Public Image Ltd (PiL) are an English post-punk band formed by vocalist John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten), guitarist Keith Levene and bassist Jah Wobble, with frequent subsequent personnel changes. Lydon is the sole constant member of the band. Lydon emerged after the break-up of the Sex Pistols with PiL's Public Image: First Issue (1978). His new band had a more experimental sound: Wobble's "droning, slow-tempo, bass-heavy noise rock, overlaid by Lydon's distinctive, vituperative rant". Their early work is often regarded as some of the most challenging and innovative music of the post-punk era … (read more at Wikipedia)
Links to Peel[]
Peel was enthusiastic about Public Image Limited's material when they first started after Lydon's departure from the Sex Pistols. However, by the mid-80's, he had lost interest in the group's material, although on occasions, Peel played some of the band's early releases.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- 1978 Festive Fifty: Public Image #9
- 1979 Festive Fifty: Public Image #9
- 1979 Festive Fifty: Death Disco #28
- 1980 Festive Fifty: Public Image #11
- 1980 Festive Fifty: Poptones #33
- 1980 Festive Fifty: Careering #34
- 1981 Festive Fifty: Public Image #26
- 1982 Festive Fifty: Public Image AT#20
- 1983 Festive Fifty: This Is Not A Love Song #12
- Post-Peel
- 2012 Festive Fifty: Lollipop Opera #36
- 2015 Festive Fifty: Shoom #21
Sessions[]
One session. Officially released on Plastic Box (4xCD Box, Virgin, 1999).
1. Recorded: 1979-12-10. First broadcast: 17 December 1979. Repeated: 02 January 1980, 28 January 1980, 17 April 1980, 11 February 1986
- Poptones / Careering / Chant
Other Shows Played[]
- 1978
- 09 October 1978: Public Image (7") Virgin (JP: “The début single from the band on Virgin Records, and I shall play you that again tomorrow night along with a disco 12 inch by Jah Wobble too.”)
- 10 October 1978: Public Image (7") Virgin (assumed play, as promised the previous evening)
- 16 October 1978: Public Image (7") Virgin
- 18 October 1978: Public Image (single) Virgin
- 27 October 1978: Public Image (7") Virgin
- November 1978 (BFBS) (1): Attack (album - Public Image (First Issue)) Virgin V 2114
- November 1978 (BFBS) (1): Annalisa (album - Public Image (First Issue)) Virgin V 2114
- 04 December 1978: Annalisa (album - Public Image (First Issue)) Virgin V 2114
- 21 December 1978: Fodderstompf (album - Public Image (First Issue)) Virgin V 2114
- 1979
- 01 January 1979: Public Image (album - Public Image (First Issue)) Virgin V 2114 1978 Festive Fifty FF#9
- 02 January 1979: Annalisa (album - Public Image (First Issue)) Virgin V 2114
- 10 January 1979: Attack (LP-Public Image) Virgin
- 12 April 1979: Low Life (album - Public Image (First Issue)) Virgin V 2114
- 18 April 1979: Public Image (7") Virgin VS 228
- 21 June 1979: Death Disco (7") Virgin
- 26 June 1979: No Birds Do Sing (b/w 'Death Disco' 7") Virgin
- 27 June 1979: Death Disco (7") Virgin
- 30 June 1979 (BFBS): Death Disco (7") Virgin
- 12 July 1979: Death Disco (7") Virgin
- 14 July 1979 (BFBS): Death Disco (7") Virgin
- 16 July 1979: Death Disco (7") Virgin
- 17 July 1979: Death Disco (Half Mix) (12”) Virgin (JP: “And I wanted to be able to tell you where Death Disco is in the BBC’s charts at the moment, but I can’t do that because there isn’t a copy of it in either of the Radio One studios, and I can only imagine that the reason for this is that all of the records I like are doing so well that they couldn’t bear to have me gloating about it on the programme. Does that sound a little far-fetched? Yeah, it does really.”)
