Editing Public Image Ltd (section)

===''Public Image: First Issue'' (1978)===
In preparing their debut studio album, ''[[Public Image: First Issue]]'', the band spent their recording budget well before the record was completed. As a result, the final album comprised eight tracks of varying sound quality, half of which were written and recorded in a rush after the money had run out.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.getintothis.co.uk/2018/12/public-image-ltds-debut-albumfirst-issue-turns-40/|title=Public Image Ltd's debut album First Issue turns 40|date=12 December 2018|website=Getintothis|language=en-GB|access-date=10 January 2020}}</ref> The album was released in December 1978.

The single "Public Image" was widely seen as diatribe against [[Malcolm McLaren]] and his perceived manipulation of Lydon during his career with Sex Pistols. The track "Low Life" (with its accusatory lyrics of "Egomaniac traitor", "You fell in love with your ego" and "[[Bourgeoisie]] [[anarchist]]") has also been regarded as an attack on McLaren, although Lydon has stated that the lyrics refer to [[Sid Vicious]]. The two-part song "Religion" refers contemptuously to the [[Catholic Church]]; Lydon came up with the lyrics when he was part of the Sex Pistols but he claims the other members of the band were reluctant to use them. The closing track "Fodderstompf", heavily influenced by dub, comprises nearly eight minutes of a circular bass riff, played over a Lydon/Wobble double act lampooning public outrage, love songs and teenage apathy, whilst openly acknowledging the lack of effort being put into it. The track culminates with the sound of a fire extinguisher being let off in the recording studio by Wobble. The photography for the album was shot by Dennis Morris who also created the PiL logo. Lydon disputes Morris creating the logo.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 January 2025 |title=John Lydon sues Sex Pistols photographer in row over Public Image Ltd logo |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/01/17/john-lydon-sues-sex-pistols-photographer-public-image-ltd/ |access-date=21 January 2025 |website=The Telegraph}}</ref> {{listen|filename=PiL_Public_Image.ogg|title="Public Image"|description="Public Image"}} 

"PiL was the simple thing of four different people doing different drugs at different times," Wobble observed to ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''. "It was only in any way together for the first two months of its existence. We had a fuckin' good drummer called Jim Walker, but he fucked off after a few months [in early 1979] and it just fell apart. Somehow it had sort of death throes that produced a couple of blinding albums."<ref>''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]'', May 1994</ref>