Am I Worthy?

Yes, Polly, yes and thrice yes!

 

I know that it's barely three weeks since the last PJ Harvey post, a 5-song Tiny Desk concert that moved me to tears. But then last week ARTE Concert had to go and post a 22-song* concert from Paris Olympia...

 

Whereas the Tiny Desk concert was performed as a trio, this concert features a 5-piece band, Polly accompanied by John Parish, James Johnston, Giovanni Ferrario and Jean-Marc Butty. The wardrobe colour palette is sandstone.

Tenth album I Inside The Old Year Dying is played in it's entirety, in sequence, before ten songs from the back catalogue, beginning with The Colour Of The Earth, taking in Man-Size and To Bring You My Love and ending with White Chalk. Truly astonishing from start to finish.

 

0:57 Prayer At The Gate 

5:40 Autumn Term  

9:13 Lwonesome Tonight  

13:46 Seem An I  

16:56 The Nether-Edge  

20:57 I Inside The Old Year Dying  

23:01 All Souls  

27:38 A Child's Question, August  

31:08 I Inside The Old I Dying  

34:32 August  

37:18 A Child's Question, July  

40:41 A Noiseless Noise

45:00 The Colour Of The Earth 

47:55 The Glorious Land  

51:49 The Words That Maketh Murder  

55:50 The Garden  

1:01:10 The Desperate Kingdom Of Love  

1:04:09 Man-Size  

1:07:30 Dress  

1:11:12 Down By The Water  

1:15:35 To Bring You My Love  

1:23:20 White Chalk 

 

* The original radio broadcast also featured To Send You My Love and C'mon Billy, but both were cut from this release.

 

I Inside The Old Year Dying is available from the usual retail outlets in physical and digital formats and has deservedly featured in many 2023 'best of' lists. A wonderful and unique artist, backed by incredible musicians, releases a brilliant album. No surprise, really.

One of my earliest posts (#18 if you're counting) was a Dubhed selection of various PJ Harvey live performances, spanning 1992 to 2016. For your listening pleasure, you can find it here.

A Lovely Bit Of Squirrel

Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years And A Lovely Bit Of Squirrel aired on Channel 4 last night. Intended as a celebration of the hugely popular sitcom's anniversary, it sadly also became a tribute to actor Paul Ritter, who died on 5th April. Friday Night Dinner ran for six series and 36 episodes plus 1 special, a brilliantly observed comedy with lots of puerile pranks, bizarre behaviour, catchphrases galore (including the inspiration for today's title), laugh out loud moments balanced with moments of pathos and poignancy.

 

It was an emotional 90 minutes, with some classic clips and outtakes, and insights from Robert Popper, who created the show and wrote every single episode, and the cast. Paul Ritter was clearly very ill at this point the interviews were filmed, and it was heartbreaking to see him so unwell but his love and passion for the show shone through. What an incredible and selfless man. The final episode aired in the UK on 1st May 2020, in the early weeks of the first national lockdown and was a welcome salve. The series' availability on streaming services will hopefully ensure that it's popularity and Paul Ritter's comedic brilliance will endure.

Inspired by last night's show, here's a 90 minute sequence of animal related songs, kicking off with the Friday Night Dinner theme and over 21 songs taking you through various musical genres and eventually full circle with a dub-flavoured re-rub of the opening song. As Paul Ritter's character Martin Goodman would frequently exclaim, "Shit on it!"

 

1) Animal (Punks Jump Up Remix): Miike Snow (2009)

2) Animal Magic (Dance Vocal) (Remix By Justin Strauss & Murray Elias): Belouis Some (1987)

3) New Town Animal In A Furnished Cage: XTC (1978)

4) Animals: Talking Heads (1979)

5) How Animals Move: John Parish (2002)

6) We Love Animals (The Love Supreme Remix): Crookers ft. Soulwax & Mixhell (2010)

7) Like An Animal (Album Version): The Glove (1983)

8) March Of The Balloon Animals: Dengue Fever (2009)

9) Animal (New Mix): R.E.M. (2004)

10) Animal Magic (Album Version): The Blow Monkeys (1986)

11) Strangle Your Animal: Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie (1988)

12) Animal Nitrate: Suede (1993)

13) Animals & Men (Album Version): Adam & The Ants (1979)

14) Animal Static (Remix): Grinderman (2007)

15) Party Animal: Luke Vibert & B.J. Cole (2000)

16) Crazy Farm Animal (Single Version): Julian Cope (1989)

17) Do Animals Believe In God?: Pink Military (1980)

18) Strange Animal: Sparks (2008)

19) Animal In The Mirror: Luxuria (1988)

20) Animal Magic: Adrian Sherwood ft. Lee 'Scratch' Perry (2006)

21) Animal (Mark Ronson Extended Dub Remix): Miike Snow (2009)

Animals (1:30:45)

 

Barbed Doll Live 1992-2016

A little under an hour of PJ Harvey brilliance live in concert, for Matt and Stuart.

 

1) I Think I’m A Mother (Live @ Summer Tent Festival, Wiesen, Austria, 19 August 1998)

2) Pocket Knife (Live @ Royal Albert Hall, London, England, 30 October 2011)

3) 50ft Queenie (Live @ Black Session, Paris, France, 14 September 1998)

4) Man-Size (Live @ La Cigale, Paris, France, 05 November 1992)

5) (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (Live @ BRIT Awards, London, England, 14 February 1994) (Björk & PJ Harvey)

6) The Words That Maketh Murder (Live @ Harvest Of Art Festival, Vienna, 08 July 2016)

7) Meet Ze Monsta (Live @ Glastonbury Festival, England, 25 June 2004)

8) The Whores Hustle And The Hustlers Whore (Live @ Big Day Out Festival, Melbourne, Australia, 28 January 2001)

9) You Said Something (Live @ Big Day Out Festival, Melbourne, Australia, 28 January 2001)

10) Good Fortune (Live @ Glastonbury Festival, England, 25 June 2004)

11) Send His Love To Me (Live @ Improv Theatre, London, England, 01 April 1999)

12) C’mon Billy (Live @ State Theatre, Sydney, Australia, 19 January 2012)

13) Teclo (Live @ Improv Theatre, London, England, 01 April 1999)

14) To Bring You My Love (Live @ Glastonbury Festival, England, 25 June 2004)

 

Barbed Doll Live 1992-2016 (56:25) (KF) (Mega)