- 19 July 1979: Death Disco Megamix (12") Virgin
- 28 July 1979 (BFBS): Megga Mix (12" - Death Disco) Virgin
- 01 October 1979: Memories (12") Virgin
- 03 October 1979: Memories (3x12" LP - Metal Box) Virgin
- 13 October 1979 (BFBS): Memories (album - Metal Box) Virgin METAL 1
- 19 November 1979: Graveyard (3x12" LP - Metal Box) Virgin
- 19 November 1979: Careering (3x12" LP - Metal Box) Virgin
- 19 November 1979: No Birds (3x12" LP - Metal Box) Virgin
- 19 November 1979: Poptones (3x12" LP - Metal Box) Virgin
- 20 November 1979: The Suit (3x12" LP - Metal Box) Virgin
- 20 November 1979: Bad Baby (3x12" LP - Metal Box) Virgin
- 21 November 1979: Socialist/Chant/Radio 4 (album - Metal Box) Virgin METAL 1
- 24 November 1979 (BFBS): Careering (album - Metal Box) Virgin METAL 1
- 24 November 1979 (BFBS): Bad Baby (album - Metal Box) Virgin METAL 1
- 24 November 1979 (BFBS): The Suit (album - Metal Box) Virgin METAL 1
- 26 November 1979: Careering (3x12" – Metal Box) Virgin (Kid Jensen draws the names of 5 lucky winners who each win a copy of Public Image Limited's 'Metal Box' LP)
- 01 December 1979 (BFBS): Graveyard (album - Metal Box) Virgin METAL 1
- 03 December 1979: The Suit (3x12” LP - Metal Box) Virgin
- 05 December 1979: No Birds (3x12” LP - Metal Box) Virgin (JP: "Rather rum really, you know. I mean some days I like it, other days I don't.")
- 06 December 1979: Bad Baby (3x12” LP - Metal Box) Virgin
- 11 December 1979: Graveyard (3x12” LP - Metal Box) Virgin
- 26 December 1979: Death Disco (7") Virgin FF#28
- 1980
- 01 January 1980: Public Image (7") Virgin FF#9 (JP: "Not goodbye at all in fact, because we have a session from Public Image Ltd on tomorrow night's programme.”)
- 30 January 1980: The Suit (3x12” LP - Metal Box) Virgin
- 05 February 1980: Bad Baby
- 07 February 1980: Careering (album - Metal Box) Virgin METAL 1
- 23 February 1980 (BFBS): Careering (album - Metal Box) Virgin METAL 1
- 12 April 1980 (BFBS): Memories (album - Metal Box) Virgin METAL 1
- 19 May 1980: Poptones (3x12" LP - Metal Box) Virgin
- 24 May 1980 (BFBS): Careering (album - Metal Box) Virgin METAL 1
- 26 May 1980: Careering (3x12" LP – Metal Box) Virgin
- 03 July 1980 (BFBS): Death Disco (7") Virgin VS 274
- 31 July 1980 (BFBS): Part 1 ½ Mix (12" - Death Disco) Virgin VS 27412
- 05 August 1980: Careering (3x12" LP - Metal Box) Virgin
- 30 August 1980 (BFBS): Careering (album - Metal Box) Virgin METAL 1
- 11 October 1980 (BFBS): Bad Baby (album - Metal Box) Virgin METAL 1
- 27 October 1980: Pied Piper (v/a album - Machines) Virgin V 2177
- 01 November 1980 (BFBS): Pied Piper (v/a album - Machines) Virgin V 2177
- 06 November 1980: Theme (album - Paris Au Printemps) Virgin V 2183
- 10 November 1980: Attack (LP - First Issue) Virgin
- 13 November 1980 (BFBS): Theme (album - Paris Au Printemps) Virgin V 2183
- 13 November 1980 (BFBS): Psalmodie (Chant) (album - Paris Au Printemps) Virgin V 2183
- 13 November 1980 (BFBS): Lowlife (album - Paris Au Printemps) Virgin V 2183
- 13 November 1980 (BFBS): Careering (album - Paris Au Printemps) Virgin V 2183
- 15 November 1980 (BFBS): Bad Baby (album - Paris Au Printemps) Virgin V 2183
- 18 November 1980: Psalmodie (Chant) (album - Paris Au Printemps) Virgin V 2183
- 23 December 1980: Careering (3x12" LP - Metal Box) Virgin FF#34
- 23 December 1980: Poptones (3x12" LP - Metal Box) Virgin FF#33
- 29 December 1980: Public Image (LP - Public Image) Virgin FF#11
- 1981
- 15 January 1981: Fodderstompf (album - Public Image (First Issue)) Virgin V 2114
- 22 March 1981 (BFBS): Flowers Of Romance (7") Virgin VS 397
