Public Image Ltd. - Albatross Lyrics






Slow motion
Slow motion
Getting rid of the albatross
Sowing seeds of discontent
I know you very well
You are unbearable
I've seen you up far too close
Getting rid of the albatross
Frying rear blinds
If I wanted
Should I really
If I run away
Run away
Riding along on the crest of the wave
Getting rid of the albatross
Another will not forget
I know you very well
Run away
Run away
Should I
I run away
Getting rid of the albatross
I know you very well
You are unbearable
I see you far too close
If I wanted to
If
Run away
Run away
I ran away
I ran away





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Public Image Ltd. Albatross Comments
  1. c.... f....

    fucking brutal

  2. z.... n....

    Oh, so it ain't a cover of FLEETWOOD MAC's classic☹️
    🐂💨💨💨💨💨💨💨

  3. A.... ....

    VIBIN RN

  4. M.... d....

    Love this so much

  5. A.... J....

    THEY NEED TO TURN THE BASS UP

  6. i.... ....

    Joy Division and PiL started the entire thing

  7. L.... D....

    Se lo dice il mastro ci credo

  8. M.... G....

    EXCELLENT. I agree with Johnny Rotten. Pil's music is a million times better than the Pistols'.

  9. m.... a....

    Que bosta de música.

  10. O.... B....

    what berlin was cool
    sound was heart
    experiment
    a
    q
    was norm

  11. O.... B....

    when music let them
    know you strange
    now it all so equal

    now all the eccentrics are fluffy,bullied,pink hair, binary,
    know it all introverts of nothingness..

    blkdudeINvan

  12. O.... B....

    think when he played concert hall 1982 to achieve sound
    live,not like now
    plug in & scrape

    massive computerized system
    left side and covered
    we have come far far
    right.😉

  13. J.... V....

    I remember this album when it was made .. I am lucky .. one of my all time favourite albums :-)

  14. f.... ....

    Watch this Spongebob Night of the Robot loop, and listen to this song at the same time, it goes perfect. this song instantly made me think of it. http://www.infinitelooper.com/?v=ER0WeiMyL7Q&p=n#/8;10

  15. T.... F....

    Metal Box download: http://yup-yup-mark.blogspot.com/2019/02/public-image-limited-metal-box-4cd.html#comment-form

  16. L.... S....

    a great lp.

  17. D.... E....

    Beautiful Noise ! 10 Minutes of aural chaos.

  18. G.... N....

    Metal box/ second edition and flowers of romance is STILL OUTSTANDING !

  19. D.... A....

    That bass is pure filth, so groovy

  20. S.... V....

    there are just times when i KNOW this is the song i need to hear...

  21. K.... ....

    Is it legal in the uk for the cops to kick your door down after midnight if you hate your neighbours and you play Pil loud and go out for a walk wirh the music left on. LOUD?

  22. C.... D....

    It reminds me of the song John I'm Only Dancing by Bowie.

    C.... D....

    exactly

  23. t.... b....

    Used to sniff glue to this magnificent

  24. x.... ....

    This song on repeat for four hours locked in a basement with nothing but a strobe light. Good memories.

    x.... ....

    Guantanamo
    what they did
    nasty punk
    dRI
    12 INCH

  25. B.... R....

    good work guys!

  26. F.... T....

    I totally agree, saw them at the Palodium in NYC in 79, fucking Excellent show!!! NY Daily News, said the best concert in NYC. They played first album, and 2nd Edition in its entirety. FUCKING GREAT SHOW!!! Great full I experienced it!!

  27. T.... P....

    Ridding the Allbatross is about a Sailor who kills an Albatross sea bird (I guess because it annoyed him or stole some of his bait) and so he kills it, bringing doom onto his ship and shipmates.

    T.... P....

    John Lydon improvised the lyrics I believed

  28. B.... ....

    This is pretty catchy

  29. P.... S....

    Dub and ska and Lyndon = : ,)

  30. J.... S....

    The guitar in Albatross is amazing

  31. F.... T....

    This is my comment, this whole fucking album is a classic. I graduated high in 1980. I saw PIL at the Palidium in NYC, and at the Ritz during the riot. Brahms, Beethoven, who are they? 😀

  32. R.... ....

    billie jean !!!! bass line

  33. M.... P....

    Luv what he did after Pistols

  34. S.... B....

    In some aspects remind me on Can. Beautiful.

  35. l.... ....

    God, but the base carries this track.
    Mesmerizing

  36. C.... T....

    Just jizzed to that bass 😩

  37. J.... D....

    Love this song.

