Reviews (page 6 of 8)
Once again... why is post punk as shit as punk is good
Kinda mid
ovwrall average with one particularly above everage song
I enjoyed the punk aesthetic, but this just doesn't go as hard as modern equivalents. Maybe that's just dated production. Felt a shared thread of heritage with modern bands like Sprints
meh
Not Johnny's best
Nothing that stood out to me
I didn't care for this album.
I recently saw a video of PiL on American Bandstand in 1980. It was surreal; I would bet that 90% of the televised audience for that performance were expecting the Sex Pistols. What they got was what is on this album plus one important spark: Johnny Rotten being charismatic and inclusive and selling the shit out of his music. It’s really quite magical to watch. It makes me laugh to think about Richard Branson and the Virgin executives. Picture hiring the darling of the hottest musical genre (punk) and giving him the reins to his first album with his new band…and then he spontaneously evolves overnight into an unheard-of musical style (post-punk). Wild. And totally in keeping with Mr Lydon’s creed of “sticking it to the man”. The music might not endear itself to me, but damnit if the ethos doesn’t.
Public Image: First Issue is the debut album of Public Image Ltd. It contains the same off key and annoying vocals John Lydon delivered at The Sex Pistols. The music is quite messy and is sort of post-punk mixed with echo, dub and strange sounds. This should not, but does work and makes it a banger.
Weird but I love the albums on here that take characteristic sounds from various genres and put it into something that works. Music historians have the best job in the world. Yes this 1978 is post punk rock.. which has existing for… -1 years? Germs came out in 1979 and the Sex Pistols first album in 1977. Get your timeline straight!
First couple tracks were painful, title track onward were okay. Even some of them were unpleasant though. I think one of those ones that was more influential than it was enjoyable
Sometimes an artist is called influential, not because they made good music, but because they had a good idea but were shit at executing it
Interesting chaotic sound. Would like to listen more
While I don't share John Lydon's disdain for religion, I can appreciate the anger at bad religion. (Jesus was known for this as well, see for example Matthew 23.) But this album gets 4 stars for the other statement it makes. Fresh off the Sex Pistols' musical coup, John Lydon (formerly Johnny Rotten) goes into full deconstruction mode - not just about religion but about celebrity, fame, and (you guessed it) image. There are some great sounds here. I love the vibe of Annalisa, based on a sad story of religious malpractice. This sound would be reproduced and deepened on Metal Box, aka Second Edition. Meanwhile, Fodderstompf apparently draws inspiration from Monty Python, the Beatles, and maybe the Mothers of Invention. If you don't like a song, wait till the next one. There's quite a bit of variety here. That alone is interesting coming off of "Never Mind the Bullocks." And besides, if you literally hate some of the tracks on this record, that's probably what John Lydon was going for.
It got messages, but awfull music
Interesting bridge between punk and whatever form post-punk would take. But they also lost that punk brevity - very long-winded.
There were a couple of redeeming tracks on here (Annalisa) but there was some real trash that I would like to never listen to again (Religion I & II, Fodderstompf). It gets up into 2 stars territory because some of it was reasonable listening and I appreciate the experimentation, and I recognize that I LOVED this kind of thing when it was coming from Nirvana and Soundgarden, so maybe there are folks out there who appreciated the post-punk post-Pistols version of that also.
Have you ever been to a basement show, and after a set, you go outside for a smoke and, by chance, run into the singer of like, the second band, and to avoid an awkward situation, you casually say, “Hey man, nice set,” even though it wasn’t really that great of a set, but instead of responding, “Thanks, dude,” like a normal person and walking away to leave you alone, he instead starts telling you all about how it wasn’t their best set because they really wanted to hand out flyers about how taxation is theft and about how it’s our God-given right as Americans to be able to own a semi-automatic, but when his dipshit bassist (his words, not yours) went to print said flyers at the library, which is only a block away from the basement you’re currently at, he bumped into some old lady, who was printing flyers about how her 12 year old tabby is missing and there’s a $100 reward to anyone who finds this cat alive, and now they have 200 flyers about this fucking cat, and so then this guy (the singer, not the bassist) starts to tell you his theory about how guys who owns a cat are all beta males and about how real men only own reptiles, and in fact he has a picture of his snake on his phone, and now he’s showing you this fucking snake, even though you’ve already finished your Camel Crush and the next band is already on stage, and now you can’t escape, even though it’s the only thing you want to do, second only to maybe leaving and trying to find that tabby? Well, John Lydon was the first one of those guys. First Issue – and I assume PiL in general, based off this rancid debut – is like a stupider version of The Sex Pistols, which isn’t saying much, but at least that band had songs that evolved and sounded listenable. From a musical standpoint, none of these songs ever really evolve; PiL hands you a single riff, and that’s as much as they’re willing to give you on each song. And I’d almost be fine with that, if it didn’t go on for 8 fucking minutes! Then, on top of that, you not only have to deal with Lydon’s obnoxious, infantile insights, but you also have to deal with these random sonic non sequiturs like the chimes on “Religion II” (what a ridiculous, obvious metaphor) or the mismatched drum beats on “Annalisa.” The closest this record gets to ✨tolerable✨ is “Public Image,” which is still just a bad Sex Pistols song that would sound deep to a 12 year old who spikes his hair, but pseudo-intellectual to anyone who at least graduated middle school. The next best song on this record is “Low Life,” which isn’t even a compliment, because there are blatantly flubbed notes on that simple ass song that’s basically Part A (a single chord for 3 bars and a simple fill), and a 2-chord Part B that’s just quarter note strums that anyone could do after a single guitar lesson. Every other part of this record is as close to “unlistenable” as you can get. Not because it’s actively trying to be unlistenable – although at times it is, but those songs are unlistenable not because they’re *too* avant-garde, but rather because they’re unsuccessful at being avant-garde and are therefore annoying. No, First Issue is unlistenable because it’s banal, trite, and pseudo-intellectual to a degree that is almost unfathomable. It is unfathomable that anyone would make music this goddamn shallow, especially someone who already had a successful career as the frontman of a band that had something to say. And sure, it’s not like The Sex Pistols were deep, but at least they said SOMETHING! PiL, which is basically just Lydon’s solo project, has absolutely nothing to say at all!! Sonically. Lyrically. Aesthetically. All empty, all the way down. But what makes it obnoxious, damn near insufferable, is that Lydon and company clearly think this album is the deepest, most thoughtful, most inventive album ever committed to wax. I hate First Issue. I hate it sonically, lyrically, and aesthetically. I hate it on principle, and I hate it in practice. I hate every choice made to create this album, and I hate every note played to record this album. I even hate that there’s a saving grace in one of those songs, and I hate that it’s not even like, a song I would classify as being at least okay, but instead it’s a song that I would label as passable, and actively shit on if this was any other album. This record doesn’t deserve any sort of praise, to any degree. It’s obnoxious and gets under my skin – no, under my soul. I loathe this record. Fuck you, John Lydon. Fuck you.
