PJ Harvey – Dry - Demos

My CD copy has a much slimmer spine than the other "The Demos" CDs. Has anyone else noticed this?

The 2020 reissue series has proven that PJ Harvey's demos are fully realized multi-tracked models for her studio recordings. Most if not all the elements are in place. It's disappointing, then, that the reissues aren't accompanied with truly alternate versions, b-sides, and/or live cuts instead. And frustratingly these Demos discs aren't included as bonus discs or sold as part of a bundle. (Maybe a forthcoming box set?) This is the only Demos offering I bought, though I already had 4-Track Demos for the songs not on Rid of Me. I'm not a fan of how Dry the studio album was recorded—mostly the bass guitar (its poorly dated fuzz distortion on several tracks especially)—though the songs and performances are stellar. I find myself preferring the Demos versions of all of these songs, save “Dress,” which does not have the string parts. (There is a backing violin track to the “Plants and Rags” demo but not the layers of violin found at the end of the studio recording.) Acoustic guitar is used to better effect on some of the songs (e.g., “Oh My Lover” and “O Stella”). I'm left even more assured that Albini's production on Rid of Me was perfect for the Ellis-Harvey-Vaughan trio's studio interpretations of Harvey's early songs.

These demos were previously available with the very first limited edition, both on CD and long-player, of the acclaimed "Dry", back in 1992... Being at the time, more fond of indie-pop rather than of grunge, I finally did not follow PJ Harvey in her brilliant career, for having quickly been disappointed with her second album which was too harsh to my ears... well, that's a point of view, but that did not make me forget her incredible first release. That is the reason why, "Dry" was one of the first vinyl of this period I bought when I returned to collecting records seriously, on a bootleg version of a good quality - I realise it later - and to which I'm now attached. Because I'm not a true PJ's fan, as you have understood, I did not go crazy with these numerous reissues all along 2020 but simply decided to buy the CD version of these apocryphal recordings which reveal to be a very good idea. What a writing, and what a freshness ! The sound is beautifully restored for such a low-fi performance, and the quality of the rendition too. Most of these could be fruitage fallen out of the Beatles white album's tree. This would probably be the one and only album of this artist on my shelves (as for "Horses" for example) but that wouldn't be the worst.

Can someone confirm me that this demo set is the same as the second record of this pressage? https://discogs.cinepelis.org/P-J-Harvey-Dry/release/1748084

Anyone else think all of the tracks runs faster than they are supposed? They sound much more natural when they are slowed down a bit.

Great quality pressing, with good clear sound, micro groove to cram in the songs, but better more stable cut than the original. pity it was not released as a Double album with Dry like the original Limited release with the all new artwork, maybe limited again. The forthcoming To Bring you my Love reissue and demos could have been done the same a neat double album issue. Ho hum to poor marketing