''Public Image: First Issue'' is the debut studio album by English rock band
Public Image Ltd
Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and dr ...
, released in 1978 by record label
Virgin
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
.
It is considered one of the pioneering records in the development of
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...
.
Recording
"Public Image"
"
Public Image", the debut single, was recorded first. Recording started on a Monday in mid-July 1978 (most probably 10 or 17 July) at Advision Studios with engineer
John Leckie
John William Leckie (born 23 October 1949) is an English record producer and recording engineer. His production credits include Magazine's ''Real Life'' (1978), XTC's ''White Music'' (1978) and Dukes of Stratosphear's '' 25 O'Clock'' (1985), t ...
and assistant engineer
Kenneth Vaughan Thomas. For mixing and overdubs, the band then went into
Wessex Studios
Wessex Sound Studios was a recording studio located at 106a Highbury New Park, London, England. Many renowned popular music artists recorded there, including Sex Pistols, King Crimson, the Clash, Theatre of Hate, XTC, the Sinceros, Queen, Talk Tal ...
with engineer
Bill Price and assistant engineer Jeremy Green.
*John Leckie (engineer, 2003): "I
..came down Monday morning from
The Manor after a few hours sleep to Advision Studios, a studio I hadn't worked in before
..I engineered the session
..Keith Levene took the multi-track tape home that night and came in the next day having forgotten it and accused me of stealing it! The track was pretty much a live take with Levene's guitar double-tracked.
John Lydon
John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and aga ...
did his vocal through a
Space Echo
The Roland RE-201 Space Echo is an audio effects unit that produces delay and reverb effects. It was produced by Roland Corporation from 1974 to 1990. Roland produced several smaller versions in later years.
Background
A tape echo device reco ...
, dub-style. I did a rough mix and went home. The next day the band never showed up and my rough mix was the record. I got no credit but
Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields.
Branson expressed ...
did give me £250! It wasn't stressful, just a lot of fun!"
*Bill Price (engineer, 2008): "They'd recorded it and he wasn't quite happy, so he came to me to mix and do overdubs. Johnny was nominally in charge but he would look over his shoulder and ask
Jah
Jah or Yah ( he, , ''Yāh'') is a short form of (YHWH), the four letters that form the tetragrammaton, the personal name of God: Yahweh, which the ancient Israelites used. The conventional Christian English pronunciation of ''Jah'' is , even th ...
'Is this the right direction?'"
On Saturday, 22 July 1978, the music press reported that the band had been in the recording studio; the following week, Virgin Records announced that PiL's debut single would be released on 8 September 1978.
"Theme", "Religion", "Annalisa"
The entire first side of the record was recorded in the autumn of 1978 at
Townhouse Studios
The Town House (also known as Townhouse Studios) was a recording studio located at 150 Goldhawk Road, Shepherd's Bush in London, built in 1978 under the direction of Richard Branson for Virgin Records. The studios changed ownership and eventuall ...
and The Manor Studio with engineer
Mick Glossop
Mick Glossop is an English record producer and recording engineer. In 2009, he was awarded a Visiting Professorship at Leeds College of Music.
Glossop was initially known for recording and producing for New wave music, new wave and Punk rock, pu ...
.
"Low Life", "Attack", "Fodderstompf"
The last three songs on the second side were recorded at
Gooseberry Sound Studios
Gooseberry Sound Studios, also known as just Gooseberry Studios, were recording studios at 19 Gerrard Street, Chinatown, London, located in a cellar underneath a dental practice.
The studio was owned by Peter Houghton and was known in its earl ...
, a cheap reggae studio used because the band had run out of money, with engineer Mark Lusardi and assistant engineer Jon Caffery. Lydon knew the studio from the recording of
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
demos in January 1977.
By late September 1978, the recording of the album was finished. The band had briefly considered including an alternative version of "Public Image" with different lyrics on the album, a plan that was finally rejected.
[Chris Brazier: ''"The Danceable Solution"'' ('']Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'', 28 October 1978)
In November or December 1978, Wobble and Levene returned to Gooseberry Sound Studios to record a 12-inch EP, ''Steel Leg V. the Electric Dread'', with guest vocalists Vince Bracken and
Don Letts
Donovan "Don" Letts (born 10 January 1956) is a British film director, disc jockey (DJ) and musician. Letts first came to prominence as the videographer for the Clash, directing several of their music videos. In 1984, Letts co-founded the band B ...
