Metal Box is an album by Public Image Ltd released in 1979 by Virgin Records. The title refers to the album's packaging, which consists of a metal canister (similar to a 16mm film canister) embossed with the band's logo and containing three 12" 45 rpm records.
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The music is famous for its huge bass sound, derived from dub music, of which the band members were professed fans.
Packaging
The Metal Box packaging was innovative, but prohibitively expensive. After an inital release of 60,000 units, the album was re-released in 1980 as Second Edition, a double-LP in a gatefold sleeve.
The original metal canister idea caught on a few years later during the compact disc era. The smaller size of CDs required less material, and so this type of packaging could be made more cheaply. By the late 1980s a number of CDs were packaged in metal canisters, including Prince's single "Batdance" from the Batman soundtrack. In 1990, the concept came full circle, when the compact disc release of Metal Box employed a smaller version of the original metal canister, holding a single disc and small paper insert inside.
Personnel
A paper insert lists the album's personnel as "John Lydon - Keith Levene - Wobble - Jeanette Lee - Dave Crowe," though the latter two individuals were the band's videographer and accountant, respectively. There are at least three uncredited drummers: Martin Atkins, Richard Dudanski, and David Humphrey. The credits also do not mention that Lydon was the vocalist, Levene played electric guitar and synthesizer, and Wobble was the bassist.
Track listing
The track listing for the original release is as follows:
- "Albatross"
- "Memories"
- "Swan Lake"
- "Poptones"
- "Careering"
- "No Birds"
- "Graveyard"
- "The Suit"
- "Bad Baby"
- "Socialist"
- "Chant"
- "Radio 4"
External link
Fodderstompf (fan-based site with extensive discographical information)