Critics give This is PiL a B-Side Breakdown of 66 (D), from 10 reviews at outlets we track. Scores run 40 to 80.
The verdict on This is PiL
Critics split on this one: scores run from 40 (The Independent and 1 other) to 80 (Spin and 3 others).
- Highest 80 Spin, Mojo, The Guardian and Drowned in Sound
- Lowest 40 The Independent and Paste
- Career #7 of Public Image Ltd.'s 10 albums with a Breakdown
| The gist | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spin via Wikipediaby Chris Martins | 8/10 | 80 | 2012 | “8SPIN Rating: 8 of 10Release Date: May 29, 2012Label: PiL/RedeyeLydon belches dangerous angst over lashing guitars and fat bass: First in 20 years, rudie” |
| Mojo via Wikipedia | 4/5 | 80 | 2012 | |
| The Guardian via Wikipediaby Alexis Petridis | 4/5 | 80 | 2012 | “Alexis Petridis: PiL's new album both recalls their glory days and contradicts them at the same time – but then that's John Lydon all over” |
| Drowned in Sound via Wikipedia | 8/10 | 80 | 2012 | “This is PiL comfortably manages to be what a comeback strives to be but seldom is; adventurous, celebratory and – above all – adding to an already…” |
| NME via Wikipedia | 7/10 | 70 | 2012 | “Reforming post-punk bands? It could be wrong, it could be right. Well, actually no, it’s shit. Magazine, Gang Of Four, they’re all at it these days – one time enemies…” |
| AllMusic via Wikipedia | 3.5/5 | 70 | 2012 | |
| Pitchfork via Wikipediaby Andrew Ryce | 6.3/10 | 63 | 2012 | “For a band that built its name on ripping up the rule book, what do Public Image Ltd. sound like 20 years since their last album, and over 30 since…” |
| Slant via Wikipediaby Manan Desai | 3/5 | 60 | 2012 | “If lyrically This Is PiL marks a step forward for Lydon, then musically the album seems caught in a mid-’90s production rut.” |
| The Independent via Wikipediaby Andy Gill | 2/5 | 40 | 2012 | “It's hard not to feel slightly disappointed by PiL's first new studio album in two decades.” |
| Paste via Wikipediaby Jason Ferguson | 4.0/10 | 40 | 2012 | “Paste Magazine is your source for the best music, movies, TV, comedy, videogames, books, comics, craft beer, politics and more. Discover your favorite albums and films.” |
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This is PiL in Public Image Ltd.'s catalog
How these critics usually treat Public Image Ltd.
- Pitchfork Harsher than usual4 points below the other critics here. Usually 8 points above on Public Image Ltd.'s other albums (5).
- AllMusic Kinder than usual4 points above the other critics here. Usually 7 points below on Public Image Ltd.'s other albums (9).
- Mojo About usual for them15 points above the other critics here. Usually 10 points above on Public Image Ltd.'s other albums (4).
More from Public Image Ltd.
← Earlier That What Is Not (1992)Later → What the World Needs Now… (2015)
More Pop from around 2012
Would you spin it again?
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How the Breakdown works
Every outlet’s score is converted to 0–100 (2/5 is 40, 5.9/10 is 59, a B+ is 88) and averaged. Grades follow the B-Side scale: A is 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69, F below 60. Approval is the share of critics who scored it 75 or higher; the Breakdown shows green at 75 and up, red below. Divisiveness asks a different question: not how many critics liked it, but how close their scores are to each other. Five critics who all give it 50 are Unanimous, even though none of them liked it. The labels run Unanimous, Broad agreement, Some debate, Divided, and Contentious. Replay rate comes from listeners, not critics: yes counts fully, a few tracks counts half, no counts zero. The gist quotes each outlet’s own summary of its review. Published is the date on the review itself, read from the outlet’s page, so you can see whether an album’s reputation came at release or years later. Scores marked est. come from reviews that publish no number. Scores marked via Wikipedia are archive ratings, mostly for older albums, taken from the “Professional ratings” box on the album’s Wikipedia page (published openly through Wikidata); each links to the original review when we can find it online, and to that Wikipedia entry when we can’t. When an outlet reviewed an album twice, years apart (often for a reissue), both scores count, each labeled with its year.
A-Side marks the critics’ top tier. An album earns it automatically, from its numbers alone: a Breakdown of 90 or higher, from at least 5 reviews, with at least 75% approval. Nobody hands it out and nobody can buy it; if new reviews pull an album below the line, it loses the badge.









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