  38. G.... M....

    INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION... I HAVE ONE FROM JAN AND DEAN CALLED SCHLOCK ROD FROM 1963... IT WAS IN TWO PARTS AND LET ME TELL YOU SOME PRIMITIVE SCIENCE TO SCHLOCK ROD... IT WAS SPLIT INTO TWO TRACKS BECAUSE THE FIRST TRACK WAS THE LAST TRACK ON SIDE A... REMEMBER IN 1963 STEREO WAS NOT ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE... BUT JAN BERRY WHO WAS STUDYING TO BE A MEDICAL DOCTOR AND HAD A IQ OF 185 WAS RAISED WITH A FATHER WHO HELPED INVENT SOUND FOR MOTION PICTURES... ALSO JAN HAD RECORDING EQUIPMENT IN HIS HOME AS A CHILD... VERY UNUSUAL FOR A CHILD GROWING UP IN THE 1950'S... SO WHEN YOU LISTEN TO THE TRACKS WEAR HEAD PHONES... PART ONE ALL THE MUSIC AND VOCALS AND SOUND ARE ARE ON ASSIGNED TRACKS ... ON PART TWO WHICH IS THE FIRST TRACK ON SIDE B OF THE DISC (ALBUM, LP etc...) everything is "flipped" ... THIS IS A SECRET THAT SNOBS REJECT BECAUSE THEY DO NOT TAKE TIME TO STUDY JAN AND DEAN... JAN AND DEAN WERE STUDIO PIONEERS BECAUSE OF THEIR PUNK ANTICS AND JAN BERRY'S INSIGHT TO BREAK RULES... THERE ARE NO RULES IN ART OR MUSIC... https://youtu.be/QTcI0gxC3Vk

  39. A.... 5....

    Someone should tell that guitarist that more than two chords exist

    A.... 5....

    He didn't want to play more than he did. That was the point to his approach.

    A.... 5....

    U right!

    A.... 5....

    Prog rock... really? Why are you even listening?

    A.... 5....

    You don't understand the music of this album, listen past the first track

  40. D.... F....

    Jah Wobble just took me to the river in a very interesting way.

  41. l.... v....

    in the mood all over again.. loving my pain .. :-)

  42. T.... B....

    I always loved this,Only the Lonely!

  43. D.... B....

    Smashing

  44. I.... I....

    Ese bajo trae cuchillo.

    I.... I....

    Iulius II 😅☺

  45. A.... N....

    I feel like people confuse pop punk and post punk this is post punk and a very good song and band

    A.... N....

    when did anyone ever "confuse" pop punk and post punk? lmao

    A.... N....

    Woah poppunk and postpunk together. just don't ever mash those two up. Wow. sounds godawful

    A.... N....

    lmao ^, punk E-volved t's not dead :)

  46. M.... ....

    I absolutely love this song

  47. A.... S....

    levene, wobble & lydon"s best work was this record

  48. D.... B....

    do u want fucking butter with that

  49. A.... ....

    Is this some kind of bad joke? This, whatever you call it, makes me want to drop dead. I'd rather die than be forced to listen to it, that's for sure. I'm four minutes in and in that time I've developed a splitting headache.

    A.... ....

    The song was crafted in means of warding away any fans of The Sex Pistols from John Lydon's(formerly Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols) music, more post punk, taking wider influences like dub, reggae, krautrock, and disco to create the song. I've always been hypnotized by Wobble's drums, they're methodic, almost like a metronome in function, pounding through the abrasions of Levene's guitar and Lydon's off key vocals.

    A.... ....

    @Raghav Raj Wobble's drums? Surely it's David Humphrey.

    A.... ....

    @ResidentMich You're right, it's Humphrey. My bad. Either way, great drums.

  50. B.... S....

    Is really that John Lydon? it doesn't really sound like him

  51. S.... V....

    this is like the smoothest, irritating song ever, it's just beautiful.

    S.... V....

    when you young n played
    this,u treated like out of space weirdo strange how
    space, sound and time
    travel to normal landscape of sounds.

    blkdudeINvan

    S.... V....

    Stephen Velez it sort of lifts your feet off the ground but keeps your eyes forward, so to speak. Very trancelike

  52. c.... ....

    this is where naughty sex happens.

    c.... ....

    If only Lyndon would shut his useless mouth.

    c.... ....

    castratedrhino77 you know he is one of the best punk singers to ever live along side Jello Biafra also if you don't like it don't listen to it

    c.... ....

    he adds another level to the band mate

  53. j.... ....