I get it, I can see it's influence, I appreciate it's place in history. That said, it is not for me.
From the ashes of the Sex Pistols comes this early post punk. No matter what anyone says Fodderstompf is great.
Brit rock isn’t always my thing, but I enjoyed a few songs on this album including Rise and Ease.
it was weird but had an interesting sound, religion was a cool concept of a song, the title track was good and annalisa was great too, decent album overall.
Johnny Rotten is too whiney
I appreciate what they’re trying to do but I don’t think it hit yet.
Never really dug Johnny Rotten (Lydon) much outside of my teenage Sex Pistols phase. This took that vibe to experimental noise-punk. Not really my vibe.
One song that I knew before might've inflated my expectations
I don't like rating albums like that because it lowers my post punk albums score.
абсолютно хаотичная гитара пропущенная через столько фильтров что звучит как какофония. Вместо вокала истошный крик. Это я слушать не собираюсь, спасибо.
I didn’t enjoy this album very much. A lot of the songs are 6 minutes plus and don’t do enough to warrant those lengths. I did enjoy Public Image and Lowlife mainly because they were 3 and half minute standard punk songs. Overall I’ve heard better punk and post punk albums and this has been the first time I’ve genuinely questioned “why is this album on the list?”
Utterly unmoving. There’s very little of interest and certainly nothing beautiful. Does it take talent to make something so unlovely? I have always felt Lydon was a poseur, just blowing with the wind and trying to provoke in whatever ways might get him noticed. His schtick – and that’s what it is – got old fast and has not improved with age.
80s punk rock.
This was interesting but pretty weird.
meh
Noisy instrumentals devoid of melody, screamy vocals, and lyrics that feel like they were written by an edgy teenager. Actively bad
Track 1 hit, SKIP! Track 2, SKIP! Track 3, SKIP! Track 4 started and I just gave up and moved on. Unlistenable for me
Many issues.
it's a wonder there was ever a second issue
My only hot take is that I like it better than Sex Pistols
What an absolute 'fuck you' to the establishment this must have been in '78. And judging by all the 1 star reviews it still has the hypocrite masses clutching their pearls. Ever get the feeling you've been cheated? Lol. The bass playing on this album is killer. The first 3 tracks are ok. From track 4 to the end is where it's at for me.
I mean. Lovely.
Was hoping for better since I love Sex Pistols - I found these to be long, boring tracks.
UK punk. Not my thing. Sounded like a very mediocre version of Sex Pistols.
Too much for me. Not the worst but not my style. Would be one star but I like the inclusion of the interview on the backend. Kind of cool.
No. I considered adding a star for it supposedly being an inspiration for some of the post punk bands that I do enjoy. But it doesn't deserve it. Feels like the lyrics were written by a thirteen year old who was trying to be edgy after being grounded by their parents.
What a load of shite
There's little more dangerous than someone convinced that they and they alone have uncovered a universal truth, and are able to speak it plainly for the people who wouldn't "get it". John Lydon has always struck that to me, juvenile but so convinced of his own intelligence (not by any phony god's blessing!) I like post-punk and I guess I can appreciate that people liked the formula here, or maybe just even the bare bones, but man, is this thing a full-on chore to listen to. It sounds loose, and I mean that derogatorily: three practices later, mostly made up of loose jamming, and they must have thought, "Yep, let's record it." It's long, and way too convinced it's "something". A big shout out to the terribly named Jah Wobble, who has the distinction of being the first artist on my list with two entries in the graveyard. You truly fucking earned it, maaaaan.
Baby’s first criticism of religion and society. Not a fun or interesting listen. Innovative for the time, sure, but it was not that good. I get the idea that it’s trying to say, but when the music is dogshit, it gets held back. It’s not even that it’s unlistenable, more that it was insulting because it felt low brow. No standouts.
4.0
Altid dejligt når en kunstner ved at et album er lort, og de så ikke gør det for langt (modsat Mariah Carey). Og for det får de en stjerne mere.
It surprised me there are a couple tracks there of commentary instead of singing. Still, not much that attracted me in the songs here.
I loved the band itself. The groovy bass and electric guitar. But Lydon's cheeky vocal affectations and the affected rebelliousness of the lyrics brought it down a bit for me. Maybe I just don't get it, but I would willingly listen to another album by them to find out.
A lot more to this than I thought there would be. John Lydon and his various projects have always turned me off but I thought this was pretty interesting. Especially as I went in imagining I'd hate it. I didn't!
I'm not really sure how to think about this album. It's weird. Fun at times. Fodderstompf is quite weird and interesting. I'll confess that I didn't listen to the entire one hour long interview at the end. Just not appealing enough.
That is not what I was expecting from the album cover. The obnoxiousness of “Religion I” was luckily rescued somewhat by “Religion II” - the heavily accented rant is much better set to screeching guitars, but then we could have just done without the former spoken word. Then “Annalisa” delivers the real promise and potential of the band and its aesthetic. “Annalisa” sounds like it could be a Pixies song, and must have been a big influence on Black Francis. It was at this point when I wondered “who are these guys!? Did we listen to them once already?” We did, but I listened and never reviewed and forgot what I thought of and learned about “Metal Box.” So I looked them up again, and was surprised, and yet not surprised, to find it was John (Johnny Rotten) Lydon! Along with Jah Wobble and The Clash’s Keith Levene, Lydon was reinventing the Sex Pistols punk into something new. More off-kilter, more brash. It makes sense that it would come from Lydon. The album continued with more attempts to deconstruct punk before things all came to a screeching halt with “Fodderstompf.” It was like a bad Gorillaz outtake. In fact, if decades later Damon Albarn followed his unexciting Blur work with funky dub hip hop in Gorillaz, here Lydon was following his exciting post-punk with truly annoying funky dub. Opposites of a sort. And makes me nervous to now go back and revisit “Metal Box,” the Public Image album that followed this one. Tracks 4-7 earn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for both content and influence, but 2 and 8 are worth at least a one star deduction.
First 3rd of the album is pretentious garbage. How is Religion I even considered a song when Religion II is the same words set to music? The middle 3rd of the album contains what I consider to be minimally listenable tracks (Annalisa through Low life) and the last 3rd is experimental noise (seriously how do you even categorize Fodderstompf). I hope Metal Box (also on the 1001 list) has more than 1/3 listenable tracks.