.
Final mix of the album
For the final mix of the album tracks, the band returned to Townhouse Studios with Glossop, who remembers: "I do remember working on those other three
ooseberry Studiotracks, but I can't remember exactly what I did – probably mixing."
Content
"Theme":
*John Lydon (1978): "Didn't you ever have that feeling when you get up with a hangover, and you look at the world and think 'Count me out, I'd rather die!'?"
*Keith Levene (2001): "'Theme' came together because Wobble had this bassline and there was
Jim
Jim or JIM may refer to:
* Jim (given name), a given name
* Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James
* Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy
* OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism
* ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring
* ''Jim ...
playing and me doing that, and I fucking got it off on the first go. By the time we recorded it, which was probably the third time we played it, that was where it was at. It went down well in gigs and we loved the tune. John made the lyrics up as he went along or he had them stashed secretly
..He came up with a lot of stuff just perfectly, like what he did with 'Theme'. He did it the first time and it was perfect."
[Jason Gross: ''"Keith Levene Interview by Jason Gross, Part 2 of 4"'' (''Perfect Sound Forever'' website, May 2001)]
"Religion I":
*Keith Levene (2001): "Putting 'Religion' on the album with just vocals, I just did that as a producer. I thought that this had to be done so I said 'Run it off, John' and I just recorded it. That was a cool idea."
"Religion II":
*Sid Vicious (1978): On new songs: "Yeah, we've got one about God, and it's a real attack. It is a real attack. And it's played to the
Death March
A death march is a forced march of prisoners of war or other captives or deportees in which individuals are left to die along the way. It is distinguished in this way from simple prisoner transport via foot march. Article 19 of the Geneva Convent ...
."
*John Lydon (1978/89/92/94): "A putdown of what they have made religion into. I started writing that song in the States." "When I showed Sid,
Paul
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
and
Steve
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
the lyrics to 'Religion' on the bus, their only response was 'Whoa!'
..We had a very long wait at the
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
gig when we got there very early. I wanted them to listen to what I was doing, but they wouldn't have it under any circumstances. I knew it was over with Steve and
Paul
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
from that point onward". "There's one picture from America where we're all sitting on the stage, and Sid's got the bass and I'm pointing, and
Steve
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
's sitting behind. That was 'Religion', and they wouldn't touch it: 'It's vile, can't do that, people won't like us', haha!" "
Malcolm
Malcolm, Malcom, Máel Coluim, or Maol Choluim may refer to:
People
* Malcolm (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters
* Clan Malcolm
* Maol Choluim de Innerpeffray, 14th-century bishop-elect of Dunkeld
Nobility
* Máe ...
said 'Ooh no, that's bad for the image, can't do things like that!'"
*Joe Stevens (Sex Pistols tour photographer, 2011): "They needed to write some new songs and deliver them to the record label. They had a crack at writing 'Sod in Heaven' but it wasn't happening."
*Paul Cook (1988): (When asked: "Did you rehearse 'Religion'?") "No. there was an idea, John wanted to write a song about that but never got round to it."
*Keith Levene (2001): "With 'Religion', we made up this tune and told him to sing the lyrics over it
..He had the words but he didn't know how the tune was going to go."
*Jah Wobble (2012): "I think Lydon had the words for 'Religion' already, I ended up not liking the song
..I don't like the sensibility behind 'Religion', I don't like religion getting knocked per se.
..I wasn't mad on the mix either, it tries a bit too hard. It's just my taste, so I think it's rather turgid that song, it's my least favourite. Keith likes it though."
[John Robb: ''"Jah Wobble and Keith Levene Play Metal Box in Dub : The Interview"'' (''Louderthanwar.com'' website, 4 February 2012)]
"Annalisa":
*John Lydon (1978): "
t'sabout these silly fucking parents of
this girl who believed she was possessed by the devil, so they starved her to death."
*Jim Walker (2007): "At The Manor we wanted a live drum sound, and so we had to use the old billiard room. It was set up so it was just me and Rotten eye to eye, as I drummed and he sang."
