Rocktrospectiva: The Fantastic "Album" Turns 40

Released on 27 January 1986 "Album" was the 5t., studio album by the English rock band Public Image Ltd. In a departure from their previous releases, John Lydon was advised by trusted music producer Bill Laswell to take on an all-star cast of session and trusted musicians, including Steve Vai, Ginger Baker, Bernie Worrell, Tony Williams, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Malachi Favors of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago. The album spawned two singles "Rise" & "Home".

Most of the songs were written by Lydon with Mark Schulz and Jebin Bruni and registered in September and October 1985, such as "Round and Round (European Cars)", "Fairweather Friend", "Fishing", "Black Rubber Bag", and "Things in Ease". "Fairweather Friend" featured originally music written by Schulz and Bruni. An unrecorded Lydon/Schulz composition "Animal" was registered too. Schulz and PIL tour bassist Bret Helm had previously registered a further (presumably non-PIL, therefore unused) composition called "Cat Rap".

According to John Lydon: "Most of the songs on the 'Album', for instance, were written at home and put onto demonstration tapes. But I didn't think the 1984/85 touring] band were good enough or experienced enough really to, like, record the song properly. And that's why I use session people. And by using session musicians the songs obviously changed – their shape, and not their direction". "I had a live band before recording took place and a lot of material together before going into the studio. But the band was totally inexperienced, they would have put the budget up by an incredible amount. So we decided to use session people". 

The producer Bill Laswell said: "When we did PiL he had put a band together in California of some kids. And I had sort of decided to make a heavy group, so I invited Tony Williams, Ginger Baker, Steve Vai, and all these people came. We fired John's band and there were many nights of really harsh arguing in bars. When the smoke cleared, we made sort of a classic record, an unusual record for the time". 

The music on this record is driving and defiant as anything from PiL’s previous recorded output, and the heavy-rock sound blew plenty of minds on release. Songs are tightly structured, consistent and catchy, and new colours (Afro-Celtic, metal, oriental, there’s even a didgeridoo on the sublime intro to ‘Ease’) are splashed across fresh canvases to reveal another kind of genius.

Also, the production it's certainly of its time, but that doesn’t detract from the superb musicianship, and Lydon is in fine form lyrically and vocally; his trademark caterwauling propels the songs. In fact, the production, performances, and engineering are outstanding, while retaining an air of menace throughout.

Album was a breakthrough hit for PiL, peaking at No.14 in the UK charts and featured perhaps their most famous track of all:  "Rise", a song about South African Apartheid, torture, and Northern Ireland, which reached No.11 in the UK.

 

Album Track List: 

 

1. FFF

2. Rise

3. Fishing

4. Round

5. Bags

6. Home

7. Ease 

Rocktrospectiva: The Raw "This Is What You Want...This Is What you Get Turns 40

 

Released on 6 July 1984, "This Is What You Want...This Is What You Get" was the fourth studio album by English post-punk band Public Image Ltd., the album spawned the singles "Bad Life" & "This Is Not A Love Song", the origins of the record goes back in early November 1982, when the band announced the imminent release of a new single, "Blue Water", and a six-track mini album, "You Are Now Entering a Commercial Zone", on their new label, which was supposed to release the unused music for the film "Copkiller". But this did not happen, with the band instead continuing to record a full-length album at Park South Studios.

 

Back in mid-1983, in PiL's absence, Keith Levene took the unfinished album tapes and did his own mix, he flew over to London and presented them to Richard Branson as the finished new PiL album for Virgin Records: Commercial Zone. On the other hand, John Lydon decided to completely abandon the tapes and re-record the whole album from scratch with session musicians, and this new version of Commercial Zone became This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get in 1984. 

 

The album opened with "Bad Life" the track changed into "Mad Max" so there were two sets of lyrics for the same song, gave it to Keith Levene some writing credit like many of the tracks who were written before he quit, "This Is Not A Love Song" originally titled "Love Song", a sort of rare and response song to that constant request from the label to deliver a hit, in this case why don't you write a love song?, ok, there yoy go but this is not a love song, "Tie Me To The Length Of That", this was about being born, "The Pardon", about people's lack of desire for change, "Where Are You" about not receiving anything no feedback of nothing, "1981" about what John was singing about, this is from 1981, and "The Order Of Death", which is a reference to the film "Copkiller" aka "The Order Of Death", the line "This is what you want..This is what you get" gives the album its title, appears in the film, about this last track, it was supposed the band to score the soundtrack for the Italian crime thriller "Copkiller" from 1983 starring Harvey Keitel, so Lydon, Levene and Atkins work together on this. 

