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Among its many virtues, the second album by John Lydon's post-Sex Pistols group has the most brain-devouring bass sound ever, courtesy of Jah Wobble, whose dubby throb overpowers Lydon's drugged-out wail and Keith Levene's spidery, modal guitar lines. Lydon's words and singing evoke unending horror--they're the voice of a man in hell who can barely understand what's happening to him--and the songs here cycle through a few notes over and over until they're abruptly cut off. "This person's had enough of useless memories," he moans, and
Second Edition isn't just a repudiation of rock's chords and catharsis, but a despairing attempt to forget.
--Douglas Wolk
Reader Reviews
This album has already been canonized by critics, so what can I add to it? I find it to be both abrasive and compulsively listenable, with the strange fusion of John Lydon's warbling with the band's music. It's a weird combination that somehow works. "Albatross" leads off and goes on for ten minutes, but after some initial dissonance, I found myself enjoying it. "Memories", "Swan Lake", and "Careering" are more familiar tunes for followers of PiL. Some of the instrumental numbers are quite interesting, including "Socialist" and "Radio 4" -- both of which you can readily imagine in science fiction soundtracks. The dance element to PiL is always apparent in this work, if not for Lydon's voice jolting you back to reality amidst the lingering grooves. Considering what else was out in 1979, this album is far ahead of its time, and holds up well even for jaded listeners of more modern "alternative" bands. Lydon has said in his biography that he considered the Sex Pistols' lone album to be too conventional, and that if he'd had his way, what he'd have put together wouldn't have been listenable. This album gives me a sense of what Lydon may have been envisioning -- it is and isn't listenable. For people who want readily accessible, easily classifiable music, this album would probably offend; if you're after a more nuanced musical experience that's kinda weird, then this one is for you.
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