I am at once of two minds. I told myself this is too experimental and I also told myself that the music is straight forward and boring. What I’m settling on is that this proto proto-punk album is not fully formed. It sounds fresh, but at the same time, the music is by and large a steady cadence of the same sound without variation. It’s odd. I appreciate that this was a seminal work on the proto-punk genre, but it’s not mature enough for me.
not quite as good as metal box but still really groovy and entertaining. so much better than the sex pistols. 8/10
maybe i just don’t care for british punk 😔
tlw. nicht anhörbar bzw. nicht zu Ende gehört
Good
Amazing album. The copy that I downloaded had a 1 hour long interview with John Lydon tacked on to the end of the list; that was an unexpected treat!
Imagine writing poetry this bad and then being so pretentious that you feel it's worthwhile to ask people to listen to it twice in a row.
Debut album by Johnny Rotten. Post punk. Kinda interesting but fairly average. Wouldn’t listen again
The positive is they are better than Korn, but that is about it.
Let’s just say I am glad it’s over and it should be listed as controversial due to his rather interesting thoughts on religion
England ought to be ashamed of itself. This was just as bad as their other album "Metal Box" that we had to endure. There's probably only about three other bands that have ever existed that I hate with as much passion as I do this sorry excuse for a band. Let's start with the songs. They're really, really bad. I don't care if they're supposed to be some sort of profound commentary on society and music and religion as an institution, they sound like crap. I mean just downright awful. Once again the only part of the songs that wasn't nails on chalkboard for me was the bass line. Everything else, the drums, guitar, and vocals, was just torture. If you wanted to drive me to insanity you would just need to play Public Image Ltd. and that would do it. Secondly, WHY WAS THERE A 56 MINUTE INTERVIEW WITH LYDON AT THE END??? Nobody cares what you have to say John, you're a terrible musician as well as being a bloated, conceited, arrogant wannabe philosopher who thinks he's the funniest thing the world has ever seen and the messiah of music. You're just not. You never have been and never will be. You are not and never will be "ten times better than anything else out there". I mean what an arrogant and pretentious statement to make?? How deluded and narcissistic can you be?? This was just a travesty and England ought to be ashamed that they produced such a band.
once again-i just don't get it. the lyrics amount to shouting or speaking the same line over, and over, and over, and over....... sometimes for only a minute or two, other times for 7 minutes or more. 1.5 stars
Could not finish it - not for me
This was fine. I had quite high expectations. Didn’t quite get there for me. 3.0
3/5 - I preferred the Sex Pistols sound. This is a little too unstructured for me
after the sex pistols broke up following the tragic death of bassist sid vicious, john lydon (a.k.a. johnny rotten) looked for a new way to channel his antiestablishment and anti commercialism views. and while the sex pistols were admittedly deliberately not “for everyone”, lydon ratcheted that up a couple more notches… so much so that much of the debut album of public image limited, his new band, comes across as unlistenable noise. a couple of the tracks were pretty good, but most of the album was just not.
I love the Sex Pistols. I do not like Johnny’s solo stuff.
I can't say that I like this album. There is something though... something fascinating, but da fuck is up with all these long ass albums?!? Way too much and overindulgent.
Wow first post punk album? And UK? Wow. Though this sounds like punk so not sure about this post business unless they mean that it doesn’t sound as good as regular punk. A 9 minute track followed by a 1 minute track, both of which felt a little like nails on a chalk board. Another wasted slot. And don’t think we didn’t notice the attempt at mainstream with Public Image.
Almost shocked to say it, but I kinda dig this album. I'm not a big punk fan, and I know we had one other album from these guys (though I don't think that was as punk) and it wasn't as memorable. This one though, it's unique to me. It takes the freewheeling, DIY nature of punk and stretches it to extremes of length, to a few tracks that are long and droning to give time for melodies to breathe. Hard to explain why it worked so well for me, but it really did. Especially "Fodderstompf," that song almost seems like they were doing a bit, as the percussion and "beat" reminds me of some kind of new-wave pop, but it's still this gritty punk song talking about "we only wanted to be loved." Damn, something about this one just got under my skin, in a good way. The tracks I didn't like were basically skippable, but the ones I did were enough to elevate this pretty significantly. Favorite tracks: Fodderstompf, Theme, Religion II, Public Image. Album art: Guy's face, up close. It looks like they made a very light effort to create a magazine cover style, emphasis on "light" though because there isn't much to it. The guy's eyes are piercing though, something unnerving about that picture. Not a bad cover, font is nice and bold, but it's also not super distinct. 4/5
I like this album cover. The photo is something of a cross between a mug shot and a business card, and that amuses me for some reason. While this list has made me a post-punk fan, this was a little too out there for me. I didn’t mind it and there were some stand out tracks (Religion I, and Fodderstompf), but I can’t see myself listening to it again.
The opening track is a slog man. I mean, it's going for a particular scene and I get that, but it's not for me. Then you have a cringey spoken work poem about religion, subsequently added to music. Some of the songs in the middle did pick up a bit and my foot DID tap at times, but so much of it is just rubbish. I had to look this up, and found out that John Lydon was still very young when he made this. Which gives him more of a pass I guess, but it still feels completely juvenile.
As was to be expected most of the critique, dislike and obvious hate that forms the reviews for the album does not dive into its musical aspects but purely evolves around the lyrics. While there is much to discuss about the quality of those, responding to anger with overweening arrogance or the same level of venom does not serve the cause and leads to the same superficiality used as a reproach against Lydon. Conceptually, this album is an anti-establishment statement - both lyrically and musically. The establishment clearly includes punk, now having grown into another money making machine. Unfortunately, as is with most such statements, it is not a pleasurable listen. Repetitive, deliberately lacking any positivity, refrain from concepts that are deemed to involve the audience. While being an essential recording and the start of Post-Punk, and even while rightfully on the list, it has not aged well and given the missing relatability, I cannot give it more than...
As difficult to listen to punk albums go, this was alright
Nope, not my thing. There were a few tracks that almost had a good punk sound and slightly reminded me of the Pixies. But most of the album was pretty abrasive.
I've always thought that punk was more than being anti-social and shouting obnoxiously... Public Image Ltd I'd working hard to prove me wrong. Maybe a 2 star album, but giving it 1 star because it's annoying this list contains 2 albums by them.
Annalisa was okay but otherwise self-fellating nonsense.
If you want to be edgy and subversive it helps if your music actually sounds good.
The brains of the Sex Pistols
Angsty and a bit annoying to me
I haven't heard this whole album in decades. I don't know how I'd feel about it if I heard it for the first time just now. But because I loved it when I was young, and it was a big part of my growing up I still love it. No matter how dated it actually is.
