PJ Harvey Rid of Me ( 180g vinyl LP )

Release date: 21-08-2020 (originally released in 1993 )

2020 EU reissue on 180g vinyl LP - including the singles " 50ft Queenie" and" Man-Size ".  Polly Jean Harvey’s biggest albums may have followed in its wake – 1995’s To Bring You My Love was a year-end number one almost across the board, and 2000’s Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea was an overdue Mercury Prize triumph – but this striking second LP remains one of the Dorset-born singer’s most-loved releases.

A tough listen, even at its comparative prettiest, but an essential one.....BBC

Tracks:
A1 Rid Of Me 4:28
A2 Missed 4:25
A3 Legs 3:40
A4 Rub 'Til It Bleeds 5:03
A5 Hook 3:56
A6 Man-Size Sextet 2:16

B1 Highway '61 Revisited ( Written-By – Bob Dylan ) 2:57
B2 50Ft Queenie 2:23
B3 Yuri-G 3:28
B4 Man-Size 3:16
B5 Dry 3:23
B6 Me-Jane 2:42
B7 Snake 1:35
B8 Ecstasy 4:27

PJ Harvey's second and most ferocious album finds her claiming images of sexuality, whether they're of a "hysterical" female (the obsessive title track and the indelible accusation "you leave me dry") or male "dominance" ("Man-Size," which also appears in an atonal arrangement with a string sextet, and the feral rockabilly size-brag of "50-Ft Queenie"). Recorded to play up the stark dynamic contrasts of Harvey's early trio, it's as harsh and abrasive as the gutter blues whose vocal style Harvey cops. And she demands a place for herself at the table of great songwriters--a hellfire take on Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" fits neatly alongside her own work. --Douglas Wolk