Dance Hall at Louse Point
Encyclopedia
Dance Hall at Louse Point is a 1996 album by John Parish
and Polly Jean Harvey
. Parish wrote and played the music, while Harvey sang vocals and wrote the lyrics. The pair had been musical collaborators for several years before making this album together – as a teenager growing up in rural England, Harvey contributed saxophone, guitar and backing vocals to Parish’s band Automatic Dlamini before forming her own band in 1991. Parish later served as co-producer, guitarist, percussionist and keyboard player on Harvey’s 1995 album To Bring You My Love
, and would also feature heavily on her 1998 album Is This Desire?
.
The album was viewed by many PJ Harvey fans as a minor side project – perhaps due to the top billing accorded the more obscure Parish and her own accreditation as Polly Jean Harvey rather than the more widely-recognised PJ Harvey name – and consequently it sold more poorly than any of her solo releases, entering the UK
charts at #46 and barely denting the U.S.
Billboard charts at #178. It yielded only one single, "That Was My Veil", which spent a week at #75 in the UK charts. Harvey later admitted that she left all promotional duties for the record to Parish because she was exhausted following a year of intense promotional activity for her own To Bring You My Love
album in 1995. Reportedly, bosses at Harvey’s Island Records
label feared the avant-garde venture was “commercial suicide”, despite it winning generally positive reviews: Entertainment Weekly
opined, “This is 'deep' music in every sense; total immersion is recommended”, Musician reckoned “The results are as engaging as they are disturbing....full of strange moves and unusual textures”, Logo felt it was “thrillingly sinister”, while Q magazine praised its “polecat scat and brooding rural blues", adding that it felt "more a series of themes and word paintings.”
Speaking about the album to NME
in 1998, Harvey explained "I just really wanted to learn different things, and a lot of learning comes from working with other people. I tend to place more importance on lyric writing than music, and I wanted to somehow bring the music to a similar level with that, but I didn’t feel confident in myself as a musician to do it. I know John can write demanding and intellectual music, much more than mine, which is very simple. So it was really just to test my lyric writing." In 2001 she told Chicago Sun-Times
, "People don't even count that, yet that's the record I'm really proud of. It was an enormous turning point. Lyrically, it moved me into areas I'd never been to before. Faced with John's music, which is so different to my own, it just made me write lyrics in a very different way and structure songs in a different way."
Parish and Harvey did a brief UK club tour with the Mark Bruce Dance Company in early 1997, performing the album’s experimental songs with a group of interpretive ballet dancers onstage.
As of March 2009 the album as sold 47,162 according to nielsen soundscan.
John Parish
John Parish is a British musician and producer best known for his work with singer and songwriter PJ Harvey,. His sister is the actress Sarah Parish.-Partial discography:Solo*Rosie *How Animals Move...
and Polly Jean Harvey
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
. Parish wrote and played the music, while Harvey sang vocals and wrote the lyrics. The pair had been musical collaborators for several years before making this album together – as a teenager growing up in rural England, Harvey contributed saxophone, guitar and backing vocals to Parish’s band Automatic Dlamini before forming her own band in 1991. Parish later served as co-producer, guitarist, percussionist and keyboard player on Harvey’s 1995 album To Bring You My Love
To Bring You My Love
To Bring You My Love is the third studio album by British musician and singer-songwriter PJ Harvey. It was released by Island Records in February 1995. Recorded after the break-up of the PJ Harvey trio it stands as her first proper solo album...
, and would also feature heavily on her 1998 album Is This Desire?
Is This Desire?
Is This Desire? is a 1998 album by British singer-songwriter PJ Harvey.Recorded on and off in Dorset and London between April 1997 and April 1998, it was co-produced by Flood, Head and Harvey herself, and featured instrumental contributions from Rob Ellis, John Parish, Mick Harvey, Eric Drew...
.
The album was viewed by many PJ Harvey fans as a minor side project – perhaps due to the top billing accorded the more obscure Parish and her own accreditation as Polly Jean Harvey rather than the more widely-recognised PJ Harvey name – and consequently it sold more poorly than any of her solo releases, entering the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
charts at #46 and barely denting the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard charts at #178. It yielded only one single, "That Was My Veil", which spent a week at #75 in the UK charts. Harvey later admitted that she left all promotional duties for the record to Parish because she was exhausted following a year of intense promotional activity for her own To Bring You My Love
To Bring You My Love
To Bring You My Love is the third studio album by British musician and singer-songwriter PJ Harvey. It was released by Island Records in February 1995. Recorded after the break-up of the PJ Harvey trio it stands as her first proper solo album...
album in 1995. Reportedly, bosses at Harvey’s Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
label feared the avant-garde venture was “commercial suicide”, despite it winning generally positive reviews: Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
opined, “This is 'deep' music in every sense; total immersion is recommended”, Musician reckoned “The results are as engaging as they are disturbing....full of strange moves and unusual textures”, Logo felt it was “thrillingly sinister”, while Q magazine praised its “polecat scat and brooding rural blues", adding that it felt "more a series of themes and word paintings.”
Speaking about the album to NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
in 1998, Harvey explained "I just really wanted to learn different things, and a lot of learning comes from working with other people. I tend to place more importance on lyric writing than music, and I wanted to somehow bring the music to a similar level with that, but I didn’t feel confident in myself as a musician to do it. I know John can write demanding and intellectual music, much more than mine, which is very simple. So it was really just to test my lyric writing." In 2001 she told Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, "People don't even count that, yet that's the record I'm really proud of. It was an enormous turning point. Lyrically, it moved me into areas I'd never been to before. Faced with John's music, which is so different to my own, it just made me write lyrics in a very different way and structure songs in a different way."
Parish and Harvey did a brief UK club tour with the Mark Bruce Dance Company in early 1997, performing the album’s experimental songs with a group of interpretive ballet dancers onstage.
Track listing
All tracks composed by PJ Harvey and John Parish; except where indicated- "Girl" – 1:29
- "Rope Bridge Crossing" – 5:10
- "City of No Sun" – 2:14
- "That Was My Veil" – 3:01
- "Urn with Dead Flowers in a Drained Pool" – 3:03
- "Civil War Correspondent" – 4:23
- "Taut" – 3:15
- "Un Cercle Autour du Soleil" – 5:07
- "Heela" – 3:19
- "Is That All There Is?Is That All There Is?"Is That All There Is?" is a song written by American songwriting team Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller during the 1960s. It became a hit for American singer Peggy Lee from her recording in November 1969...
" (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) – 5:11 - "Dance Hall at Louse Point" – 2:10
- "Lost Fun Zone" – 1:27
Personnel
- John Dent – Mastering
- Mick HarveyMick HarveyMichael John Harvey , is an Australian rock musician, composer, arranger and record producer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with the singer and songwriter Nick Cave...
– Organ, Bass, Guitar, Bass (Electric), Producer - PJ Harvey – Producer, Performer
- John Parish – Producer, Engineer
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Billboard 200 | 178 |
As of March 2009 the album as sold 47,162 according to nielsen soundscan.