PJ Harvey, actually Polly Jean Harvey (Bridport (Dorset), 9 October 1969) is a British guitarist and singer-songwriter.
Biography[Edit][]
PJ Harvey was born in Bridport, in the South of England, and spent her childhood the small village of Tilbury. PJ brought her parents at a young age in contact with blues,jazz and art-rock music. Her mother organized jazz concerts in Tilbury and in Exchange for a place to sleep gave the various musicians PJ music lessons. Later told them that this has affected her greatly in her further career. PJ Harvey studied saxophonefor eight years. In her first bands (Bologna, the Polekats, the Stoned Weaklings and Automatic Dlamini) they played this instrument still often. PJ Harvey's career actually began really with the group Automatic Dlamini, after which they along with ex-Automatic Dlaminilid Rob Ellis on drums and Ian Olliver (bass) the band PJ Harvey . The trio had it in the beginning, however, difficult. Their first appearance in Sherborne Antelope Hotel was so terribly disastrous that the owner asked them to stop playing because they all his guests wegjoegen.
Around that time she studied sculpture at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design in London. But when her career in music in the elevator came, she has this study prematurely aborted.
Career[Edit][]
Early Years[Edit][]
PJ Harvey released her first single in October 1991 Dress off at the label Too Pure. The single was chosen as best in Melody Maker single of the week by the critic John Peel. He praised PJ Harvey's writers talent. In the spring of 1992 brought PJ Harvey the equally successful single Sheela-na-gig , followed by the album Dry. The album is described as hard rock with influences from the punk music, the blues and grunge music. The album made sure the magazine Rolling Stone proclaimed as the 22-year-old Harvey the year's Best Songwriter and best newcomer. With the album Dry she gets some notoriety in the indiescene.
In April 1992 the media over himself, when she appeared topless on the cover of the British magazine New Musical Express. Until then, she was seen by everyone as a feminist to the bone. PJ Harvey denied this however: they told that they would call themselves feminist because they no the meaning and history of the term feminism doesn't really know. She had actually never thought to feminist and added that they never "terms" thinks while writing. She said she has never been confronted with discrimination as a result of her woman-and that they prefer Riot Grrrl is named rather than feminist.
Later Harvey signed a contract with Island Records. In 1993 it appeared successful album Rid Of Me, recorded by Steve Albini, and was the opening act for U2 PJ in.
As a solo artist[Edit][]
With To Bring You My Love PJ in 1995 brought an excellent album, with bare, industrial Instrumentation (including stijkers, organs and synthesizers) and melancholic and sensual lyrics. She did cooperation projects with Tricky (Broken Homes) and Nick Cave (Henry Lee). To Bring You My Love was a worldwide success and sold over 1 million copies. Down By The Water was the best selling and most popular single from the album. PJ Harvey got favorable criticism and was eventually chosen as Artist of the Year by Rolling Stone and Spin magazine. To Bring You My Love was voted Album of the Year by The Village Voice, Rolling Stone,USA Today, People, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times.
Along with John Parish , she took in 1996 Dance Hall At Louse Point .
Then it takes then back to 1998 for PJ with a real successor of To Bring You My Love is: Is This Desire?. It is just like To Bring You My Love is regarded as an experimental album. According to PJ itself is this her favorite album. The album shows a darker side PJ and is known for its many piano and keyboard arrangements.
Is This Desire was followed by strong Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, for which they received the 2001 Mercury Prize . On this disc is a duet with Radioheadsinger Thom Yorke, who for two other songs the background voice. Knew the same success as the album To Bring You My Love and there were also sold a million copies. Typical of the album is the return of her "punk sound" of her first albums and change of mind Harvey. They sang about found life satisfaction. Further, she was in 2001 at the top of the list of 100 Greatest Women in Rock Music by Q magazine.
In 2003 she participated in the Desert Sessions and is a music video of the song "Crawl Home" with Josh Homme.