- 25 March 1981: Flowers Of Romance (7") Virgin VS 397
- 29 March 1981 (BFBS): Flowers Of Romance (7") Virgin VS 397
- 02 April 1981: Flowers Of Romance (7") Virgin VS 397
- 05 April 1981 (BFBS): Flowers Of Romance (7") Virgin VS 397
- 07 April 1981: Four Enclosed Walls (album - The Flowers Of Romance) Virgin 2189
- 08 April 1981: Flowers Of Romance
- 09 April 1981: Banging The Door (album - The Flowers Of Romance) Virgin 2189
- 11 April 1981 (BFBS): Banging The Door (album - The Flowers Of Romance) Virgin 2189
- 11 April 1981 (BFBS): Under The House (album - The Flowers Of Romance) Virgin 2189
- 11 April 1981 (BFBS): Four Enclosed Walls (album - The Flowers Of Romance) Virgin 2189
- 14 April 1981: Banging The Door (album - The Flowers Of Romance) Virgin 2189
- 20 April 1981: Four Enclosed Walls (album - The Flowers Of Romance) Virgin 2189
- 23 April 1981 (BFBS): Track 8 (album - The Flowers Of Romance) Virgin 2189
- 03 May 1981 (BFBS): Francis Massacre (album - The Flowers Of Romance) Virgin 2189
- 04 May 1981: Go Back (album - The Flowers Of Romance) Virgin 2189
- 12 May 1981: Four Enclosed Walls (album - The Flowers Of Romance) Virgin 2189
- 04 June 1981 (BFBS): Under The House (album - The Flowers Of Romance) Virgin 2189
- 11 June 1981 (John Walters): Under The House (album - The Flowers Of Romance) Virgin 2189
- 16 August 1981 (BFBS): Four Enclosed Walls (album - The Flowers Of Romance) Virgin 2189
- 29 November 1981 (BFBS): Public Image (7") Virgin FF#26
- 28 December 1981: Public Image (7") Virgin FF#26
- 1982
- 18 January 1982: Careering (3x12" LP - Metal Box) Virgin
- 27 October 1982 (BFBS): Four Enclosed Walls (album - The Flowers Of Romance) Virgin V 2189
- 27 December 1982: Public Image (7") Virgin ATFF#20
- 1983
- 17 April 1983 (BFBS): Graveyard (album - Metal Box) Virgin METAL 1
- 13 September 1983: Blue Water (12" - This Is Not a Love Song) Virgin
- 17 September 1983 (BFBS): This Is Not A Love Song (12") Virgin VS 529-12
- 17 October 1983: Memories
- 28 December 1983: This Is Not A Love Song (7") Virgin FF#12 (JP: “Almost everybody who saw them live, both here and on the continent, I got a lot of letters from the continent about them, said they were dreadful...”)
- 1984
- 16 May 1984 (BFBS): Bad Life (7") Virgin VS675
- 17 May 1984: Where Are You (LP - This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get) Virgin
- 21 June 1984: Four Enclosed Walls (LP - The Flowers Of Romance) Virgin
- 18 July 1984 (BFBS): 1981 (album - This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get) Virgin V 2309
- 19 July 1984: 1981 (album - This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get) Virgin V 2309
- 1985
- 26 May 1985 (BFBS): No Birds Do Sing (7" - Death Disco) Virgin VS 274
- 1986
- 15 January 1986: Rise (12") Virgin
- 10 February 1986: Fishing (LP - Album) Virgin
- 24 February 1986: Round (LP - Album) Virgin
- 21 April 1986: Home (7") Virgin
- 05 May 1986 (BBC World Service): Home (7") Virgin
- 20 December 1986 (BFBS) (Peel 047 (BFBS)): Death Disco (7") Virgin (JP: “We used to have lots of fun in those days, didn't we? Well, not really, to be honest.”)
- 1989
- 10 October 1989: Careering (LP - Metal Box) Virgin
- 1993
- 09 April 1993 (John Peel Is Jakki Brambles): Rise (single) Virgin
- 1996
- 02 February 1996: This Is Not A Love Song (12") Virgin
- 1999
- 06 October 1999: Annalisa (LP - First Issue) Virgin (JP: “I'm not entirely convinced that time has been terrifically kind to that.”)
- 2004
- 23 November 2004 (Rob Da Bank): 'This Is Not A Lovesong' - (Virgin)