Flowers of Romance (album)
Encyclopedia
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
.
s and percussion
, and Levene has described it as "probably ... the least commercial record ever delivered (to a company)." 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."
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. 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.
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 synthesisers 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.
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.
in March 1981, reaching number 24 in the UK charts. This featured a different mix from 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 loop
s.
"Track 8":
"Phenagen":
"Flowers of Romance":
"Under the House":
"Hymie's Him":
"Banging the Door":
"Go Back":
"Francis Massacre":
"Home Is Where the Heart Is" (single b-side):
"Pied Piper" (Manor outtake):
"Twist and Shout"/"Johnny Remember Me" (unreleased Manor outtakes):
"Vampire" (unreleased Townhouse outtake):
"Woodnymphs" (unreleased Townhouse outtake):
and Keith Levene
except * by Lydon, Levene, Martin Atkins
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Public Image Ltd, released in the UK in April 1981 by Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
.
The title of the album makes reference to The Flowers of Romance
The Flowers of Romance (band)
The Flowers of Romance were an early punk band, formed in mid-1976 by Jo Faull and Sarah Hall. The band never played live or released any recordings, and, like London SS and Masters of the Backside, are more famed for the number of band members that later became well known, including: Sid Vicious...
, an early punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band of which Keith Levene
Keith Levene
Keith Levene is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was an early member of The Clash, but is best known as being a founding member of Public Image Limited, along with John Lydon....
(as well as Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols...
) was a member. "The Flowers of Romance" was also the title of an early Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
song.
The cover photograph is of the band's videographer
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, Jeanette Lee
Jeanette Lee (musician)
Jeannette Lee is a British filmmaker, musician, and music businesswoman. A retail worker at the Acme Attractions store that, along with the SEX boutique run by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, was instrumental in spawning punk in the UK,...
.
Overview
The album is largely centred on drumDrum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s and percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, and Levene has described it as "probably ... the least commercial record ever delivered (to a company)." Similarly, the Trouser Press Record Guide
Trouser Press
Trouser Press was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow Who fan Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" ...
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."
Occasional drummer Martin Atkins
Martin Atkins
Martin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke...
played on three songs, while band members Levene and John Lydon
John Lydon
John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
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
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
's third album
Peter Gabriel (III)
Peter Gabriel is Peter Gabriel's third album. The album contains two of Gabriel's most famous songs, the U.K. Top 10 hit "Games Without Frontiers" and the political song "Biko", about the late anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko...
, on which engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
Hugh Padgham
Hugh Padgham
Hugh Padgham is a British record producer. He has won many awards, including four Grammys, with Producer of the Year and Engineer of the Year. A 1992 poll in Mix magazine voted him one of the world's Top Ten Most Influential Producers....
had processed Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
' drums. Collins, in turn, was so impressed with the sound on The Flowers of Romance that he hired the album's engineer, Nick Launay
Nick Launay
Nick Launay is an English record producer and recording engineer. He is currently one of the most sought after producers in the world due to his current success with recent albums by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds...
, to reproduce the sound for his own projects.
Throughout the album, musique concrète
Musique concrète
Musique concrète is a form of electroacoustic music that utilises acousmatic sound as a compositional resource. The compositional material is not restricted to the inclusion of sounds derived from musical instruments or voices, nor to elements traditionally thought of as "musical"...
sounds, such as amplified wristwatches, reversed
Reverse tape effects
Reverse tape effects are special effects created by recording sound onto magnetic tape and then physically reversing the tape so that when the tape is played back, the sounds recorded on it are literally heard in reverse...
piano and televised opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, weave in and out of the mix
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
. Vocalist John Lydon
John Lydon
John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
contributed Stroh violin
Stroh violin
Stroh violin, Strohviol, or Strohviol, is a trade name for a horn-violin, or violinophone—a violin that amplifies its sound through a metal resonator and metal horns rather than a wooden sound box as on a standard violin. The instrument is named after its designer, John Matthias Augustus Stroh, an...
and saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
(though he was not known to be trained on any particular instrument) and, according to a Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
article about the album, simply banged on anything handy for percussion, including the face of a banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
on "Phenagen".
Keith Levene's innovative guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
style was stretched even further through the use of reversed tapes and trebly distortion, and his synthesisers drone and burble throughout the album. Several songs (for example "Four Enclosed Walls," "Phenagen") have a Middle Eastern feel.
Bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player Jah Wobble
Jah Wobble
Jah Wobble is an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but left the band after two albums...
had left the group before The Flowers of Romance was recorded, so Keith Levene
Keith Levene
Keith Levene is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was an early member of The Clash, but is best known as being a founding member of Public Image Limited, along with John Lydon....
played bass on "Track 8" and "Banging The Door", the only two tracks to feature the instrument.
Recording sessions
Recording began at The Manor StudioThe Manor Studio
The Manor Studio was a recording studio in the manor house at the village of Shipton-on-Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England, north of the city of Oxford. It was the first residential recording studio in the UK...
in Shipton-on-Cherwell
Shipton-on-Cherwell
Shipton-on-Cherwell is a village on the River Cherwell north of Kidlington in Oxfordshire, England. The village is part of the civil parish of Shipton-on-Cherwell and Thrupp.-Manor:...
, 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
Twist and Shout
"Twist and Shout" is a song written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. It was originally titled "Shake It Up, Baby" and recorded by the Top Notes and then covered by The Isley Brothers. It was covered by The Beatles with John Lennon on the lead vocals and originally released on their first album...
" and "Johnny Remember Me
Johnny Remember Me
"Johnny Remember Me" is a song which became a 1961 UK #1 hit single for John Leyton, backed by The Outlaws. It was producer Joe Meek's first #1 production. Recounting the haunting - real or imagined - of a young man by his dead lover, the song is one of the most noted of the 'death ditties' that...
" which remain unreleased. Drummer Martin Atkins
Martin Atkins
Martin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke...
, 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
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
was dropped and replaced by Nick Launay
Nick Launay
Nick Launay is an English record producer and recording engineer. He is currently one of the most sought after producers in the world due to his current success with recent albums by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds...
, 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
Martin Atkins
Martin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke...
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.
Singles
One track from the album, "Flowers of Romance", was released as a singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in March 1981, reaching number 24 in the UK charts. This featured a different mix from the album version.
The B-side included an instrumental version of the lead track and, on the 12-inch single
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
, "Home is Where the Heart Is", originally played on the Metal Box
Metal Box
Metal Box is the second album by Public Image Ltd, released in 1979 by Virgin Records.The title refers to the album's original packaging, which consists of a metal 16mm film canister embossed with the band's logo and containing three 12" 45rpm records...
tour, with Atkins on drums, and Levene again contributing bass, with help from tape loop
Tape loop
In music, tape loops are loops of prerecorded magnetic tape used to create repetitive, rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound. Contemporary composers such as Steve Reich and Karlheinz Stockhausen used tape loops to create phase patterns and rhythms...
s.
Track by track commentary by the band
"Four Enclosed Walls":- John Lydon (1981): “I don't like all that 'Looking to the East for religious guidance' crap.”
- Nick Launay (producer, 2003): “On 'Four Enclosed Walls' for instance we placed Martin'sMartin AtkinsMartin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke...
Mickey Mouse pocket watch on a floor tom, so it would resonate and have more tone. Then I added two harmonizers with a 15 second delay fed back on themselves, one paned left, one right. I recorded about seven minutes of it ticking away. Then MartinMartin AtkinsMartin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke...
went out and played that amazing beat to it. The toms that come in at the very end were an overdub. I remember JohnJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
came in and said 'Alright, let me hear what you two wankers have been up to!' [...] He heard it and calmly said 'Ooh, I think I like that... let's hear it once more!' and sat down and scribbled on the inside of a cigarette packet. 'Alright, is there a mic up? I think I'll have a wail.' And one take later the vocal was done! We then added this strange instrument called a Violumpet, which looks like a violin with a large trumpet horn sticking out of it, like those old wind up 78 gramophones have. It sounded like an Arabian flute. I added backwards reverb to make it more snake-like. I think the whole thing took maybe five hours.” - Martin Atkins (2007): “The drums, the Mickey Mouse watch sound effect, the backwards trumpets - that's all me.”
"Track 8":
- Nick Launay (producer, 2003): “We also had an AMS digital samplerAMS (Advanced Music Systems)AMS were a manufacturer of professional studio equipment. The company later merged with Neve Electronics to form the award winning AMS Neve Ltd company, who received an Emmy in 1992 and a Grammy in 2000.-Background:...
