EMI Music Japan this week reissued Public Image Ltd.’s entire catalog in limited, digitally-remastered SHM-CD editions, with 10 titles — plus John Lydon’s 1997 solo album Psycho’s Path — packaged in vinyl-replica paper sleeves, as well as a tin-can encased, triple-disc Metal Box and a standard jewel-case edition of The Greatest Hits… So Far.
The reissues — intended to mirror the original vinyl releases, complete with replicas of the Japanese obi strips — coincide with PiL’s appearance next month at the Summer Sonic 2011 festival in Osaka and Tokyo. They’re also being sold in a box set, as seen above, by Disk Union.
Except for the new edition of Lydon and Co.’s 1990 best-of set, which now is appended with “Acid Drops,” off 1992’s That What Is Not, the new reissues feature no bonus material.
In late 2009, following news of PiL’s reunion, Virgin Records released the remastered CD edition of Metal Box in the U.K. in a replica film canister mirroring the original vinyl release, along with the long out-of-print four-disc Plastic Box collection. The new Japanese reissues mark the first time PiL’s catalog has been released in LP-style paper sleeves, according to the band’s website.
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD. REISSUES
Paper sleeves:
Public Image/First Issue (1978)
Second Edition (1980)
Paris In The Spring (1980)
Flowers Of Romance (1981)
Live In Tokyo (1983)
This Is What You Want… This Is What You Get (1984)
Compact Disc (aka Album) (1986)
Happy? (1987)
9 (1989)
That What Is Not (1992)
Psycho’s Path (John Lydon solo, 1997)
Film can:
Metal Box (1979)
Jewel box:
The Greatest Hits… So Far. (1990)
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Public Image Ltd. reunion continues into 2011 with festivals in the U.K., Slovakia
- Public Image Ltd. cancels German tour over ‘production scheduling problems’
- Public Image Ltd. sets short July tour of U.K.
- Video: Public Image Ltd. plays ‘Late Night With Jimmy Fallon,’ sets German tour
- Public Image Ltd. sets 16-date North American club tour to follow Coachella
- Video + setlist: Public Image Ltd. reunites in Birmingham, 1st concert in 17 years
- John Lydon reuniting Public Image Ltd. for 30th anniversary of ‘Metal Box’
Disk Union is also selling these as a set. These boxes are extremely limited and are pretty hard to get hold of outside of Japan. Usually the best way for westerners to pick them up is on ebay.. http://cgi.ebay.com/PUBLIC-IMAGE-LTD-Japan-MINI-LP-SHM-CD-x-12-PROMO-BOX-/190550184168?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item2c5dad10e8#ht_854wt_1163
A word of caution when ordering paper sleeve re-issues from ebay – make sure you are buying from a reputable seller FROM JAPAN. Fake paper sleeve editions are a major issue. Avoid buying from Chinese or Russian sellers.
That being said, I would be surprised if these PiL re-issues ever showed up as bootlegs.
Jazzmaster: Thanks for that link. I had not seen the box set. I’ll add that to this post…