Public Image Ltd was a piece of abstract art, whereas Sex Pistols, singer John Lydon’s previous band, was a nasty caricature drawn on a bathroom wall. Few bands have had more of an influence on the post-punk movement than Public Image Ltd, and calling them one of the most important alternative bands of all time simply is hard to argue against.

But while I am busy dishing out praise, are you really listening? Is this a group that an ordinary fan can genuinely enjoy, or is this music designed to soundtrack art galleries?

I think that it’s the former, and I’ll attempt to show you just why by showcasing PiL’s 10 best songs.

Greatest 10 Songs by Public Image Ltd.

10. “Theme”

“Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” He’d been Johnny Rotten, the punk-rock superstar. He’d voluntarily returned to being called John Lydon. But he had the same taste for conflict and going against the audience’s expectations.

And, it’s easy to underestimate just how much of a shock this was for listeners. By all accounts I’ve read and heard, they’d all expected Sex Pistols Part II. That’s what, probably, Richard Branson, head of Virgin Records, thought he had bankrolled.

Instead, they were treated to gloriously spooky, disjointed art-rock made by Lydon and his mates. Confusion, thankfully, has turned to respect over the years.

9. “Hawaii”

“A little love goes a long way,” Lydon told audiences as he tried one of his most shocking stunts in years. Public Image Ltd. attempted to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest.

But it wasn’t a joke at all. This was a love song Lydon had written for his ailing wife. Seeing the former Mr Rotten turn out to be a devoted family man was quite touching. As was the song, making it a lost opportunity for Ireland to earn some respect at the Eurovision.

8. “Poptones”

John Lydon had been flown to Jamaica by Virgin for a holiday and a chance at talent spotting, right before giving the singer a massive amount of funds to record PiL’s debut.

And while that album stunned many, the follow-up, “Metal Box”, was a downright assault on commercial rock. Thick, bizarre, artsy, and often disjointed, the band’s sophomore album sowed confusion with the general public and made some genuinely fall in love with the band.

Can you still hear the Jamaican dub? Can you still hear the man who sang “Pretty Vacant?” “Poptones” is no easy listen, but that’s the point. This is a song about a Japanese victim of abduction being able to locate her captors through recalling the pop song being played while in the car. It’s still a chilling listen.

7. “One Drop”

Staying power is not something that many people banked on John Lydon, let alone Public Image Ltd, to have. Yet, here they both are.

And, I suppose, that’s far more powerful than dying young and merely becoming the face on a T-shirt, as some of Lydon’s acquaintances have had the bad fortune to become.

6. “Seattle”

“Seattle” is one of PiL’s most pleasant-sounding tracks. With lyrics that flow like nursery rhymes and jangling guitars, it’s no wonder that this is a fan favourite. It translates more easily than some of the band’s most challenging work.

But, on closer inspection, this is, much like “God Save the Queen,” a song protesting authority. And, once Seattle did become the centre of the rock world in the 1990s, the words “What in the world? Get out of my world,” sang by Lydon started carrying a new kind of weight.

5. “Careering”

There’s a certain sound that PiL managed to achieve on “Metal Box,” and it’s doubtful it will ever be replicated. That sound is dominated by Jah Wobble’s reggae-influenced bass grooves and Keith Levene’s expressive, haunting guitar tones.

This is certainly not commercial music. And, the band wanted the audience to know this. “Careering” might be a song about Irish gunmen or evil record label people. Like most of the group’s early music, it all dissolves into a strange dream.

4. “Death Disco”

In fairness, and as it turned out, Lydon’s always had a great, big heart. Not that many would’ve noticed. His early reputation was of a person who, as the Pistols claimed, “hated music but loved chaos.”

“Death Disco” may just be one of the scariest pieces of guitar music ever recorded. Through it, Lydon channelled his feelings about his mother’s illness. And because of it, music critics, many of whom had not been sold on punk, began respecting PiL.

3. “Rise”

If anyone deserved it, that was John Lydon. With “Rise,” Public Image Ltd finally had a hit. It was an anthemic track as well, and one of hope.

The band’s eccentricities are still there. But “Rise” became a radio hit, in no small part, because the hook is so easy to sing along to. Besides, this includes one of Lydon’s most famous lines: “Anger is an energy!” It’s a motto that has served him well.

2. “(This Is Not A) Love Song”

Punk-rock was supposed to be the most extreme style of music on Earth. The people in the bands were dangerous anarchists. The music was designed for mass consumption.

Yet, by 1978, nearly every punk-rock group still active was busy figuring out what to wear on Top of the Pops.

“(This Is Not a) Love Song” is, ironically, one of Public Image’s catchiest songs, an anti-pop track that captures Lydon’s immense charisma.

1. “Public Image”

Interest in John Lydon’s post-Sex Pistols project was gigantic. Richard Branson had poached him away from would-be Svengali Malcolm McLaren. But Branson was unable to convince Lydon to either join DEVO or form a punk-rock supergroup.

Instead, “Public Image” was made by the few mates Lydon had left. Nick Kent, the rock critic, described these musicians as pariahs even in the gloomy world of punk-rock.

And that’s precisely why no other piece of music quite sounds like “Public Image.” Where punk-rock was musically conservative, PiL is exploratory. Where Sex Pistols were aware of their limitations, PiL play and sing with the confidence of virtuosos who don’t actually know how to tune their instruments.

It’s a glorious, beautiful mess. This song alone created numerous post-punk bands. Few of them were as brave as PiL, making this the band’s shining hour and one of the great songs in rock music history.