers the goosebumps after all these years and listenings.
P.J. Harvey has released many excellent albums since this one but has never been as raw or, in my opinion, as brilliant.
This is one of those recordings that defy comparisons. Forget Patti Smith - this sounds like the abandoned daughter of Captain Beefheart and Mary Magdelene. This is garage, blues, punk and avante-guard all rolled into one, pressed down and running over.
Forget all those feminist and power-girl artists out there, P.J. Harvey is without a doubt the greatest female rock 'n' roll artist I have ever heard.
Much has been said of P.J.'s vocals, what gets overlooked is her guitar playing. She can deliver unique, bone-crushing riffs but also plays around her voice in an effortless call and reponse style that few people can pull off.
Dry is one of a handfull of flawless albums in rock history and the closer, Water, is pure redemption.

I bought this album on the recommendation of a friend, never having heard it. Did I regret it? No, in fact, I may never have known what I was missing, but it would have been a tragic mistake!

This is one of those albums that is a glorious, brilliant debut and people talk about it for a while, but it fizzles out... no one remembers it (well, some people do), but you are one of the lucky ones who happens to have it and you keep listening to it throughout the years... and whenever the opportunity arises you buy it again and give it as a gift... hoping to open someone else's eyes to the brilliance that started PJ Harvey off.

Ah, every song here is superb... introspective, personal, full of depth and a startling amount of pain... and sarcasm. "Oh, My Lover", "O, Stella", "Dress" ("must be a way I can dress to please him... swing and sway everything will be all right... if you put it on, if you put it on..."), "Happy and Bleeding", the infectious "Sheela-Na-Gig", and the exquisite "Plants and Rags" are remarkable, powerful songs... and the final two songs are also complex pieces that make this album fully satisfying and complete.

I bought "Dry" when I was thirteen, before I'd heard of Diamanda Galas or Lydia Lunch, when I was still singing along to Green Day, & everything I've listened to since can be traced back to this album.

It was revelatory.

"Plants and Rags," "Fountain," and "Sheela-Na-Gig" are my favorite cuts, but there honestly isn't a song on "Dry" that isn't passionate & beautifully executed.

If you don't have "Dry" in your cd collection, there is something very wrong.

This is the first album by PJ Harvey and the first album I ever bought by her. I bought it in the summer of 1993 and have been a die-hard PJ fan ever since. If you want early PJ Harvey this is your album. If you want raw PJ Harvey this is your album. I've compared almost all of her other albums to this.

Memorable songs for me are "Joe", "Happy and Bleeding" and, of course, "Dress" and "Sheela-Na-Gig."

If you're a PJ Harvey fan and you love her newer albums, you have to hear "Dry" but please don't compare it to her other albums - compare those albums to this as though this was the first you'd ever heard of her. I think you'll appreciate her older stuff more!