Public Image Ltd - Metal Box (UK Original 3 x 12'' @ 45rpm) Vinyl rip in 24 Bit/ 96 Khz + CD

Only John Lydon could claim to be "getting rid of the albatross" by tying it around his neck in the form of an obtuse ten-minute album opener. Less a band than a menacing juggernaut, PIL recorded an unforgiving second album, propelled by Keith Levene's livewire guitar work and Jah Wobble's endless, rubbery basslines. Lydon (still Rotten, just not by name) used these perpetual motion machines to launch bitter screeds against society, and it's hard to imagine more anti-social music. But the group were aware of the potential hypocrisies in holding up a dark mirror image to the public, implied by their corporatist name. Second Edition was originally released as Metal Box , literally packaged in cost-prohibitive film canisters. For this, Lydon was eternally grateful to Virgin, his pride and price for showing that major labels were capable of issuing genuinely challenging art for mass consumption. –Christopher Dare

Track listing


Side one

1. "Albatross" (10:32)

Side two

1. "Memories" (5:05)
2. "Swan Lake" (4:19)

Side three

1. "Poptones" (7:45)
2. "Careering" (4:32)

Side four

1. "No Birds" (4:43)
2. "Graveyard" (3:07)

Side five

1. "The Suit" (3:29)
2. "Bad Baby" (4:30)

Side six

(12:31)

1. "Socialist"
2. "Chant"
3. "Radio 4"

"Swan Lake" is an alternate version of the earlier PiL single "Death Disco".

"Graveyard" is an instrumental version of "Another", the B-side of the "Memories" single.

Personnel

* John Lydon - Vocals
* Keith Levene - Guitar, Synthesiser
* Jah Wobble - Bass Guitar

A paper insert lists PiL's members as "John Lydon - Keith Levene - Wobble - Jeanette Lee - Dave Crowe," though the latter two individuals were the band's videographer and accountant, respectively. Lydon also talked about Public Image Ltd. as a company in interviews.

PiL did not have a permanent drummer at the time of recording, so the drummers are uncredited. Later interviews[4] with the people involved have established the drummers as David Humphrey (tracks 1 and 3), Richard Dudanski (2, 6, 7, 10, 11), Keith Levene (4, 12), Jah Wobble (5, 8), and Martin Atkins (9).

Levene played all instruments on "Radio 4".