Rid of Me
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
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 --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
Rid of Me, Music, PJ Harvey, Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock, Pop, Popular Music, Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Average customer rating:
- Quirky + Raw
- Heavy Harvey
- Sex and Anger = Love.
- Grunge's Girl Next Door
- the first PJ cd I ever bought
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Rid of Me
PJ Harvey
Manufacturer: Island
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ASIN: B000001DYD
Release Date: 1993-05-04 |
Tracks:
- Rid Of Me
- Missed
- Legs
- Rub 'Til It Bleeds
- Hook
- Man-Size Sextet
- Highway 61 Revisited
- 50ft Queenie
- Yuri-G
- Man-Size
- Dry
- Me-Jane
- Snake
- Ecstasy
Amazon.com
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
Customer Reviews:
Quirky + Raw .......2007-07-08
A strange recording that brings out the Punk in the Blues of P.J..It's been said she hates it.I think its guilty pleasure.
Heavy Harvey.......2007-05-14
One of her angrier, more energetic albums. It has a lot of emotional resonance that is familiar to her work. However it is unlike 'Stories from the Sea' which is more melo/alternative rock. Overall, a good album.
Sex and Anger = Love........2007-04-20
This, along with one of the other reviewers that have written on here, is my first, and my favorite (along with 4 Track Demos).
On this album Harvey worked with the producer Steve Albini (who tends to have a very clubbish, echo-ish sound). I read somewhere that they hooked the guitars up to amps, and then they shoved the mic down right infront of the amp to get a more live sound.
This album reminds me of a profile of a sex-crazed, crooked woman; however, despite these qualities, she's righteous. She criticizes and patronizes men to be wee little beings, and feels big and above them, which allows there to be a sort of empowerment from the lyrics. When I'm in some of my darkest moments, I always play this record, just to feel more empowered.
Her standout tracks are "Missed", which seems to be a story of a woman who lost her child (?), "Man-Sized Sextet" (which belongs to be on a soundtrack for a well done killer movie), "Hook", for it's amazing bluesy roots and great sound, "50 ft. Queenie" and "Yuri-G" because they're amazing rockers, the amazing, and empowering feminist "Man-Size" (guitar recording), and "Snake" for it's punk in-your-face style.
If you plan to buy this record, do yourself a favor, and save up a little more money to buy the 4 Track Demos album as well. It's the perfect counterpart of Rid of Me - it's even MORE stripped down, and much more raw.
Grunge's Girl Next Door.......2007-04-05
It is currently my favorite album.She showed women everywhere that they could sound more burdened than the late Kurt Cobain.Bottomline: She makes me burn.She makes me whine.She makes me want to go to a movie theatre and sing her songs so loud that everybody else whines too. An absolute must have. buy this album.
the first PJ cd I ever bought.......2007-01-29
For me, this is my favourite of her albums. I got it in my second year of university and I binged on it all year. I was totally hooked. There is so much emotion and raw intensity. I love it.
Average customer rating:
- Not worth buying!
- Don't waste your money
- Perfect for "drop the needle" style tests
- A CD with Attention Deficit Disorder
- This sucks...
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ASIN: B000003GA0
Release Date: 1997-10-14 |
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- Antony & Cleopatra: 'Give Me My Robe' - Leontyne Price
- Fidelio: 'In des Lebens Fruhlingstagen...' - Ben Heppner
- Fidelio: Act II Quartet: 'Ach, du bist gerettet...' - Deborah Voigt
- Norma: 'Casta Diva' - Rosa Ponselle
- Candide: 'Glitter And Be Gay' - Harolyn Blackwell
- Candide: 'Make Our Garden Grow' - Jerry Hadley
- Carmen: Flower Song - Placido Domingo
- Carmen: Habanera - Rise Stevens
- Carmen: Toreador Song - Robert Merrill
- Les pecheurs de perles: Duet: 'Oui, c'est elle, c'est la deesse...' - Robert Merrill
- Mefistofele: 'Ecco il mondo' - Samuel Ramey
- La Wally: 'Eben, ne andro lontana' - ONLY OPERA CD YOU'LL EVER NEED
- Lakme: Bell Song - Lily Pons
