Chant. chant. chant. chant. chant. The Public Image Ltd. album-by-album thread.

I got a copy as a young pup way back in 1983-84, perhaps the last copy in stock at one of the only Canuck outlets then doing mailorder imports. Really put a dent in my meagre adolescent funds, but it was worth it for the cool package alone.

Anyway, I was already familiar with Flowers of Romance, and this was positively commercial compared to that. Loved it from the get-go, esp "Albatross", "The Suit", "Poptones", and the "suite" on Side 6. All that pulsing bass! I'd read an interview with Lydon beforehand where he was talking about the sonic benefits of 12" 45's and how into hi-fi he was, and this set was a good introduction to what he was talking about.

 

All that money spent on putting out a great sounding release, and they picked the most obnoxious packaging they could think of!

I've always wished that an audiophile company would put out a remastered version of Metal Box, though. I can't even imagine how good they could make it sound.

Still, I'm getting the new 3CD edition (and Plastic Box... 40.00 total!!) in the mail tomorrow, so hopefully it sounds good.

 

It might have been kind of obnoxious as far as fancy packages go (although it didn't actively damage the records, unlike the zipper on Sticky Fingers), but what the heck. It looked cool and felt good in hand. After all, hey, a film can! Alas I think the contents of mine might be in iffy shape now, but it's in storage 3000 clicks away...

 

A few more pics from my meager collection:

 

I feel like "Reb" here with all the pics. I always thought PIL were so "visual", maybe it's just me. A few more...

 

Paris au Printemps, also known as Paris in the Spring



Released on 14 November 1980 in the UK on Virgin Records, and, of course, has never been released in America.
Lineup: John Lydon/Vocals, Jah Wobble/Bass, Keith Levene/Guitar, Martin Atkins/Drums.
Produced by: Public Image Ltd.

Tracklisting:

A1 Theme
A2 Psalmodie
A3 Precipitamment

B1 Sale Bebe
B2 La Vie Ignoble
B3 Attaque
B4 Timbres de Pop

I'll have my thoughts up in a bit. Why hasn't this ever been released in the US? Why doesn't Rhino put out a nice boxset of the first three albums and two live albums?

 

I bought this when it came out, and wasn't too impressed, although the sound quality was much better than the boots floating around at the time. I mainly remember John's between-song comments were most entertaining, as they were on the Sex Pistols USA mini-tour. A friend of mine had all the lp boots of the USA SP shows, and let me borrow them. I taped all the between-song banter onto a cassette, still have it somewhere. It's not too long, maybe a few minutes total, but boy is it hilarious. John, Steve & Sid really let the audiences have it, very funny stuff.

Sorry, I got off-track.... oh yeah - Paris. I have the Virgin cd, I'll give it a spin and report back, I may feel different now about this album.

You do know that John painted the cover, and Jeanette Lee, who was to play an important part in the next studio album, <which I HATE> is pictured on it along with Keith and John...

The track listing in English :

1. Theme
2. Chant
3. Careering
4. Bad Baby
5. Low Life
6. Attack
7. Poptones

This was is it for me with PIL - they had some good tracks here and there, I saw them live again in Atlanta at the Agora sans Wobble but Levene was still there on guitar - OK show but not even in the same league as the 1st show w/ Wobble.
I never missed an opportunity to record anything John did on TV though, someday I'll compile all the many tv spots I have on VHS onto a single dvd-r. Always entertaining and challenging.
Anyone remember "Rotten TV" ?

Anyway, I'll be pretty much be bowing out when we get to the next album, "Flowers Of Romance", but I'll chime in if we get as far as "Plastic Box", the various dvds, etc.

later - John

 

this was actually the first PIL album I ever heard in full, but I don't have it anymore and haven't heard it in a long time. interested to know if it's worth revisiting, I got metal box shortly afterward; it must have been good enough to make me want to hear more.

 

I like it. I just wish that the song selection was a bit different... I'd rather have live versions of "Death Disco", "Annalisa", and "Memories" than "Bad Baby" or "Attack".

It's much, much better than Live in Tokyo, and I love how raw it sounds. I don't believe that any overdubs were done or anything.

 

When was the last time you listened to Flowers? I'll agree that it's certainly got flaws but it's worth devoting the time to.

I like how the first three albums kind of form a trilogy... "First Issue" is centered on Levene's guitar work, "Metal Box" is all Wobble, and "Flowers" is all drums. More on this in a few days...

 

OK, "Under The House" isn't bad...


Getting back to the "Live In Paris" album. I'm listening to the Virgin cd now, and I have to say, I love it! You have to remember that it's been nearly 30 years <OMFG!> since this came out. At that time, there was an ocean of very good music out, my listening time was divided in so many ways. I may have given this one a pass since it was "just" a live album. My vinyl copy has been long gone, but a few years ago I was on a PIL kick and picked up a cd copy on the net for a few bucks and filed it away. Glad I did. This is really good.
By the way, how do you like Wobble's pre-song intro basslines for the Stone's "Satisfaction" and The Who's "My Generation" before they kick into "Bad baby"? Hah! I'd forgotten all about this...

