PiL Celebrate 40 Years With Multi-Disc Box Set ‘The Public Image Is Rotten (Songs From The Heart)’

To celebrate their 40th Anniversary, John Lydon’s Public Image Ltd (PiL) are releasing their much-anticipated The Public Image is Rotten (Songs From The Heart) box set through UMG on 20 July 2018.

Due for issue as a 5CD/2DVD package, a 6LP vinyl set and through digital platforms, the box set will feature the PiL Singles Collection (1978-2015), B-sides, Rarities and Radio Sessions, 12” Mixes, Unreleased Mixes and Tracks and a Live concert from New York Ritz in July 1989. The DVD includes PiL promo videos and footage from the BBC’s Top Of The Pops and Old Grey Whistle Test. Just in case that isn’t enough they’ve included two legendary live concerts: the first PiL’s appearance at the Tallinn Rock Summer Festival in Estonia 1988 (still part of the USSR at the time) and the second from 2013’s Enmore Theatre in Australia during the This is PiL tour. See below for full tracklisting.

The box set coincides with the release of a career-spanning documentary film about Public Image Ltd (also titled The Public Image Is Rotten), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York last year and then had its European premiere at London’s Raindance Festival in 2017. As uDiscover Music previously reported, it has been directed by Tabbert Fiiller and will be released later this year in select cinemas.

PiL will also be embarking on a 36-date headline tour of UK/Europe & Japan this Summer. Kicking off in Bristol on 30 May, it takes in festival performances in United Kingdom, Holland and Poland, and includes a headline set at Camden Rocks Festival in London on Saturday 2 June and the recently announced show at London’s 100 Club on 20^th June, which sold out in 20 minutes. The band’s last tour was in 2016 and it was regarded by many as the best performances the band have ever played.

In 2015 the band released their 10^th studio album What The World Needs Now… which followed the huge critical success of 2012’s ‘This is PiL’, the band’s first album in 17 years. ‘What The World Needs Now’ peaked at number 29 in the official UK album charts and picked up fantastic acclaim from both press and public. (The album also peaked at No. 3 in the official UK indie charts and No. 4 in the official UK vinyl charts). ‘What The World Needs Now…’ was self-funded by PiL and released on their own label ‘PiL Official’ via Cargo UK Distribution.

Widely regarded as one of the most innovative and influential bands of all time, PiL’s music and vision earned them 5 UK Top 20 singles and 5 UK Top 20 albums. With a shifting line-up and unique sound, John Lydon guided the band from their debut album ‘First Issue’ in 1978 through to 1992’s ‘That What Is Not’. After a 17 year hiatus, Lydon reactivated PiL in 2009 by taking them back on the road worldwide.

The Public Image Is Rotten (Songs From The Heart) box set is released on 20 July. Scroll down to read the full tracklisting and pre-order it here.

The Public Image Is Rotten (CD + DVD edition) tracklisting:
CD1:
Public Image Ltd – Singles 1978-2015
‘Public Image’
‘Death Disco’
‘Memories’
‘Flowers of Romance’
‘This is Not a Love Song’
‘Bad Life’
‘Rise’
‘Home’
‘Seattle’
‘The Body’
‘Disappointed’
‘Warrior’
‘Don’t Ask Me’
‘Cruel’
‘One Drop’
‘Reggie Song’
‘Out of the Woods’
‘Double Trouble’

CD2:
Public Image Ltd – B-sides, Rarities & Radio Sessions:
B-sides:
‘The Cowboy Song’
‘Half Mix / Mega Mix’
‘Another’
‘Home Is Where The Heart Is’
‘Blue Water’
‘Question Mark’
‘Selfish Rubbish’
‘USLS1 (mix)’
‘Turkey Tits’

Rarities:
‘Pied Piper’
‘Criminal’

Radio Sessions:
‘Poptones’ – BBC, John Peel Sessions (1979)
‘Careering’ – BBC, John Peel Sessions (1979)
‘Chant’ – BBC, John Peel Sessions (1979)
‘Cruel’ – BBC, Mark Goodier Live Session 1992
‘Acid Drops’ – BBC, Mark Goodier Live Session 1992
‘Love Hope’ – BBC, Mark Goodier Live Session 1992