, one of the first digital devices ever available. One day MartinMartin AtkinsMartin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke...
played a drum groove and I pushed 'Loop Lock' and tried to make a perfect loop. The AMS was so primitive you couldn't actually edit it to get it in time, so I randomly kept locking in different beats as he played them, till I got one that sounded cool. That loop became the song 'Track 8'. It's actually out of time, but somehow it grooves.”
"Phenagen":
- John Lydon (1981): “It's not Moroccan, it's RenaissanceRenaissance musicRenaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
, early English and French, 15th century. That's what I've been listening to a lot, that's real traditional English music.” - Keith Levene (1981): “There's a bit of backwards guitar on a track called 'Phenagen' [...] [There also is] a banjo with three strings missing, and heJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
was hitting it with something that was hanging off the banjo cos it made that noise - that was used on 'Phenagen' [...] He was annoying me all the time making that noise, then he laid down a track making that noise, then the next thing I know is this fucking great track called 'Phenagen'. It's horrible really, but it's really good the way it comes out.”
"Flowers of Romance":
- Keith Levene (1981): “JohnJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
bowed the bass on 'Flowers of Romance'.” - John Lydon (1999): “The romance referred to is not being romantic, but alludes to people romanticising over past events with their memories [...] What I'm on about is that I wanted to move on and carry on with trying to create new things.”
- Martin Atkins (2003): “I did the title track too but I didn't get credit for it. JohnJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
admitted a few years ago that it was me drumming.”
"Under the House":
- John Lydon (1981/99): “'Under the House', I wrote that after I saw a ghost, it was at The ManorThe Manor StudioThe Manor Studio was a recording studio in the manor house at the village of Shipton-on-Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England, north of the city of Oxford. It was the first residential recording studio in the UK...
.” “I'd seen a few things I didn't like. I ended up sleeping in the coal shed, I couldn't bear it in the house any longer. When a place is haunted there's an intensity which is insufferable.” - Nick Launay (engineer, 2003): “On 'Under the House' I had quite a lot of ideas that got through. Again MartinMartin AtkinsMartin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke...
laid down the beat, then we overdubbed the toms and doubled them with harmonizers, a trick used a few times on this record. Having grown up in the south of Spain I was really influenced by Spanish Gypsy music, Flamenco, and I don't mean the tacky touristy type. I kept hearing that kind of clapping, so after explaining what I meant, we did it and added a simple delay to get that effect of two clappers playing off each other. The operatic wailing in the background is exactly that - there was an opera on TV while we were playing the song back in the control room. I thought the combination sounded so cool, I put a mic on to the TV speaker and recorded it to tape randomly till it made some sense. Once the track had some kind of shape, John went out and sang on it.”
"Hymie's Him":
- John Lydon (1981/99): “[Michael Wadleigh] offered us the chance to do a soundtrack. I mean, who wouldn't want an opportunity like that? [...] The clips we saw were really excellent [...] Originally Wadleigh wanted us to write music to suit the atmosphere, it's about wolves and killing people, and that suited us fine of course.” “I thought what KeithKeith LeveneKeith Levene is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was an early member of The Clash, but is best known as being a founding member of Public Image Limited, along with John Lydon....
did with the music was so good there was no point in me singing over it. Leave it alone, I said. All I could do was insult KeithKeith LeveneKeith Levene is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was an early member of The Clash, but is best known as being a founding member of Public Image Limited, along with John Lydon....
with the title.” - Keith Levene (2001): “We were booked into The ManorThe Manor StudioThe Manor Studio was a recording studio in the manor house at the village of Shipton-on-Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England, north of the city of Oxford. It was the first residential recording studio in the UK...
for ten days, and it was like we knew we were doing a new album and we didn't do anything for days – we couldn't do anything. It was like this horrible mental block. After wasting seven days of being waited on hand and foot, just being real lazy cunts... we were really trying but nothing was happening. It was something to do with The ManorThe Manor StudioThe Manor Studio was a recording studio in the manor house at the village of Shipton-on-Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England, north of the city of Oxford. It was the first residential recording studio in the UK...
as well. We did get one track down – 'Hymie's Him' – that was the first definite solid thing we got laid down [...] I think we could do a service to a film. Like with this Michael Wadleigh thing, we wanted to go right down to a bottle banging on the table - the whole lot, not just the music but sounds. But then Tom WaitsTom WaitsThomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
and other people came into it, and it wasn't what we had in mind.” “There was this weird bamboo instrument that I used on 'Hymie's Him' - Richard BransonRichard BransonSir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies....
had gotten some in Bali and gave me one of these things [...] I had been offered to make this film soundtrack for 'Wolfen'Wolfen (film)Wolfen is the title of a 1981 horror film starring Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Gregory Hines and Edward James Olmos based on Whitley Strieber's 1978 novel The Wolfen...