- L'Elisir d'Amore: 'Una furtiva lagrima' - Tito Schipa
- Lucia di Lammermoor: 'Chi mi frena in tal momento...' - Carlo Bergonzi
- Lucia di Lammermoor: 'Spargi d'amaro pianto' - Anna Moffo
- Martha: 'M'appari tutto amor' - Jussi Bjoerling
- Porgy & Bess: 'Summertime' - Leontyne Price
- Porgy & Bess: 'Bess, You Is My Woman' - William Warfield
- Andrea Chenier: 'Come un bel di di maggio' - Ben Heppner
- Romeo et Juliette: Juliette's Waltz; 'Je veux vivre' - Ruth Ann Swenson
- Salammbo: Aria - Kiri Te Kanawa
- Hansel & Gretel: 'Suuse, liebe Susse - Helen Donath
- I Pagliacci: 'Vesti la giubba' - Enrico Caruso
- Cavalleria Rusticana: 'Viva il vino' - Jussi Bjoerling
- Cherubin: 'Lorsque vous n'aurez rien' - Dawn Upshaw
- Manon: 'Ah! Fuyez, douce image' - Richard Crooks
- Cosi fan tutte: 'Come scoglio immoto resta' - Leontyne Price
- Don Giovanni: 'La ci darem la mano' - Edith Mathis
- Don Giovanni: 'Deh! vieni alla finestra' - Ezio Pinza
- Don Giovanni: 'Non mi dir' - Carol Vaness
- Le nozze di Figaro: 'Non piu andrai...' - Alan Titus
- Le nozze di Figaro: 'Porgi, amor' - Carol Vaness
- Le nozze di Figaro: 'Deh vieni, non tardar' - Bidu Sayao
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- La Boheme: 'Mi piaccion quelle cose...' - Licia Albanese
- La Boheme: 'Fremon gia nell'anima' - Luciano Pavarotti
- La Boheme: Musetta's Waltz Song - Judith Blegen
- Gianni Schicchi: 'O mio babbino caro' - Angela Gheorghiu
- Madama Butterfly: 'Ah, ti serro palpitante' - Placido Domingo
- Madama Butterfly: 'Un bel di' - Leontyne Price
- Manon Lescaut: 'Donna non vidi mai' - Jussi Bjoerling
- La rondine: 'Chi il bel sogno di Doretta - Anna Moffo
- TOSCA: 'Recondita armonia' - Placido Domingo
- TOSCA: 'Vissi d'arte' - Irina Oudalova
- TOSCA: 'E avanti a lui...' - Zinka Milanov
- TOSCA: 'E lucevan le stelle' - Mario Lanza
- Turandot: 'Signore, ascolta' - Renata Tebaldi
- Turandot: 'In questa reggia' - Birgit Nilsson
- Turandot: 'Nessun dorma' - Jussi Bjoerling
- Dido & Aeneas: 'When I Am Laid In Earth' - Leontyne Price
- Il Barbiere di Siviglia: 'Largo al factotum' - Robert Merrill
- Il Barbiere di Siviglia: 'Una voce poco fa' - Roberta Peters
- Samson et Dalila: 'Mon coeur s'ouvre' - Christa Ludwig
- The Bartered Bride: 'Wenn ich das einmal erfahre' - Teresa Stratas
- Elektra: 'Agamemnon' - Inge Borkh
- Der Rosenkavalier: 'Ist ein Traum' - Erna Berger
- Salome: 'Nicht in der Welt...' - Inge Borkh
- Eugene Onegin: Lenski's Aria - Placido Domingo
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- Aida: 'Celeste Aida' - Jussi Bjoerling
- Aida: 'Ritorna vincitor!' - Leontyne Price
- Aida: 'Gloria all'Egitto' - John Alldis Choir
- Aida: 'O patria mia' - Leontyne Price
- Un Ballo in Maschera: 'O docezze perdute! O memorie...' - Robert Merrill
- Don Carlo: 'Dio, che nell'anima infondere' - Placido Domingo
- Ernani: 'Emani, involami' - Leontyne Price
- La forza del destino: 'Or muoio tranquillo...' - Robert Merrill
- La forza del destino: 'Pace, pace mio dio' - Zinka Milanov
- Nabucco: 'Va, pensiero' - Oleg Reshetkin
- Otello: 'Credo' - Tito Gobbi
- Otello: Willow Song - Leonie Rysanek
- Otello: 'Niun mi tema' - Jon Vickers
- Rigoletto: 'Qesta o quella' - Alfredo Kraus
- Rigoletto: 'Caro nome' - Anna Moffo
- Rigoletto: 'La donna e mobile' - Jan Peerce
- Rigoletto: 'Bella figlia dell'amore' - Alfredo Kraus
- La Traviata: Brindisi - Montserrat Caballe
- La Traviata: 'Di provenza' - Sherrill Milnes
- La Traviata: 'Sempre libera' - Eleanor Steber
- La Traviata: 'Addio del passato' - Anna Moffo
- Il Trovatore: Anvil Chorus - Moscow Classical Chorus & Ensemble
- Il Trovatore: 'Di quella pira' - Placido Domingo
- Il Trovatore: 'Tacea la notte placido - Leontyne Price
- Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: 'Morgenlicht leuchtend' - Set Svanholm
- Die Walkure: Ride Of The Valkyries - Staatskapelle Dresden
- Die Walkure: Wotan's Farewell - Lawrence Tibbett
- Siegfried: Song Of The Forest Bird - Norma Sharp
- Gotterdammerung: 'Starke Scheite schichtet mir dort' - Kirsten Flagstad
- Lohengrin: Bridal Chorus - Robert Shaw Chorale
- Lohengrin: 'In fernem Land' - Lauritz Melchior
- Tannhauser: 'Dich teure Halle' - Waltraud Meler
Customer Reviews:
Not worth buying!.......2007-05-29
I found this recording basically worthless. It contains only very short excerpts of the song. Not enough to get into and enjoy!
