PiL will reissue the seminal albums ‘Metal Box’ and ‘Album’. ‘Metal Box’ was the band’s second album, originally released on 23rd November 1979 and ‘Album’ was their 5th studio album and was originally released on 3rd February 1986, marking 2016 as its 30th anniversary.
The album’s will both be issued as 4 CD and 4 vinyl LP super-deluxe box sets, as well as digitally. The editions will include rare and previously unreleased material along with a live disc. The CD version’s feature additional tracks to the vinyl editions due to running time restrictions, however, the vinyl edition will include a download card for all tracks on the CD version’s. ‘Metal Box’ will be issued in a square metal tin (CD & LP) (the 1979 original was issued in a round metal film canister) with an embossed PiL logo. ‘Album’ will be issued in a square card box with de-bossed artwork. Both super-deluxe editions will include a 72 page booklet together with an exclusive poster, art-prints (LP version) and postcards (CD version).
With its striking minimalist generic style artwork, ‘Album’ arrived in February 1986. Written by John Lydon and produced with Bill Laswell (with music for some tracks co-written with Jebin Bruni and Mark Schulz from the 1984–85 PiL live band) the album was recorded in Autumn 1985 in New York with prolific session players such as Steve Vai, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tony Williams and the legendary Cream drummer Ginger Baker. The album only took three weeks to record, followed by a week of mixing. John Lydon later remarked that ‘Album’ was, “almost like a solo album” as he was working on his own with several hired musicians. Jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman came into the studio while the album was being recorded and commented that Lydon sang like he played the saxophone. Lydon said it was, “still the best thing anyone's ever said to me.” ‘Album’ peaked at No.14 in the UK charts and features perhaps the most famous PiL track ‘Rise’, which peaked at No.11. As well as rare and unreleased mixes from the album and single’s the deluxe edition includes the original demos recorded pre-Laswell with the 1984–85 PiL live band all of which are previously unheard. Two 12” mixes of John Lydon’s groundbreaking collaboration with hip hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa are also included as bonus tracks.