23 - Public Image Limited with Jah Wobble

Music Maps - The Rock n Roll Book Club Podcast

We welcome Jah Wobble to tell us about his time with PiL (Public Image Limited).

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We start with how he joined the band, touch upon his youth with John Lydon, who came up with the name of the band & the brief early involvement of Richard Branson. We hear about how Keith Levene & Jim Walker joined the band (and Jim's departure later) as well as signing with Virgin Records shortly after. Jah describes the chaotic finances of the band & the key part photographer Dennis Morris played in the story.

We hear about how the innovative PiL band logo came to be & the arrival of the debut album First Issue arrives in late 1978 followed by the novel idea of playing gigs on Christmas Day & Boxing Day at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park.

Jah explains how PiL songs nearly always start with the baseline & build from there & how this played into the Metal Box album which follows in November 1979 & how the famous metal container cover came about. We hear a couple of unusual stories including Chris Blackwell's brief involvement & the prospect to sign with Island Records in the US along with a meeting with Martin Scorsese to discuss the soundtrack for Raging Bull.

Factory Records gets a mention as a label which may have been a better fit for the band in hindsight - we also hear about the bands first US tour in early 1980 - Jah tells us how the audiences compared to back at home as well as how this tour ultimately became his last appearances with the band as he left upon returning to London.

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Hosted by Mark Hart & Simon Cardwell

Written & Produced by Simon Cardwell

Edited by Andy Maxwell

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