. Michael WadleighMichael WadleighMichael Wadleigh is an American movie director and cinematographer renowned for his groundbreaking documentary of the 1969 Woodstock Festival, Woodstock....
[...] said 'This is how wolves feed in the dark, this is the plot of the movie - what I need is an urban jungle sound.' So I came up with 'Hymie's Him' as my pilot for the score for the movie [...] I had it in the bag and WadleighMichael WadleighMichael Wadleigh is an American movie director and cinematographer renowned for his groundbreaking documentary of the 1969 Woodstock Festival, Woodstock....
loved it. I really wish I'd done the movie.”
"Banging the Door":
- John Lydon (1980/99): “It's much, much worse than it was in the days of the Sex PistolsSex PistolsThe Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
. I've even had them pitching their tents on my front doorstep [...] I just don't let any of them in anymore. I just don't answer the door.” “'Banging the Door' came about as a rant against the fans who found out my address in London and used to come around every night, banging away on the door and shouting 'Johnny! Johnny!' through the letter box. Nearly drove me mad!” - Keith Levene (1981): “MartinMartin AtkinsMartin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke...
played the drums and I played the bass. Then I added synth to that.” “Again it's a very strong drum track because of the way we were recording the drums. I did the synth with MartinMartin AtkinsMartin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke...
, that was one we laid down together. I'm pumping out this low-end synth stuff while he's going dun-dun-dun-chhhhh. We sort of built the tune up, track by track, with overdubs. At some point, John put the vocals on.” - Nick Launay (producer, 2003): “KeithKeith LeveneKeith Levene is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was an early member of The Clash, but is best known as being a founding member of Public Image Limited, along with John Lydon....
was very into these synthesizer boxes that plugged into each other with little red cables, I think it was made by Roland. It was a bit like the giant Moog synthMoog synthesizerMoog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
that KraftwerkKraftwerkKraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
used, only in miniature. You can hear it on 'Banging the Door', it sounds like an evil giant frog!”
"Go Back":
- John Lydon (1981): “London's getting very, very fascist and I don't like it at all! 'Go Back' was written about that, about London and tedium and right-wing groups. It's pathetic, people wallow in misery and accept anything - 'Have a cup of tea, good days ahead.'” “That's just the way things are going in this country. You can't afford to pretend it's not happening.”
- Keith Levene (1981/2001): “I only use guitar on one track called 'Go Back', and it's a great little guitarline, it's turned out to be a funky track actually.” “One track I played guitar on is 'Go Back' on which I played drums also.”
"Francis Massacre":
- John Lydon (1981): “For me the song just sums up the way I felt when I was in [Mountjoy Prison in October 1980] - grating noises, 'Aaargh, let me out!'”
Related tracks
"Flowers of Romance" (single remix)/"Flowers of Romance" (instrumental):- Nick Launay (producer, 2003): “The only thing I did since finishing the album was to go back in a month later with KeithKeith LeveneKeith Levene is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was an early member of The Clash, but is best known as being a founding member of Public Image Limited, along with John Lydon....
and JohnJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
to remix the song 'Flowers of Romance' for single release, which is a much better mix.”
"Home Is Where the Heart Is" (single b-side):
- Keith Levene (1981): “I remember at The ManorThe Manor StudioThe Manor Studio was a recording studio in the manor house at the village of Shipton-on-Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England, north of the city of Oxford. It was the first residential recording studio in the UK...
for two days painstakingly trying to redo a track which is now on the B-side of the single, called 'Home Is Where The Heart Is'. I was using a loop instead of WobbleJah WobbleJah Wobble is an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but left the band after two albums...
which I recorded four notes on – which is the bassline WobbleJah WobbleJah Wobble is an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but left the band after two albums...
used to do anyway. I was trying to get the drumbeat to it and it didn't fucking work.” - Martin Atkins (2001): “I know there was some confusion over 'Home Is Where the Heart Is'. That's me, but Virgin credited it to Jim Walker. That was funny because this journalist went off on me saying Jim Walker was a genius, Martin Atkins was a cunt. And as his proof he said the drumming on Paris au PrintempsParis au PrintempsParis au Printemps is a live album recorded by Public Image Ltd in 1980 on two consecutive dates in January in Paris, and released in November the same year. The title of the album is French for 'Paris in the Spring', with French names also given to the band itself and songs in the track listing...