The critical reception was mixed, some critics considered it as a step down from the band's early efforts, called tentative and the least powerful and intense album in PiL's catalogue, even though "This Is Not A Love Song" still stand as a standard for the band. 

 

This Is Want You Want...This Is What You Get Track List: 

1. Bad Life

2. This Is Not A Love Song

3. Solitaire

4. Tie Me To The Length Of That

5. The Pardon

6. Where Are You?

7. 1981

8. The Order Of Death

Primicia: Penge

           

La banda Public Image Ltd. (PIL) vuelve a escena con este potente y estridente single "Penge" que se desprende de lo que será su nueva producción "End Of The World" un video bastante casero a cargo de John Rambo Stevens quien captura a la banda durante las grabaciones e interpretación del tema, recordemos que John Lydon acaba de perder a su esposa Nora.

In Memoriam: Ha Muerto Uno De Los Fundadores De The Clash Y Guitarrista De PIL "Keith Levene" A Los 65 Años

Keith Levene, miembro fundador de The Clash y guitarrista de Public Image Ltd. ha muerto a los 65años, según ha dado a conocer un amigo cercano, Adam Hammond, comentó que Levene falleció el viernes sin causa aun sin conocer, aunque se sabía que venía padeciendo de cáncer de hígado por dos años, aunque su muerte fue inesperada.

 

Levene fue uno de los guitarristas más influyentes de todos los tiempos, junto a Mick Jones formaron The Clash en los 1970s., pero dejó la banda antes de que esta se volviera exitosa y legendaria, entonces pasó a formar parte de Public Image Ltd., junto a John Lydon tras dejar a Sex Pistols. Durante su época con The Clash, tuvo un rol fundamental, ya que persuadió al gran Joe Strummer que dejara su banda, The 101ers., y se uniera a ellos, con PIL, siempre se le acredito el hecho de haber ayudado a desarrollar el sonido post punk del conjunto.

Curiosamente dejó a PIL en 1983, también antes de que el grupo tuviera su éxito a mediados de los 1980s., aunque siguió co-escribiendo temas con la banda, entonces se mudo a Los Ángeles y trabajó con Red Hot Chili Peppers y otros actos hip hop. Acaba de completar un libro sobre PIL co-escrito con Hammond su gran amigo con quien trabajo en la música y lo acompaño en sus últimos momentos, por medio de Twitter le rindió tributo, comentando que era uno de los más innovadores, audaces e influyentes músicos de todos los tiempos. 

Siempre buscando un nuevo paradigma en la música junto a Lydon, Martin Atkins y Jah Wobble durante su época con PIL, su trabajo durante los nueve minutos del track "Theme" el primero del primer álbum de PIL, definió lo que la música alternativa debía ser.

Discos: The Public Image Is Rotten (Songs From The Heart)

Para el próximo mes de Julio, Universal Music lanzará una masiva recopilación para celebrar el 40 aniversario de fundación de la legendaria banda Public Image Ltd., con una serie de hits, rarezas, sesiones de radio, directos, promos, tomas de TV y mucho más.

El box set lleva por nombre "The Public Image Is Rotten (Songs From The Heart) y estará disponible en 5CD+2DVD box set y una colección de 6LP en duro vinilo. El Box Set en CD comienza con un disco que va de los singles de 1978 a 2005, antes de moverse a los B-Sides, las rarezas, a las ya clásicas sesiones con John Peel, el 3er., disco contiene remixes de 12" y el 4to., disco contiene material inédito y mixes, finalmente viene un disco con un directo de Julio de 1989 en el New York Ritz, y finalmente dos DVD para completar el set con mucho contenido incluyendo 21 videos, tomas del Top of the Pops, The Old Grey Whistle Test y dos directos más.

En cuanto al box set de vinilo, este viene con una tarjeta para descarga, que replica una justa cantidad del contenido del CD box set, pero desgraciadamente omite el audio en directo y las Peel Sessions, de momento tiene un precio accesible, si se pre-ordena por Amazon UK a £89, ya que en otros lados esta costando cerca de £120, y decimos libras porque aún no tenemos el dato específico en dólares, podría ser un poco más caro.

