Flowers of Romance (album)

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The Flowers of Romance
The Flowers of Romance cover
Studio album by Public Image Ltd
Released April 10, 1981
Recorded The Manor Studio, Shipton-on-Cherwell
Townhouse Studios, London
October–November 1980[1]
Genre Post-punk
Length 33:18
Label Virgin Records V2189
Producer Public Image Ltd.
Professional reviews
Public Image Ltd chronology
Metal Box
(1979)		 The Flowers of Romance
(1981)		 This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get
(1984)
Back cover
Back cover

The Flowers of Romance is the third studio album by Public Image Ltd., released in the UK in April 1981 by Virgin Records.

The title of the album makes reference to The Flowers of Romance, an early punk band of which Keith Levene (as well as Sid Vicious) was a member. "The Flowers of Romance" was also the title of an early Sex Pistols song.

The cover photograph is of the band's videographer, Jeanette Lee.

Contents

[edit] Overview

The album is largely centered around drums and percussion, and Levene has described it as "probably ... the least commercial record ever delivered (to a company)."[2] Similarly, the Trouser Press Record Guide states that "the music is so severe as to lend credence to a record executive's statement that The Flowers of Romance is one of the most uncommercial records ever made – at least within a 'pop' context."[3]

Occasional drummer Martin Atkins played on three songs, while band members Levene and John Lydon handled percussion duties on the other tracks. One, "Under the House", actually has both Levene and Atkins playing dual drumlines. The prominent, and heavily processed, drum sound was influenced by Peter Gabriel's third album, on which engineer Hugh Padgham had processed Phil Collins' drums.[4] Collins, in turn, was so impressed with the sound on The Flowers of Romance that he hired the album's engineer, Nick Launay, to reproduce the sound for his own projects.[4]

Throughout the album, musique concrète sounds, such as amplified wristwatches, reversed piano and televised opera, weave in and out of the mix. Vocalist John Lydon contributed Stroh violin and saxophone (though he was not known to be trained on any particular instrument) and, according to a Rolling Stone article about the album, simply banged on anything handy for percussion, including the face of a banjo on "Phenagen".

Keith Levene's innovative guitar style was stretched even further through the use of reversed tapes and trebly distortion, and his synthesizers drone and burble throughout the album. Several songs (for example "Four Enclosed Walls," "Phenagen") have a Middle Eastern feel.

Bass player Jah Wobble had left the group before The Flowers of Romance was recorded, so Keith Levene played bass on "Track 8" and "Banging The Door", the only two tracks to feature the instrument.

[edit] Recording sessions

Recording began at The Manor Studio in Shipton-on-Cherwell, with two weeks booked around early October 1980. Only one album track was recorded towards the end of these sessions ("Hymie's Him"). The band also recorded joke versions of "Twist and Shout" and "Johnny Remember Me" which remain unreleased. Drummer Martin Atkins, who visited the band towards the end of these sessions, possibly recorded the drums to "Home Is Where the Heart Is" during his visit, which became the B-side of PIL's "Flowers of Romance" single the following year. "Home Is Where the Heart Is" was then mixed at Townhouse Studios, during this mixing session producer Steve Lillywhite was dropped and replaced by Nick Launay, who was enlisted to co-produce the album.

The rest of the album was recorded at Townhouse Studios in London with two weeks booked around late October/early November 1980. Drummer Martin Atkins was hired for the sessions and also contributed to the songwriting, and left on 31 October 1980 to play a gig in New York City with his band Brian Brain the following day. Unreleased songs which didn't make it on the album were "Vampire" and "Woodnymphs".

A final studio session was added a few weeks later around early December 1980 at Townhouse Studios to remix the proposed single "Flowers of Romance" and record a few overdubs.

[edit] Singles

One track from the album, "Flowers of Romance", was released as a single in March 1981, reaching number 24 in the UK charts. This featured a different mix to the album version.

The B-side included an instrumental version of the lead track and, on the 12-inch single, "Home is Where the Heart Is", originally played on the Metal Box tour, with Atkins on drums, and Levene again contributing bass, with help from tape loops.

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by John Lydon and Keith Levene except * by Lydon, Levene, Martin Atkins

  1. "Four Enclosed Walls" – 4:44 *
  2. "Track 8" – 3:15
  3. "Phenagen" – 2:40
  4. "Flowers of Romance" – 2:51
  5. "Under the House" – 4:33 *
  6. "Hymie's Him" – 3:18
  7. "Banging the Door" – 4:49 *
  8. "Go Back" – 3:46
  9. "Francis Massacre" – 3:31
  10. "Flowers of Romance (Instrumental)" Bonus CD track (taken from the "Flowers of Romance" 12" single)
  11. "Home Is Where the Heart Is" Bonus CD track (taken from the "Flowers of Romance" single)
  12. "Another" Bonus CD track (taken from the "Memories" single)

[edit] Personnel

[edit] References

  1. ^ Heylin, Clinton (1989), “Timeline”, Public Image Limited: Rise/Fall, London: Omnibus Press, pp. p. 90, ISBN 0711916845 
  2. ^ Gross, Jason (July 2001). Keith Levene interview (part 3 of 4). Perfect Sound Forever. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
  3. ^ Isler, Scott & Robbins, Ira A. (1985), “Public Image Ltd.”, in Robbins, Ira A., The Trouser Press Record Guide (4th ed.), New York: Collier Books, 1991, pp. p. 524, ISBN 0020363613, <http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=public_image_ltd> 
  4. ^ a b M, Scott (February 2003). Nick Launay interview. Fodderstompf.com. F&F Publishing. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.

[edit] External links