Yes, that's right. Rid of Me has to be one of the hardest-rocking, most kick-ass, most anti-pop records I've ever heard. It is an absolute masterpiece of bile and anger, violence and hate. It's so extreme that it feels less like a rock album than a volcanic exorcism of personal demons. Rarely have I heard so much rage and power harnessed onto tape. It is truly exhilarating.

Rid of Me is PJ Harvey's second album, released just a year after her critically acclaimed 1992 debut Dry. Whereas Dry sounded naïve, youthful and almost innocent, the follow-up has a much harder edge to it. The sound is brutally raw, the lyrics are more bitter and wise, the anger is sharper and more pointed. It's a more thrillingly extreme affair all round. Steve Albini's in-your-room production is absolutely perfect for bringing out this nasty side of PJ. He's worked with Pixies and Nirvana; in an interview at the time, PJ explained that she wanted Albini to record them like a live band, so that you could feel the instruments pounding away before you with every hacking guitar riff and thunderous drum kick.

The shocking title track is a Fatal Attraction-style revenge fantasy about a scorned, obsessed lover tormenting her old flame. It starts slowly as a barely audible whisper before exploding into noise at the chorus ("Don't you wish you never never met her!") and building to an unforgettable climax of "Lick my legs I'm on fire, lick my legs I'm desire"), repeated over and over like an unholy mantra. 50Ft Queenie is a sneering, mocking cock-rock parody with a laugh-out-loud chorus of "Hey I'm the king of the world, you oughta hear my song/You come and measure me, I'm 20 inches long". The shrieking two-minute explosion of Snake tells the story of Adam and Eve from a fierce new perspective. Me Jane is a domestic spat between Tarzan and his ladylove, complete with animal whoops, manic guitar riffage and some of the most exciting drumming in recent rock history. Man-Size refers to sodomy, iron knickers and setting fire to her hair. Legs is about cutting someone's legs off. Need I continue?

Musically, the main reference points this time around seem to be punk, blues and Sixties/Seventies classic rock like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan (whose standard Highway 61 Revisited is covered here in jaw-dropping style). PJ's screaming vocals are unforgettable, morphing from man to woman to animal; her guitar playing has a ferocious intensity matched only by Steven Vaughan's thudding five-string basslines and Rob Ellis' astonishing drumwork (he bashes those cymbals harder than any other drummer around). And in the song Missed, there is one beautiful moment of tenderness amid the fury.

Rid of Me is a crucial purchase for anyone who wants to know anything about hard rock. It may freak you out at first, but give it time and you'll grow to love its crazy heart.

This is the blues! The blues plugged straight back into the electrifying jolt of it's originators, by-passing the soulless, staid, and indulgent meanderings of Clapton and his ilk. The blues made vital again.
Produced by underground hero Steve Alibini, who would later produce Nirvana' 'In Utero', Polly's voice and the guitars are pushed right to the front of the mix in a feral howl. The guitar parts are superb, the slide playing in particular used to strking effect as it had been decades earlier by Elmore James.
The music, all anguish, heartache and obsession, is for the most part echoed by the lyrics, but there's also a dark humour at work here, which too often goes ignored in (male) critics rush to stereotype PJ as the hysterical woman.
Purely and simply a fantastic album, and one that reclaimed a legacy for too long despoiled.

This is currently my favourite PJ Harvey album, though I think that says more about my current state of mind than the consistently high quality of all of Polly's recordings, my advice is to buy them all really. I think the line "I might as well be dead, but I could kill you instead" sums up Rid Of Me to me, the fine line between unbearable heartbreak and murderous hatred. This is music which is equally enjoyable whilst viciously stabbing pins into a voodoo doll, or exhaustedly crying yourself to sleep again. Polly understands the fine line between love and hate; "Did I tell you you're divine?" and "you snake, you dog, you flithy liar". This is frankly an essential album for anyone who has ever been hurt, in other words an essential album for everybody. Buy this, you will not regret it

OMG this album scared me when I heard it recently, on going through to discover what exactly PJ Harvey is (if anyone can say). This is as different as can be from the semi pop tones of Stories of the City. It's kind of scary, angry but very sad with a lot of undeniable truths there and matched with a lot of hard rock/punk music being bashed out and some deliberate screaching, shouting, synthed vocals that really confuse you as you can't fit it into your understanding memory slot easily. It really scared the pants off me, probably as it took me by surprise. I do feel kind of tired just listening to it, exhausted myself from the energy. I can't think of many comparrisons but musically Nirvana style really strikes me and maybe the Cranberries as it was early 90s with more blatant sexual references - inadequacies, needs, in there. It doesn't rhyme, there isn't an obvious pattern, it isn't even in tune and goes from deafening to can't hear it but god, this is uncompromising, original work. I'm not sure if I like it, but it's undeniably challenging, amazing stuff!

This is P J Harvey's finest hour. From the opening shrieks of "lick my legs of desire" through to the warped tones of "Ecstasy", this is what West Country music should be. No-one should ever question Polly Harvey's genius with this as a basis. Absolutely amazing, whilst being scary at the same time. Wonderful. Enough said.