Someone convince me to like Rid of Me

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

It's odd, I like every other Polly Jean Harvey album but Rid of Me, and I even rate Dry above it. Its production has an dessicated aridity by which I cannot abide -- I do not enjoy the image of a lacerated corpse that the album evokes. The vibrancy of Dry, the lush melodrama of TBYML, and well, I won't get into the following two albums.

Clearly my opinion is heretical, please convert me.

― Leee (Leee), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 00:35 (twenty-three years ago)

she's all horny on it.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 00:41 (twenty-three years ago)

best album to fuck to EVER

― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 00:48 (twenty-three years ago)

it smells of the devil

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 00:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Maybe its the production, she released the demos a couple years later.

― David Beckhouse (David Beckhouse), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 01:38 (twenty-three years ago)

there will be no hating on Albini's production while i am around.

*all of ILX emerges from hiding: 'ALBINI SUXX U R GAY'*

― Dave M. (rotten03), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 02:55 (twenty-three years ago)

rub til it bleeds is her best song

― ron (ron), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 05:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Leee, we're not going to try to convince you. (Ok, I'm not anyway.) Sounds to me like you've already formed a pretty solid and informed opinion about it.

But I will say this: "Missed" is still my favorite PJ Harvey song.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 05:51 (twenty-three years ago)

I just took this album out the other day after thinking it was scratched to bits but the whole thing plays. I don't like Rid of Me better than TBYML but it's much more preferable to me than Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. I love Mansize (Sextet), which I think is the only song Albini didn't produce. I'm not too crazy about the first half of this album, but from then on I enjoy almost every song.

― lou (lou), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 14:19 (twenty-three years ago)

My absolute fave PJH recording--I have never understood why so many seem to rate the derivative To Bring You My Love (ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Nicolette Cave!) over Rid. If it wasn't for that well-meant but distracting Dylan cover and pointless string-quartet reprise smack in the middle of the running order, I would rate it a Perfect Album.

I love how horny and angry it is (always a winning combination, IMHO). I also love the tensile Albini thing; it sounds like the band is just playing in a room (and playing rather well, thank you), but the sound also has this confining, opressive quality that fits the mood of the album. People complain about her vocals getting short shrift here, but if you ask me, more singers should have to sing a little harder to get their point across, just as more listeners should have to pay attention to solve some of the mysteries.

Speaking of which, then there are the songs, which are crafty, crafty, crafty. I mean, the woman snuck metaphorical love odes to Jesus, the moon, AND effin' Tarzan onto a single album, which is otherwise lined with some of the most elemental songly explorations of the whole fraught man-woman sexual dynamic written, uh, ever.

Oh, and it rocks. Pity about those two aforementioned throwaways in the middle.

So, yeah, I like it.

― Lee G (Lee G), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 15:42 (twenty-three years ago)

Nicolette Cave

Now I'm imagining Nicolette singing "The Mercy Seat" and smiling. She'd do an interesting "Ship Song."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 15:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, you understand. But it's been done, unlike Rid of Me.

― Lee G (Lee G), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 16:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Rid of Me may be my favorite of hers too.

― Sean (Sean), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 17:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Just for the bit in the background where someone (I think the drummer?) starts singing "Lick my legs, I'm on fire!!!" in a really scratchy falsetto. That alone is worth the price of admission.

― KATE, Wednesday, 26 February 2003 17:30 (twenty-three years ago)

It's the defining work from her "Jesus with PMS" period.
Matos is right, altough I find "Rid of Me" ideal for hardcore fucking. TBYML is good for tender lovemaking.

― Charles McCain, Wednesday, 26 February 2003 19:36 (twenty-three years ago)

(note I said "fuck" rather than "tenderly make love")

― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 19:39 (twenty-three years ago)

Rid of Me is definitely my favorite of hers. "50 Ft Queenie" to "Yuri G" to "Man-Size" is as good as any ten minutes on any record ever.

― dan (dan), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 19:41 (twenty-three years ago)

"(note I said "fuck" rather than "tenderly make love")"

...and I agree with you. I was just adding on to it. Sorry.

― Charles McCain, Wednesday, 26 February 2003 19:42 (twenty-three years ago)

Skip ahead to the raunch of the 4-Track Demos and get back with me.

