John Lydon ,Keith Levene... Their first album I really dig, but also Flowers of Romance. Where is Johnny Rotten and why isn't he touring? Anybody know?

MRGee said:

I like the first three a lot - you didn't even mention my favorite, METAL BOX (aka Second Edition). Those are some really strange records but they work.

I know the Sex Pistols have done some gigs in the last year to promote the videogame Rock Band (yeah, ironic isn't it??) But I dunno if Johnny's going to do more new music. His last project wasn't even called PiL, it was under the name John Lydon, and it didn't do very well. Lousy reviews, no radio play, no one at the gigs. And to be honest I ran out of interest in PiL around the time of the album Happy?

So he's been doing TV stuff in England, he hosts a program on the Discovery channel about insects. I guess that makes sense. I liked his Rotten TV program for VH1 years ago... lets him be obnoxious and smarty-pants without having to muck up his music legacy with more weak records.

I'm a big fan of Metal Box (still have the original vinyl in the film canister in more or less perfect condition) & to a lesser extent the first album. I never had too much patience with the rest of his stuff, though I kept on buying it up to "9". Every album had a keeper track or two on it that kept me coming back for a dose of pissy-ness: This is What You Want had This is Not A Love Song & Order of Death, Happy had Seattle...

I've always wondered who the woman was on the cover of Flowers of Romance - she was dead good lookin' if you ask me.

damosuzuki said:

I love Metal Box. I had to wait for the reissue of the film canister vinyl a few years ago though. On vinyl is the only way to really listen to that album. I used to have 9 because I love "Disappointed", but sold it and now I just listen to Greatest Hits So Far.

I do like Metal box especially Memories...I don't have it in the canister just have it as SECOND Edition on vinyl. Cool to hear John Lydon is doing stuff in the UK. Who is he married to?

i like this band better than the sex pistols. actually, i don't care much for the pistols. don't really like punk. i like post punk better. i like the tribe-like drums on flowers of romance album.

i love their stuff. sadly, all i have by them on CD is their greatest hits, cuz i never got around to replacing the PiL cassettes i played to death in the 80s...

Mr. Lydon's post-Pistols band was awesome. Here's my favorite track by PiL, "Seattle":

"Rise" is a classic single. Apart from that, never really got into them.


Lydon is advertising a butter-type spread in the UK at present. Guess those Pistols reunion shows didn't pay enough, huh?

I love the first two albums - especially Metal Box. But then I get selective. Parts of Flowers of Romance, This is What You Want .... and Album/CD/Cassette are very good, but other parts suck a big one. Thereafter Lydon they're almnost entirely crap, apart from Don't Ask Me.

Lydon and Levene basically fucked up the original incarnation of PIL because of drugs (Levene was a smackhead) and apathy (Lydon). Jah Wobble left in disgust after Metal Box and basically took a core component of the group with him. They were never the same again, creatively. They ended sounding like a fifth rate metal band.

There are rumours that Lydon will reform PIL with Keith Levene and Jah Wobble this year or next. I hope so, because I'd rather see them than that tired Sex Pistols panto yet again.

sextonseven said:

Agree with you about Metal Box on vinyl. I have my original copy and the remaster on vinyl. I also have a bootleg of outtakes and alternate mixes (like the 12" version of Memories), which is just superb.

Oooh Girl, I was contemplating a thread about Johnny (Rotten) Lydon's bands something like Which Do You Prefer: The Sex Pistols or PiL ?. I personally perfer the Pil material, Poptones, Careening, Death Disco, Attack, Religion, Annalisa.. all great tunes with Keith Levene fantastic guitar work.And don't forget Jah Wobble's bass on Public Image ! As far as the Sex Pistols they recently did a bunch of reunion gigs and an official DVD is out too. That is absolutely great news if the original Pil reforms. I wonder who uploaded that recent Pil bootleg at a certain site .