PIL - Death Disco - Top Of The Pops - 1979

[dimaensionx]

I can't imagine a major network TV show broadcasting this nowadays.

[RevengeSeeker4321]

This makes me realize i was born in the wrong generation

[almanngibbons]

most careless band ever after maybe, the cramps. Luv.

[zXeCLiPzeXz]

@scgcom

Well spotted considering you didn't know, but the band recorded the backing track earlier on in the studio, and then John sung live over the pre-recorded backing track.

[ireeksofakia]

man....jah wobble really looks like shane macgowan when he smiles at the camera

[scgcom]

Appears that Lydon is singing live to a backing track. Watch Wobble play bass at approx. 1:30

[pendodecahedron]

JJJJJJJJJAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH­HHHH WOBBBBBBBBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Markthompson123]

good shit

[Markthompson123]

lol

[ryler99]

why does lydon hate on bands that do totp but then does this?

[katoness]

@ryler99 to show the little twerps how its really done!!

[MisAnnThorpe]

This is obviously live which must have been very unusual for TOTP at this time.

[Gnasher77]

Pil in there prime, everything they released after this was shite, once Wobble and Levene were out of the equation.

[66themac]

Ahhhhh genius....the best but sadly short lived line up of PIL.....what ever happened to keith levene? Surely the best guitarist to come out of punk.

[redmanthinks]

Kirkwallboy. Yes, it was brave, and Mike Read looked like he was relieved it was all over. TOTP had it`s faults, but boy could we do with it back.

[TheKenfig]

Like that little brunnette at the end with Mike Read and at the start on the far right there is a cute one with pig-tails

[ManilaSyndicate]

It's disappointing to see them perform in such a commercial show, but nice to view a performance of them during their prime nonetheless.

[rajnos]

SWEET song

[flaxonx3]

Whatever you say about the BBC & TOTP, they didn't shirk away from their duty to show what was rising in the charts. Alright apart from God Save The Queen in 77! Had the single, didn't think it was ever on TOTP, must have missed this show. Typical, saw all of B A Robertson's appearances in 79 which seemed to be every week, but missed this.

[trippy898]

it is fucking uk gold we once ran the world

[Rikitocker]

Love the deliberately demented grins from Wobble .... classic stuff. Shove that up your Idol.

[noworldorderforme]

Just remember, this went out on BBC1 at 7.30 on a Thursday night. Roughly speaking, this was transmitted where 'The One Show' is now shown. Does anyone really think things have improved?

[joydivision808]

@noworldorderforme nope 

[scatterkeir]

Haha, what did Mike Read say at the end, 'That was Johnny, Ya-yah and the boys'? As in Ya-yah Wobble? :D

[Rigsbymortis]

why is john wearing headphones? just a gimmicky prop?

[ionianson]

Great !.....Surreal & uncomfortable, but worthy

.....there must of been some dodgy atmospheres in living rooms around the Country when this was aired on a Thursday night!

[bennyshambles]

What a bunch of creeps. Amazing.

[birdandthe]

this sorted out the the people with minds from the mindless fools who lapped up the established top of the pops bollocks, and that included 90 per cent of the new wave.. its a shame levine and wobble fucked off to leave johnny with zero musical muscle.

[SFFOOL76]

@birdandthe

agreed, they were a unique band. I always feel that this particular group of Levine/Wobble/Rotten/(and whatever drummer) never got the love like the Sex Pistols did.

[DanielBowden1975]

Where's the pliers for the Wobble?

[diskochimp]

Mike Read FFS!

[Tamith123]

cool as fuck

[MrVirgilcane]

the bass player is the complete opposite of sid.

[sp12halos]

@MrVirgilcane

Agreed - he can actually play.

[sp12halos]

@MrVirgilcane

Agreed - he can actually play.

[jimbobklyn1963]

fuck Bob Seger!