The first track is what I imagine they played to Al Qaeda suspects at Guantanamo Bay. Irritatingly it continues bring terrible, with the post-punk giving way to some ludicrously over the top pedal work, making it sound like some kind of proto-shoegaze torture. Fodderstompf takes a relatively interesting loop and overlays it with vocals that manage to be both incredibly repetitive and exceptionally annoying. If the brief was to take the anger and rebellion of punk and remove anything that's fun, likeable or catchy, then Public Image ltd have managed it with aplomb. Which is weird, because I've genuinely loved other PIL stuff.
Kind of a weird album. Figured I’d like it more since I like a lot of post-punk, but this one doesn’t do anything for me. Fodderstompf also really stinks.
Think there's a bit of Emperors nee clothes here. Often marked as a key post punk album. The single is good. Most of the rest is poor. You've been conned. (Metal Box is better)
i like the beats!
Rotten.
I can respect this for being what is considered the start of post punk but it just doesn't seem like a cohesive concept yet. A 9 minute opener, a spoken word track, then put it to music for the third track. Just learned the singer was in the Sex Pistols, which makes sense, as I don't care for them either.
Não esperava gostar mas é até bom. Aquela sensação de repetitivo mas não incomodou. Boas letras
I mean, this album sounds like it was made to be discordant and upsetting, and indeed it was. Not a pleasant listen for me. John Lydon seems like an edgelord to me, but I'm >40 years out of context for this album. +1 star in benefit of the doubt for the value of the punk movement and this album's influence there.
Some definite moments on this. But I'm afraid to say that some of this is harder work than it needs to be.
Kolmosen ansaitsee. Vähän kahden markan melvins, mutta parani loppua kohden! 3/5
Ei ihan lähtenyt tämä, vaikka sinänsä ihan voimakasta ilmaisua. 2/5
Post-punk tuntuu toisinaan vähän liian itsetietoiselta, ja täällä levyllä vähän kirpaisi se. 2/5
Pretty forgettable noise.
Mostly absolutely terrible, mix of creepy and incredibly annoying.
Þetta hreyfir ekki við mér.
I had difficulties not to skip forward in some tracks. It was uncomfortable and sometimes boring to listen to.
This is one of those albums that was included because it was groundbreaking, rather than because it was successful or long-lived. I didn't particularly enjoy it, but it's a lot more tolerable than most of the \"ahead of its time\" picks I've encountered so far.
Trash post punk synth pop
много текста, мало всякого что меня впечатляет
Genuinely sounds like they made an album to be deliberately annoying I agree with the anti-religion message but during the last track even I was praying for the end
The album where Johnny Rotten stepped beyond the confines of punk, Sex Pistols and his stage name, reverted to his real name and released a stonking post-punk album. Next stop the mighty Metal Box! Lydon, Wobble and Levene on top form.
Nicht so mein Geschmack, insbesondere der Gesang (1*)
So good in my angry teenage boy phase. That was a long time ago though.
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Annalisa, Public image
Probably would have rated it a 3 but the last song Fodderstompf was horrible.
What a horrible sad thing to put out into the world. Of course the last song made it almost worth the effort of suffering through this mercifully short album. It was pretty funny.
Surprised to see it so hated-- I didn't mind it, I liked it more than most of the rock that comes through. And the song for me was an added touch.
I know it's not for everyone, but I like this. This was an interesting bridge between where they were, Sex Pistols, and where they went, the eclectic pop hit, Rise.
Just a bunch of noise.
Public Image Ltd’s Public Image: First Issue is really weird. It was highly influential in its part for building the post-punk genre, and introducing the genre to the world, but I don’t sonically see the appeal. I’m also not taking any tracks out of this album. For the upsides, Public Image is mostly alright, but the weird screeches and yelling from the vocalist ruins it, and its the same case for every song. All in all, Public Image: First Issue is a horrible album. Best Song: Public Image Worst Song: Religion II
Meh. I liked Second Edition so much I bought the vinyl after hearing it on this challenge. This one, not so much. There are glimpses of great stuff here, but the annoying outweighs the good. Religion kind of toes the line between deep and “I am very smart and you’re all sheep” teenage obnoxiousness. The two super long tracks feel like they last forever. Lyndon’s voice even annoys me here, and I generally have a high tolerance for him. 3/5 but probably more of a 2.5 if I could give half stars.
Immense power!
it was really bad actually but the theme was great i thoroughly enjoyed it.
Highlight: Low Life, Public Image. In a nutshell: punk 2.0 Following the dissolution of the Sex Pistols, John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) started a new band without the blackjack or hookers. One with mighty guitar (Keith Levene, bass (Jah Wobble) and drums while still spitting in people's faces. John Lydon is an insufferable twat but PiL laid the groundwork for noise rock and grunge. Maybe even industrial rock and shoegaze. I don't know for sure if Pixies listened to this album a lot in their early years, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did. Overall: 5/10
Fine
I love the Sex Pistols and punk. I liked Johnny Rotten. I just couldn’t with this.
Couldn’t get past the first track. Nearly an hour and forty minutes of this junk? No thank you.
This was a bit strange. I think I'll stick with punk over post punk.
Again never been a huge fan of Punk. However, this album in particular doesn't even work for shooting bugs. I hesitate to call the first three tracks songs, and I couldn't bring myself to enjoy a single moment of the others. Disappointing. Annoying. Get out of my ears.
Thi rating is not so much for the quality of this particular album but for the albums that it would inspire from other artists down the road.
Happy to see this come up. PIL was one of those bands I mostly missed and wondered how much I would like them if I got around to listening to them. I did listen, and I realized that they rated now, just were they had before today. Ok music that I would not turn off, but I'm not likely to seek.
You’ll dance to anything by Public Image Limited
I actually really enjoyed this, more than I expected to. Going in, I was prepared for something abrasive and chaotic, but what stood out was how inventive and atmospheric it is. The basslines are brilliant throughout, driving the songs in a way that feels fresh and slightly unsettling. There is space in the production, which makes everything feel more deliberate and less frantic than I imagined. Religion I and Religion II are the clear highlights for me. Powerful lyrics, sharp delivery and far stronger melodies than I was anticipating. There is anger there, but it feels controlled and purposeful rather than just noise. It feels like a proper step away from punk into something darker and more experimental, and you can hear the foundations of so much post punk that followed. For a debut, it is bold and confident. Favourite song: Religion I and Religion II Least favourite song: None. Every track brings something interesting Album artwork: Awesome. Striking and very of its era
Not great like most of Johnny Rotten’s work. Felt like the kind of album a 19 year old would create and think was deep and then be embarrassed by it 5 years later.
How did this group get a second album? It was bad and barely listenable. I managed to not skip any songs, but I should have.
