John Lydon's Public Image Ltd to reissue Metal Box and rarities collection Public Image Ltd.
Band to re-release classic album to coincide with tour

Public Image Ltd. are to reissue their seminal 1979 album Metal Box to coincide with their December reunion tour.

As well as releasing a new 'metal' version of the album as a three-CD set for the first time, a 64-track, four-CD rarities version of Metal Box – dubbed Plastic Box – will also be released. The Plastic Box edition of the album features rarities including the band's John Peel sessions and remixes.

Both releases come out on December 14, with the original album appearing in remastered form.

The news comes as John Lydon and co gear up to begin their first UK tour in 17 years, which kicks off on December 15 at Birmingham's O2 Academy. Lydon has also confirmed that if the band make enough money from the forthcoming tour, they will enter the studio together to record new material.

The tracklisting for the new release of Metal Box is:

CD1:
'Albatross'
'Memories'
'Swan Lake'
CD2:
'Poptones'
'Careering'
'No Birds'
'Graveyards'
'The Suit'
CD3:
'Bad Boy'
'Socialist'
'Chant'
'Radio 4'

The tracklisting for Plastic Box is:

CD1:
'Public Image'
'The Cowboy Song'
'Theme'
'Religion I'
'Religion II'
'Annalisa'
'Low Life'
'Attack'
'Poptones (BBC Peel Session)'
'Careering (BBC Peel Session)'
'Chant (BBC Peel Session)'
'Death Disco' (12-inch Remix)
'1/2 Mix Megamix'
'No Birds Do Sing'
'Memories'

CD2:
'Another'
'Albatross'
'Socialist'
'The Suit'
'Bad Baby'
'Radio 4'
'Pied Piper'
'Flowers of Romance'
'Four Enclosed Walls'
'Phenagen'
'Track 8'
'Hymie's Him'
'Under The House'
'Banging The Door'
'Go Back'
'Francis Massacre'
'Home Is Where The Heart Is'

CD3:
'This Is Not a Love Song' (12-inch Remix)
'Blue Water'
'Bad Life' (Single version)
'Question Mark'
'Solitaire'
'Tie Me To The Length Of That'
'Where Are You?'
'The Pardon'
'1981'
'The Order of Death'
'FFF'
'Rise'
'Fishing'
'Round'
'Home'
'Ease'

CD4:
'Seattle'
'Angry'
'The Body' (US 12-inch Mix)
'Selfish Rubbish '
'Disappointed'
'Happy'
'Warrior' (12-inch Extended Version)
'USLS 1'
'Don’t Ask Me'
'Criminal'
'Luck's Up'
'God'
'Cruel' (BBC Mark Goodier Session)
'Acid Drops' (BBC Mark Goodier Session)
'Love Hope' (BBC Mark Goodier Session)
'Think Tank' (BBC Mark Goodier Session)

http://www.nme.com/news/p...-ltd/48425

I'll buy metal box for sure. I do have a cd copy of second edition kicking around, but that's just going to go back to the 2nd hand bin where I originally found it.

I like the looks of that boxed set - it nicely emphasizes the early stuff & downplays the spotty later material - but if it's entirely composed of demos/remixes/alternate takes then I'll probably give it a pass. I actually don't have any PiL on disc except for Metal Box & I'd like to get a good comp or boxed set, but not one of alternate takes.

damosuzuki said:

I'd think all the alternate versions are listed in the article and the majority of the tracks are the already released studio mixes. Like you, that is what I'd prefer anyway.

sextonseven said:

Ah, that does make sense. It's unlikely they'd take the time to piece together a box set made up solely of out-takes. It'll be nice to have that material on disc again. I actually really like most PiL records. Flowers of Romance is pretty close to unlistenable for me and I don't think I ever heard the last record, but I think all the other ones are at least decent.