"Public Image":
*John Lydon (1978): "'Public Image', despite what most of the press seemed to misinterpret it to be, is not about the fans at all, it's a slagging of the group I used to be in. It's what I went through from my own group. They never bothered to listen to what I was fucking singing, they don't even know the words to my songs. They never bothered to listen, it was like 'Here's a tune, write some words to it.' So I did. They never questioned it. I found that offensive, it meant I was literally wasting my time, cos if you ain't working with people that are on the same level then you ain't doing anything. The rest of the band and Malcolm never bothered to find out if I could sing, they just took me as an image. It was as basic as that, they really were as dull as that. After a year of it they were going 'Why don't you have your hair this colour this year?' And I was going 'Oh God, a brick wall, I'm fighting a brick wall!' They don't understand even now."
*Jah Wobble (2009/12): "Indeed the first bassline that I ever presented to John and Keith
..It had been the first song that we had worked on in the rehearsals." "It's the open E string with an interval to the B which I always really like, that was first ever proper b-line I wrote. I made that up at home and took it into the studio and we finished it off there. There was another bass line at the beginning which I'm not sure if it got used, it might have kind of got turned into 'Religion'."
"Low Life":
*John Lydon (1978/99): "Malcolm McLaren the bourgeoisie anarchist – that about sums him up!"
"'Low Life' is about Sid and how he turned into the worst kind of rock 'n' roll star."
*Keith Levene (2001/07): "There was this guy that was an old mate of John's (...) This guy,
ashion designerKenny MacDonald, made his suit and all of ours, and it made him look good to have the guys from PiL wearing his stuff (...) He wouldn't be his lapdog, and John thought he was a star and wanted that. John named him on our first album on 'Low Life'."
"That song was about Malcolm McLaren in theory, but at one point I think it was about
ydon's schoolfriendJohn Gray. Lydon's usually got the hump with someone, and he usually writes with someone in mind, someone he's not too happy with."
*Jah Wobble (2009): "It's kind of rock, but with a weird feel."
"Fodderstompf":
*John Lydon (1978): "You should've seen Branson's face when he heard that, he was furious!"
*Jim Walker (2001): "Not even a song just a wank, ripping off our fans. It still turns my stomach thinking about it."
[Karsten Roekens: ''" Jim Walker Interview"'' (''Fodderstompf.com'' website, September 2001)]
*Tony Dale (roadie, 2004): "It's mostly Wobble on the track, as you probably realise, with his Northern falsetto, wise-cracks, and fire-extinguisher antics.
..I remember Wobble coming in
o the control roomfor the cigarettes. It's the engineer
ark Lusardiwho's 'Suspicious', not me, I am accused of not realising that 'Love makes the world go around'."
*Jah Wobble (2005/09): "In its own way, it's as mental as
Funkadelic
Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, pioneered the funk music culture of the 1970s.John, Bush. Funkadeli ...
. And it had the perfect funk bassline." "Keith didn't make it down for the initial recording of that track, so it was just me, John and
Jim
Jim or JIM may refer to:
* Jim (given name), a given name
* Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James
* Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy
* OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism
* ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring
* ''Jim ...
."
[Jah Wobble: ''"Memoirs of a Geezer"'' ('']Serpent's Tail
Serpent's Tail is London-based independent publishing firm founded in 1986 by Pete Ayrton. It specialises in publishing work in translation, particularly European crime fiction. In January 2007, it was bought by a British publisher Profile Books ...
'', 2009, page 88)
Related tracks
"The Cowboy Song" ''(single B-side)'':
*John Lydon (1978): "You can dance to that song, and it cost us approximately £1 to make. It's just a jolly good disco record and it came about cos we were bored and couldn't think of a B-side."
*Jim Walker (2001/07): "The thing was, I'd come up with the idea for that song one morning. I was trying to rip off the theme song for
Bonanza
''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...
."
"We all sat around the mic drunk, did two takes, screaming randomly."
"You Stupid Person" ''(unreleased instrumental demo)'':
*Jah Wobble (1999/2007): "It was an instrumental from when we very first started, when Jim Walker was on drums. That was really good." "That was a good one, a really strong song."
*Jim Walker (2001): "Once during a break I stayed on my kit, you know, fooling around, when suddenly Keith jumped up and shouted to me to repeat whatever it was that I'd been playing. It was just some
hi-hat
A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist o ...
thing. I'd always focused on developing my left hand side, in other words my hi-hat side. Anyway, I repeated it. Wobble instinctively came up with the perfect bassline part. Then Keith, who had heard exactly what he wanted through the thing I'd started, played the most blistering guitar part I think I ever heard him play. That was how PiL wrote: through the subconscious. That song ended up being named 'You Stupid Person'. It was meant to be our second single.