In 2004 the album Uh Huh Her comes out. For the first time in her career on her own Harvey produced the album and played all instruments (except drums) itself. The album was more intimate than its predecessor, but received a lot of positive reactions from critics and fans. PJ Harvey told Rolling Stone that they find important not to repeat fall when making a new album and that her greatest goal is to try new things and challenge themselves-because she always wants to learn. [EAR] PJ explains that the title song on the album is missing because it is too powerful.
In may 2006, at a concert in the United Kingdom, revealed that her next album especially PJ will consist of piano arrangements. Later in 2006 , she released her first concert-dvd , Please Leave Quietly with songs from her entire career and Behind The Scene material. In October 2006 , she released the album The Peel Sessions 1991-2004 .
In October 2007, "White Chalk": an album with short songs that PJ with a high and indeed tenuous voice sings, accompanied by piano music. In England is "Unther Ether" released as a single (a song about abortion indeed) but not what they actually knew the BBC radio to think. The theme is dark and is about loss; PJ choose not as "Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea" for a more commercial approach but just goes back her own gang. In fact, she put the tenor as with "Uh HuH Her" in. In an interview by the BBC light PJ admitted they just completely fed up with rock and the conventions that go with them. "White Chalk" is a plate with which they choose a completely new way and that makes curious about the future.
Prices[Edit][]
Some accolades on this day has gotten are the Mercury Music Prize in 2001 and 2011, six Brit Awardsnominations, five Grammy-nominations and two further Mercury Music Prize nominations. The Irish Magazine Hot Press wrote that PJ Harvey the most erotic, strongest and most positive love songs ever wrote.
Other projects[Edit][]
In addition to its more well-known music career, Harvey also keeps a film career. In 1998 she played the role of Magdalena (based on Mary Magdalene) in The Book of Life, a film by Hal Hartley. She also had a cameoas a Bunny Girl in A Bunny girl's Tale of Sarah Miles. PJ Harvey is also working on making sculptures, which were exhibited in the Lamont Gallery , among others. She is also known as poet. She also sang classical work with as an example Und was bekam des Soldiers Weib by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht.
Discography[Edit][]
Albums[Edit][]
| Album (s) with any charts in the
the Dutch Album Top 100 |
Date of
appear |
Date of
entry |
Highest
position |
Number Of
weeks |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry | 30-06-1992 | - | |||
| Dry Demonstration | 1992 | - | |||
| Rid of me | 1993 | 22-05-1993 | 56 | 9 | |
| 4-Track demos | 1994 | - | |||
| To bring you my love | 27-02-1995 | 15-04-1995 | 64 | 7 | |
| Dance hall at Louse Point | 1996 | - | with John Parish | ||
| Is this desire? | 1998 | 17-10-1998 | 73 | 5 | |
| Stories from the city, Stories from the sea | 20-10-2000 | 04-11-2000 | 42 | 5 | |
| Uh huh her | 28-05-2004 | 05-06-2004 | 23 | 5 | |
| The peel sessions 1992-2004 | 20-10-2006 | - | |||
| White chalk | 21-09-2007 | 29-09-2007 | 34 | 4 | |
| A woman a man walked by | 27-03-2009 | 04-04-2009 | 46 | 3 | with John Parish |
| Let England shake | 11-02-2011 | 19-02-2011 | 14 | 9 |
| Album (s) with chart positions in
the Flemish Ultratop 50 |
Date of
appear |
Date of
entry |
Highest
position |
Number Of
weeks |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| To bring you my love | 1995 | 01-04-1995 | 5 | 17 | |
| Is this desire? | 1998 | 03-10-1998 | 8 | 4 | |
| Stories from the city, Stories from the sea | 2000 | 04-11-2000 | 35 | 10 | |
| Uh huh her | 2004 | 05-06-2004 | 16 | 11 | |
| The peel sessions 1992-2004 | 2006 | 11-11-2006 | 46 | 4 | |
| White chalk | 2007 | 29-09-2007 | 12 | 9 | |
| A woman a man walked by | 2009 | 04-04-2009 | 11 | 9 | with John Parish |
| Let England shake | 2011 | 19-02-2011 | 4 | 18 |
Dvd[Edit][]
- Please leave quietly-Live (2006)