Don't waste your money.......2007-01-18
This is the worst purchase I have ever made. It is a truly dreadful piece of work.I was so disgusted with it that I threw it into the trash can.
Perfect for "drop the needle" style tests.......2006-11-19
If you want to hear full recordings of arias, then this disc is not for you. It plays only tidbits of 99 arias. Contrary to the title, this is definitely not the only opera disc you'll ever need. You shouldn't take it seriously. This disc has next to no value for an opera neophyte. But for opera fanatics, there has never been a better test of your knowledge of operatic repertoire and singers. It's a great challenge for opera buffs. Sit down with your opera loving friends for an hour, play this disc, and try to be the first to identify the singer, composer, opera, and piece. If you're a music professor, this disc would make for an awesome pop quiz. Find out how well your students really know their opera repertoire.
A CD with Attention Deficit Disorder.......2006-10-02
I don't know anyone who would enjoy this CD. It will drive opera fans nuts with a hundred exerpts that run about 30 seconds each, then fade out without the singers even finishing a single verse. It's more like an index of arias, or a volume of teasers that hucksters might use to sell opera CDs.
I never realized how much Bernstein's "Glitter and be gay" sounded like Delibes' "Bell Song" until I heard 35 seconds of one, followed 23 seconds of the other.
Maybe the TV show 'Jeopardy' could use this CD. 'What is "Hush little baby don't you..."??'
What a waste of beautiful voices and great music. 38 seconds of Enrico Caruso, followed by 31 seconds of Jussi Bjoerling, followed by 38 seconds of Dawn Upshaw.
My copy is going to go sailing into the wastebasket as soon as I finish this review.
This sucks..........2006-03-31
I should only blame myself for not checking out more reviews... this is a CD filled with short, little snippets of great operas songs... and I mean SHORT, LITTLE snippets of 30 seconds or so, each. Don't buy this CD... it is a complete rip off... and that is saying ALOT since it is only $4.00... Again, my fault for not reading the reviews but I trusted that something called a "Music CD" would actually have complete songs... What else does this company offer? A "Music CD" that only has the intros or applause tracks to great songs...?
Move on to something else... Amazon has a great selection... just not this one.
Average customer rating:
- English is an asset and a drawback
- You Will Love Opera After Hearing Carmen In English
- A wholly credible "Carmen" -- finally!
- I love Carmen!
|
Carmen (Sung in English)
Bizet , Bardon , Gavin , Plazas , Magee , and Parry
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
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ASIN: B00007JGRN
Release Date: 2003-03-11 |
Tracks:
- Prelude
- In The Plaza
- Just Look At That Delicious Morsel
- Here Come Our New Soldier Boys
- Jose! There Was A Girl Here Looking For You Just Now
- Off With You Old Soldier Boys
- Corporal! Sir!
- We Have Heard The Bell Summon Us To Meet Here
- Ah, Just Look!
- But Why Hasn't She Come, Our Carmencita?
- Love's A Bird Wild As Any Rebel
- Carmen! We Will Follow You High And Low!
- The Cheek Of It!
- Give Me News Of My Mother!
- Your Dear Mother And I Were Leaving Church This Morning
- I See My Mother's Face!
- Wait A Moment - I'm Going To Read The Letter
- Come And Help
- So, Corporal: Tell Me What Happened
- Well, Carmencita: What Do You Have To Say For Yourself?