..It was actually a lot better than 'Public Image'. It would have been impossible to keep from being a number one hit, and probably would have broke us in America all by itself. We managed to demo it, I've still got a copy."
*John Lydon (2004): "I don't know what he's talking about
..I don't know what he's quite on about."
"Steel Leg V. the Electric Dread":
*Jah Wobble (1988/2009): "I also released 'Steel Leg V. the Electric Dread', another 12-inch with Keith Levene on guitars and Vince, a mate from
Hackney, on vocals. He thought he was going to be a millionaire but it was only like a session fee. I gave him a ton (£100) which weren't bad money in the late '70s". "Keith played drums on that. The extra money came in really handy. To be honest it was a pisstake record in the same way that 'Fodderstompf' was a pisstake track, you only have to listen to Vince's side to realise that."
*Don Letts (guest vocalist, 2007): "Keith Levene and Jah Wobble needed some money, so they ended up making a single for Virgin Records called 'Steel Leg V. The Electric Dread'. They got me down to the studio to work on some vocals, even though I had never sung in my life. I remember sitting on the stairs with a microphone trying to write some words. Eventually I said to them 'Okay guys, I'll go home and work out some lyrics.' I never heard back from them, and the next thing I knew there was a record out. They had used my demo vocals and stuck them on the track!
..It was a crap record, and I look back and laugh about all this stuff now." "I didn't even know they were recording me. I went into some basement toilet just to mumble some lyrics into a mic and hear what they sound like
..Then I'm waiting to get a call to do the record, and the next thing I heard is they've played with my voice a bit, stuck a track under it and put the whole thing out as a finished record. I was a little bit pissed off to tell you the truth, because I thought we'd finish it properly."
"Public Image" promo video
In August 1978, a promotional video for the upcoming single
"Public Image" was shot by
Peter Clifton's production company Notting Hill Studio Limited, which had just completed ''
The Punk Rock Movie
''The Punk Rock Movie'' (also known as ''The Punk Rock Movie from England'') is a British 1978 film that was assembled from Super 8 camera footage shot by Don Letts, the disc jockey at The Roxy club during the early days of the UK punk rock ...
''.
*Peter Clifton (video producer, 2006): "They formed Public Image and hired me and Don Letts to shoot their first video clip for Virgin. I hired a theatre in
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
and dressed the band up on stage with garbage bags as a backdrop, and Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin, came down to witness the filming. There was a quiet lull in the middle of one of the takes, and
Sid Vicious
John Simon Ritchie (10 May 1957 – 2 February 1979), better known by his stage name Sid Vicious, was an English musician, best known as the bassist for the punk rock band Sex Pistols. Despite dying in 1979 at age 21, he remains an icon of the ...
screamed at the top of his voice 'Peter Clifton, where's the 200 quid you owe me?'"
*Don Letts (video director, 2007): "Before the PiL promo, I was Don Letts, DJ at
the Roxy
Roxy, Roxey, and Roxie may refer to:
People
* Roxy (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
Places in the United States
* Roxie, Mississippi, a town
* Roxie, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Music
* Roxy ...
,
dread with a camera. All of a sudden I had a film crew and a
16 mm camera. The promo was shot at a studio in
Olympia
The name Olympia may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games
* ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...
and I was making the shit up as I went along, having never been to film school. The video suited PiL's mood, being totally anti-celebrity, it showed them playing in a dimly-lit studio. Because it was John's band, I naively decided people just wanted to see him – due to my total inexperience I went for the safe option. It is just John's dynamics that give the video any substance whatsoever. It was a very intense and dark performance
..I have made near enough 400 promo videos in my time. My first was for PiL. They chose me as they did not want to use boring old farts, and we had a good relationship."
*John Lydon (1978): "The promotional film was made and paid for by ourselves out of our advance. Virgin weren't interested."
The promo video was released on 15 September 1978 and shown on British TV twice in October 1978. In December 1986, it was released on VHS, and on DVD in October 2005.
Cancelled American release
On 9 February 1979, Warner Bros. Recording Studios in
North Hollywood
North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...
manufactured a test pressing of the album for PiL's American label,
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
. The album's sound was considered too non-commercial for an American release, and PiL were asked to re-record parts of it. Although the band recorded new versions of some tracks between March and May 1979, the album was never released in the USA. However, in 1980 Warner Bros. released the song "Public Image" on the compilation album ''Troublemakers'', the only album track released in the USA until the 2013 release of the entire album.
