PJ Harvey - The Peel Sessions: 1991-2004 LP

Label: Island

Harvey joins a list of artists, including Pulp, House of Love and Siouxsie and the Banshees, whose Peel Sessions will be released for the first time during a month of commemorative events to mark the second anniversary of the inspirational broadcaster's death. The twelve tracks, chosen by Polly Harvey herself, span her career – from early versions of the songs on debut album Dry (1992) to her seventh album Uh Huh Her, released in 2004. Harvey recorded many sessions with John Peel over the years.

"John loved the sessions and was thrilled to have Polly record so many for his show. He considered her a wonderful artist and they were great friends. It's fantastic that they're coming out. I think he'd be very proud." – Louise Kattenhorn, Producer, The John Peel Show

"PJ Harvey does her best work naked. For all the tantalizing changes in direction over the past 15 years, it was the British songwriter's barebones disc, Rid of Me (and its raw companion piece, 4-Track Demos), that made the greatest impression. These recordings from the late John Peel's celebrated BBC Radio show see her returning time and again to her basic blues roots, offering delightfully bruised takes on both early classics like 'Sheela-Na-Gig,' from her first performance on the show, through 'You Come Through,' a track that was recorded at a tribute shortly after Peel's passing. Along the way, there are plenty of rarities, stylistic diversions, and traces of dark humor to make Harvey fans wish the package could have been twice as long." – Aidin Vaziri