was shit and when Jim Walker got back with them to record 'Home Is Where the Heart Is' it illustrated Atkins was crap, and that Jim Walker is the king! No, mate that's me!” - Nick Launay (producer, 2003): “I had just started as a very new assistant engineer at the Townhouse StudiosTownhouse StudiosTownhouse Studios was a recording studio in west London. Built by Richard Branson in 1978, and managed by Barbara Jeffries as part of the Virgin Studios Group. The Virgin Studios Group was acquired by EMI when Richard sold Virgin Records to EMI in 1992. The Sanctuary Group bought the studio from...
in London, which back then belonged to PIL's label, VirginVirgin RecordsVirgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
. They came in to work on a song, which I could have sworn had the working title 'Doom Sits in Gloom' [...] JohnJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
wanted a triplet delay on a particular vocal line, and the engineer” (Steve LillywhiteSteve LillywhiteSteve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
) “didn't seem to understand what he meant. I was really into dub reggae at the time, so I set it up and it worked well [...] The engineer eventually gave up and disappeared, so me and JohnJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
spent the rest of the day messing around with every effect imaginable [...] The following Saturday I went in early and started setting things up. No one turned up for hours, so I started mixing. After a while I got something that I thought sounded good. Still no one had turned up, so I thought what the hell, I'll just do my own personal mix and keep it as a souvenir! And two hours later I was done. Just as I'm packing things up, in walks Keith LeveneKeith LeveneKeith Levene is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was an early member of The Clash, but is best known as being a founding member of Public Image Limited, along with John Lydon....
[...] Nervously I told him I'd done a mix, but wasn't sure if he'd like it? The song had a reggae feel so I had used lots of delays and made it very dub. I played it, and KeithKeith LeveneKeith Levene is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was an early member of The Clash, but is best known as being a founding member of Public Image Limited, along with John Lydon....
listened very intensely. I was sure he was going to say it was crap. The song finished and he said 'That's fucking great, let's hear it again!' He listened on other speakers and said 'I like it, can you do me a copy and send another to Virgin tomorrow?' And that was it.”
"Pied Piper" (Manor outtake):
- John Lydon (1999): “'Pied Piper', by the way, was originally about 10 minutes long. I never quite worked out how it ended up on this 'Machines' compilation and nowhere else, but it was an interesting bit of fun to record.”
- Steve New (guest musician, 2009): “Well, I had known KeithKeith LeveneKeith Levene is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was an early member of The Clash, but is best known as being a founding member of Public Image Limited, along with John Lydon....
for some time, we used to listen to music and discuss it instead of sleeping. But the chaotic world of PIL wasn't as chaotic as what was going on inside myself, it was fairly boring. I only got to do one song, 'Pied Piper', but I did play everything on it. KeithKeith LeveneKeith Levene is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was an early member of The Clash, but is best known as being a founding member of Public Image Limited, along with John Lydon....
had some good synths, Prophet-5. JohnJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
is JohnJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
, shy and insecure at the time, he has a lot of hang-ups. I didn't stay [in PIL] because I wasn't invited to.”
"Twist and Shout"/"Johnny Remember Me" (unreleased Manor outtakes):
- Pete Jones (PIL bass player, 1999/2000): “I had gone to The Manor StudioThe Manor StudioThe Manor Studio was a recording studio in the manor house at the village of Shipton-on-Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England, north of the city of Oxford. It was the first residential recording studio in the UK...
s with Martin AtkinsMartin AtkinsMartin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke...
where PIL were in the middle of recording 'Flowers of Romance' [...] We listened to a tape of LydonJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
wailing along to a Beatles record. The original vocals had been removed and John'sJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
fingernails on chalkboard screeching sounded better by far. If only this could have been released!” “I know AtkinsMartin AtkinsMartin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke...
