Dry
by PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey bestography
Dry is ranked 5th best out of 22 albums by PJ Harvey on BestEverAlbums.com.
The best album by PJ Harvey is Let England Shake which is ranked number 278 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 5,945.
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
Listen to Dry on YouTube
Dry track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 80 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Dry rankings
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Dry ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 362 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05/05/2026 17:15 | Steve_Emmett | 119 | 67/100 | |
| 04/13/2026 12:02 | Liks_on_music | 598 | 81/100 | |
| 03/20/2026 16:57 |  jeremy9 | 3,706 | 70/100 | |
| 01/27/2026 15:21 | Jakor | 5,358 | 70/100 | |
| 01/17/2026 15:33 | cicadelic | 12,800 | 73/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album is rated in the top 2% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 78.8/100, a mean average of 78.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 79.0/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.0.
Dry favourites
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Dry comments
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This album has a confrontational quality which makes it pretty unique up to this time, despite its obvious influences (Patti Smith mainly). The vocals are dramatic and powerful, matched by the music which is also very powerful, and that's all three musicians, bass, drums, and guitar. I like the intense nature of their sound, however the quiet/loud dynamic gets a bit overdone. And the album runs out of steam in the final couple of tracks. But still a very good and impactful album overall.
Jboy56 02/22/2022 15:20 | #281746
Dry guitars
Brad1770 11/23/2020 11:20 | #261261
Lifelong PJH fan here and ‘Dry’ is where it’s at for me , the debut ground floor entry for an amazing catalogue and here’s why
I simply love the guitars on this release from the driving “O Stella” to the classic “Sheela-na-gig “ and driving “Dress” the licks are on point and get me every time then throw in a bunch of weird sexualised lyrics and you’ve got an intoxicating mix
Polly may have released better albums that sold more copies and won more awards but for me nothing she’s done beats ‘Dry’ for shear brilliance and genuine X Factor lasting the test of time
Footnote:
I only realised recently that lyrically “Dress” has an uncanny resemblance to Pixies “Cactus “ off ‘Surfer Rosa’ , try and tell me I’m wrong because I know I’m not
Favorite Tracks:Happy And Bleeding
planetneutral 01/07/2018 22:28 | #204925
I'm concerned that I'm starting to present as misogynistic, as this is another female-powered album that eludes me on first listen.
Great debut. Comparable to a roar from the heavens.
Raw and uncompromising. Dry, the debut album from PJ Harvey, is a fantastically fresh and exciting record full of gritty rock'n'roll. Great songs throughout from an LP that is still one of Harvey's best. This is what it's all about.
Brave debut!! RAW!
Dress and Oh my lover are my fav tracks!
Tamthebam 01/09/2015 10:08 | #131118
A great debut Side 2 (6-11)is better than Side 1 this was one of the last L.P.'s I bought on vinyl and it still sounds great. She went on to bigger and better things but this album is still special for me. Best Tacks - Sheela ....,Hair and O Stella. Oh My Lover, Fountain & Plants & Rags are also good.
Cracking debut. Chaotic and all the better for that. Raw and soul.
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