yeah and to me the comparison is also lyrics-wise: Amy's first album "Frank" reminds me somehow of the raw, unhinibited and confrontational-female language of "Dry"

James McCartney:

What artists did you first emulate when you were starting out?

There are so many influences for me… Kurt Cobain, The Smiths, Radiohead, PJ Harvey, The Cure, The Beatles, Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, Hank Williams. I could name so many more…! In the end, I don’t really prefer a particular style, just great music, truly.

[...]

Who do you consider an underrated songwriter?

Oh good question… well, Ron Sexsmtih comes to mind. And also Tim Hardin. And actually, Robert Smith of The Cure… I think sometimes his rock-star persona overshadows how great a songwriter he is for some people. Same goes for PJ Harvey, who is such a great songwriter.

http://www.americansongwriter.com/2012/ ... mccartney/

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Wiggins is so superbly unassuming, he looks like he's about to say 'Pop the gold medal in the post, I'm nipping out for some biscuits'

Mark Steel

Rebecca Gates(The Spinanes): “That’s part of being a singer, you just have that through line of someone’s voice, like PJ Harvey or Rosemary Clooney or Shirley Horn, or you know, Thom Yorke.”

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Mary Lou Lord posted a link to "Let England Shake" on facebook

John Grant(The Czars): "Who'd be on your meltdown bill?" "I'd want Liz Fraser. Maybe I would have Neko Case. I would definitely have Meshell Ndegeocello, I might try and get Mazzy Star on there, and I would be desperate to get Yello to play. And PJ Harvey and Kate Bush of course, I'm really into the ladies! There's something about these female voices."

Paul Noonan(Bell X1): "From Dry to Let England Shake (1992-2011)"

"Paul: “Someone who isn’t attached to any one record. From Dry and Rid Of Me and To Bring You My Love through to Stories From The City, Uh Huh Her, every record was very different. That marriage of grit and dissonance and pink stiletto histrionics is incredible. And the beauty of the stuff on White Chalk. She’s always been the epitome of the pure artist for me. The pressures that you come under in this game, in terms of delivering singles and being marketable and being on-message and being aware of your brand, I’m sure she’s had to deal with all of that, but it’s never clouded her art. I don’t know whether she’s shielded from that or is just able to do what she wants."

Kevin McMahon(Lucky Pierre, Prick) : " Writers - Let's see, I like Tom Waits and you know there's no way in hell I would try to write like him (and his wife Kathleen Brennan)… Sly Stone, Mark Hollis (which brings to mind producer Tim Friese-Greene), Little Richard, Elliot Smith, Brian Ferry (which brings to mind Brian Eno), Dylan (which reminds me I probably should have mentioned Dylan Thomas up with writers, but that's what I mean about lists!), The Pretenders, Andy Partridge, The Pogues, PJ Harvey, James Brown, writer like Lennon & McCartney (George Martin) or Brian Wilson (although they are considered quite mainstream, I doubt whether "Strawberry Fields" or "God Only Knows" would get ANY airtime on commercial radio today)... "

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Patrick Wolf on twitter.

After seeing the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics:

'ok, just going to forget that happened and dream that PJ Harvey is employed as official musical director + ambassador for the U.K.goodnight!'

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Wiggins is so superbly unassuming, he looks like he's about to say 'Pop the gold medal in the post, I'm nipping out for some biscuits'

Mark Steel

^yeah! I was wondering why she wasn't there

It had to happen one day (me joining in this thread!!)

Anyway i was Having a drink in the local last night where I bumped into Robert Plant & Patty Griffin having a quiet drink (until I started chatting to them ) so I'm playing Band of Joy as a little tribute this morning

Somehow our chat moved on to Polly where Planty said "have you heard her new album Let England Shake"....well I bet he wished he'd never asked a massive Peej fan that one he said he thought it was "excellent", so much so he felt the need to write her a note congratulating her on its success but had no way of contacting her directly so it had to be passed on via both management teams! He received a hand written "thank you" note from Polly, again again via the management route but this time faxed which disappointed him, he said he would have liked to have received the original!!
Ha, Planty star truck by our Pol

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Snetta

Hm! Interesting anecdote. I must say I would find it surprising that someone of Robert Plant's stature would find the need to go through PJ's management to compliment her on her album. He's in the position that he could easily find out how to contact her directly if he wanted to. If all PJ's management could do is send Plant a faxed 'thank you' then that reflects badly on PJ whom I'm sure would have never been that churlish if she knew the note from Plant was genuine She grew up listening to bands like Led Zep. Who knows if Plant's note even reached her as her management probably have copies of PJ 'thank you notes' lying around on a file?

Wow mart, that is so cool. I love Led Zeppelin and I also love Patty Griffin, but I had no clue they had a thing so at first it seemed really random to me that they would be out on a drink haha!

Well that's what he said!!
Yes I'd av thought a rock god of his stature would have ways & means but he said not!
perhaps we build a picture in our heads that just don't exist?
He did have a way but obviously never thought to exploit it, Ian Shepard was working for the Band of Joy at the time & i'm sure he could have contacted Polly

But also remember Polly is notoriously private

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Snetta

Hey Cartman, Patty was a member of Band of Joy and his current outfit Sensational Space Shifters, he said they'd just returned from performing in the States and Patty was hanging out chilling with Planty, hence having a pint in our local

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Snetta

An amazing contribution! Thank you Mart =)

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Ah, the irony, mart. You contributing, probably, the best post on this thread.

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Wiggins is so superbly unassuming, he looks like he's about to say 'Pop the gold medal in the post, I'm nipping out for some biscuits'

Mark Steel

Comedian/musician Bill Bailey. On twitter:

'Backstage at the Michael Fowler centre - can hear strains of PJ Harvey - my choice of pre-show music, a heroine of mine'

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Wiggins is so superbly unassuming, he looks like he's about to say 'Pop the gold medal in the post, I'm nipping out for some biscuits'

Mark Steel

Johnny Marr wrote on twitter last week that he was listening to Polly and Jaill.

Wrote later: 'Yes. I was listening to her early stuff. Good singing.'

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Wiggins is so superbly unassuming, he looks like he's about to say 'Pop the gold medal in the post, I'm nipping out for some biscuits'

Mark Steel