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PJ Harvey: The Peel Sessions, 1991-2004
PJ Harvey
The Peel Sessions, 1991-2004
| Island/Def Jam
I’m sure many PJ Harvey fans have been anticipating this release forever and I can tell you it was worth the wait. The John Peel Sessions of PJ Harvey are outstanding demonstrations of her passionate delivery and ability to rock like few female guitarists can. The bio and press photos also display the care and mutual admiration these two greats had for one another, and it obviously rubs off when PJ hits her first note on the CD. The sessions span from 1991 to 2004 covering all the songs you’d expect to hear, I only wish there was more.
The first session is definitely my favorite and contains awesome renditions of the earlier and darker ballads “Oh My Lover”, the building rock and belting vocals of “Victory”, US radio hit “Sheela-Na-Gig”, and the melodic swagger of “Water”. PJ always manages to sound nervous, tense, and exhausted during every take and these Peel Sessions do justice in capturing her personality.
1993’s session has two tracks, “Naked Cousin” and “Wang Dang Doodle”. The performances are dirtier and looser, a mark of her talent being realized and sharpened. There’s a slightly better grip and aggressiveness emanating from her guitar chops on “Naked Cousins” while “Wang Dang Doodle” shows PJ really letting herself go as she wails on the mic almost sounding like Dio, awesome.
The 1996 set includes “Losing Ground”, “Snake”, and “That Was My Veil”. “Losing Ground” is pretty basic and chugs along with heavy guitar chords following Harvey’s vocal melody. When “Snake” comes in you get sufficiently rocked as PJ puts everyone on notice. She gives a truly candid and bellowing singing performance, translating levels of pain and frustration I couldn’t dare to understand. All I know is that if I was in that room I’d be scared shitless. “That Was My Veil” is the soft and delicate side of PJ utilizing acoustic guitar over a penetrating organ melody. The final vocal melody is yet another example of her amazing range and fearlessness.
“This Wicked Tongue” comes through hazier and heavier with vocal-effected echoes and PJ’s deeper range. There’s a really cool moment after the chorus when her guitar and voice are almost sustaining on the exact same frequency, that kind of moment is what Peel Sessions are made for. “Beautiful Feeling” is the partner to this 2000 session. An instant sadness comes across with an accompanying piano underlying PJ’s somber guitar playing.
The final track “You Come Through”, from 2004’s session, is simply PJ Harvey and an acoustic guitar. The title alone suggests the deep admiration that PJ has for John Peel, like a final ode to the man that played everything you wanted to hear and unearthed the bands no one else had the balls to play.