#Phonepunk#
Banned
Who else loves Public Image Ltd? Tbh I am not a completionist but i have owned and loved many of their records and have fond memories of hearing "Poptones" on college radio in the early 2000s and songs like "Albatross" in the background while hanging out at indie rock dive bars and house parties.
PIL are from the first generation of post-punk. One of the original punk provocateurs Johnny Rotten, went on to do a krautrock-and-dub inspired experimental band, trading guitars for saxophones and tape loops. Early on the dub bass of Jah Wobble was a big influence over the sound, which was closer to Can than anything the Sex Pistols ever did. He left after the first two albums, which saw a constantly revolving lineup of drummers and performers that went recorded but unaccredited. Still they kept on making music and eventually, like so many great avant pop musicians (see Bowie) they accidentally got a pop hit.
the first photo in this post is the album cover for 1981's great Flowers of Romance, which features their videographer, Jeannette Lee. they had a lot of cool videos and performances as well as records.
a brief history from wikipedia, for people new to this group:
Public Image Ltd (abbreviated as PiL) are an English post-punk band formed by singer John Lydon, guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and drummer Jim Walker. The group's personnel has changed frequently over the years; Lydon has been the sole constant member.
Following his departure from the Sex Pistols in January 1978, Lydon sought a more experimental "anti-rock" project and formed PIL. That year PIL released their debut First Issue (1978), creating an abrasive, bass-heavy sound that drew on dub, noise, progressive rock and disco. PIL's second album Metal Box (1979) pushed their sound further into the avant-garde, and is often regarded as one of the most important albums of the post-punk era.
By 1984, both Levene and Wobble had departed and the group was effectively a solo vehicle for Lydon, who moved toward a more accessible sound with the commercially successful albums This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get(1984) and Album (1986). After a late 1990s hiatus, Lydon reformed the group in 2009 and has released several further albums, most recently What the World Needs Now... (2015).
Public Image Ltd - Wikipedia
anybody ever see them perform? or have a favorite song or album? or music video?
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