Ambos box set incluirán un libreto de 72 paginas, poster, litografías y vendrán empacadas en una moderna y curiosa caja en oro y negro, con forma de corazón. La CD box set saldrá a la venta el próximo 22 de Junio, y el set en vinilo el 20 de Julio de 2018, a continuación el track list.

The Public Image Is Rotten (Songs From The Heart) 5CD+DVD EDITION

Disco 1: Singles 1978-2015

• 1. Public Image
• 2. Death Disco
• 3. Memories
• 4. Flowers of Romance
• 5. This is Not a Love Song
• 6. Bad Life
• 7. Rise
• 8. Home
• 9. Seattle
• 10. The Body
• 11. Disappointed
• 12. Warrior
• 13. Don’t Ask Me
• 14. Cruel
• 15. One Drop
• 16. Reggie Song
• 17. Out of the Woods
• 18. Double Trouble

Disco 2: B-sides, Rarities, Radio Sessions

B-Sides

• 1. The Cowboy Song
• 2. Half Mix / Megga Mix
• 3. Another
• 4. Home is Where the Heart is
• 5. Blue Water
• 6. Question Mark
• 7. Selfish Rubbish
• 8. USLS1
• 9. Turkey Tits

Rarities

• 10. Pied Piper
• 11. Criminal

Radio Sessions

• 12. Poptones (BBC, John Peel Session 1979)
• 13. Careering  (BBC, John Peel Session 1979)
• 14. Chant  (BBC, John Peel Session 1979)
• 15. Cruel  (BBC, Mark Goodier Session 1992)
• 16. Acid Drops (BBC, Mark Goodier Session 1992)
• 17. Love Hope (BBC, Mark Goodier Session 1992)

Disco 3: 12” Mixes and Dance Tracks

• 1. Death Disco (12”)
• 2. This is Not a Love Song (12”)
• 3. Flowers of Romance (instrumental)
• 4. Rise (Bob Clearmountain Mix)
• 5. Seattle (US Remix 12”)
• 6. The Body (US Remix Extended 12”)
• 7. Disappointed (12”)
• 8. Happy (US Remix 12”)
• 9. Warrior (Extended 12” Mix)
• 10. Lollipop Opera (from This is PiL)
• 11. Shoom (from What The World Needs Now…)

Bonus Tracks

• 12. Death Disco (Original Monitor Mix)
• 13. This is Not a Love Song (12” Remix)

Disco 4: Unreleased Mixes and Tracks

• 1.  Annalisa  (“New Mix” – Townhouse 1979)
• 2. Albatross (“Monitor Mix” 1979)
• 3. Careering (Live Paris 1980) (Previously Unreleased)
• 4. Banging The Door (Alternative Mix, Townhouse 1980) (aka The Door)
• 5. Vampire (Unreleased Track – Townhouse 1981)
• 6. Nineteen Eighty One (Original Version, Townhouse 1981)
• 7. Bad Night (Unreleased Track – Park South 1983)
• 8. Things in E (aka Ease) (Alternative Laswell mix 1985)
• 9. Can you Feel the Fours (Unreleased Instrumental – Farmhouse 1987)
• 10. Spy Thriller Open and Revolving (Alternative Mix  – Farmhouse 1987) (aka Spy Thriller)
• 11. Kashmir (Unreleased Renovations Mix 1987) (Instrumental)
• 12. Cajun (Unreleased Bill Laswell Instrumental 1988)
• 13. Worry (“Ruff Mix” – Advision 1988)
• 14. Think Tank (“Outtake” – Eldorado 1991)

Disco 5: Live Concert

Live at New York Ritz July 16th 1989

• 1. Warrior (with intro)
• 2. Happy
• 3. This is Not a Love Song
• 4. Home
• 5. Round
• 6. Brave New World
• 7. Same Old Story
• 8. The Body
• 9. Open and Revolving
• 10. Rise
• 11. Disappointed
• 12. Public Image
• 13. Seattle
• 14. World Destruction

