First Reissue: Light in the Attic Expands Debut LP by Public Image Ltd.

Light in the Attic, the Seattle label that reintroduced us to Rodriguez, has quite a title on hand for their 100th reissue: the first-ever U.S. release of the debut album by Public Image Ltd. as an expanded CD or LP set.

Public Image Ltd. was the brainchild of John Lydon, the iconoclastic British punk who’d set the world ablaze as Johnny Rotten with his previous band, The Sex Pistols, in 1977. The band had imploded not long after releasing the iconic Never Mind The Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols, but Lydon soldiered on with a new band, comprised of guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble and drummer Jim Walker. Together, the music of PiL was far more diverse, integrating elements of punk, folk and dub in a rhythmic stew. But it was no less agitated.

First Issue, the band’s first album, included the savage single “Public Image,” a modest hit, but critics weren’t sure what to make of the album’s sonic critique of the state of rock and roll until years later. PiL would endure a lot of stylistic and personnel changes until Lydon broke up the band in 1992; they reformed years later and released their most recent LP last year.

As is appropriate for this Light in the Attic landmark, First Issue – which was never released in the U.S. (the band’s label Warner Bros. paid for the band to re-record parts of the record to attract a wider audience, but those recordings remain lost to the sands of time) – gets a lavish deluxe edition on both CD and vinyl. The former set will be two discs, pairing the original album with a bonus disc featuring non-LP B-side “The Cowboy Song” and a complete, hourlong interview with Lydon conducted for the BBC in October 1978. The package will also feature two stickers, all housed in a mini-LP replica tip-on gatefold jacket. The LP will feature the audio extras on a download card, and will feature “an archive replica fold-out poster, two stickers, and archive replica newsprint adverts and lyrics insert” inside the gatefold jacket. Additionally, web-exclusive bundles will include both packages along with a set of buttons and replica of an original PiL patch.

The whole affair has the approval of Lydon and his team, so you can get this without worrying about an angry letter arriving at your door. Both sets will be in stores June 18. Amazon links have yet to go live, but you can order direct from the label now.

Public Image Ltd., First Issue: Deluxe Edition (Light in the Attic, 2013)

Disc 1: Original LP (released as Virgin V-2114, 1978)

1. Theme
2. Religion I
3. Religion II
4. Annalisa
5. Public Image
6. Low Life
7. Attack
8. Fodderstompf

Disc 2: Bonus material

1. The Cowboy Song (B-side to “Public Image” – Virgin VS-228 (U.K.), 1978)
2. Interview with John Lydon, BBC Radio, October 1978 (previously unreleased)

Release Round-Up: Week of January 24

The Doors, L.A. Woman: 40th Anniversary Edition (Reprise/Rhino) / Mr. Mojo Risin’: The Story of L.A. Woman (Eagle Rock/Rhino)

The Doors’ final album with Jim Morrison, memorialized in both a double-disc set with unreleased alternates and outtakes and a DVD/Blu-Ray documentary.

Various Artists, 2012 Grammy Nominees (Universal Republic)

And the nominees are…on this disc.

Various Artists, Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International (Shangri-La/Fontana)

Four, count ’em, four discs of artists past and present covering the Bard.

Glen Campbell, Live in Japan / Bill Medley, 100%/Soft & Soulful / Maggie & Terrie Roche, Seductive Reasoning / The Grateful Dead, Dick’s Picks Volumes 32 & 33 / Jody Miller, The Complete Epic Hits (Real Gone)

The latest from Real Gone is all over the place in a most excellent way!

Kirk Franklin, The Essential Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/Verity/Legacy)

The modern gospel legend compiles his greatest hits, Legacy-style, on two discs.

Public Image Ltd., First Issue / Paris Au Printemps / The Flowers of Romance / Live in Tokyo / This is What You Want…This is What You Get / Album / Happy? / 9 / The Greatest Hits, So Far / That Which is Not / John Lydon, Psycho’s Path (Virgin/EMI U.K.)

Recently remastered in Japan, the PiL catalogue is given the remastered treatment in the U.K. (these should be available on domestic shores soon, if not now).

Adele, 21: Target Deluxe Edition (XL Recordings) / Blake Shelton, Red River Blue: Deluxe Edition (Warner Bros.)

Two recent hit albums get some deluxe treatment from American retailer Target. Check back later for a full post on these ones.

This is Not a Love Song: PiL Remasters in U.K. in 2012

It looks like the first major remaster campaign for 2012 is going to be a re-release of the Public Image Ltd. catalogue, coming from EMI in England.

The spectacular flameout of punk legends The Sex Pistols in 1978 wasn’t enough to stop lead singer John Lydon – forever better known as Johnny Rotten – in his tracks. Lydon collaborated with guitarist Keith Levene and bassist Jah Wobble to form Public Image Ltd., a band as noisy and rebellious as the Pistols but with a bit more room for creativity and experimentation. PiL were as much a punk band as they were a world music outfit, adding elements of reggae, krautrock and other eclectic bits. Lydon and a rotating cast of characters carried the PiL name through the ’80s, with six Top 40 hits in their native country. Lydon put the band on hiatus in 1992, briefly reuniting with the Pistols in 1996 and several times in the 2000s, but began touring as PiL in 2009, with a new album reportedly due this year.

