Public Image (studio album)
by Public Image Ltd.

Album
Public Image by Public Image Ltd.
Year: 1978
Overall rank: 2,970th   
Average Rating: 
75/100 (from 193 votes)
     
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1978 (55th)
Award Top albums of the 1970s (527th)
Award Best albums of all time (2,970th)

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Public Image Ltd. bestography

Public Image is ranked 3rd best out of 18 albums by Public Image Ltd. on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Public Image Ltd. is Metal Box which is ranked number 816 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 2,111.

Public Image Ltd. album bestography « Higher ranked (2,649th)
The Flowers Of Romance This album (2,970th)
Public Image Lower ranked (5,019th) »
Album

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Jan
10
Sat
20:00
Galantis - NIGHT 2
Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood, United States. United States
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Dec
20
Sat
19:00
Crooked Coast
Brighton Music Hall presented by Ci, Boston, United States. United States
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Jan
24
Sat
20:00
Cheap Trick
The Sylvee, Madison, United States. United States
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Public Image track list

   The tracks on this album have an average rating of 79 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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#
Track
Rating/Comments
1.
Theme
Average Rating: 81 (46 votes)Comments: View 1
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2.
Religion I
Average Rating: 73 (37 votes)Comments: View 1
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3.
Religion II
Average Rating: 80 (44 votes)Comments: View 0
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4.
Annalisa
Average Rating: 83 (46 votes)Comments: View 0
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5.
Track pick (870 - 75 votes)
Public Image
Average Rating: 87 (75 votes)Comments: View 1
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6.
Low Life
Average Rating: 82 (44 votes)Comments: View 0
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7.
Attack
Average Rating: 78 (37 votes)Comments: View 0
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8.
Fodderstompf
Average Rating: 73 (36 votes)Comments: View 1
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Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Public Image rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 2,970th | 1970s rank: 527th | 1978 rank: 55th

Public Image collection

Public Image ratings

Average Rating: 
75/100 (from 193 votes)
   Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 193 ratings for this album.

Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
50/100
 !		5 days ago Jakor   4,84169/100
 
85/100
 !		11/19/2025 20:36 Brandon8   1,01889/100
 
65/100
 !		10/04/2025 13:39 Imaybeparanoid   7,29971/100
 
80/100
 !		08/20/2025 07:56 markl73   49679/100
 
75/100
 !		08/20/2025 00:47 Ilovesuicide   32568/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album is rated in the top 11% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 74.7/100, a mean average of 73.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 74.9/100. The standard deviation for this album is 17.5.

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Public Image comments

Showing all 10 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
80/100
From 06/02/2024 02:06 | #303804
A good recreation of ones self. Apart from 'Public Image', which sounds Pistols-ish, the albums got an dark arty feel about it, full of deep rhythmic bass. A different direction for him that worked.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 03/26/2023 09:26 | #295464
I understood this album only from second time.
Here are Avangard from The Residents, Psychedelic from CAN, Punk from Stooges.
Nirvana was conceived on this album
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
5/100
From 09/08/2021 17:12 | #273537
This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -3 votes (0 helpful | 3 unhelpful)
From 07/23/2019 18:42 | #240284
Favorite Tracks:Public Image
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 02/16/2018 20:27 | #208480
Non mi sono mai sentito meno debitore nei confronti di questo esordio dei P.I.L. rispetto a quanto mi sentissi nei confronti di "Never mind the bollocks"
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 09/09/2017 04:33 | #197634
Best Tracks: Public Image, Theme
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 01/05/2015 04:52 | #130857
This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -3 votes (0 helpful | 3 unhelpful)
From 11/20/2014 17:28 | #127522
The dawn of Post-Punk, along with The Scream by Siouxsie and the Banshees and Real Life by Magazine.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 03/01/2014 17:39 | #104952
John Lyndon Tried to change.. But wow this change is just too radical. I didn't liked so much as i expected. sometimes it looked boring or depressing but it just need to be re-listened . Sometimes he can back to the old "SP" times, but it hardly happens. There is a great instrumentation on this album, with cutting guitars and a different but great bass. "Public Image" Is one of the biggest and best songs of the 70s though.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 08/05/2012 22:49 | #47906
This is P.I.L.'s best lp imo, Religion, Public Image, & Annalisa are highlights.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -2 votes (0 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
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Your feedback for Public Image

Anonymous
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Buy album United States
Best Albums of 1978
1. Darkness On The Edge Of Town by Bruce Springsteen
2. Parallel Lines by Blondie
3. The Cars by The Cars
4. This Year's Model by Elvis Costello
5. Van Halen by Van Halen
6. Die Mensch·Maschine by Kraftwerk
7. The Kick Inside by Kate Bush
8. Some Girls by The Rolling Stones
9. Music For 18 Musicians by Steve Reich
10. More Songs About Buildings And Food by Talking Heads
11. Dire Straits by Dire Straits
12. Hemispheres by Rush
13. Outlandos D'Amour by The Police
14. 3rd by Big Star
15. All Mod Cons by The Jam
16. Chairs Missing by Wire
17. Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! by Devo
18. The Modern Dance by Pere Ubu
19. Real Life by Magazine
20. Powerage by AC/DC
 
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