[ClemenzaKimble]

Personally, I think this song is crap: not because I'm the type who can't take anything avant-garde or surreal, but because it bores me. However, I don't think anybody should have been disallowed from performing on Top of the Pops unless they had done somthing to endanger peoples health on a previous performance, and The Sex Pistols should have been allowed to perform. If people didn't like it, they could switch over. Simple as that. They were in the Top 20, so they had their rights.

[K0O0l]

that bassline gets me every time

[God4Dunoon]

thank god some had sense'''

[bobman64]

Producers of TOTP must have been on a tea break when they booked PiL for this - possibly the most subversive thing ever on BBC1!! Mr Wobble proving he is one of the best bass players of all time

[pawnsacrifice1]

I read somewhere he learnt sitting down which is why he can't play standing up

[JANXDPDX]

great video

[MileHighMark]

The song itself is fantastic, but that performance is even better.

[kniphofia]

Legendary!

[kirkwallboy]

I take my hat off to safe family show TOTP for showing this in 1979. I can't imagine it being tolerated in the shiny colourful not waving but drowning 1980's and 1990's TOTPs. Makes everything after this seem a little too safe.

[Heavymetalpunker92x]

johnny rotten is tha man and he is smokin hot and i love this music so much and pil rocks man

[Zelda36J]

lydon looks cool for the time !?

[jayrangdale]

Yeah Jah went for the blacked-out tooth to go with his dentist's chair!

[donnybrooklads]

Quick fade by the TOTPs sound man there ha! Anyone got Johnny's Butter commercials?

[Fyllbulten]

Lydon rules! Brilliant, just so brilliant!

[jaysonnitro]

Awesome, predictable, and missing.

[w8fh33dkajlfe99faaa]

that was johnny r and the boys

[ALPQZM654]

Incredible.

[PictureThis001]

Magnificent-the scariest performance on TOTP EVER.

[postatomicJesus]

hahaha, i totally love Wobble when he smiles to the camera everytime it tries to film him, the idea to colour his teeth in black was a brainwave

[Forestamtul]

So it wasnt really black then? It was just to show as a joke probably.

[postatomicJesus]

they all refused the makeup; Wobble instead asked explicitly to have teeth coloured in black (obviously nobody knew why, until they were on air...)

[Forestamtul]

Oh I see I had a feeling it was the make up thanks for the reply. In the past I thought it was real but thank goodness it wasnt. It would have been embarrasing otherwise.

[Barbabapan]

That smile says "Great, my peyote ain't wearing off yet!"

[Smurchison]

brilliant song

[TakeAPiL27]

where the fuck can i get myself one of those outfits, that old john is wearing?

[Slance1Himself]

yeah... great question. i love those too

[Cookie2Head]

mhm mhm mhm! Mr. Rotten is looking mighty trim, i must say =D

LOVE this song!!!!

[whalesireland]

Banshees were on same show doing Playground twist-I thought it was going to be the start of an amazing era-then we had the 80s...

[UpYourKeister]

bassist looks high as a kite....

and John is SOOO SEXY!!!!!

[japeyebruno]

if im not mistaken i think the ruts babylons burning was onit as well

[Armalyte75]

Remember the old `Top of the Pops` albums from the 1970`s? They had a dolly bird on the cover and contained naff cover versions of current chart hits.

I saw a copy at a car boot sale once with `Death Disco` on it. I wish I brought it.

Someone please upload it!

[hoagyc]

Oh that would've been mint. I bet it was 10p aswell :-]

[djbethell]

Can you imagine? Now that is a missed opportunity you'll have to live with for the rest of your life... I always remember hearing Top of the Pops' version of Malcolm McLaren's Double Dutch. Surrealism is NOT the word!

[Armalyte75]

The rest of my life?...or maybe til the end of the week! I just found a copy of the record in question , on ebay (cost £3.19).

Postpunk genius/scratched, cheesy, cover version naff-o-rama here I come!

[hoagyc]

Nice 1 :-]

[djbethell]

Ooh, shall I start a bidding war with you? LOL! But you gotta tell us the experience when that needle finally hits the record... I want the works; spiritual, emotional and of course physical reactions posted here.

Wonder what other songs are on that album?