Wobble’s departure from PIL. Reception Record Mirror critic Mike Nicholls praised The Flowers of Romance as a work of "worthwhile experimentalism from the forefront of the anti-rockist avant-garde". Steve Taylor of Smash Hits commented that the album implores listeners "to abandon all expectations of hearing something that even resembles the last PiL record", concluding: "Enjoyable is hardly the right word. More like provocative." NME named it the 15th best album of 1981. Reviewing the album in 2003, Chris Smith of Stylus Magazine described The Flowers of Romance as "a dark, spartan affair, one that is decidedly not for all tastes [...] But, twenty-two years later, there's nothing quite like it. It may not offer the kinetic glamour of Remain in Light or the gleeful spazziness of the Contortions, but I believe this to be one of the most interesting records produced in the fallout of punk." Aaron Hemphill of Liars fame wrote an article for The Guardian on the album, calling it "a forgotten classic" and an inspiration behind Liars' change of sound. Kurt Cobain cited the album as one of his favourites, including it at number 42 on a handwritten list of his 50 favorite albums of all time. In an interview with Spin in 1993, he comments that the music on it is "totally uncompromising... but it works somehow". Track listing Personnel Public Image Ltd John Lydon – vocals, violin, saxophone, percussion Keith Levene – guitar, bass, piano, cello, synthesiser, percussion, drums on "Under the House" and "Go Back" Martin Atkins – drums on "Four Enclosed Walls", "Under the House", "Banging the Door" and (uncredited) on "Flowers of Romance", synthesizer on "Banging the Door" Jah Wobble – bass on reissue bonus tracks "Home is Where the Heart is" and "Another" Technical Nick Launay – engineering Charts References External links 1981 albums Public Image Ltd albums Virgin Records albums Warner Records albums Albums produced by Nick Launay