Really interesting, but not good I won't ever listen to this again, but I'm glad I heard it
Not a fan, but like the messages.
I liked it well enough; seems like a natural evolution from the Sex Pistols. Good of them to be so openly critical of the church at the time. It's not getting replayed, but I appreciate it.
Nah.
Better than Metal Box. But still just not my thing
I liked this better than Metal Box, but still not something I'll listen to again
Classic
Let me sum this album up for anyone reading this: it's (mostly) serviceable, listenable music that's made much worse by vocals that sound more like whining than singing. Wah, wah, wah, whatever.
Not too bad, especially the middle of the album.. the beginning and end aren’t great
Good album with a whole lot of Pistols on it. Tough to judge in context. Its more of a continuation of where they left off another band. Last 2 songs I could live without too experimental and crappy in all honesty but thats what punk is really about. You can imagine this album influenced Pink Floyds The Wall as a critique to the fascist state and a little screw you to The state for what the did to nevermind the bollocks. Also we hear a similar beat line to Another one bites the dust of Queen. Meaning this follow up project of johnny rotten was highly influential for the next years after pistols dissolved. Its better to judge it now amd see how it is so important in context to the progression of the post punk and rock scene.
Post Sex Pistols life takes on a familiar turn with anti establishment and killer hooks. This album helped usher in the post-punk era and the rock wave going into the 80s.
I’ve always like the song Public Image, but the rest is not great.
I really enjoyed this listen, because these guys are laughably bad. Terrible poetry confidently stated over boring, unskilled punk rock. John Lydon thinks he has something profound to say, but his ravings are offensively mediocre and bland. This record is grating and horrible in none of the ways the artist intended, with anti-establishment lyrics at home in a teenager's diary and stupid hooks played by tween-level guitar skill. Inexcusably repetitive and derivative, influential only in that later bands unfortunately learned they didn't have to be good to be popular, thus founding the post-punk genre. How anyone can think this music is anything but unskilled swill is beyond me. Also, another reviewer compared Lydon's voice on the last song to Carl Wheezer from Jimmy Neutron, which sent me in stiches for the entire track. Stand out tracks include "Religion I", and "Fodderstompf".
To put it in their terms, "a bunch of wankers."
3.5/10 Not great, this Lydon’s voice is annoying, his lyrics are childish and embarrassing, his attitude is bad Religion & Fodderstompf are toe-curling bad Music is competent but not my style Production is good, bass is excellent and these bump it up a bit Couple of decent tunes when they actually try Another one that should be nowhere near a top 1000 Best: Annalisa
Þessi plata á nokkra góða spretti en þess á milli eru sprettirnir bara svo ömurlega leiðinlegir að ég hef ekki samviskuna í að gefa þeim meðaleinkunn. Þetta mun ég ekki hlusta á aftur en ég ætla samt ekki að segja að þetta sé hryllingur.
John Lydon other band, its weird. So it starts off very in your face kinda thrash punk for 9 mins which is too long and too thrashy, then he does a poem for 2 mins, the a song with the lyrics to the poem. All in all its not very good
ugh. just bad. a true chore to sit through.
I was listening to “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” and realized… oh I haven’t checked out today’s album! Can’t believe I turned off The Spin Doctors for this. Alternate review: To quote Billy Madison “Here’s a nice piece of shit”
Again, my least favourite band in one of my favourite genre's of music
Awful
I dig it. Starts off with a total assault to the ears, then settles into some really good stuff. Not an album I’m going to put on everyday, but definitely one that will stick with me.
3.75
I am sure this one has a point and was really revolutionary at the time, but it hurt my ears :( I want to appreciate it for its purpose and I am all about protesting and getting your message out there through art but I would just never listen to this again.
So this is what Johnny Rotten did after the Sex Pistols. ..... not good. And by "not good" I mean it fucking sucks.
This is just, pretty terrible. If you only wanted to be loved, that last song isn’t helping your cause.
Bits and pieces of this album are pretty amazing, the others are more of an experiment that is not something you want to listen to more than once. There are other PIL albums I love like The Flowers of Romance, the 2nd album and Album. This is him cutting his teeth on a new found musical freedom and at times sounding like a prophet musically ( pointing towards Albini, Jesus Lizard… ) other times like a crazed prophet preaching that you want to avoid.
If you get it, you get it. I don't get it.
Honestly could've been a 3 under different circumstances. Like if Fodderstompf ceased to exist. The vocals were a little too muddled on most songs for me to get into it, but the musicianship was there. Contrary to popular belief, it does take talent to create a cacophony of sounds that mesh together for minutes at a time. Would I come back? Nah, but it was aight.
D Theme 2 Religion I 1 Religion II 2 Annalisa 1 Public Image 1 Low Life 2 Attack 1 Fodderstompf 1 How does Public Image earn two albums? I don't even want to check if they have more.
Not for me, but I did enjoy the best on Fodderstompf.
Bastante indigerible, igual valoro su entusiasmo para animarse a publicar algo así.
Extra star for the experimental sound but it’s a little bit tiresome.
The two Religion songs were some of the worst I have ever listened to. It just felt like an edgy 12 year old explaining why religion is bad. The rest of the album was similarly terrible.
Terrible, 1*. I don't get why people like this random screaming of the same sentence, and absolutely weird monologues. Don't want to ever listen to this again.
Not too bad - love the guitar and Johnny Rotten's voice. However probably wouldn't listen again
Noise by a guy I don't like.
A very interesting album, an experience listen. But as an experience it was very interesting.
guitar sounds like ass 1
Won’t ever listen to this one again, just a load of rambling, especially the last track, 7 minutes of waffle!
Hated it!! I was born in 1981, so I don't really understand the impact of this record in punk music, but it did absolutely nothing for me. There wasn't a single song that I enjoyed, no melody, no voice, etc.
It’s ok. I’d rather listen to this than Radiohead, but not by much.
“This is an album for musicians, I can tell.” - the fact that this is a popular review annoys me almost as much as this lazy pile of ugly shite of an album. This is not good music and these are not very talented musicians.
Good songs are great. The rest not so much
Public Image is fine, I think Johnny Rotten is an arrogant asshole and that sense permeates through most of LTD's songs but this album was decent
Well I wasn't in the mood for that. Skipped the first 3 tracks, track 4 better but then was glad to go back to work. There were some hints of good riffs but I've listened to Bollocks & I don't think I need anymore of Lydon's slightly out of tune whatever noise he makes. I was mostly thinking 'oh shut up'. So I made it shut up.
Interesting but not listenable
That was an adventure. I like the drums up front in the mix but it is very chaotic.
Can see why it may be influential but experimental doesn't make for easy listening.
Not for me.