has some unreleased stuff that JohnnyJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
fans would like to get hold of. His version of 'Twist and Shout' which I first heard back in 1980 is fucking hilarious though I doubt if it will ever get released.” - Martin Atkins (2001/07): “Yeah, I've got some stuff, I've got JohnJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
singing 'Twist and Shout' [...] I actually wanted to put it on 'Plastic Box'. [...] So I called JohnJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
and I called his manager, I really thought the 'Plastic Box' could have really been a great thing for the fans [...] I wasn't asking for anything other than, what I said is 'Why don't you buy me an EQ unit for my studio?' That would feel karmacally right to me, because I've had this stuff for 20 years, and it would be nice that if for the next ten years every time I touched the EQ unit I could think 'Hey, that worked out nicely!' But of course they didn't want to do that.” “JohnJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
sang 'Twist and Shout' and JohnJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
and Jeannette did a duet on 'Johnny Remember Me', the old John LeytonJohn LeytonJohn Leyton is an English actor and singer. As a singer he is best known for his hit song, "Johnny Remember Me" , which reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1961.-Career:Leyton went to Highgate School and after completing his national service, he...
hit, which actually sounded fantastic.” - John Lydon (2004): “There was a period there when we messed about a lot, well, we did a Beatles thing too [...] but it was all kind of rubbish.”
"Vampire" (unreleased Townhouse outtake):
- Martin Atkins (2001): “I was drinking bottles of Perrier water. Recorded to quarter inch tape, slowed down it sounded almost like fucking dinosaurs. That was the backing for an unreleased track called 'Vampire' [...] There are vocals on it [...] 'Vampire' wasn't lyrically as together, but there are lyrics with JohnJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
singing on it.” - John Lydon (2004): “There was one good song from around then that was called 'Vampire'. I think I've got that on master somewhere. What I liked about that song was that the night we were doing it, they couldn't work out how I got out the studio cos there was only one door out, and that's through the main room. I honestly don't know how I did, was I so boring I wasn't noticed? It's amazing what you can do when you are blind drunk!”
"Woodnymphs" (unreleased Townhouse outtake):
- Nick Launay (producer, 2003): “There is one song I remember that escaped getting erased, it was called 'Woodnymphs'. JohnJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
said it sounded too like a gay disco and suggested it be used on Martin`sMartin AtkinsMartin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke...
solo album! I don't know what happened to it.”
Track listing
All songs written by John LydonJohn Lydon
John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
and Keith Levene
Keith Levene
Keith Levene is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was an early member of The Clash, but is best known as being a founding member of Public Image Limited, along with John Lydon....
except * by Lydon, Levene, Martin Atkins
Martin Atkins
Martin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke...
- "Four Enclosed Walls" – 4:44 *
- "Track 8" – 3:15
- "Phenagen" – 2:40
- "Flowers of Romance" – 2:51
- "Under the House" – 4:33 *
- "Hymie's Him" – 3:18
- "Banging the Door" – 4:49 *
- "Go Back" – 3:46
- "Francis Massacre" – 3:31
- "Flowers of Romance (Instrumental)" – 2:51 Bonus CD track (taken from the "Flowers of Romance" 12" single)
- "Home Is Where the Heart Is" – 7:34 Bonus CD track (taken from the "Flowers of Romance" single)
- "Another" – 3:51 Bonus CD track (taken from the "Memories" single)
Personnel
- John LydonJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
– vocals, Stroh violinStroh violinStroh violin, Strohviol, or Strohviol, is a trade name for a horn-violin, or violinophone—a violin that amplifies its sound through a metal resonator and metal horns rather than a wooden sound box as on a standard violin. The instrument is named after its designer, John Matthias Augustus Stroh, an...
, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Keith LeveneKeith LeveneKeith Levene is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was an early member of The Clash, but is best known as being a founding member of Public Image Limited, along with John Lydon....
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, synthesiserSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, percussion - Martin AtkinsMartin AtkinsMartin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke...
– drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s on "Four Enclosed Walls", "Under the House", "Banging the Door" and (uncredited) on "Flowers of Romance"
UK
- “The Flowers Of Romance” entered the UK Albums ChartUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, where it stayed for 5 weeks and reached #11 on 18 April 1981. - The single “Flowers Of Romance” entered the UK Top 75UK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, where it stayed for 7 weeks and reached #24 on 4 April 1981.
Other countries
- In New Zealand, “The Flowers Of Romance” entered the albums chart, where it stayed for 6 weeks and reached #33 on 31 May 1981.
External links
- Fodderstompf links: (fan-based site)
- Discographical information about The Flowers of Romance
- Interview with engineer Nick Launay