- Where Are You Taking Me?
- There's An Old Bar In The City
- Careful - It's Lieutenant!
- Entr'acte
- From Far Away Mysterious Sounds
- Bravo, Bravo! More! Keep Dancing!
- Hurrah! Hurrah! The Torero!
- Who's That? It's Escamillo, The Bullfighter From Granada
- Hurrah! Hurrah! The Torero!
- You're Most Kind
- We'll Come With You, Senor Torero
- Toreador, Be Ready!
- At Last! We Got Rid Of Them As Quickly As We Could
- There's A Little Job That We're Starting!
- Being In Love Is Not A Reason
Tracks:
- To Bid You Welcome To Our Bar
- La La La La La La La La...
- Back To Camp!... Go At Once!
- That Flow'r You Threw To Me I Treasured
- No, It's Not Love At All!
- Hello! Carmen!
- Lieutenant Fair, It's True
- The Sky Above The Open Road
- Entr'acte
- Keep Going, Dear Old Friend, Kep Going!
- Right! Let's Stop For A While
- Shuffle! Cut Them!
- In Vain You Would Avoid The Bitter Things They're Saying
- You're Back!
- As For That Man, It Should Be Easy!
- Is This The Place?
- I Say That There's Nothing To Fear
- It's Him! I'm Sure It's Him Over There!
- Escamillo Is My Name, And I Come From Granada
- She Had A Lover Here
- Hola! Hola! Jose!
- You Should Take Care, Carmen
- Alas! Jose, Your Mother Is Ill
- Entr'acte
- A Few Cuartos! A Few Cuartos!
- Here They Come! Here They Come!
- If You Love Me, Carmen
- It's You! It's Me!
- Viva! Viva! What A Corrida!
Customer Reviews:
English is an asset and a drawback.......2004-07-20
The best thing about this recording of Carmen is the libretto. Conductor David Parry penned this facile and dramatic English translation. He avoids the pitfalls of literal translation to achieve an idiomatic flow that matches the rhythm of the original lyrics. I use this as a reference libretto for any of the French Carmens.
Unfortunately, the performance suffers from being sung in English. The singers declaim their parts with such proper British diction that Carmen comes across as a school marm. The spoken dialog is delivered beat for deliberate beat and is dripping with reverb. It makes the plaza, tavern and mountain pass all sound like a sewer pipe.
This is a good first Carmen for someone trying to understand the work. The libretto itself is a good investment for further listening. For an enjoyable performance with an emphasis on character and action, I recommend Regina Resnik on the London Double Decker set.
You Will Love Opera After Hearing Carmen In English.......2004-02-09
What a perfect introduction to opera. This newly released recording will surely get you hooked into opera. Carmen, a French opera by Georges Bizet, is the most recognizable and most popular in the opera world. It's famous melodies- the overture, the Habanera, The Toreador Song have all been featured in everything from cellular phone ring tones to Superbowl Commercial (last year's Superbowl with The "Opera In English" label has been making Italian operas into English for a number of years now. Also on the market are Verdi's La Traviata in English (with soprano Valerie Masterson as Violetta) Handel's Julius Caesar with Janet Baker and even Wagner's epic Ring Of The Nibeling sung in English. This is a terrific recording and I highly recommend it if you want to get into opera. Listen to this version first and then try the real, original French version Bizet had written. Patricia Bardon is sensational, sexy and dramatic as Carmen.
The real strength of this version is the dynamic drama. With the advantage of being sung in English, we get better insight on characters' emotions and motives, and we understand the drama a lot better. Carmen is all about great drama. Bizet drew the plot from the French writer Prosper Merimee's dark short story. Carmen is the ultimate femme fatale- a devil-may-care, sexy Gypsy living in Spain, seduces the conservatively raised soldier Don Jose, stealing him away from his fiancee, the passive Micaela, living a life of underground smuggling and rowdy taverns. "Habanera" and "The Gypsy Song and Dance" are very expressive of Carmen's extraordinarily liberal lifestyle. Don Jose, however, has fallen deeply in love- as he shows us in his song/aria "The Flower Song". But Carmen soon becomes tired of his constancy. Don Jose wants a committed, monogamous relationship with Carmen. But Carmen will not submit to love, since she is first and foremost a carnal creature. Eventually, she falls for the handsome Toreador Escamillo. Don Jose, consumed by jealousy, stabs Carmen at a bullfight after Carmen declares her love for Escamillo and rejects Don Jose's love. Don Jose's crazed, obscessive personality shines through in the English version as well. This tragedy has been done in English before so don't think this is the first time. Back in the 50's, there was a film, starring black actors "Carmen Jones" which was treated the same way as this opera- more like an English Broadway musical and with the dubbed singing voice of Marilyn Horne as Carmen. All in all, this recording is excellent.