    This is one of the worst audio productions I've ever heard...I mean it's all recorded horribly and that reverb is fucking atrocious....don't get me wrong I love a good lo-fi sound but this is just truly shit

    j.... ....

    jnyc PiL never pandered to the masses.
    Never thought, 'Will they like this sound?'

    They did what they liked and were always better for that.

    Personally, love this especially Jah Wobble's bass...

    j.... ....

    jnyc Lydon & Wobble are/were huge reggae fans & the whole album was mixed to sound like the Jamaican 12" 'dub plates' of the time, hence the 3×12" single frormat (to the avoid the 'groove cramming' of a coventional 33rpm lp which would've killed Wobble's monstrous bass).

    j.... ....

    It's an aesthetic, dipshit.

    j.... ....

    thats what makes it so good.

    j.... ....

    jnyc this vid is just super low quality

  54. K.... J....

    Where can I find an original metal box? And how much.

    K.... J....

    Kelly Jackson Mac Have you tried Discogs . com ??

    K.... J....

    Kelly Jackson Mac Be careful, my cannister (and others I've seen over the last 10-15 years or so) rusted.

    K.... J....

    Kelly Jackson Mac probably Discogs but you're likely to look at least £200 starting price for a shabby one. I've got to say, I've had mine since its original release and mine hasn't rusted so, there must still be some out there in good condition. I've noticed that quite a few on Discogs are missing their song list inserts or / and their disc dividing sheets so be careful!

    K.... J....

    Kelly Jackson Mac your best bet would likely be Discogs but, be careful, you'll be probably looking at around the £200 mark for a fairly shabby example: rusted, scratched or crackly, insert or / and disc dividers missing. I've got to say though, I've had mine since the day of release in 1979 and mine hasn't rusted at all. So there must be others out there still in good nick. What you've got on your side is that, the music was so alien to many back then (who would have only bought the album purely on the strength that it was "Johnny Rotten") that many would have just been put on the shelf after an initial play. What you've got against you is that many of these people would also have just have quickly got rid of the album after that first listen! It was not particularly cherished by the majority after it was initially released so was fodder in "swaps" and trade ins and thus, not particularly well looked after in many cases. Couple this to the fact that the material of the box itself lent it to rust and other damage and that the vinyl was markedly difficult to get out of the box without damaging the discs, then you may have a job on your hands finding a good one.

    It could be worse though.........mine's perfect!😆

    K.... J....

    Beefheart1 Yeah, it's a completely impractical beautiful looking masterpiece. PS I put a strip of ribbon under the bottom 'sheet' & pull it to get discs out, much easier.

  55. B.... ....

    Ahh.. Christmas 1979: Metal Box, London Calling, Machinegunetiquette and Sid Sings were all waiting for me under the tree. (OK, Sid Sings isn't good, but three out of four ain't bad!). We'd also had Setting Sons, The Raven and Armed Forces that year from those in the first wave of UK punk along with Inflammable Material, Join Hands, Cut and first offerings from the Bunnymen, The Teardrops, Orange Juice, The Monochrome Set and The Cure. And people say 1977 was the year of punk / new wave!

    B.... ....

    1979 was a truly great year, as is shown by your recollection of what was released that year, however, you omitted to mention Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures, Magazine's Secondhand Daylight, and Swell Maps' A Trip to Marineville, nevermind The Passage's Pindrop, The Associates' The Affectionate Punch, The Pop Group's Y, Cabaret Voltaire's Mix Up, Throbbing Gristle's DOA The Third and Final Report, Gang of Four's Entertainment, plus great singles from The Mekons, John Cooper Clarke, Blondie, etc etc etc...a great year that seems even more incredible the further we move from it!

    B.... ....

    Beefheart1 Sid Sings is good Chatterbox

    B.... ....

    Lucky you, I was lucky to get a few Blondie albums and Pink Floyd perhaps. And I got ahold of the ALIEN photo-novel book, because my aunt was too scared to read it, and passed it on to me! I still own that.

    B.... ....

    And Beefheart released 'Shinybeast'.

    B.... ....

    As a teenager in northern Ca in the late 80's I had to stifle my jealousy of the likes of you all my life! I literally went to high school some mornings all pissed off I was living in 1988 and not 1979.

  56. G.... P....

    Enjoy, RIP Malcolm.

  57. J.... ....

    The post punk stairway to heaven, this is.

    J.... ....

    ha ha ha great definition!

  58. I.... I....

    another planet, love this song

  59. k.... R....

    destroy all previous musical forms. this is rock music completely divorced from the dead end of blues.

    k.... R....

