One of the first and most significant post-punk bands, Public Image Ltd. (PiL) were originally a quartet led by singer John Lydon (formerly Johnny Rotten, born January 31, 1956) and guitarist Keith Levene, who had been a member of the Clash in one of its early lineups. The band was filled out by bassist Jah Wobble (John Wordle) and drummer Jim Walker. It was formed in the wake of the 1978 breakup of Lydon’s former group, the Sex Pistols.
For the most part, the band’s early incarnation devoted itself to droning, slow-tempo, bass-heavy noise rock, overlaid by Lydon’s distinctive, vituperative rant. The group’s debut single, “Public Image,” was more of an uptempo pop/rock song, however, and it hit the U.K. Top Ten upon its release in October 1978.
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The group itself debuted on Christmas Day, shortly after the release of its first album, Public Image. Neither the single nor the album was released in the U.S.
Metal Box, the band’s second U.K. album, came in the form of three 45-rpm 12″ discs in a film canister. It was released in the U.S. in 1980 as the double-album Second Edition. By this time, PiL were a trio consisting of Lydon, Levene, and Wobble; the latter two played some of the drums on recordings, while the position was held by a series of percussionists, none of whom stayed long. The third album, not released in the U.S., was the live Paris au Printemps (1980). Lydon and Levene, plus hired musicians, made up the group by the time of The Flowers of Romance (1981), the much-acclaimed fourth album, which reached number 11 in the U.K. In 1983, PiL scored their biggest U.K. hit when “This Is Not a Love Song” reached number five. By this time, however, Levene had left, and the name from here on would be, more than anything else, a vehicle for John Lydon (though with a comparatively steady lineup). A second live album, Live in Tokyo, appeared in England in 1983.
The following year saw the release of This Is What You Want…This Is What You Get, only PiL’s third album to be released in the U.S., though by now the group had six albums out. It marked the start of Lydon’s move toward a more polished and accessible dance-rock style, a direction that would be pursued further in 1986’s Album (also called Cassette or Compact Disc, depending on the format), notably on the hit “Rise,” as well as on Happy? (1987) and 9 (1989). In 1990, PiL released the compilation album The Greatest Hits, So Far, and in 1991 came the new album That What Is Not. After completing his memoirs in late 1993, Lydon decided to put PiL to rest — largely the result of contractual issues — and pursue a solo career.
The career-spanning box set Plastic Box arrived in 1999, but otherwise the band seemed truly dead until 2009 when Lydon announced he was reviving the project for a short set of gigs in the U.K. The new PiL, featuring past members Lu Edmonds (also a member of the Damned and the Mekons) and Bruce Smith (who also worked with the Pop Group), along with multi-instrumentalist Scott Firth, were so warmly received in their homeland that a U.S. tour followed in 2010. An album of all-new material, This Is PiL, followed in 2012. The band supported the release with an international concert tour, and PiL returned to the recording studio in 2014. The group’s 2015 release, What the World Needs Now, would prove to be the first Public Image Ltd. album to feature the same lineup of musicians as the album that preceded it.
1978 Public Image (First Issue)
01 Theme
02 Religion I
03 Religion II
04 Annalisa
05 Public Image
06 Low Life
07 Attack
08 Fodderstompf
1979 Second Edition (Metal Box)
01 Albatross
02 Memories
03 Swan Lake
04 Poptones
05 Careering
06 Socialist
07 The Suit
08 Bad Baby
09 No Birds
10 Chant
11 Radio 4
1980 Paris Au Printemps (Paris In The Spring)
01 Theme
02 Chant
03 Careering
04 Bad Baby
05 Low Life
06 Attack
07 Poptones
1981 The Flowers Of Romance
01 Four Enclosed Walls
02 Track 8
03 Phenagen
04 Flowers Of Romance
05 Under The House
06 Hymie’s Him
07 Banging The Door
08 Go Back
09 Francis Massacre
1983 Live In Tokyo
01 Annalisa
02 Religion
03 Low Life
04 Solitaire
05 Flowers Of Romance
06 This Is Not A Love Song
07 Death Disco
08 Bad Life
09 Banging The Door
10 Under The House
1984 This Is What You Want…This Is What You Get
01 Bad Life
02 This Is Not A Love Song
03 Solitaire
04 Tie Me To The Length Of That
05 The Pardon
06 Where Are You?
07 1981
08 The Order Of Death
1986 Album
01 FFF
02 Rise
03 Fishing
04 Round
05 Bags
06 Home
07 Ease
1987 Happy?
01 Seattle
02 Rules And Regulations
03 The Body
04 Save Me
05 Hard Times
06 Open And Revolving
07 Angry
08 Fat Chance Hotel
1989 9
01 Happy
02 Disappointed
03 Warrior
04 U.S.L.S. 1
05 Sand Castles In The Snow
06 Worry
07 Brave New World
08 Like That
09 Same Old Story
10 Armada
1990 The Greatest Hits, So Far
01 Public Image
02 Death Disco
03 Memories
04 Careering
05 Flowers Of Romance
06 This Is Not A Love Song
07 Rise
08 Home
09 Seattle
10 The Body
11 Rules And Regulations
12 Disappointed
13 Warrior
14 Don’t Ask Me
1992 That What Is Not
01 Acid Drops
02 Luck’s Up
03 Cruel
04 God
05 Covered
06 Love Hope
07 Unfairground
08 Think Tank
09 Emperor
10 Good Things
1997 Psycho’s Path (John Lydon)
01 Grave Ride
02 Dog
03 Psychopath
04 Sun
05 Another Way
06 Dis-Ho
07 Take Me
08 A No And A Yes
09 Stump
10 Armies
11 Open Up (The Chemical Brothers Mix Edit)
12 Grave Ride (Moby Mix)
13 Sun (Leftfield Mix)
14 Psychopath (Leftfield Mix)
15 Stump (Danny Saber Mix)
2012 This Is PiL
01 This Is PiL
02 One Drop
03 Deeper Water
04 Terra-Gate
05 Human
06 I Must Be Dreaming
07 It Said That
08 The Room I Am In
09 Lollipop Opera
10 Fool
11 Reggie Song
12 Out Of The Woods
