''Paris au Printemps'' is a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

recorded by Public Image Ltd (given as 'Image Publique S.A.' on the cover) in 1980 on two consecutive dates in January in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, 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. It is notable as the band's last full-length release featuring founding bass player Jah Wobble, as well as the Paris concerts being drummer

Martin Atkins Martin Clive Atkins (born 3 August 1959) is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and Industrial music, industrial groups including Public Image Ltd, Ministry (band), Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Pigface, ...

' first gigs with Public Image Ltd. The album reached number 61 on the UK album charts.

Recording

John Lydon John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk rock, punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 197 ...

has stressed that the album was made and submitted to

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a world ...

to cover the band's expenses for the '' Metal Box'' album. During a BBC radio interview in 1992 he said: It has additionally been described as countering an abundance of "unlistenable"

bootleg Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made a ...

s of the band's live performances being released at the time. Lydon has elaborated that the album cost the band "exactly the price of one reel-to-reel tape to record", which they did on a Revox recorder, consequently receiving £30,000 from Virgin Records for it.Fodderstompf , PiL Discography , Paris Au Printemps LP
/ref> The same amount has been mentioned as the sum the band had previously invested into the release of the ''Metal Box'' album.

Packaging

The front cover painting is by John Lydon and represents himself, Keith Levene and

Jeannette Lee Jeannette Lee is a British music record executive, music manager, filmmaker and former musician. A retail worker at the Acme Attractions store that, along with the SEX boutique run by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, was instrumental in sp ...

Track listing

Side one

#"Thème" ("Theme") #"Psalmodie" ("Chant") #"Précipitamment" ("Careering")

Side two

#"Sale Bébé" ("Bad Baby") #"La Vie Ignoble" ("Low Life") #"Attaque" ("Attack") #"Timbres De Pop" ("Poptones")

Personnel

;Public Image Limited *

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

, sleeve paintings * Keith Levene –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

, synthesiser * Jah Wobble –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

Charts

UK

*''“Paris Au Printemps”'' briefly entered the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

, where it stayed for 2 weeks and reached #61 on 22 November 1980.

Other countries

*In the USA, the album was not released. *In New Zealand, ''“Paris Au Printemps”'' briefly entered the Top 50 Albums Chart, where it stayed for 2 weeks and reached #48 on 1 March 1981.''Charts.org.nz'' website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paris Au Printemps Public Image Ltd albums 1980 live albums Virgin Records live albums