Metal Box - Public Image Ltd.

Whilst in his ‘Johnny Rotten’ persona with the Sex Pistols, John Lydon, with the obvious assistance of Sid Vicious, Paul Cook and Steve Jones, gave the music scene a much deserved slap round the face. It was getting very bland and extremely dire. You only have to look back to the music of the early 70’s to see that. However if you look around the time the Sex Pistols were in existence you can quite clearly see how the music scene changed, for the better. Aside from the tragic death of Sid Vicious punk as a music phenomenon was in decline. John Lydon became somewhat disenchanted with it all because seemingly on the back of the success of the Sex ...  Read the complete review

PiL's second album (also available under the re-release title 'Second Edition', minus the metal case), the aptly titled 'Metal Box', for it comes encased in a film canister style metal box with a small inlay card and CD cushions, is often referred to as the band's finest hour in terms of creativity, inspiration and general history. The two (well, 3) tracks that feature on PiL's greatest hits album made me very curious to listen to this album, and I'm glad I got it! After the one-hit wonder of the punk-ending 'Public Image' single, 'Metal Box' as an album takes a fast curved turn into the avant-garde. Reggae bass ...  Read the complete review

Halcyon days they were, the time in the late 1970s when the screaming, mewling, puking brat variously known as punk rock/new wave came gobbing its amphetamine driven way to prominence, as the next big thing, with the Sex Pistols at the head of the vanguard. They were the first, the last, the (nearly) everything, with their pretty orthodox speed rock punctuated by some pretty individualistic lyrics and the astonishing performances and charisma of a startling front man, Johnny Rotten (nee Lydon). When things started to fall apart and the Sid and Nancy death pact was fast approaching over the horizon, the Pistols imploded while they were on tour in the States at ...  Read the complete review