Plastic Box [Import]

Public Image Limited | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 22, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Import
• Label: Emd Int'l
• ASIN: B002VVI53A
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,578 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Special 2009 four CD edition of this long-deleted 64 track anthology from John 'Johnny Rotten' Lydon and PIL. Rising from the ashes of the Sex Pistols in 1978, Public Image Limited were by definition one of the pioneers of Post-Punk groups. With John Lydon's vocals complemented by ex-Clash guitarist Keith Levene, drummer Jim Walker and the now legendary Jah Wobble on bass, the group created a more Dub-orientated style and their innovative music earned them five UK Top 20 Singles and five UK Top 20 Albums in a period stretching over three decades. Originally released in 1999, The Plastic Box provides a complete overview of the band's work, including tracks taken from every album together with John Peel sessions, remixes and much more. The first two discs cover the band's early years while the remaining two discs spotlight their mid and later periods. An excellent look into the music of a band that continues to defy categorization. EMI.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars absolutely ESSENTIAL (even with important omissions), December 23, 2009

By 

Charles Miller "objective clarity" (Baltimore, Maryland U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plastic Box (Audio CD)

There is no way this set could receive anything less than 5 stars, if nothing else, because the material is as good and as important as it is. That said, there are some significant omissions. This is not the fault of the band members, but rather that of the record label. In fact, John Lydon and Martin Atkins both stated their desire to have more in the way of rare material contained on this 4-CD boxed set; however, and as is usually the case, the record company had the final say.

The first giant ommission is the album Commercial Zone (the last studio album to feature Keith Levene, but never officially released). Unfortunately, its inclusion was never a possibility. Besides the bad blood that exists between the band members, there are licensing issues involved that will keep this title forever in unofficial bootleg or download world. It does appear (along with outtakes) on a long out-of-print Japanese issue: Never Mind the Public Image. Amazon lists it as "currently unavailable" but you might have some luck if you Google the title and find a Japanese site that still has it available (or try an international seller from that world-famous auction site).

The remaining tracks from the vaults that could have appeared, but didn't, are another matter. These include:
- 7" version of Memories, which is completely different from the album version
- Albatross (complete Monitor Mix), Death Disco (complete Monitor Mix) and Albatross (the Melodrama Mix); all available as bonus tracks on John Lydon's PAL-format DVD
- Flowers of Romance (instrumental version from 12" single)
- Vampire (a famous outtake from the Flowers of Romance album)
- Rise (instrumental B-side from Single)
- Religion '87 & The Suit '87 (tracks from the unrealized Renovations project, which is just as well... these attempts to reinvent previous versions featuring Keith Levene and Jah Wobble were not very sucessful)
- various Happy and Warrior 12" remixes
- Live At The Ritz (a full live album and once intended for release)

Of note is the fact that along with Commercial Zone, the Japanese set, Never Mind the Public Image, also contains all 5 tracks from the first 3 bullet points of the previous paragraph.

Despite missing much, it has plenty, to include outtakes, unreleased one-off tracks, two Peel Sessions and various remixes. This is a reissue of a long out-of-print set, which up until now has commanded very high prices for new and used copies. That alone says a lot about this set's value. Previously, much of its contents were never available before on CD.

Despite some overlap with official albums still available, this set is certainly worth it for completists due to the sheer volume of unique tracks and very low price, and it is the best possible introduction to the music of Public Image Limited for newcomers. Very highly recommended.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lot of really good music, but doesn't solve all of the problems, February 18, 2010

By 

Jeffrey Yutzler "uke-slar" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plastic Box (Audio CD)

When Plastic Box was first released over a decade ago, I jumped on it thinking it would be a suitable replacement for all of my PIL cassettes. Well, not exactly.

What is it?
* Almost every track from their first five studio albums, Public Image, Metal Box, Flowers of Romance, This is What You Want This Is What You Get, and Album
* A couple of tracks each from Happy, 9, and That What Is Not
* A hodge-podge of outtakes and one-off releases
* A hodge-podge of remixes, but only some of them
* Two BBC sessions, one early and one late

What's to like?
* I prefer the remastering from the box set to the original CD masters. While some remastering jobs are overdone, I didn't find that to be the case here.
* I appreciate being able to get ahold of the various outtakes, one-offs, and remixes. In particular, I like the the Metal Box-era outtakes, 1/2 Mix Megamix and Another (vocal version of Graveyard).
* The BBC sessions are very good. The second one gives me a greater appreciation for some of the songs from That What Is Not, even though I think the album as a whole is rubbish.

What's not to like?
* I'm not sure what the point is to releasing 90% of the first five albums. A serious fan absolutely has to get Metal Box anyway, but what about the other albums? Someone who bought this might not recognize how powerful the other individual albums were on their ow. Even if the missing tracks aren't the most important ones, they still are important to the album's coherence. As for me, I ended up buying most of the albums anyway.
* This Is Not A Love Song is presented in a remix with most of the lyrics omitted. I guess this is a good thing for the completist, but it also means you need to have TIWYW,TIWYG or Greatest Hits So Far to get the better version.
* I wish more alternative versions were included. If Mr. Miller's review is accurate, I'd like to have a way to get ahold of these things, even if it means that some of the deep cuts of the early albums were left off of the boxed set. (Maybe they'll release a "Deluxe Edition" of Metal Box that includes all of these things in one place - that would at least solve some of the problem.)

The bottom line is that the music here is top notch, but it leaves me wanting more. I guess that is what a boxed set is supposed to do.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Only a hardcore PiL fan can complain. And I'm one..., March 9, 2005

By 

The Drainpipe (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plastic Box (Audio CD)

Essential 4-disc retrospective of PiL's 14-year career. Along with many tracks culled from the studio albums, the set includes B-sides, 12'' versions, a few alternate mixes, a selection of radio session performances other rarities to round out the collection of the serious PiL enthusiast. Highlights include an instrumental remix of "Fodderstompf," the outtake "Pied Piper," the B-sides "Question Mark" and "Selfish Rubbish," and "Criminal," from the "Point Break" soundtrack. Unfortunately, this set fulls short of being definitive. Nothing from the two live albums is included (which most people would regard as a good thing). There's also nothing from "Commercial Zone" (except "Blue Water," which was an official B-side), and B-sides/remixes from the latter era of PiL are almost non-existent (the 1987 remakes of "The Suit" and "Religion" would have been perfect inclusions as they were only ever released as 12'' vinyl B-sides, and never on CDs). Practically every track from the first five studio albums (1978-1986) is included, and then selected material from the final three (1987-1992) is squeezed onto the last disc, which reinforces the (false) perception that the LA-based PiL was something of a write-off. In the absence of a fifth disc, deleting tracks from the earlier albums - to allow room for more songs of the later PiL - would have resulted in a more balanced set (it's annoying that great, underrated material from "Happy?" and "9" is absent to provide room for dead weight from "Flowers Of Romance" and "This Is What You Want...This Is What You Get"). No matter though - despite its shortcomings, "Plastic Box" proves what a damn good band PiL in all its various permutations was (John Lydon's frank and informative liner notes rate a mention too). Collected sets rarely get much better than this...