Public Image Limited; Death Disco (1979)

 |   |  <1 min read

Public Image Limited; Death Disco (1979)

Described by Peter Shapiro in Turn the Beat Around; The Secret History of Disco as "perhaps the most uncompromising record ever to make the Top 20 chart [in Britain]" this extraordinary piece is not just musically demanding but is also John Lydon dealing with the death of his mother -- in a warped dance/disco song.

Curiously this extraordinary, cathartic and emotionally bruising song was also played at darkly hip discos in New York (not Studio 54 where it would have gone down like vomit in your cocktail) and its wailing, thumping beat and stuttering guitar by Keith Levene isn't too far removed from John Lennon's work on Yoko Ono's Walking on Thin Ice of the same year.

From a time when disco was going the full gloss'n'sheen, this song stands outside of time while others of the period seemed locked in their won glam-world, almost nostalgic.

In any era hoever Lydon's searing, raw and desperate vocals are commanding. 

For more one-offs, oddities or songs with an interesting backstory see From the Vaults

Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   From the Vaults articles index

Elmer Fudd: The Fool on the Hill (1995)

Elmer Fudd: The Fool on the Hill (1995)

There have been thousands of covers and interpretations of Beatles' songs -- from the refined (orchestral and chamber groups) to the ridiculous (dogs barking out She Loves You), from jazz and... > Read more

The Mississippi Sheiks: Bed Spring Poker (1931)

The Mississippi Sheiks: Bed Spring Poker (1931)

The blues is often blunt and to the point when it comes to sexual imagery, at other times it is coded -- although no one should be in any doubt that when Lonnie Johnson says he is the best jockey... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

THE BARGAIN BUY: Yes; The Triple Album Collection

THE BARGAIN BUY: Yes; The Triple Album Collection

Here's a story from the battleground of fun: In recent months I have -- for purely academic purposes, you understand -- been buying up cheap vinyl by prog-rock and glam-rock bands. It's kinda... > Read more

EDDIE KRAMER INTERVIEWED (2013): Wingman for the genius of Jimi

EDDIE KRAMER INTERVIEWED (2013): Wingman for the genius of Jimi

Some people get to sit at the right hand of genius. Eddie Kramer is one of those. As a producer/engineer he has worked with a glittering galaxy of rock's stardom: Led Zeppelin, the Stones, the... > Read more