PJ Harvey- "Memphis" (unreleased track)

 Another in my series of great songs by my favorite artists, songs not on any of their albums and unavailable on Spotify. This month - PJ Harvey's "Memphis" -available, as I remember, only on a rare Japanese pressing of Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, my second favorite Harvey album. An ode to the great Jeff Buckley, her "beautiful friend" who "died suddenly / at a wonderful age," it's haunting, rocking, pure great Harvey.

PJ - I love you, what's with the damned poetry book!? Stop hanging out with conceptual (yawn) artists and get back to the thing that makes life bearable for those in your sway -your goddamned wondrous music.

I've loved PJ Harvey ever since requesting "Water" on Princeton radio back in 1991-ish. I saw her live at Irving Plaza for the "To Bring You My Love" tour circa 1996. She only played songs from that album, more or less, and didn't play guitar, for some dumb reason, until the end. But whatever... she's a rock god AND a rock goddess. If she could look past all that hackneyed contemporary art nonsense her Brit pals fill her head with, oh what a beautiful fire she could make.

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