Disco 6: DVD

Promo Videos

• 1. Public Image
• 2. Death Disco
• 3. This is Not a Love Song
• 4. This is Not a Love Song (live in Tokyo)
• 5. Bad Life
• 6. Rise
• 7. Home
• 8. Seattle
• 9. The Body (uncensored)
• 10. Disappointed
• 11. Warrior
• 12. Don’t Ask Me
• 13. Cruel
• 14. Covered
• 15. One Drop
• 16. Reggie Song
• 17. Out of the Woods
• 18. Lollipop Opera (unreleased)
• 19. Double Trouble
• 20. Bettie Page
• 21. The One

Talin, Rock Summer Festival, Estonia, August 26th 1988

(intro)

• 1. Public Image
• 2. FFF
• 3. Seattle
• 4. Home
• 5. Bags
• 6. Rise
• 7. Hard Times
• 8. Religion
• 9. Rules and Regulations
• 10. Angry
• 11. Open and Revolving
• 12. Holidays In The Sun
• 13. The Body
• 14. World Destruction

DVD 2

BBC Archive

• 1. Death Disco – BBC, Top of the Pops 1979
• 2. Poptones and Careering – BBC, Old Grey Whistle Test 1980
• 3. Flowers of Romance – BBC, Top of the Pops 1981
• 4. Rise – BBC, Top of the Pops 1986
• 5. Home and Round – BBC, Old Grey Whistle Test 1986
• 6. Disappointed – The Late Show 1989

Sydney, Enmore Theatre, Australia, April 10th 2013

• 1. Four Enclosed Walls
• 2. Albatross
• 3. Deeper Water
• 4. Memories
• 5. Reggie Song
• 6. Disappointed
• 7. Warrior
• 8. Flowers of Romance
• 9. One Drop
• 10.  Death Disco
• 11. This is Not a Love Song
• 12. Public Image
• 13. Out of the Woods
• 14. Rise
• 15. Open Up

The Public Image Is Rotten (Songs From The Heart) 6LP EDITION  

Record 1: Singles 1978-1989

A

• 1. Public Image
• 2. Death Disco
• 3. Memories
• 4. Flowers of Romance
• 5. This is Not a Love Song
• 6. Bad Life

B

• 1. Rise
• 2. Home
• 3. Seattle
• 4. The Body
• 5. Disappointed

Record 2: Singles 1989-2015

A

• 1. Warrior
• 2. Don’t Ask Me
• 3. Cruel
• 4. One Drop

B

• 1. Reggie Song
• 2. Out of the Woods
• 3. Double Trouble

Record 3: B-sides

A

• B-Sides
• 1. The Cowboy Song
• 2. Half Mix / Megga Mix
• 3. Another
• 4. Home is Where the Heart is

B

• 1. Blue Water
• 2. Question Mark
• 3. Selfish Rubbish
• 4. USLS1
• 5. Turkey Tits

Record 4: 12” Mixes and Dance Tracks

A

• 1. Death Disco (12”)
• 2. This is Not a Love Song (12”)
• 3. Flowers of Romance (instrumental)
• 4. Rise (Bob Clearmountain Mix)

B

• 1. Seattle (US Remix 12”)
• 2. The Body (US Remix Extended 12”)
• 3. Disappointed (12”)

Record 5: 12” Mixes and Dance Tracks

A

• 1. Happy (US Remix 12”)
• 2. Warrior (Extended 12” Mix)
• 3. Lollipop Opera (from This is PiL)

B

• 1. Shoom (from What The World Needs Now…)
• 2. Death Disco (Original Monitor Mix)
• 3. This is Not a Love Song (12” Remix)

Record 6: Unreleased Mixes and Tracks

A

• 1. Annalisa  (“New Mix” – Townhouse 1979)
• 2. Banging The Door (Alternative Mix, Townhouse 1980) (aka The Door)
• 3. Vampire (Unreleased Track – Townhouse 1981)
• 4. Nineteen Eighty One (Original Version, Townhouse 1981)
• 5. Bad Night (Unreleased Track – Park South 1983)

B

• 1. Can you Feel the Fours (Unreleased Instrumental – Farmhouse 1987)
• 2. Spy Thriller Open and Revolving (Alternative Mix  – Farmhouse 1987) (aka Spy Thriller)
• 3. Kashmir (Unreleased Renovations Mix 1987) (Instrumental)
• 4. Cajun (Unreleased Bill Laswell Instrumental 1988)
• 5. Think Tank (“Outtake” – Eldorado 1991)