A wholly credible "Carmen" -- finally!.......2003-09-17
This recording really sells "Carmen" as a drama. Although I have two other recordings of this opera and have seen it performed several times, it never quite worked for me dramatically. But thanks to the fine performances, conducting, and translation here, I've become a "Carmen" convert. Producing a good English-language performance of a foreign opera, especially a warhorse like "Carmen," is much more difficult than it might appear. You need performers who not only can sing the parts (of course) but also can sing *English* and make it halfway intelligible and make it sound like English and make it dramatically convincing to English-speakers. The singers on this recording do an excellent job all around. Don't be put off if you don't recognize their names -- they are up to the task musically and (especially) in their acting. Admittedly, as with *all* English-language recordings, some passages are very hard to understand without reading along, but most of the time the words are clear and effective. I would recommend this recording to any opera beginner or opera lover, even those who normally turn up their noses at performances in translation.
I love Carmen!.......2003-08-15
I do. I can think of no other opera with more melodic inventiveness, and few others with so sure a dramatic pulse. Carmen is popular and it thrills me to say that it is also a very good opera - not always true of popular things.
And what of this recording? Carmen sits well in English, so it is good to hear in translation, although some of the detais in the text jar. Escamillo refers to Jose as "my dear", which sounds rather peculiar, and the guide's line to Micaela: "it's not exactly inviting, is it?" sounds distinctly Middle England rather than Rural Spain. Some of the performers, not least Carmen herself, make the words work, although there are long tracts, especially with the chorus, where the language is distinctly indistinct.
The soloists are, by and large, strong. Patricia Bardon's deep, Handel-friendly voice adapts well to Carmen and she colours the music with phenomenal detail, sounding sexy and provocative from the start with an edge of pride and anger that emerges as the show goes on. She is out of her depth above the stave, though, and some extra top notes in the second act don't show her off to her best advantage. I have previously said that Julian Gavin is poorly served by recordings, though here he sounds much more even and gives a thrilling and musical performance (but his wooden spoken lines let him down). Mary Plazas is a lovely Micaela, rich-voiced and sincere (and word-perfect), but Garry Magee sounds miscast as Escamillo, lacking the ballast at the bottom of the voice to do justice to this tricky role.
The supporting cast is good (Mary Hegarty seems to do nothing but Frasquita these days!) but the really treasurable thing is the conducting. Stepping out of Italian Ottocento, David Parry turns his hand to this French Comedie with an appropriate lightness of touch. His pacing and handling of the set pieces is exemplary and the enrtractes go with a real swing.
A pleasure, then, for the Carmen naive or a novelty for the Carmen-acquainted. I nearly wrote Carmen-weary - but I don't think it's possible.
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The String Quartet Tribute to PJ Harvey
Manufacturer: Vitamin Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
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General
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Similar Items:
- The Peel Sessions 1991-2004
- PJ Harvey - On Tour: Please Leave Quietly
- Is This Desire?
- Uh Huh Her
- Volta
ASIN: B0002DB5GS
Release Date: 2004-07-13 |
Tracks:
- 50ft Queenie
- Good Fortune
- Down By The Water
- O Stella
- A Place Called Home
- C'Mon Billy
- Dry
- Rid Of Me
- The Sky Lit Up
- The Wind
- Victory
- To Bring You My Love
Product Description
1. Good Fortune
2. To Bring You My Love
3. Down By The Water
4. C'Mon Billy
5. The Sky Lit Up
6. The Wind
7. Rid Of Me
8. 50ft Queenie
9. Dry
10. O Stella
Bonus Tracks:
11. Victory
12. A Place Called Home
Format: CD
Music:
- Rock Action
- Rock for Light
- Sankofa
- Secondsight
- Shenanigans
- Slider + 3
- Soundtrack to a Generation [Soundtrack]
- Spiderland
- Street Spirit (Fade Out)
- Surrounded By Windows
Music
music
Music
To Dos or Not 2
Best of Beethoven, Vol.1
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Chained to You [Import]
Communion with God
Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Wagner: Parsifal Overture
Burnin' [Import]
Best Collection [Import]
Angel Dust
Domenico Modugno: Los Más Grandes Exitos [Import]
Boney M. Best Selection [Import]
Down With It
Love Songs