Customer Reviews

Psycho's Path

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

John Lydon is known as one of pop culture's top innovators as well as for his consistently brilliant music. His discography is one of the most impressive of all time, placing him alongside the all-time greats in terms of vision and originality. But it is just this sort of pop-star iconoclasm that Lydon has always ingeniously deflated, and it is safe to say that the artist's personality and viewpoints are more than alive and well in this cd. "Psycho's Path" was John's solo debut and is a logical progression in the same sort of techno-punk direction that he took in Public Image Ltd.'s 1989 album "9", but with a distinctly '90's edge. The songs are excellent, with some of his most directly personal lyrics since "The Flowers Of Romance". To fans of early-era Pil, this direction takes a bit of getting used to, but it is well worth the effort. The music is not bloodless, the melodies are not hidden, the lyrics are astute and often startling, the vocals are great- and all of "Psycho's Path" is imbued with Lydon's one-of-a-kind take on things. His anti-establishment stance has definitely been tempered by maturity and responsible concern for the coming generations, but he won't stand for injustice of any sort and it is this element of his worldview that has always been his appeal (even when his music, circa '78-'84, was completely inaccessible to any radio formats other than the campus stations). I know little about the field of music that "Psycho's Path" falls into generally, techno-rock. If this genre is an aberration or a groundbreaking movement is not clear to me yet. But I do know all of John Lydon's work, and "Psycho's Path" is the third greatest album of his career, behind only "Metal Box" and "Never Mind The Bollocks". Buy this cd, you'll get the clearest, most concise and most scathing music/commentary from John Lydon that you've heard in years. And he did the bulk of it himself. A sadly overlooked masterpiece from one of rock's true innovators.

I'm glad I rediscovered this amazingly weird and delightful record by the artist formerly known as Rotten. The techno-influenced rock suits his bizarre voice as well as his torn and safety-pinned clothes did when he was younger and nastier. His lyrics always were about a contemporary world of conflict, tension, and potential desolation. Maybe, that's how techno works with his message: pointing out the personal ruin in the economic boom of the 90s as much as in the recession of the 70s. We're living in the "no-future" The Sex Pistols warned us about: Many relationships are virtual and relative instead of intimate and familiar. There's not many real products left to be distanced from. And many of us, even the most seemingly normal, feel like aliens lost beyond alienation. This is how the music sounds - strange and otherworldly, just the truth.

Alright then. I listened to this album and I liked it. Was perfectly happy with the sound quality and lyrical content. "Sun" stands out as my favourite song from it. Enjoyed the different mixes. I'm giving this 5 stars just because I feel like it. Five little pointy stars to stick on your forehead...or shove up the nose of the amazon.com reviewer. He must be such a amazingly cool person, self-importantly wise in all his ways...oh, who cares about him. Have a listen, decide for yourself.

I'm not exactly a Pistols fan, nor much of a PIL fan, but this album made me love John Lydon and respect him as a real musician. It is truly brilliant and not "wimpy," sappy or wah-wah (like what seems to happen to all the good rockers as they get older). The music is so interesting and diverse (each song is very different) and the way he places the lyrics into the music is unique and mesmerizing. The lyrics are well written and the arrangements are flawless. This is one of my all-time favorite albums.

Hey there. Great stuff this album. I only have it on a tape that a pen pal of mine made for me and I'd love to own the actual CD but I don't exaclty have the funds (sad, isn't it?) Well, I think the album is absolutely perfect. I like John's PIL work and although perhaps my fave of his stuff was his Pistols work, I love his other work - different. Check out his performance in the movie Corrupt... the man is the epitome of versatility.

This man is a legend whether he likes it or not. I happen to enjoy not only his current CD but all of them. He is a breath of air we need after all this current hoopla of American Idol and
newlywed nonsense that music is disgracing itself with.

After the departures of Keith Levene and Wobble from Public Image Ltd., it can be argued that the band became a "solo" project for John Lydon, as the albums had ever-changing lineups of (session) musicians or - on rare occasions - top artists from rock, fusion and punk/new wave.

This first official solo effort has 10 tracks and five remixes - Chemical Brothers, Moby, Danny Saber, two from Leftfield - that clock in at 72:22. Lydon is the vocalist and plays nearly all the instruments, as his biting lyrics are particularly brilliant on Dog, with the other intriguing tracks being Psychopath, Sun and Armies.

Due to a dispute between Lydon and the record company, a tour to promote the album was abandoned after a few shows. Drummer Robert Williams unsuccessfully sued Lydon - the case appeared on an episode of Judge Judy - concerning a number of professional/personal issues due to the cancellation.

This is a post-PiL path where Lydon breaks no real new ground, but churns out a solid performance...while doing it his own way.

As far as I know this is the last recorded material from the voice that fronted the Sex Pistols and Public Image Limited. Some 12 years on and this album still catches my ear. Psycho's Path has some great tracks with some echoes of PiL's albums Second Edition/Metal Box and Flowers of Romance in its experimental, beat-driven feel as well as some lyrical nods to the previous PiL swan song of "That What is Not". More interesting is perhaps how much the electronica on this may have influenced Marilyn Manson's Mechanical Animals album, particularly on Lydon's song "Armies" when compared to Manson's "The Dope Show". The original content on the album is great stuff, but not sure about the Moby or Chemical Brothers remixes at the end of the album. I think it's a strong album without them, but they lend some relevance to an album that has all too quickly become a dozen years old. Where else will the Psycho's Path lead?

Most of the reviews for 'Psycho's Path' on Amazon are anywhere from 5-10 years old so let me be the voice from the present to let you know you should buy 'Psycho's Path'. I have owned 'Psycho's Path' for almost 14 years & I still listen to it to this day. That is more than I can say for most of the records I have in my collection.

I will add that I consider myself one of the lucky ones. I got to see Johnny Lydon in Dallas, TX (where I lived at the time) when he toured to promote 'Psycho's Path'. I understand the tour was canceled shortly thereafter. Too bad, because that's as good as I've seen Johnny Lydon. He was even better than when I saw him with P.I.L. back in 1990 for the '9' tour.

Don't get me wrong; 'Psycho's Path' is not going to make you forget any of the stuff Johnny Lydon did with P.I.L.. Nevertheless, 'Psycho's Path' is a gem of an album. It's a masterpiece in its own way really.

Well it's too bad 'Psycho's Path' is out of print. It doesn't deserve to be. If you have a chance to buy this album on Amazon or at your local record store do so. You won't regret it.

John Lydon, though not exactly your typical lyrical genious, still manages to get his point across in a beautiful way in this album that is worth every penny.