PUBLIC IMAGE LTD (PiL) Metal Box 1979 UK ORIGINAL MINT

£ 84

$ 111

£ 84 Sold For

Apr 11, 2013 Sold Date

Apr 1, 2013 Start Date

£ 24 Start price

17 Number Of Bids

Great Britain Country Of Seller

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Description

PUBLIC IMAGE LTD (PiL) Metal Box 1979 UK ORIGINAL MINT

4 DIVIDERS, INSERT, 'METAL 1', EARLIEST A1 MATRIX

PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED
Metal Box

UK VIRGIN (METAL 1) *COMPLETE* FIRST PRESSING (November 1979) OF PIL's POST PUNK MASTERPIECE
AN ABSOLUTELY STUNNING PIECE OF WORK WHICH SOUNDS EVERY BIT AS IMPRESSIVE TODAY AS IT DID 33 YEARS AGO
AND THE COPY IS IN BEAUTIFUL CONDITION - ALL THREE RECORDS ARE BARELY PLAYED - THE SOUND QUALITY IS BREATHTAKING AND THE TIN HAS LITTLE TARNISH (it also has the original 'VIRGIN TOP 60 ALBUM' sticker)

MATRICES:
RECORD ONE: METAL 1 - A - 1 / METAL 1 - B - 1 (with the B corrected from an A)
RECORD TWO: METAL 1 - C - 2 / METAL 1 - D - 1
RECORD THREE: METAL 1 - E - 1 / METAL 1 - F - 2
(with 'TY - CBS' etched on all six run-offs)

PiL managed to avoided all boundaries and Metal Box is undoubtedly the apex of their vision.
It's a hallmark of uncompromising, challenging post-punk, sounding unlike anything else.
There were touchstones the bizarreness of Captain Beefheart, the open and rhythmic spaces of Can, and the dense pulses of Lee Perry's dub productions - but what they achieved with their second record is a completely unique hour of avant-garde noise.

Originally packaged in a film canister as a trio of 12" records played at 45 rpm, the bass and treble are pegged at 11 throughout, with nary a tinge of midrange to be found.
It's all scrapes and throbs (dubscrapes), supplanted by John Lydon's caterwauling about such subjects as his dying mother, resentment, and murder. Guitarist Keith Levene splatters silvery, violent, percussive shards of metallic scrapes onto the canvas, much like a one-armed Jackson Pollock. Jah Wobble and Richard Dudanski lay down a molasses-thick rhythmic foundation throughout that's just as funky as Can's Czukay/Leibezeit and Chic's Edwards/Rodgers.
It's alien dance music. Metal Box might not be recognized as a groundbreaking record with the same reverence as Never Mind the Bollocks, and you certainly can't trace numerous waves of bands who wouldn't have existed without it like the Sex Pistols record. But like a virus, its tones have sent miasmic reverberations through a much broader scope of artists and genres.

Metal 1.1: Albatross
Metal 1.2: Memories / Swan Lake (which plays endlessly into the run-off groove)
Metal 1.3: Poptones / Careering
Metal 1.4: No Birds / Graveyard
Metal 1.5: The Suit / Bad Baby
Metal 1.6: Socialist - Chant - Radio 4

LABELS: MINT-
All six labels are unmarked with just one light spindle trace on some (not all) of the sides - this set has clearly seen little use
VINYL Visual: MINT
All six surfaces are clean, unmarked and shine like-new
VINYL Audio: MINT
Stunning sound quality - crystal clear, sharp and incredibly strong (with everything turned up to 11) and the whole set plays beautifully throughout.
NOTE: There are some points on Side One (with the first A1 matrix - later corrected to A2) that may skip on systems with ultra lightweight tracking - mine is set at 1.5 g and I experienced no problems. The bass is so heavy on this first side (and indeed, throughout the rest of the album) that the stylus may simply jump out off the grooves - a well documented characteristic of the earliest pressings - but this copy did not skip on my system
TIN: EXCELLENT++
The tin has tarnished slightly with age (not as much as most I have have seen) - but there are no dents to the rims and the 'METAL 1" sticker is perfect with no signs of attempted removal (there is also the nice historical touch of it having the VIRGIN shop sticker - which could easily be removed)
DIVIDERS: NEAR MINT
The four white dividers are unmarked - just some light signs of handling
INSERT: EXCELLENT
The small info insert has a crease to the bottom corner but is otherwise, clean

POST & PACKING:
THE CONTENTS OF THE TIN WILL BE SECURELY PADDED TO PREVENT ANY MOVEMENT DURING TRANSIT (ALL THREE RECORDS WILL BE PLACED IN NEW ANTI-STATIC LINERS) AND THE SET WILL BE SECURELY BOXED
UK: 1st Class: £7.00 (recorded delivery)
EUROPE: Airmail: £15.00 (International Signed For delivery)
INTERNATIONAL: Airmail: £20.00 (International Signed For delivery)
PAYMENT IS BY PAYPAL ONLY SO IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PAY BY SOME OTHER METHOD PLEASE CONTACT ME FIRST
Guarantee: The record is unconditionally guaranteed and I will offer a complete, no quibble refund (through Paypal) upon return of the item should you not be pleased with it in any way
I will email you when payment has been received to let you know when the item will be posted. Please leave feedback upon receipt of the item so that I know you have received it safely. Any problems please email me. Thanks
486 (GS 6.5.1 (486))

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