The re-recorded version of "Fodderstompf" was released under the title "Megga Mix" as the B-side of the "
Death Disco
"Death Disco" is a song by Public Image Ltd. The record was released in both 7" and 12" single formats with a "½ Mix" of the song and "Megga mix" (an instrumental version of "Fodderstompf" from '' Public Image: First Issue'') on the 12" version ...
" 12" single (29 June 1979). The track was later included on the PiL compilations ''
Plastic Box
''Plastic Box'' is a compilation box set by the post-punk band Public Image Ltd released in 1999 as a limited edition, but re-released for a standard release on 14 December 2009. It comprises four discs covering the band's activity from their d ...
'' (1999) and ''
Metal Box
''Metal Box'' is the second studio album by Public Image Ltd, released by Virgin Records on 23 November 1979. The album takes its name from the round metal canister which contained the initial pressings of the record. It was later reissued in s ...
: Super Deluxe Edition'' (2016); to date, it is the only track from the February 1979 ''First Issue'' re-recording sessions to be officially released.
On 18 June 2013, the album was finally officially released in the USA via
Light in the Attic Records
Light in the Attic Records is an independent record label that was established in 2002 in Seattle, Washington by Matt Sullivan. The label is known for its roster of reissue projects and for its distribution catalog. Light in the Attic has re-rel ...
.
Reception
In 1979, ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' reported that a court in
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
had halted sales of the album because the lyrics of "Religion" offended public morals and decency.
Upon its release, ''Public Image: First Issue'' received a 2- (out of 5) star review in ''
Sounds
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
''. Reviewer Pete Silverton said that the single is the "Only wholly worthwhile track on the album." He dubbed the rest of the songs as "morbid directionless sounds with Rotten's poetry running just behind it."
Nick Kent
Nick Kent (born 24 December 1951) is a British rock critic best known for his writing for the ''NME'' in the 1970s, and his books ''The Dark Stuff'' (1994) and ''Apathy for the Devil'' (2010).
Early life
Kent, the son of a former Abbey Road Stu ...
of ''NME'' was similarly negative, quipping that "unfortunately the 'image', public or otherwise, is a good deal less limited than many of the more practical factors involved in this venture."
However, the album is now considered a groundbreaking post-punk classic.
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
critic Uncle Dave Lewis stated that the record "helped set the pace" for the post-punk genre, adding that it was "among a select few 1978 albums that had something lasting to say about the future of rock music."
''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
''s Stuart Berman wrote, "''First Issue's'' industrial-strength stompers anticipate the scabrous
art-punk
Art punk is a subgenre of punk rock in which artists go beyond the genre's rudimentary garage rock and are considered more sophisticated than their peers. These groups still generated punk's aesthetic of being simple, offensive, and free-spirit ...
of the
Jesus Lizard and
Slint
Slint was an American rock band from Louisville, Kentucky, formed in 1986. The band consisted of guitarist and vocalist Brian McMahan, guitarist David Pajo, drummer and vocalist Britt Walford, Todd Brashear (bassist on ''Spiderland''), and Etha ...
, while Levene's guitar curlicues on 'Public Image' are the stuff ''
Daydream Nation
''Daydream Nation'' is the fifth full-length studio album and first double album by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, released on October 18, 1988. The band recorded the album between July and August 1988 at Greene St. Recording in Ne ...
''s are made of."
''Public Image: First Issue'' is, along with ''
Metal Box
''Metal Box'' is the second studio album by Public Image Ltd, released by Virgin Records on 23 November 1979. The album takes its name from the round metal canister which contained the initial pressings of the record. It was later reissued in s ...
'', included in the book ''
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics ...
''.
Track listing
Personnel
;Public Image Limited
*
John Lydon
John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and aga ...
– vocals, piano
*
Keith Levene
Julian Keith Levene (18 July 1957 – 11 November 2022) was an English musician who was a founding member of both the Clash and Public Image Ltd (PiL). While Levene was in PiL, their 1978 debut album '' Public Image: First Issue'' reached No 22 ...
– guitar, synthesiser
*
Jah Wobble
John Joseph Wardle (born 11 August 1958), known by the stage name Jah Wobble, is an English bass guitarist and singer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s; ...
– bass, vocals and fire extinguisher on "Fodderstompf"
*
Jim Walker – drums
Charts
References
{{Authority control
Public Image Ltd albums
1978 debut albums
Virgin Records albums