Now, on January 16, almost the entire PiL catalogue is coming back into print (the notable exception is 1979’s Metal Box and subsequent reissue Second Edition, remastered and released on CD by EMI in 2009 and 2011, respectively). Seven studio albums from 1978 to 1992, two live albums and 1990’s The Greatest Hits, So Far are included in the campaign, along with Lydon’s 1997 solo album Psycho’s Path. No bonus tracks are included – the albums match their original CD track listings exactly – but they are struck from remasters created for Japanese paper-sleeve reissues last year.

Hit the jump to reacquaint yourself with these albums, and click here to order yours from Amazon U.K.

Public Image Ltd., Public Image – First Issue (originally released as Virgin V-2114, 1978 – reissued Virgin/EMI CDVR-2114, 2012)

1. Theme
2. Religion I
3. Religion II
4. Annalisa
5. Public Image
6. Low Life
7. Attack
8. Fodderstompf

Public Image Ltd., Paris Au Printemps (Paris in the Spring) (originally released as Virgin V-2183, 1980 – reissued Virgin/EMI CDVR-2183, 2012)

1. Thème
2. Psalmodie (Chant)
3. Précipitamment (Careering)
4. Sale Bébé (Bad Baby)
5. La Vie Ignoble (Low Life)
6. Attaque (Attack)
7. Timbres de Pop (Poptones)

Public Image Ltd., The Flowers of Romance (originally released as Virgin V-2189, 1981 – reissued Virgin/EMI CDVR-2183, 2012)

1. Four Enclosed Walls
2. Track 8
3. Phenagen
4. Flowers of Romance
5. Under the House
6. Hymie’s Him
7. Banging the Door
8. Go Back
9. Francis Massacre
10. Flowers of Romance (Instrumental) (12″ B-side to “Flowers of Romance” – Virgin VS-397, 1981)
11. Home is Where the Heart Is (B-side to “Flowers of Romance” – Virgin VS-397, 1981)
12. Another (B-side to “Memories” – Virgin VS-299, 1979)

Public Image Ltd., Live in Tokyo (originally released as Virgin VGD-3508, 1983 – reissued Virgin/EMI C088-0132, 2012)

1. Annalisa
2. Religion
3. Low Life
4. Solitaire
5. Flowers of Romance
6. (This is Not a) Love Song
7. Death Disco
8. Bad Life
9. Banging the Door
10. Under the House

Public Image Ltd., This is What You Want…This is What You Get (originally released as Virgin V-2309, 1984 – reissued Virgin/EMI VCDR-2309, 2012)

1. Bad Life
2. This is Not a Love Song
3. Solitaire
4. Tie Me to the Length of That
5. The Pardon
6. Where Are You?
7. 1981
8. The Order of Death

Public Image Ltd., Album (originally released as Virgin V-2366, 1986 – reissued as Virgin/EMI CDVR-2366, 2012)

1. F.F.F.
2. Rise
3. Fishing
4. Round
5. Bags
6. Home
7. Ease

Public Image Ltd., Happy? (originally released as Virgin V-2455, 1987 – reissued as Virgin/EMI CDVR-2455, 2012)

1. Seattle
2. Rules and Regulations
3. The Body
4. Save Me
5. Hard Times
6. Open and Revolving
7. Angry
8. Fat Chance Hotel

Public Image Ltd., 9 (originally released as Virgin V-2588, 1989 – reissued as Virgin/EMI CDVR-2588, 2012)

1. Happy
2. Disappointed
3. Warrior
4. USLS 1
5. Sand Castles in the Snow
6. Worry
7. Brave New World
8. Like That
9. Same Old Story
10. Armada

Public Image Ltd., The Greatest Hits, So Far (originally released as Virgin V-2644, 1990 – reissued as Virgin/EMI CDVR-2644, 2012)

1. Public Image
2. Death Disco (7″ Mix)
3. Memories
4. Careering
5. Flowers of Romance
6. This is Not a Love Song
7. Rise (New Remix)
8. Home
9. Seattle
10. The Body (Extended Version)
11. Rules and Regulations
12. Disappointed (Extended Version)
13. Warrior (Remix)
14. Don’t Ask Me

Track 1 from Public Image – First Issue
Tracks 2-4 from Metal Box (Virgin, 1979)
Track 5 from Flowers of Romance
Track 6 from This is What You Want…This is What You Get
Tracks 7-8 from Album
Tracks 9-11 from Happy?
Tracks 12-13 from 9
Track 14 is a new track

Public Image Ltd., That Which is Not (originally released as Virgin V-2681, 1992 – reissued as Virgin/EMI CDVR-2681, 2012)

1. Acid Drops
2. Luck’s Up
3. Cruel
4. God
5. Covered
6. Love Hope
7. Unfairground
8. Think Tank
9. Emperor
10. Good Things

John Lydon, Psycho’s Path (originally released as Virgin CDVUS 130, 1997 – reissued Virgin/EMI CDVUSR 130, 2012)

1. Grave Ride
2. Dog
3. Psychopath
4. Sun
5. Another Way
6. Dis-Ho
7. Take Me
8. A No and a Yes
9. Stump
10. Armies
11. Open Up (Chemical Brothers Mix Edit)
12. Grave Ride (Moby Mix)
13. Sun (Leftfield Mix)
14. Psychopath (Leftfield Mix)
15. Stump (Danny Saber Mix)