The Greatest Hits, So Far

Performer: Public Image Ltd.
Engineer: Spike Drake; Susan Rogers
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Public Image Ltd. includes: Johnny Lydon (vocals, drums); Keith Levene (guitar, keyboards, drums); John McGeoch (guitar); Jah Wobble, Allan Dias (bass); Bruce Smith (drums, percussion, programming); Martin Atkins, Tony Williams (drums). Producers: Public Image Ltd, Tony Berg, Stephen Hague, Gary Langan, John Lyndon, Bill Laswell, Martin Atkins. Originally released on Virgin Records. The trail of Public Image Limited is littered with brilliant shards of song, and GREATEST HITS is the perfect introduction to the band's varied sounds. This collection covers PIL's early nods toward punk rock--in "Public Image," where singer John Lydon's snarls, "You never listen to a word that I said"--and several bite-sized chunks of SECOND EDITION's disturbing art-rock. The disc also features the band's stunning flirtation with dance-chart success, "(This is Not a) Love Song," and their smooth transition into alternative rock ("Seattle"), and beyond ("Warrior.") With stops along the way at two of PIL's best songs, "The Flowers of Romance" and "Rise," GREATEST HITS touches on nearly all of the band's high points. "Don't Ask Me" even caps off the record with a cheerful admonishment to be sure to recycle! This from the man who wrote "Death Disco" for his dying mother and swore, in "Home," that "Better days will never be."

After the breakup of the Sex Pistols in 1978, John Lydon (formerly Johnny Rotten) continued to push the boundaries of music with an "anti-rock" project that he initially declared more of a corporation than a band. Public Image Ltd.'s early efforts defined post-punk, incorporating dub, avant-garde, and Eastern influences along the way, yet despite their increasingly chaotic sound, they continued to score success in the U.K. into the 1980s. PIL, like the Pistols, became well known for anarchistic antics that involved drug use, unrehearsed shows, and last-minute recording sessions.

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