From the outset, PJ Harvey has commanded attention...
Polly Jean Harvey formed the bass / drums / guitar trio in 1991 in Dorset and by autumn had released the debut single, Dress, on indie label Too Pure. With a second single, Sheela-Na-Gig, in February 1992, Harvey had begun an impressive critical climb, which set the stage for a highly anticipated album release the following month. Dry was hailed as an astonishing debut, not just in the UK but worldwide and especially in the United States, where Rolling Stone named Harvey Best Songwriter and Best New Female Singer.
In 1993, PJ Harvey signed to Island Records and began work on a follow-up album. The band went into the studio with Steve Albini in Minneapolis and the resulting album, Rid Of Me, was released in early '93. The album was supported by a lengthy world tour, drawing increasingly wide audiences and Harvey's first Mercury Prize nomination. However, by the end of the tour, Polly made the decision to dissolve the original trio and explore working with other musicians. The album 4-Track Demos was released in the autumn of 1993, which comprised of 14 songs, a mixture of unreleased material and Harvey's own demos for Rid Of Me.
In 1993, PJ Harvey signed to Island Records and began work on a follow-up album. The band went into the studio with Steve Albini in Minneapolis and the resulting album, Rid Of Me, was released in early '93. The album was supported by a lengthy world tour, drawing increasingly wide audiences and Harvey's first Mercury Prize nomination. However, by the end of the tour, Polly made the decision to dissolve the original trio and explore working with other musicians. The album 4-Track Demos was released in the autumn of 1993, which comprised of 14 songs, a mixture of unreleased material and Harvey's own demos for Rid Of Me.
To Bring You My Love followed in 1995, an eclectic and starkly original album. She enlisted a variety of musicians to play on the album, including John Parish (who co-produced along with Flood and Harvey), keyboardist Eric Drew Feldman and guitarist Joe Gore. The tour which followed saw Harvey explore a theatrical edge to her live performance. She received her second nomination for the Mercury Music Prize and was nominated for two Grammies, received 1995 Artist Of The Year awards from Rolling Stone and Spin and gained album of the year acknowledgements across the board.
Recording her fifth album, Is This Desire? in London and Dorset, Harvey once again co-produced the album with Flood and worked with Rob Ellis from the original P J Harvey line-up. It was released in September '98 and featured 12 new tracks. It attracted plaudits on both sides of the Atlantic and gained nominations for The Brits and The Grammy Awards.