P.I.L. – Metal Box (1979)

Poor old John Lydon. The Sex Pistols experience was still an open wound that continued to stifle his ambitions. The sneering persona he projected to the press was truly justified by the fact that in determining his own musical direction he had to continuously field questions from the press about the rotting carcass that he had escaped from. In his mind, The Pistols were dead, punk rock was dead, and to his dismay the sub culture (or “sheep” as he often referred) had become the mainstream. He had become a pawn in a game that he wanted no part of. Public Image Ltd were to be the true representation of his creative inspirations and the new, designated brand would cover music, movies, arts and pop culture in a radically different guise. Their debut long player (“First Issue”) had been a hastily assembled collection built around the outstanding lead single “Public Image”. Not entirely satisfied by the result, Lydon then created “Metal Box”, a musical concept that loosely combined the influence of experimental rock, Krautrock, dub, disco and punk into a 60 minute sprawling, relentless voyage that denied any pre-conception that the singer would pander to fans who expected a regurgitation of past glories. There’s a pervading sense of nihilism, paranoia, even resignation in Lydon’s lyrics, as the throbbing Jah Wobble basslines pulse out, and Keith Levene’s shriek like licks overlay the doom laden atmospherics.

Originally packaged as a 3 disc set, played at 45rpm and encased in a 16mm steel canister, “Metal Box” is an exhausting experience. First off, at over an hour, it’s just too damned long to be digested in a single sitting. This is particularly highlighted by the unwieldy opener “Albatross”, which not only is the weakest song from the collection but also stretches to almost eleven energy and attention sapping minutes. The turgid disco rhythms, allied with Lydon’s tuneless interjections and Levene’s brittle, treble high guitar accompaniment could be interpreted as either inspired or indulgent depending on the listener’s overall opinion. Often cited as a major influence to future post punk stylists (including The Edge), Levene’s Veleno aluminium guitar is for this listener, one of the major critical disruptions and distractions. Mixed way too high and lacking the compromise of a mid range, his repetitive arpeggio’s become an unnecessary sonic handicap. Indeed, the best moments from “Metal Box” are where guitar noises don’t dominate the recording, and are replaced by rudimentary synths that stab out strange bleeps and sirens to the mechanical rhythms. For that reason, “Careering”, “Bad Baby” and the instrumental “Socialist” make for the most worthy experiences from what is without doubt a hugely ambitious but ultimately unfulfilling long player.

For those willing to stomach Lydon’s wilful manipulation of the traditions of modern music this may well be the zenith of his recording career. For some it’s a blurry trawl attempting to find a song that captures the same excitement one gets when hearing PiL’s incredible debut single. Sadly, it never happens.

5/10

“Albatross”