Le doy dos estrellas solo por la performance y porque hay algunas cosas que musicalmente suenan bien
Did not particularly enjoy this and it's certainly not "good" but can see how it's influential for better or worse. Religion I and II make some salient points in regards to organized religion pretty much being bullshit so it gets a star for that. Closing track Fodderstompf was weirdly interesting so I'll round up to a 3 for this album. I'm surprised too!
I wanted to like this more but I couldn’t. I find it jarring. Maybe that’s the point
I struggled with this album, not gonna lie. I like Sex Pistols to some extent, but this is more challenging. The back half of this is significantly better. Standout tracks: Public Image, Low Life 4 out of 10
I had avoided giving PIL a shot because I found the Sex Pistols to be a bit on the annoying side mainly with regard to vocals. You can imagine my surprise to hear what I did. A much more mature sounding band and vocalist. A clear evolution of punk.
Odd. Very odd.
We get it. You’re upset. Stop screaming.
Usually I love Public Image Ltd. but this album just left me cold.
not for me
I'm going to put the same review I wrote for Metal Box, because I have nothing new to add. They may as well be the same album. Even the opening tracks of both albums are both horrendous slogs to get through before the slightly more palatable later tracks. Music, quite by definition, decorates time (much how art decorates space). This album is the music equivalent of sprawling mass of mud and rocks heaving slowly down a long mountainside. Even though it technically decorates the landscape, most people could only watch it with boredom or discomfort, and it would be a stretch to call it art. The instruments, individually, are played well, but when put together as a band, they feel incongruent and without passion. The vocal is consistently, uncomfortably out of tune, which might be a staple of the genre but isn't working for this album. I'll give the album some credit, though: The riff in Religion II is good, if a bit poorly mixed. The title track, Annalisa, and Low Life are passable for their nicer texturing and guitar work. Unfortunately, the mixing (throughout the album) makes the nearly-droning cymbal and bass sound so harsh that it's difficult to genuinely enjoy the highlights of these tracks. Another reviewer stated it best: "Fair play for abandoning the Sex Pistols' sound and exploring new and interesting sonic textures, but this seems like a case of PiL crawling in a slow, ungainly manner so other post-punks could run."
Too noisy and too edgy. Even for punk standards.
Esto parece música punk. No me gusta. Me recuerda a alguien torturando gatos.
I thought this was quite a bit better than Metal Box. There were a couple decent punky songs in the second half, but even the long, rambling jams usually had hypnotic basslines that I didn’t actually mind listening to for minutes on end. More good than bad, for me: 3 / 3.5 stars.
Noise... Not a fan
Once again another acquired taste. To me it sounds like an interesting mix between New Order and Dead Kennedys. Took a few songs to get into it but I eventually did.
¿Otro disco de PIL? creo que es el segundo o tercero de la lista. ¿Tan importantes son para la música? No lo creo. Se salva "Public Image" la canción.
There is only one way to describe this glorious mess of an album: "Music to bask in your own filth by" Love it!
Throbbing bass lines, wailing and yelling about society, actual real world controversy and bans, what’s not to love?
I guess it's influential industrial punk, but it's not enjoyable nor interesting to me.
Pretty trash, i do not like. Public image is the only track that's okayish
No, I didn't like this at all. But again, are you supposed to "like" this sort of thing? Do people? "Let me just put this on while I do the dishes." I didn't find it as fascinating as Metal Box, so mostly I was just unhappy through most of this. It's very long and shouty. For that it's a one. But I did find myself somewhat interested in its place in the history of music and especially culture, so it gets a point for that.
I thought that I had composed some thoughts here earlier in the day when I finished listening…I guess not and now I have no specific recollections other than “nah”.
Ah, a religious text for the sabbath. I feel edified if not entertained.
Metal Box (the previous Public Image album I rated) got a 2 and I was happy it was over. This one was notably better! A few of the songs I was leaning towards a 4, but mostly this settled right in at a three.
Some standout guitars, and provoking lyrics for sure.
who would have thought that the first "solo" album by one of music's most notorious egomaniacs would be this excessive? oh, wait, everyone
Horrible
Catchy beats, Soft Play should expect a letter in the post
#111. I suppose I can see why a thing like this would be on this list, but that doesn't mean I have to like it though. 2/5: too try hard Song added to playlist: Public Image I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link
Let's call a spade a spade. No, wait. Let's call a spade a shovel. And let's be honest about this album, about this band. The only reason multiple albums from this band is because the music press couldn't get enough of sucking John Lydon off. They exalted him as some modern day Bowie, or punk ass Dylan. But when was the last time you went and listened to Public Image LTD on purpose? For enjoyment? When's the last time you heard Public Image LTD out in the wild. No one cares. Maybe Johnny Lydon was just a dick.
Annalisa, Public Image, and Low Life are interesting semi-listenable examples of early post-punk. The rest is overindulgent, irritating and cringe.
This really isn't my kind of music, it's just a bit shit
Oh God, it was absolutely awful! The album's a gagbag full of petulant, untalented shouts and overlong, unchanging chug-a-lug riffery. I hate it very much. But really, it's probably intentionally meant to be unpleasant to people like me who opine that punk sucks.
I thought it was pretty good. I feel like the album could've done better without Religion I. Religion II is a great track on its own, but Religion I really makes the song superfluous.
Nope
POST PUNK! I can fast forward through any song and wherever I stop sounds exactly the same as where I started.
I liked some parts, mainly the middle three tracks as examples of decent post-punk, but the rest felt incomplete. The lyrics can be very patronising and juvenile, but I can concede the influential nature of the album. 19/01/24
This didn't really click for me at all. It sounds like a lot of half ideas that were kind of workshopped while they recorded them. Took me about three goes to actually listen to this as well, it's jarring and not really something I'd ever just want to sit and listen to. Oh and Johnny Butterseller is an absolute fanny.
Once is enough for me - Brophy Not the biggest fan of punk-W
I don't think the title track can carry the album these days which is a shame. Very much of a "what do you do after punk?" album.
Terrible crap
Apart from the bass playing, I don’t think this has aged well.
Terrible
The first song starts out pretty good but it goes down hill faaaaast
Horrendous
Really insightful and exciting.. for1978. Some are OK . "Religion" - sounds like rap without the catchy music
Crap! Childish shouty lyrics, what I would expect from a angsty teenager who would no doubt realize when they'd grown up, how immature they sounded. Musically poor and generally an unpleasant listen
There wasn't a single song from this album that I would play ever again.
This is a rough listen. I can see how this was ahead of its time musically, but I do not really find it interesting. I dislike most spoken word albums, especially when they are this grating. I’m sure the poetry is great, but this is not for me.
Post punk. It's rather repetitive.
