JAH WOBBLE
Metal Box – Rebuilt In Dub CLEOPATRA
Does exactly what it says on the tin
8/10
Four decades on from its release, Public Image Ltd’s second album is now inventively rewired by their bassist, albeit with “No Birds” and “Bad Baby” dropped for their debut’s “Public Image” and “Fodderstompf”. The project’s appeal depends on one’s loyalty to the original: In Dub is sometimes less claustrophobic and more muscular, with “Albatross” and “Swan Lake” belligerent enough to suit PiL’s Album and “Poptones” elongated over nine carefully constructed minutes, John Lydon’s caterwauling sacrificed for Jah Wobble’s more tasteful inflections. “Fodderstompf”, though, exercises an unrecognisable, irresistible groove, and that debut single still sounds devastating, whether or not it’s been buffed up and programmed.