Metal Box

This article is about the Public Image Ltd record. For boxes made out of metal, see Tin box. For the company formerly known as Metal Box plc, see Novar plc.

Metal Box
Original metal canister packaging released in 1979.
Studio album by
Public Image Ltd
Released23 November 1979 (1979-11-23)
RecordedMarch – October 1979
Studio
Genre
Length60:29
LabelVirgin
ProducerPublic Image Ltd
Public Image Ltd chronology
Public Image: First Issue
(1978) 		Metal Box
(1979) 		Paris au Printemps
(1980)
Second Edition Cover
Singles from Metal Box
  1. "Death Disco (Swan Lake)"
    Released: 29 June 1979 (1979-06-29)
  2. "Memories"
    Released: October 1979 (1979-10)

Metal Box is the second studio album by Public Image Ltd, released by Virgin Records on 23 November 1979.[4] The album takes its name from the round metal canister which contained the initial pressings of the record. It was later reissued in standard vinyl packaging as Second Edition in February 1980 by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom, and by Warner Bros. Records and Island Records in the United States.

The album was a departure from PiL's 1978 debut First Issue, with the band moving into a more avant-garde sound characterised by John Lydon's cryptic lyrics, propulsive dub-inspired rhythms led by bassist Jah Wobble, and an abrasive, "metallic" guitar sound developed by guitarist Keith Levene.

Metal Box is widely regarded as a landmark of post-punk.[1] In 2012, the album was ranked number 461 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[5]

  1. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference am was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Reynolds, Simon (2006). Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-21570-6.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference v was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Record News". NME. London, England: IPC Media: 4. 10 November 1979.
  5. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2019.