― christoff (christoff), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 19:50 (twenty-three years ago)

don't be sorry, I'm not attacking you.

Rid of Me is way, way better than 4 Track Demos

― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 19:53 (twenty-three years ago)

I love this album.

It's on the CD now.

Does someone want to fuck me?

― mei (mei), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 20:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Rid of Me is her peak, way better than the bland To Bring Me Your Lucre. But then you say "I even rate Dry above it" so I don't know where the hell you're coming from. I mean, in my opinion Dry is her only other listenable album. "The lush melodrama"? This sounds like press release speak for "insipid and tame, hoping for NPR segment".

― Paula G., Wednesday, 26 February 2003 20:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Does someone want to fuck me?

-- mei (meirion.lewi...)

Only if you put on TBYML.

― Leee (Leee), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 20:21 (twenty-three years ago)

No, no, leave on Rid of Me. Then we'll see what happens.

― Paula G., Wednesday, 26 February 2003 20:22 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm beginning to think that it really is Albini.

Dry - wonderful melodies on Sheela Na Gig and Plants and Rags.
TBYML - Lush: cellos! Melodrama: Killing your daughter and fishes!

― Leee (Leee), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 20:23 (twenty-three years ago)

It's on that scratching guitar bit of Mansize and I keep having to turn it up and up.

Quick, someone get over here before it gets to Ecstasy at the end!

― mei (mei), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 20:29 (twenty-three years ago)

Too late.

Playing Low now, Things We Lost In The Fire.

Suicide tryst anyone?

― mei (mei), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 20:53 (twenty-three years ago)

my fave album when i was 13, and still amazing now. obviously her best album (and albini's too? at least away from the pixies).

I even rate Dry above it

obviously dry is her 2nd best album (or maybe 4 track demos), so you may wish to discount my opinions.

― toby (tsg20), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 20:58 (twenty-three years ago)

mei -- play 'em both at once?

― christoff (christoff), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 21:02 (twenty-three years ago)

ACTUALLY. TBYML has lost its luster for me quite a while ago, and now I've got RoM playing and the title track was pretty keen.

― Leee (Leee), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 22:02 (twenty-three years ago)

It's the defining work from her "Jesus with PMS" period.

Mary, you mean?

I love to imagine all the people initially trying to listen to it with headphones.

― jillian (jillian), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 22:06 (twenty-three years ago)

Don't worry Leee, I agree with you. The hollow production gives it absolutely no fire, and who came up with the idea to bury her voice? The demos are so much better.

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 22:20 (twenty-three years ago)

i second that last statement.

― di smith (lucylurex), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 23:02 (twenty-three years ago)

I first listened to it on headphones. it was like seeing god in staticky black and white

― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 23:34 (twenty-three years ago)

it was like seeing god in staticky black and white

For me it was seeing Mary - the sinner and the virgin.

― jillian (jillian), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 23:54 (twenty-three years ago)

I didn't think of her as particularly virginal, but your analogy is probably closer to accurate than mine, which is fun hyperbole

― M Matos (M Matos), Thursday, 27 February 2003 00:09 (twenty-three years ago)

i think i like the production because it has that great crunchy sound that my favorite indie albums have, but unlike most other indie bands, pj is not a) pretending to be from 1965; b) afraid of writing SONGS; c) a terrible singer; c) hopelessly one-dimensional.

i want to thank you people for making me put this record on again.

― Dave M. (rotten03), Thursday, 27 February 2003 07:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Well, you know, Mary probably didn't die a virgin. Isn't Jesus supposed to have had a brother? Now there's a topic for a concept album: Jesus' brother.

― Lee G (Lee G), Thursday, 27 February 2003 14:44 (twenty-three years ago)

The last track on ROM is ace - big crunchy Zep drums and slide.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 27 February 2003 15:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Isn't Jesus supposed to have had a brother?

Yep, his name was Brian.

― nickn (nickn), Friday, 28 February 2003 02:46 (twenty-three years ago)

James was Jesus' brother

― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 28 February 2003 02:48 (twenty-three years ago)

Not James Blount I hope.

― Leee (Leee), Friday, 28 February 2003 02:59 (twenty-three years ago)

The Pythons lied to us?!!!

― nickn (nickn), Friday, 28 February 2003 07:16 (twenty-three years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.