Still a disappointing experience. At least I knew what I was getting into after having one of their other albums already. Which, speaking of... HOW THE FUCK DO THEY HAVE 2 ALBUMS ON THIS LIST??? Jesus, 1001 albums and they have duplicates from THIS band?
Interview at end is fascinating
Amazing vibes album definitely added to the collection.
Better than Sex Pistols if you insist on comparing things like I do
Nope
Post-Punk seems not to be my type of music 😉
The opening track sucks ass and I quote "I wish I would die". The middle is where the album becomes more approachable. and then the last track is a stinker.
Awful album. Didn't enjoy at all.
2/5 naaaah
A bunch of noise w/stupid lyrics. If I could give it a 0 I would. 1
no thanks. repetitive music and howling vocals, in most songs. this is clearly just for musicians to listen to. i liked the occasional guitar bits and the lyrics of religion I & II, feels like a more direct version of -hozier's 'take me to church'
Having previously listened to Metal Box, I came into this fully expecting to hate every second of it, but it wasn’t quite as terrible as I feared, mostly because John spends much more time chanting/speaking than trying to sing. But what is the point of speaking a poem, a bad poem at that, and then immediately speaking that exact same poem again but over drums and a guitar riff? Also, I know this probably came across as more profound in 1978, but listening to the religion criticisms in 2024 all I could think of was that “Who’s an edgy boy” meme.
Ähm, nein. Was sollen die Texte zu Religion, wildes Geschrei usw.
2.2/5 listened 2x
Innovative, reckless, difficult, discordant music, and all the better for it.
You know, I actually went into this one with the expectation that I would probably enjoy it. I was wrong. I didn't really like much about this. I didn't like John Lydon's stupid face staring at me from the album cover, and I didn't like him whining about whatever he was whining about on songs that were often way too long. 2 stars.
3.5/5
I…don’t think I understand post punk
God save the queen! A real shitty version of the Sex Pistols!
I like this band, I like their sound, I don’t love this album. starts out really preachy and repetitive, too much beat poetry sprinkled in (ol Johnny clearly going for a Patti smith-horses vibe - and getting away from the Sex Pistols sound that made him famous). The album gets better though, “annalisa” and “public image” are great songs). Shocked the scores are so low. anyway, The next PIL album is way better -dare i say ‘great, (second edition), no preach talking and a solid vibe throughout.
I was not into this.
too crazy
Sort of what you would expect, slightly sparse bleak post punk before PIL hit more of a groove. Certainly interesting.
4/5. Industrial punk might be one of my new favorite genres, every new album in that genre sounds so good to me. The chaotic singing and drowned vocals of the singer makes the heavy riffing of the guitar resemble metal more than rock. Some songs go on a little too long but most are great. The lyrics also stand out to be very direct about their opinions on religion, torture, self degradation, and being an awful person. You know, classic punk stuff.
one one one one ONE ONE ONe... ONE!
Not a fan, couldn’t put my finger on it.
Never been that big on the Sex Pistols but at least their songs were catchy and they brought an energy and attitude that I can admire. This side project however was a disaster
An album that slowly chips away at your soul and leaves with nothing in the end other than looking like the guy on the album cover.
Innovative and awesome for its day. Easy listen, can not complain. Leaves me wanting more.
En deze keer is het wél (ongeveer) 1980, bestaat de tekst (voor zover verstaanbaar) slechts uit drie woorden, zijn de instrumenten niet gestemd, hebben de muzikanten niet geoefend (echt niet, ziet Wikipedia) en heeft de productie plaatsgevonden door domweg op 'rec' van de cassetterecorder te drukken (ook niet door mij verzonnen). En verder wat zeikmonologen. Ik word er moedeloos van dat we telkens weer dit soort aperte bagger moeten doorploegen. Ik ga nu even wat ABBA luisteren om bij te komen...
Ook deze plaat lijkt wat betreft de zang expres verkloot. Die punk-"zang" staat al veel te vaak in deze lijst. Als iedereen dat doet, dan zijn die punk-bands toch maar een stel meelopers allemaal. Toch biedt deze plaat wel iets interessants. Muzikaal is het vrij creatief. Ik had hem bijna naar een voldoende kunnen tillen. Maar dan komt het laatste nummer. Waarom toch? Dat gaan we niet belonen.
Het enige knappe is dat als je volledig talentloos door het leven gaat, je blijkbaar toch een succesvolle carriere kan hebben. Johnny "Rotten" Lydon bewijst het. De zang, of wat er voor door moet gaan, is echt tenenkrommend slecht. Qua muziek vind ik het eigenlijk nog best wel goed. Er zit een prima ritmesectie in, de gitaar gooit er een lekkere gruizige deken overheen. Alleen Sjonnie had er van mij niet per se met een megafoon aritmisch doorheen hoeven bleren. En jammer van het matige begin en einde. Maar het middenstuk is dikke prima. Ik kan daar best 3 sterretjes voor uitdelen.
Don’t know what all you cry babies are on about, this was perfectly listenable
Not horrific like the other Public Image Ltd album we've had. But still not good.
Theme 1.5/5
Prey to the God of a bitch spelled backwards is dog
Very hard for me to listen to this, could not enjoy it.
3.6 - Any album that marks the death of punk’s preeminence in Western music is good in my book. But this album is just good. A few tracks are great (“Low Life”, “Annalisa”, “Public Life”), a couple are shit (“Fodderstompf”, “Religion II”). And I’m still not sold on this Jah Wobble character - this is his third project that Dimery has recommended me and I remain ambivalent about him, at best.
All the chaos, anger and politics of The Pistols, but with a more musical slant. Jah Wobble was a genius from the offset. Keith Levene's guitars influenced a generation. This is post punk before it was a thing. It is confrontational and provocative. A great album.