CD3:
Public Image Limited – 12″ Mixes & Dance Tracks
‘Death Disco’ (12”)
‘Flowers of Romance’ (Instrumental)
‘This is Not a Love Song’ (12”)
‘Rise’ (Bob Clearmountain Mix)
‘Seattle’ (US Remix 12”)
‘The Body’ (US Remix Extended 12”)
‘Disappointed’ (12”)
‘Happy’ (US Remix 12”)
‘Warrior’ (Extended 12” Mix)
‘Lollipop Opera’
‘Shoom’ (from What The World…)

Bonus Tracks:
‘Death Disco’ (Original Monitor Mix)
‘This is Not a Love Song’ (12” Remix)

CD4:
Public Image Ltd – Unreleased Mixes & Tracks
‘Annalisa’ (“New Mix” – Townhouse 1979)
‘Albatross’ (“Monitor Mix” 1979)
‘Careering’ (Live Paris 1980) (Previously Unreleased)
‘Banging The Door’ (Alternative Mix, Townhouse 1980) (aka The Door)
‘Vampire’ (Unreleased Track – Townhouse 1981)
‘Nineteen Eighty One’ (Original Version, Townhouse 1981)
‘Bad Night’ (Unreleased Track – Park South 1983)
‘Things in E’ (aka Ease) (Alternative Laswell mix 1985)
‘Can you Feel the Fours’ (Unreleased Instrumental – Farmhouse 1987)
‘Open and Revolving’ (Alternative Mix – Farmhouse 1987) (aka Spy Thriller)
‘Kashmir’ (Unreleased Renovations Mix 1987) (Instrumental)
‘Cajun’ (Unreleased Bill Laswell Instrumental 1988)
‘Worry’ (“Ruff Mix” – Advision 1988)
‘Think Tank’ (“Outtake” – Eldorado 1991)

CD5:
Public Image Ltd – Live @ New York Ritz – July 16th 1989
‘Warrior’ (with intro)
‘Happy’
‘This is Not a Love Song’
‘Home’
‘Round’
‘Brave New World’
‘Same Old Story’
‘The Body’
‘Open & Revolving’
‘Rise’’
‘Disappointed’
‘Public Image’
‘Seattle’
‘World Destruction’

Public Image Ltd – DVD 1
Promo videos:
‘Public Image’
‘Death Disco’
‘This is Not a Love Song’
‘This is Not a Love Song’ (live in Tokyo)
‘Bad Life’
‘Rise’
‘Home’
‘Seattle’
‘The Body’ (uncensored)
‘Disappointed’
‘Warrior’
‘Don’t Ask Me’
‘Cruel’
‘Covered’
‘One Drop’
‘Reggie Song’ ‘
‘Out of the Woods’
‘Lollipop Opera’ (unreleased)
‘Double Trouble’
‘Bettie Page’
‘The One’

Tallinn Rock Summer Festival, Estonia August 26th 1988:
(intro)
‘Public Image’
‘FFF’
‘Seattle’
‘Home’
‘Bags’
‘Rise’
‘Hard Times’
‘Religion’
‘Rules & Regulations’
‘Angry’
‘Open & Revolving’
‘Holidays In The Sun’
‘The Body’
‘World Destruction’

Public Image Ltd – DVD 2:

BBC TV Performances – Archive
‘Death Disco’ – BBC, Top of the Pops 1979
‘Poptones’ – BBC, Old Grey Whistle Test 1980’
Careering’ – BBC, Old Grey Whistle Test 1980
‘Flowers of Romance’ – BBC, Top of the Pops 1981
‘Rise’ – BBC, Top of the Pops 1986
‘Home’ – BBC, Old Grey Whistle Test 1986
‘Round’ – BBC, Old Grey Whistle Test 1986
‘Disappointed’ – The Late Show 1989

Sydney, Enmore Theatre, Australia, April 10th 2013:
‘Four Enclosed Walls’
‘Albatross’
‘Deeper Water’
‘Memories’’
Reggie Song’
‘Disappointed’
‘Warrior’
‘Flowers of Romance’
‘One Drop’
‘Death Disco’
‘This is Not a Love Song’
‘Public Image’
‘Out of the Woods’
‘Rise’
‘Open Up’

Format: UK English