PJ Harvey in concert from The Paradise, Boston – December 9, 2000 – WBCN-FM, Boston – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
Taking a break this weekend from our Rock Without Borders showcase for some PJ Harvey in concert tonight. Recorded live at The Paradise in Boston on December 9, 2000 by radio station WBCN-FM. This concert was part of the Stories From The City – Stories From The Sea tour, marking the release of her fifth album.
In early 2000, Harvey began work on her fifth studio album Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea with Rob Ellis and Mick Harvey. Written in her native Dorset, Paris and New York, the album showcased a more mainstream indie rock and pop rock sound to her previous albums and the lyrics followed themes of love that tied into Harvey’s affection for New York City. The album also featured Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke on three tracks, including his lead vocals on “This Mess We’re in.” Upon its release in October 2000 the album was a critical and commercial success, selling over one million copies worldwide and charting in both the United Kingdom and the United States. The album’s three singles—”Good Fortune”, “A Place Called Home” and “This Is Love”— were moderately successful.
The album also received a number of accolades including a BRIT Award nomination for Best Female Artist and two Grammy Award nominations for Best Rock Album and Best Female Rock Performance for the album’s third single, “This Is Love”. However, most notably, Harvey was nominated for, and won, the 2001 Mercury Music Prize. The awards ceremony was held on the same day as the September 11 attacks on the United States and Harvey was on tour in Washington, D.C., one of the affected cities, when she won the prize. Reflecting on the win in 2011, she said: “quite naturally I look back at that and only remember the events that were taking place across the world and to win the prize on that day—it didn’t have much importance in the grand scheme of things”, noting “it was a very surreal day”. The same year, Harvey also topped a readers’ poll conducted by Q Magazine of the 100 Greatest Women in Rock Music.
And here’s what December 2000 sounded like in Boston. Crank it up.
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