Public Image First Issue (RSD 25)

“Public Image – First Issue” is the debut album by PiL, originally released in 1978 by Virgin Records. An alternative version of “First Issue” was initially intended for release by Warner Bros. in 1979, but it never saw the light of day. It was thought the recordings were lost. However, the misfiled tape was later accidentally discovered in the Warner Brothers vault in the USA and features mixes and re-recordings of tracks from the original debut. These mixes were created during the 1979 sessions for “Metal Box” and even includes “Swan Lake” (aka “Death Disco”) from the album.

The intention behind the original release was to prevent further importing of the Virgin UK edition into the US. This strategy also aimed to create a unique enough release for the Warner Bros. territories so it could stand out in terms of sales. This version of “First Issue” has never been released and the release includes different sleeve artwork compared to the original version.