    Hey Kenneth, there's a few disagreements here, but what do they know. I'm old enough to have experienced post-punk at the time, and you are quite correct, it was all about destroying all previous musical forms. In 1979, when I first dropped the stylus onto this first track, on the first of the three 12" singles that came in the tin, with pieces of white, waxed paper separating them, and the A5 paper with poorly printed titles and names of band members on it, I'd never heard anything like it...all the stuff I'd grown up on, Zeppelin, Sabbath, Deep Purple, Hawkwind, even the punk explosion itself, which had only been a couple of years previous, were all out of the window. This, along with other notables, such as Joy Division, Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, Wire, Magazine, The Fall, Swell Maps etc were delivering on the Punk promise of total cultural revolution;  I still find Keith Levene's scratchy guitar sqeaks as he joins in over the top of Wobble's bass quite mind-blowing....everything is still possible!

    k.... R....

    Quite agree

    k.... R....

    It's an interesting if provocative point Kenneth.
    As someone who considers this song sublime I agree that it shows what could be done in the post punk arena.
    However, I still think that the likes of Charley Patton and Son House stand the test of time, and let's not forget the likes of James Blood Ulmer, Sonny Sharrock and Derek Bailey who also blazed new paths in guitar abuse.

    k.... R....

    kenneth is right, but the pseudo intellectuals who answered him can't stand divergent opinions...meh

    k.... R....

    Closer to raw Krautrock than all these genres mentioned. Post Punk with Can influence is close.

  60. 5.... ....

    I love the physical sound of this music. Deep booming bass, hot disco beat, metallic sharp guitar. It almost doesn't matter what notes they're playing (although of course they're in tune with each other most of the time), its just the sheer sound of it that's very....satisfying!
    Sorry to be a nerd, but I noticed a comment that said "issued on 45rpm discs to maximise the bass response" - well I disagree with that; actually I've always found that 12" singles which play at 33rpm give a better bass tone than ones that play at 45rpm. (All other factors being equal, ie, given that the groove is cut nice and fat, etc). Dunno why, as you would think that the higher the speed, the better the quality, but somehow that's my subjective experience.

    5.... ....

    +579enact You are correct: while the higher speed of 45 rpm provides better resolution/accuracy for treble [less information per unit of vinyl], as well as increased dynamic range, the slower 33 rpm yields better bass response. I can't claim to understand the science behind this sufficiently to explain it here. :~)

    5.... ....

    These days, you can't use big words or people will cover their own insecurities about being morons by calling you a "nerd" because it's the "cool thing" to do

  61. N.... ....

    This is a result of a truly original guitar player, an absolute one-off of a bassist and a young John Lydon at his very best. Its fucking tragic the original three members of Pil couldnt stay together. They were dynamite together.

    N.... ....

    NoMoreHideTheBall I agree

    N.... ....

    @Paul Metzger I'll have to listen to it again .. I have the vinyl :-)

    N.... ....

    Can't leave out Martin Atkins. Think he's brilliant on this album. As a drummer, I find the "minimalism" brilliant

    N.... ....

    I stand corrected, David Humphrey played on this track

    N.... ....

    funny had this album
    82 young black punk
    back then this was weird
    strange

    now it seem so ahead

    kinda like nocturne

  62. S.... ....

    Many of the tracks in this album -like this one, Albatross - sound like the tape was falling in and out of azimuth alignment on the tape deck. I noticed this in the metal box CD reissue and later in the 4 Men With Beards 2006 3-LP reissue.
    Is this intentional or is it a mastering defect?
    Has anyone heard this effect in some original pressings or previous releases?

    S.... ....

    +SergioMartelli I'm eagerly awaiting responses to your observation. :-)

    S.... ....

    SergioMartelli tbh I think it makes it sound good like what punk band would remaster there music that's like trying to convince trump to not be such a dipshit

    S.... ....

    Dunno, but it's exactly how it was when I was 12!

    S.... ....

    @Avery Noble trump 2020 are you ready bro?

  63. R.... N....

    I use this whole song as the ring tone for my iPhone.

    R.... N....

    good choice

    R.... N....

    ha ha ha...ha ha ha

    R.... N....

    "Just answer it will you, I've not got all fucking day!"

  64. J.... J....

    Just watched ALIAN FWREKIN NORWEGIANCUBAN JOURGENSEN FOR 4 hrs have to get back toreality.. John rot

  65. F.... ....

    Im from USA I bought the original Metal Box because I owed a friend some money and bought this for him figuring I could pay off the debt and hear the new PIL album at the same time. We played it at 33 rpm like a normal lp. It was weird but hey, its PIL!! 3/4 of the way though this song i says "I wanna try something" and switched to 45 rpm…had a good laff…but remember it still sounded pretty good a 33 rpm!!!