I laughed to myself when I first saw this album, thinking the reviews for this should be pretty entertaining. A fan of the Sex Pistols and PIL, this is pretty much what I expected. Angry and in your face. Have to believe the Religion songs upset quite a few. But F em. The song is spot on. Maybe I'm going to hell, but Bon told me, hell ain't a bad place to be. A solid album all the way through and one way to relieve some stress while working. Public Image is probably my favorite song by these guys and great banger for everyone. Religion had the best lyrics and is the song most true to life. Fodderstompf went a little long and strange, but this is really my biggest complaint. Overall, a solid album. I'm going with a 3.5 but scorebaord will show 3. 3.5
4 "Didn't you ever have that feeling when you get up with a hangover, and you look at the world and think 'Count me out, I'd rather die!'?" Look, I’m far from the first person who would defend Johnny Rotten as any kind of lyrical genius, poet, or even really a punk for that matter (his endorsement of Donald Trump really sealed that last one), but there’s something about his performance and energy that’s hard not to appreciate if you’re any kind of punk rock fan. Like, come on, tell me this wouldn’t be hype as hell to see live with a couple beers in you. Yes, it’s a very different group than The Sex Pistols, but it’s not intended to - and why should it? While not particularly mosh-able, it’s just as angry, and I think that paired with this album’s bass-driven sound largely shaped post-punk as we know it today. If you want to write this off as a bunch of repetitive rock loops with Rotten screaming over them, I can see where you’re coming from, but personally, I can also see how it helped bridge that punk gap. If nothing else, I find the energy of this album enjoyable enough to the point where I could listen to it much longer than the 40 minutes provided. Hell, even the closing track Fodderstompf (which feels intentionally made to be bad) held an ounce of charm with me - tell me there isn’t the slightest bit of catch with that bass groove and “We only wanted to be loved” hook. Even if you do absolutely hate it though, the track Public Image is so damn good that it absolves all sin. Despite all the negative reviews surrounding this one, I quite enjoyed it. Granted, I am a Sex Pistols fan, so do with that what you will, but I genuinely think this a noteworthy musical evolution from Never Mind the Bollocks (which had just come out a year prior), and I have a bit of respect for Johnny Rotten for it. Just a touch though - he’s still a POS and his new band likely had a large part to do with it. Speaking of, if you were curious to listen to the interview at the end on Spotify but intimidated by the length, here’s a TL;DR: Johnny Rotten spends the entire time ripping on The Sex Pistols, contemporary bands, the interviewer, and then occasionally speaks about his current band and the album.
For the most part, couldn't wait for this to end. Amounts to a steady hour of eight-notes. Extra credit for passion though.
Enjoyed the middle run of songs, but start and finish were terrible. Not for me but I can imagine some weirdos loving it.
Couple good tunes on here but seemed like a bunch of filler also. 2.5
This one was less cringe than I was expecting - the religion section was definitely on the nose, but the rest of the album was standard post-punk fare for the era. Does take a bit of patience (I understand those who tapped out here), but if it doesn’t have at least one grating, never-ending track is it really a post-punk LP?
kinda boring rock
MEH
wow, uh, how do i put this... this album was not good. i like other PIL songs and saw them live like a decade ago and enjoyed them, so I'm not sure what's happening here. my fiancee described the opening song, theme, as "if Jesus of Suburbia was really bad and only had one section" which i think is spot on. tracks 2 and 3 were just a high school atheist's anti-religion rant a capella and then set to weird music. at 2:45 or so, someone abruptly decides to start strumming what sounds like the high strings inside a piano or an autoharp or something. public image is actually a good, solid song, and it's a miracle they even gave us that. final shoutout to fodderstompf which is the 8-minute album closer and sounds like all four members of strong bad's teen girl squad singing at once. this album is weird (which i like), but it's not good (which i don't like). two stars because i won't lie awake thinking about it like a 1 star and i don't see myself ever coming back to it like a 3 star. it's just terribly forgettable. favorites: public image, low life
I listened to it, i liked it at first but then I forget about it.
John Lydon is a magaT shill. Not giving him listens for royalties.
Really interesting album! It's very noisy and has a really great sound. Occasionally felt like it was taking itself too seriously (Religion I & II) while simultaneously other tracks felt the opposite (Fodderstompf), but overall I really liked it.
Blind album and artist. Never have I watched the clock tick down at the very end of the last track. Constantly hearing an awful vocal track that sounds like gibberish on repeat at the very end. This sucked
Oh joy. More angst shoutiness.
It was a nice album. Felt more punk and post rock. The first track is the peak of the album imo. The risks taken and the rawness shown on it is unmatched by the tracks that follow it. I would have liked to have more tracks like it - more screaming, more distortion and experimentation. Nonetheless, it was still a good album. Religion 2, public image, attack, and low are all good to great. I don’t care for annalisa - it’s more of the same, doesn’t carry a memorable riff and for a 6-7 min track it doesn’t progress well and feels monotonous at times. The last track also feels a bit weird and out of place. The vocals just sound annoying to me. When the track started I was really excited to see where it goes because the bass line is great accompanied by these syncopated synths beats , but again I wanted to see more rawness and distortion which was missing. Overall, it was a good album. I’d give it a strong 3.
Gutes Rock Album 3.9
Schwierig anzuhören. Fällt nicht in meinen Geschmack! 2.5/10
That opening track was definitely something. I get that this was probably put on here because of its revolutionary views on religion etc (in fact it was apparently banned in Malta when it came out), but most songs were just ... noise? The screaming even sounded demonic at times. Yeah no. I listen to music to relax and have a good time. Genuinely curious to read other reviews now, like are there people out there who listen to this out of choice?
Really creative, experimental album. I tried to transport myself to a 'pre-post-punk' world and view the album through that lens. It's certainly a pioneering record which would go on to inspire so many post-punk bands. Keith Levene's guitar playing on this is incredible, and the bass/drum section of the band are great too. However I think it's let down somewhat by the longer, repetitive tracks.
2.6
So, some is not easy to listen to, but other parts are. Very interesting record.
Some good songs in the middle of the album, however it was just ok overall. Might need to go back and give it a re listen at a later date
Thought it sounded very Sex Pistols then found it was John Lydon which makes sense but is disappointing. Everyone wants to be punk but nobody wants to be antiestablishment. Quite liked Religion I even if it was a bit on the nose. Meh
The juvenile anti-religion lyrics don't offend me, but the god awful music and vocals do. John Lydon should stick to flogging margarine and failing to qualify for Eurovision. Rating: 1/5 Playlist track: Public Image Date listened: 29/11/23
I'm all punked out this week, otherwise I might have appreciated this more. It's good.
Ugh...
I get that this was pretty much the first post punk album, but it really wasnt that good. Their later stuff was much better. 2.5 maybe. Expected more from them
4/10. So, let's break this down: Track 1: 10 minutes of music that intentionally sounds like a hangover Track 2: Basically a spoken word Bo Burnham rap with less swearing Track 3: the 2nd song again, but with gaps between the lyrics so that it's thrice as long Track 4: finally something that sounds like a real song Track 5: you know, normally if you only have one hit on the album, it should probably be on the A-side Tracks 6&7: good news, the songs are starting to sound like songs more consistently on theB side. Bad news, they sound the same. Track 8: sounds like 6 and 7, but really long and with some screaming muppets for color.
This was significantly better than Metal Box. I could actually tell how this album influenced plenty of post punk to come, and some of the songs were actually songs (despite being a little out there). However, the lyrics to a couple tracks were so heavy-handed and Fodderstompf was just horrid. 5/10