Public Image Limited – 9 (VG/VG+) – LP, US 1989

9 is an LP by Public Image Limited from 1989 released on the Virgin label.

About this album

9 finds Public Image Limited turning their late-80s sound into wiry, urgent art rock without losing the confrontational edge that defined the group. Issued in 1989, the album continued John Lydon’s post-Sex Pistols reinvention, mixing abrasive guitars, driving rhythms and sharp, often sardonic lyrics across songs such as Happy, Disappointed and Brave New World. It sits in the line of PIL records that pushed beyond orthodox punk, showing how the band could absorb alternative rock, dub and pop hooks while keeping the mood unsettled and tense. For listeners following Lydon’s restless catalogue, 9 is a striking late-period statement.