The Public Image Is
Rotten (Songs from the Heart)
Box Sets: 5 CD & 2 DVD / 6 LP Vinyl (Virgin/UMC)
Way back in 1990, the very first PiL compilation was released, The
Greatest Hits, So Far. The ‘so far’ proved to be more than a throw away
quip, for 28 years later we arrive at another reference point, another
moment in time to take stock and reflect, the 40th anniversary of
Public Image Ltd. A staggering 6 hours 38 minutes of music is required
to fully appreciate those 40 years. That’s without viewing the two DVDs
that
accompany the CD set.
Both formats are presented in a lush glossy box, embossed with a heart
shaped chocolate box design. Quality Street, or just quality? Is the
high
end presentation a precursor for a high end experience? Let’s lift the
lid and take a
look.
The singles are the focal point of the box sets, but the comprehensive
nature of this compilation pulls in B-sides, 12” mixes and dance
tracks, before casting its net wider and gathering together
unreleased
cuts and rare mixes. The result is a body of music that’ll take you on
a ride through the familiar, the unfamiliar, the ground breaking, the
spine tingling, and the downright scary. It’s a trip few will emerge
from unchanged.
 As is the nature of the hard core fan, there will be those
who gripe
about the whereabouts of “track X, mix Y and take Z”. Hard choices have
to be made, but this release has plenty even the
die hards won’t have. Some of it hasn’t seen the light of day before,
and what's more, these nuggets are plentiful. Instant stand-outs are
Annalisa
(New Mix 1979), Banging The Door (Alternative Mix 1980), Can You Feel
The Fours (Unreleased Instrumental 1987), Open & Revolving
(Alternative Mix 1987), Kashmir (Unreleased Renovations Mix 1987), and
Worry (Ruff Mix 1988). There is also the welcome official release of
the often bootlegged Bad Night.
The hard to find US remixes of Seattle, The Body and Happy add extra
sheen to a plethora of fabulous 12” mixes, as does the instrumental
Flowers Of Romance which sits snugly between the 12” versions of Death
Disco and This Is Not A Love Song. Gratifying to see Things In E (aka
Ease Alternative Laswell Mix), a 14 minute stunner, given a wider
audience. This was previously only available in the Super Deluxe
version of Album.
However, this retrospective isn’t aimed primarily at the niche market -
far from it. There is both a generation of new fans just discovering
PiL plus countless old timers wishing to reacquaint
themselves. This delivers for both demographics by not just reliving
the
classic hits like This Is Not A Love Song and Rise but by leading the
listener onto later glories like One Drop and Out Of The Woods. There’s
a world of discovery to be explored and navigated, take for instance
the
previously vinyl-only B-side Turkey Tits or the oft-overlooked USLS1
(Mix), both gems in their own right.
The final CD in the collection is a live show recorded at the Ritz in
New York in 1989. It's of fabulous quality, sounding like it was
recorded yesterday. It may not have the notoriety of the Ritz show in
1981 which ended in a riot, but it does show a fully functional PiL
riding high on a resurrected wave following a period of relative
stability. It boasts an enthusiastic crowd, a buoyant John (“things
seem to be going quite well, except for the boring bastards in the
balcony!”) and a top set list.
Two DVDs form part of the CD box set. All the promos are here, 21 in
total, including two for This Is Not A Love Song. The early classics
still resonate, but don’t overlook the more recent videos such as
Lollipop Opera which features additional ad-libs throughout from John.
PiL’s BBC TV appearances from 79-89 are also here, complete with the
band performing Disappointed on The Late Show as well as the more
familiar TOTP and Whistle Test material, which by the way, is as
breathtaking as ever.
 Nevertheless, the real jewels are the two live shows. The
Tallin
Festival in Estonia from 1988 sees John at his most colourful,
certainly
in terms of outfit and hair. It’s the Happy period, so six tracks from
the LP get an airing. Perhaps overlooked in PiL history, Happy boasted
some terrific songs as the ‘post Album’ band hit their own creative
stride. Seattle, Rules and Regulations, Open and Revolving, Hard Times,
Angry and The Body sound fabulous live, even 30 years later. Public
Image, Religion, Rise and Holidays In The Sun provide familiar touch
points, but to be fair to this packed crowd, they greet the whole set
with equal excitement. Just look at all the PiL flags! Expertly filmed
with A1 picture quality and sound, by the time World Destruction closes
the set you’ll be dipping back into it again. Home or Bags anyone? RIP
John McGeoch.
The second show was recorded in Sydney, Australia in 2013. Once again,
the quality of the film and sound is second to none. Before anyone
queries the merit of having two live shows in the collection, only two
tracks feature in both performances, such is the breadth of PiL’s
catalogue. Both Lu Edmonds and Bruce Smith make the transition across
the decades from the Estonia show. The gig itself is a 2 hour career
retrospective with all eras covered. Kicking into life with a menacing
Four Enclosed Walls we’re taken on a trip back and forth through the
years. Reggie Song rubs shoulders with Disappointed and One Drop
nestles alongside Death Disco. A highlight has to be the mega-version
of Flowers Of Romance. Or maybe an equally outstanding Albatross.
Confirmation that 21st century PiL are a force to be reckoned with.
Still.
The 72 page hardback book is a veritable treasure trove of music press
cuttings covering 40 years, alongside discographies and band details.
If you buy the vinyl set, you get the super-sized version, which looks
even more spectacular. Both formats come with a 40th anniversary tour
poster and a set of four prints, which are also extra large with the
vinyl. The vinyl has a download card so the listener can access all the
additional music from the CD set plus two bonus songs, Betty Page and
The One.
Phew! It seems a lifetime ago when the box sets arrived and the
anticipation began. What a hell of a ride this set has proved to be.
Never a dull moment, nor a chance to pause and take a breath as one of
life's soundtracks sweeps you along, reviving memories and emotions,
adding a few new ones and, when all is said and done, surpassing
expectations. Above all, the collection leads to one indisputable
conclusion; PiL have remained utterly unique and utterly brilliant for
four decades.
40 years in the making, The Public Image Is Rotten (Songs
from the Heart) is PiL’s gift to you. Well, isn’t that what friends are
for?
Review by Phil
Singleton
Buy 5 CD
& 2 DVD / 6 LP vinyl (w/
d'load card)
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God
Save The Sex Pistols ©2018 Phil Singleton / www.sex-pistols.net
All rights reserved. Not to be
reproduced without permission.
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