    F.... ....

    FairDealDan

    F.... ....

    Did the same thing with TSOL's 1st ep it sounds pretty good too

    F.... ....

    I think that was a fairly common mistake. It sounded good on both speeds!

  66. F.... D....

    Levene's guitar probably inspired Terry McLeay of Sex Gang Children on this particular track

  67. c.... ....

    Forever one of my favorites. Issued on 45rpm discs to maximize bass response.

    c.... ....

    +chaldnipatterns Actually, while the higher speed of 45 rpm provides better resolution/accuracy for treble [less information per unit of vinyl], as well as increased dynamic range, the slower 33 rpm yields better bass response. I can't claim to understand the science behind this sufficiently to explain it here. :~)

  68. m.... ....

    Absolute masterpiece.

  69. G.... ....

    suicide rock

    G.... ....

    To elaborate, it's a kind of musical ouija board, and a magnet to all sorts of unhappy people, from a spectrum of the dispossessed, through the antagonistic, touching the anarchistic as it flashes by, and eventually distilling down to scum like me. This album has branded me for life.

    G.... ....

    same oh i love it tho. musical anarchy.

    G.... ....

    Lol ive shied from PIL for most of my life but i like a few songs this past year

    G.... ....

    uh, you should check out Suicide, the band
    they were proto-punk/avant-garde/no wave, totally recommended if you look for "suicide rock"

    G.... ....

    @Matthew Brown this is a beautiful song to me'

  70. T.... ....

    Wefeltarevolutioninrhtynm.ItincludedgangofforandBushTertrasandwasamzingbutitfailed

  71. T.... ....

    Thismusicblewmymind. Ifelt like it was mymusicwaymorethanpunkwas

  72. S.... ....

    Pil metal box. Thought you Aussies were heathens. Getting rid of the Albatross. 

  73. A.... P....

    one of their greatest

  74. 1.... k....

    Too, it is the highest.

  75. Z.... ....

    Love this album, Wobble's baselines are sublime. Too bad Martin Atkins wasn't behind the drum kit.

    Z.... ....

    cute cute jah wobble

  76. d.... a....

    One of the greatest albums of all time, pity most wasn't ready for it lol ;-) Still have my original METAL 01 and wouldn't part with it for the world. Thanks Johnny!

  77. o.... ....

    When i play metal box....panic

  78. p.... ....

    i always heard ian curtis.

    p.... ....

    that is not curtis that is johnny rotten

    p.... ....

    royal nass i think they're just likening one another

  79. T.... ....

    Its great album

  80. C.... ....

    You saw/got the vinyl? Wow, lucky you, they are selling those on Amazon for well over $200 used

  81. L.... K....

    This could quite possibly be the most amazing thing i've ever heard

  82. g.... ....

    My God, that BASS.

  83. C.... G....

    You folks that love John Lydon and PIL have to see a LIVE version of "Chant". There are a few on youtube. By the time the performance ends you are just paralyzed.

  84. I.... ....

    -I'd never recognize Jim behind this vocals performance..but yes, now that you said, I can hear what you heard 5 months ago..

  85. I.... ....

    -I was born in 1982...and I'm coming up with this today-

  86. P.... S....

    Michael Jackson was the "eyes and ears" of the Reagan Administration.

  87. d.... ....

    thanks to filesharing, amazon now sold one more album!

  88. P.... t....

    That's because it's not John. It's kind of like Paul is dead. Only this is sort of inter-dimensional and reptilian controlled. Much deeper!

  89. S.... ....

    Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah Wooooooooooobble!

  90. a.... ....

    Can't believe nobody else has said it yet but....... yes........ John sounds like a (even more) demented Jim Morrison on this song! And I LOVE IT!

  91. o.... ....

    I played this song in a club with the vinyl in Metal Box.....

  92. P.... ....

    this album sounds better in vinyl version

  93. P.... ....

    sounds like lydon to me... which lydon have you been listening to? maybe you came in the picture later on and heard him doing all those strained voice things after 1983... the best lydon is pre-84

  94. P.... ....

    can someone post a scratchy vinyl version and put the original cover sleeve? thanks --this one doesn't feel right. too perfect

  95. m.... c....

    Oh-Yes! That's our Johnny boy!

  96. C.... ....

    @Astronomy25Domine its definitely Johnny

  97. C.... G....

    ALBATROSS! Back in 1982 I drove all my friends crazy making them listen to this-lol

  98. M.... G....

    @redNYC1969 Awesome!