PIL's Commercial Zone - C or D or ????

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I read the perhaps overly long (but worthwhile) interview with Keith Levine at Perfect Sound Forever, and am intrigued by his description of the "Commercial Zone" LP, which he claims Rotton/Lydon fucked up and turned into "This Is What You Want..." Now to be honest, I kind of like TIWYW. It doesn't in any way approach the first three PIL LPs, but it's not entirely worthless like everything that followed. Now apparantly Levine put out the "Commercial Zone" sessions himself in limited pressings, so I would think someone out there has actually heard it. I haven't, but I'd like to know - is it the work of genius Levine claims? And for godsake, where can I find a copy?

― Matthew Cohen, Tuesday, 16 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

After Levine's claims for it -- DUD, not too bad but no better that THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT. Amateurish/lo-fi in places (poorly/cheaply produced/mixed whatever), the songs suffer in comparision with TIWYW. More rough/punkish sounding but not worth paying lots of money for.

― RW, Tuesday, 16 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It's actually not too hard to find cheap these days.. and yes, while a little more interesting than "This is What You Want.", it ain't the Shroud of Turin.

― Brian MacDonald, Tuesday, 16 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I agree with previous answers - but it is worth listening to. "Bad Life" has a great beat.. And it sounds more like PiL to me that TIWYW, and I listened to it a lot more. But a great recording, it is not.

I think I'll listen to it this evening. (Sorry, I don't know where you can get it.)

― Dave225, Tuesday, 16 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'but it's not entirely worthless like everything that followed.'

Or do you mean 'not entirely worthless COMPARED to what followed'?

Actually, I liked "Where Are You"

― dave q, Tuesday, 16 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think any question which can dismiss album/compact disc/etc as "worthless" is just wrong-headed.

― Sean Carruthers, Wednesday, 17 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

four years pass...

Wow, there's actually a thread on this album.

I don't know as that I've ever gotten to digest it - and I didn't really today when playing it while doing housework - but I think this might be my favorite of the Levene-era PiL records.

The story, from what I understand, is not exactly what is described in the original post here. Commercial Zone was supposed to be the fourth PiL album, but the band broke up. John Lydon redid some of these songs with his new band for the This Is What You Want album. Levene put Commercial Zone out himself. I don't know if Lydon considered it unfinished or if Levene worked on it after the band broke up.

Anyway, side one of this, with the original version of "This Is Not a Love Song" and, I believe, the song that became "This Is What You Want, This Is What You Get," is particularly cool. Side two seems sort of pleasant in a post-Flowers of Romance head music way.

Weird that you see so little about this album, given how much people like the other Levene-era records.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 4 February 2006 01:57 (twenty years ago)

PIL's Commercial Zone is about 50% brilliant.

― Bimble brings a lawn chair to antartica so he can sit and drink silver coff (Bim, Saturday, 4 February 2006 10:29 (twenty years ago)

hey, I've got a copy of that! There is a cool guitar track (the slab) on that album.

― erro (erro), Saturday, 4 February 2006 12:16 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

No idea this album had story in it. Bought from local shop 82,83(?), and did tapes for all my mates. On the way to the pub the other night heard one of the old tapes in Geoffs car. Some of the suff was quite good wasnt it? I didnt think that anything came as good again until RISE and certainly nothing since. Sorry, John.

― StRHzX, Friday, 17 March 2006 21:08 (twenty years ago)

I got a tape of this album, well ahead of any release, in Carnaby Court. Just before it got pulled down. Not right before, obviously. I didn't rescue it from a collapsing building, what, are you nuts?

Anyway, the tape had side 1 and 2 the other way round, which makes loads more sense and makes it well excellent.

The "Slab" track aka "Order of Death" starts up, an instrumental of some intensity. Then "Lou Reed" is up, a gentle guitar picky thing, and it's ten minutes into the album and there's been no vocals yet. Then "Where are you" is next, which briefly starts like "Lou Reed" until Keith's electric kicks in, John's "Hello?" and now we're into more familiar territory.

Oh, and if anyone is desperate to get a copy of the album: be quick..

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4850306758&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1

note: I did not revive the thread for this purpose, it was purely coincidence.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 11:40 (nineteen years ago)

eight years pass...

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keith-levene-s-commercial-zone-2014-initiative#home

In short: Keith Levene / Commercial Zone 2014 / Crowdsourcing.

― Mark G, Monday, 28 April 2014 09:08 (eleven years ago)

So... with Lydon's vocals or no?

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Monday, 28 April 2014 15:49 (eleven years ago)

I would have thought so..

Then again,

― Mark G, Monday, 28 April 2014 16:12 (eleven years ago)

Do not back if you don't want 2-3 updates a day from kEiTH

― Berk errs Gibbs/Ox (aldo), Tuesday, 29 April 2014 10:57 (eleven years ago)

do any of them address Lydon?

― akm, Tuesday, 29 April 2014 13:44 (eleven years ago)

The Guardian:
Although Levene and PiL frontman John Lydon remain estranged, Commercial Zone 2014 has the support of the band's former drummer, Martin Atkins

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 29 April 2014 13:59 (eleven years ago)

hrm. both the indiegogo page and his personal site are vague about what this actually is.

― sleepingsignal, Tuesday, 29 April 2014 14:15 (eleven years ago)

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