PJ Harvey’s 'Let England Shake' is getting a vinyl reissue

PJ Harvey’s eighth studio album, ‘Let England Shake’, is being reissued on vinyl next month.

The record, which was originally released in 2011, will be reissued alongside a separate collection of unreleased demos which will be available on CD, vinyl and digital via UMC/Island on January 28.

Written over a two and half year period and recorded in five weeks at a church in Dorset over April and May 2010, Harvey drew inspiration from the likes of Harold Pinter, Francisco de Goya, the first world war poets, Ari Folman and The Doors.

The album also found Harvey researching the history of conflict and searching for modern-day testimonies from civilians and soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

‘Let England Shake’ took home the 2011 Mercury Music Prize, and won Album of the Year at the Ivor Novello Awards. It entered the UK album chart at number eight and was certified Gold for shipment of over 100,000 units.

Set to be released on January 28, you can pre-order the reissue here and the demos here.

‘Let England Shake’ reissue tracklist:

Side 1
‘Let England Shake’
‘The Last Living Rose’
‘The Glorious Land’
‘The Words That Maketh Murder’
‘All And Everyone’
‘On Battleship Hill’

Side 2
‘England’
‘In The Dark Places’
‘Bitter Branches’
‘Hanging In The Wire’
‘Written On The Forehead’
‘The Colour Of The Earth’

‘Let England Shake’ demos tracklist:

Side 1
‘Let England Shake’ – Demo
‘The Last Living Rose’ – Demo
‘The Glorious Land’ – Demo
‘The Words That Maketh Murder’ – Demo
‘All And Everyone’ – Demo
‘On Battleship Hill’ – Demo

Side 2:
‘England’ – Demo
‘In The Dark Places’ – Demo
‘Bitter Branches’ – Demo
‘Hanging In The Wire’ – Demo
‘Written On The Forehead’ – Demo
‘The Colour Of The Earth’ – Demo

This latest releases comes as part of Harvey’s vinyl reissue campaign.

The celebrated artist’s discography is the subject of a comprehensive reissue campaign by UMC/Island and Beggars, who are aiming to “celebrate every aspect of Harvey’s recording career and afford a comprehensive and exciting look at the evolution of one of the most singular and extraordinary artists of modern times”.

Harvey’s second collaborative album with John Parish, ‘A Woman A Man Walked By’ – which was first released on March 30, 2009 – was the last album in her discography to be reissued on July 23.

Previous vinyl reissues from PJ Harvey have included ‘Dry’, ‘Rid Of Me’, ‘To Bring Your Love’, ‘Stories From The City’ and ‘Is This Desire?’.

Last month, PJ Harvey announced a new narrative poem titled Orlam.

The singer-songwriter wrote on her official website that the book is “the product of six years’ intense writing”, confirming a publication date of April 28, 2022. You can pre-order it from here.