John Lydon's Metal Box: The Story of Public Image Ltd (Hardcover)

~ Phil Strongman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In between fronting rock's most iconoclastic group, the Sex Pistols, and reemerging in the twenty-first century as a reality TV hero on I'm A Celebrity, Lydon led Public Image Ltd., who merged disco, funk, and industrial punk to create coruscating soundscapes with catchy tunes-from "Death Disco" and "Flowers of Romance" to "Rise" and "This Is Not A Love Song"-and caused riots at their gigs. This is Public Image Ltd.'s terrifying story.

About the Author

Phil Strongman is a freelance writer and an acclaimed author who has written for a number of UK rock magazines and has written books on John Lennon and Cocaine. He has also worked for a number of punk record labels.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Helter Skelter Publishing (February 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1900924668
• ISBN-13: 978-1900924665
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #114,067 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars so far..., September 25, 2007

By	Vanessa Reyes "punk rock goddess" (florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

i am half way thru and so far so good,theres alot of new public image info that i did not know,and the interviews with keith levene and jim walker are fair and revealing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The "truth" about PiL, but not including Lydon's version..., April 19, 2009

By	Charles A. Miller (Baltimore, Maryland U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

...if there is one.

This book is about as thorough as possible with regards to the story of Public Image Ltd without the input of it's longest-lived member, John Lydon. Therefore, much of it's anti-Lydon spin must be taken with a grain of salt. However, since the vast majority of the other contributors, which are impressively well in excess of 50% of the people involved (Keith Levene, Jah Wobble, Jim Walker, etc.), it can't be ignored either. It isn't a bash-Lydon book, but some former band members had some significant problems with him, as they did with each other. Different versions of the same incidents makes for interesting reading.

A book by Lydon would be very welcomed to balance all that is contained within this volume, however, whether or not he is a "nice" person or not is irrelevant... it's the music that matters. The true value of this presently reviewed title does not lie in the personality conflicts beyond how they might have impacted that final product. It's real worth lies in the fact that it is the first title to attempt an in-depth look at one of post-punk's most important bands, Public Image Limited. The fact that much of it's contents are from interviews with former members yields an authenticity to it not found elsewhere. There are details regarding how and why songs were written, under what circumstances the tracks were recorded, who was involved, and as importantly, who not and why. After reading this, I learned more about this band than I've known since 1978 when I first heard and started collecting PiL albums... quite an achievement.

This book also includes a good discography of PiL and solo material from 1977 to 2004 as well as some rarely seen photographs of the early members.

Highly recommended with the one caveat that Lydon's input is missing (and the book's title is sort of misleading). But considering who and what it does contain, certainly there is much truth within. And for sheer entertainment value, it is well-assembled and hard to put down.