Best of PJH / best songs for new listeners

[BlackHearted]

I have this obsession with making bootleg "best of" albums for prolific artists who don't have them... or do have them, but they suck (lookin' at you Tori Amos!!).

what songs would put on a PJH retrospective? would it be fan favorites, or accessible songs for beginners? would the track order be important? I have some ideas already, I just want to hear your opinions.

[Rufus T]

Not an opinion, but here's the contents of a cd I made for a friend who was not familiar with Polly. Also shows where the tracks came from. Looking at it now, I can't figure out how I didn't include "Rid of Me".

Meet Ze Monsta---- BBC Radio 4 St Lukes Church, London 24.08.04
I Think I'm A Mother---- West 54th Sessions New York, 29.01.99
C'mon Billy---- Lamacq Evening Session 6-21-95
Victory---- The Peel Sessions 1991-2004 [Live]
Send His Love To Me---- Unreleased John Peel Sessions Part 2
Dress---- BBC Radio 6, Somerset House, London 13.07.04
Evol---- Unreleased John Peel Sessions Part 2
Teclo---- Unreleased John Peel Sessions Part 2
Water---- The Peel Sessions 1991-2004 [Live]
Hardly Wait---- 4-Track Demos
Dry---- Unreleased John Peel Sessions Part 2
30---- Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea b-side
Silence---- Later With Jools Holland [16.11.07]
The Garden---- 1998-09-23 BBC Evening Session
A Perfect Day Elise---- BBC Radio 6, Somerset House, London 13.07.04
Civil War Correspondant---- Dance Hall At Louse Point
Cleveland---- Hen's Teeth
You Said Something---- Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
We Float---- Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

[DrDark]

I have this obsession with making bootleg "best of" albums for prolific artists who don't have them... or do have them, but they suck (lookin' at you Tori Amos!!).

what songs would put on a PJH retrospective? would it be fan favorites, or accessible songs for beginners? would the track order be important? I have some ideas already, I just want to hear your opinions.

If the objective is to introduce new listeners to PJ, then I'd definitely weight the list more in favor of Stories and TBYML. I think track order would be most interesting if it was in chronological order.

The live track vs. album track question is also interesting. In my opinion many of Polly's live performances are a little more listener friendly and less experimental and atonal than her album tracks. So do you weight the list with live tracks or strictly album tracks?

[BlackHearted]

I would probably go with album tracks only, -maybe- a Peel Sessions track.

Rufus T's mix rocks, but if I were going to use that many live tracks, I'd just make them all live tracks (there are great live versions of Hardly Wait, 30, and You Said Something out there btw!!).

what I was really trying to ask was... what an OFFICIAL PJ compilation should look like, if one ever surfaces. Although Meet Ze Monsta and Hook are two of my favorite songs, I probably wouldn't include those, and weigh the tracks in favor of singles... with a few essential non-singles too, like Rid of Me and To Bring You My Love.

I would also NOT do chronological order, because (1) it's boring, and (2) PJ's music has been so different over the years, I like the challenge of putting together a unique experience. Nick Cave's best of album is one of my favorites for that reason, even though it hardly includes any of my favorite tracks.

[DrDark]

OFFICIAL compilation? That's an interesting question. I remember when The Peel Sessions came out thinking that there were other Peel tracks that were better. Her track choices for that were surprising.

[BlackHearted]

Don't get me started on the "Peel Sessions" album!!! Now that I think about it, it's like she deliberately left off more obscure, unique tracks in favor of "safe" album tracks.

[Rufus T]

Great compilation, BlackHearted. The main reason I didn't go with more album cuts was the volume level of the "Dry" and "Rid of Me" cds was so much lower than the others...especially Stories From the City.

[checkered]

What about "Grow Grow Grow" or "Silence"? This is really hard. Nick Cave has had a really long career, too, so I'm having trouble figuring out how they ever put together a Best Of album for him.

Hell, the Pixies got a two-disc set, plus a couple compilation albums, and a giant $500+ box set, and they only recorded four full-length albums. Even if two of those albums were highly influential, it's still kind of ironic.

[bluesman]

Did this for my son last year, still have the list. awamwb wasn't released yet hence the live pwn

1. Joe
2. Sheela-Na-Gig
3. 50ft. Queenie
4. Rid Of Me
5. Legs (4-track)
6. To Bring You My Love
7. Teclo
8. Heela
9. Taut
10. Angelene
11. A Perfect Day Elise
12. The Whores Hustle & The Hustlers Whore
13. This Is Love
14. Cat On The Wall
15. The Slow Drug
16. Who The Fuck (4 Track)
17. When Under Either
18. Pig Will Not (Live at the El Rey Theatre L.A 03/23/09)

Bonus Tracks
19. Snake (Peel sessions ’96)
20. 66 Promises (B-Side)
21. Crawl Home (Dessert Sessions) w/Josh Homme

[zappa61]

In the name of impressionable new listeners I agree with most of what is here, but I find it hard to imagine a "Best Of PJ Harvey" album without Good Fortune & Man-Sized for those of you who have not included them.

They are not my favorite PJ songs, but I believe they are both heavy hitters and a nice muse for the new PJ Harvey Fan.

[AvrKadavr]

Have no idea what song are good fo beginners, but I remember that I was reaaly shocked when I started to listen Polly. It was "Angelene", after that "The Piano" - and I thought something like "Oh... Thats so beautiful and melancholic <3 " And then... Then I came across "Harder" and "Who The Fuck?" xD And just couldn't believe that this is the same person ^^" But it totally hooked me.

When I tried to "infect" my friend with Polly I sent her "This is love" and "To bring you my love" - live from 2007 (KCRW?) cause I knew what she would enjoy...

But if we are talking about "best of"... My "best of" would have to be recorded at 4 CD's at least And I know that it wouldn't be suitable for everybody

[12fingered]

when trying to turn people on to PJ, i usually let them have a listen to "Legs"-- and if they can't appreciate a song like "Legs" it's pretty much useless to go any further.

[bluesman]

^ I like your way of thinking!

[Shadowboxer]

I was really surprised at how well people responded to Meet Ze Monsta. I played it once at work and everyone was like ":O wtf is this awesome shit?".
Big Exit and Down By The Water also made a good impression. If I really wanted someone to get into PJ, I'd probably play some of her extreme songs just for a shock effect. For instance, I'd do 50ft Queenie then follow it with Dear Darkness just to show how versatile she really is.
I'll think about a best of CD and come back.

[yarnforhair]

i've made a few cds for friends of pj songs cause i'm trying to convert them (i'm failing). i usually pick 2 songs from each album (except white chalk) that will show the most diversity. and then i burn white chalk completely separately because i think that album should be heard in it's entirety to get the full sense of it.