 

The version of "Poptones" on this album is very, very good. Damn. Thanks to this thread and Evan for creating it. You know that John is probably reading this, by the way?
That mention on the excellent Fodderstompf website sealed it.
C'mon, John, chime in already! Well, I could be wrong, but I may be right....

 

The thread has also been linked to on the God Save the Sex Pistols forum as well.

The only version of "Paris" that I own is a fairly beat up UK pressing that I randomly found at a store around here. I've been meaning to import a copy of the CD from the UK, but why should I have to do that?

It just blows my mind that Warner Bros and Virgin just don't seem to want to make any sort of money off of these albums.

"First Issue", "Paris" and "Live in Tokyo" have never been released in America in any configuration. "This is What You Want" has never been released on CD in America and the UK version is shoddy. The UK "Flowers" is good and has bonus tracks but the American release is shoddy. "Happy?" and "9" are out of print worldwide, and "That What is Not" is out of print in America.

As glad as I am to have them released, the 30th anniversary edition of "Metal Box" and the reissued "Plastic Box" are blatant cash-ins by Virgin on a tour that they aren't supporting in any form.

I just think it's kind of disgusting that even though it's 2009 these albums still haven't received the treatment that they deserve.

 

It probably all comes down to the $, as it always does. Evidently the "Second Issue" lp probably didn't make much money, and the powers that be couldn't get into Pil or John's vocals, who knows? At this point it will never happen, imho. Unless Pil tour over here in the USA next year and make a mark, the reissues you speak of will never happen. The remake/remodel of "First Issue", which the very existence is debatable, would never happen without Keith Levene and Jah Wobble's approval anyway. I saw that Ebay auction where that USA acetate sold for umpteen bucks, but who knows how much of it was actually re-recorded? My guess is major remixes, it seems "Fodderstompf" was remade, but released as the b-side of the "Memories" 12" as the 1/2 mix, or whatever it was called. I seriously doubt a lot of work went into this supposed "remake" of "First Issue". Whew!

 

That's all very true.

 

I know I scanned/dl'd the lp labels of that acetate of the USA version of "First Issue", but damn if I can find them on my hardrives. It went for like $600 or so, remember? I wanted to see if those labels had running times. It was a test pressing, if I recall. I know Fodderstompf had a bit about it, but damn if I can find it now there either. Maybe it was all a big hoax?
I've tried about 8 different searches on this forum < searching for PIL is a bitch - PIL or Public Image, etc... on the net or Ebay, they turn up on both>, where I'm almost positive someone or myself posted them, as this was BIG news, but nada. Very strange. Maybe I just dreamed it. My dreams are quite bizarre.....

 

It's archived on popsike here.

Religion I is listed as being 20 seconds shorter on the acetate but the rest looks the same. I wish that there was some sort of followup by the buyer.

Anyways, I'm getting the reissues of the two "Boxes" in the mail today. I'll post some waveforms and samples from "Metal Box" if you all want me to. Either way, it's a fantastic deal on Amazon UK... I got both sets (seven discs) for 40.00 total. Just a little more than one of the new concert CDs.

 

Judging from a couple of the pics upstream it looks like John Lydon is a Tannoy user. Always a sign of taste IMO

Tony.

 

Thanks again for the great pics, some of which I've never seen. Who's the blond chap in the last two pics?

Doug

 

I enjoyed it, too. The LP SQ was awesome (I write "was" because I haven't listened to it for a long time, don't have a decent turntable at present, and don't know if my copy is still in good shape).

And, I too enjoyed Lydon's between-song banter almost as much as the music.

Doug

 

I'm pretty sure that's Martin Atkins.

 

I only have Paris Au Printemps on vinyl and it's languishing in my mother's basement. I haven't listened to it in years. I enjoyed it but my memory of it is that it didn't really unseat the originals from Second Edition. My strongest memory of it is the stage banter/threat to walk off.

Interesting way to look at it but I don't know if I buy the first two parts. I'm admittedly nowhere as familiar with First Issue as I am of Metal Box. Flowers is very obviously all about drums.

 

Just got my package from Amazon UK in the mail...

The new "Metal Box" looks great! The CD labels reproduce the labels of the original vinyl and the info sheet is an actual reproduction of the original this time. It's a pain to get the three discs out, but that's to be expected. Virgin made a pretty careless mistake, though... Unlike every other release of this album, they messed up the PiL logo on the can. On this new release, the P, L and the ring around the logo are recessed into the can while the I is raised up. It's pretty much a negative of what the original was.

The packaging of Plastic Box is also radically different... the plastic slipcase, foil text and logo printed on the case, and the thick booklet full of photos are gone. This one is just a normal fatboy case with the text and logo printed in gray on tray cards with a smaller, four or six page booklet inside that contains just the interview from the original and none of the photos or memorabilia.

Still, for 20.00 each, I'm not complaining.

 

Was this new version of Metal Box in the tin remastered or anything compared to the last CD version in the tin?

 

Yes it is, and it's spread over three discs to mimic the original release. I'm in the middle of ripping it, so I can't comment on sound yet.

It's kind of funny that Virgin messed up the embossing of the logo on the can, since they did everything else right: they included the right info sheet, included paper separators, and even put a reproduction of the original sticker on the bottom of the can (except this one says MTLCD 3).