Editing Public Image: First Issue (section)

==Cancelled American release==
On 9 February 1979, Warner Bros. Recording Studios in [[North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California|North Hollywood]] manufactured a test pressing of the album for PiL's American label, [[Warner Bros. Records]].<ref>[http://www.popsike.com/PIL-Public-Image-78-Acetate-Unissued-US-LP-Sex-Pistols/350178036937.html] Ebay auction details on ''Popsike'' website</ref> The album's sound was considered too non-commercial for an American release, and PiL were asked to re-record parts of it.<ref>Mikal Gilmore: "John Lydon Improves His Public Image" (''[[Rolling Stone]]'', 1 May 1980)</ref> Although the band recorded new versions of some tracks between March and May 1979,<ref>Scott Murphy: "David Humphrey Interview" (''Fodderstompf.com'' website April 2004)</ref> the album was never released in the USA. However, in 1980 Warner Bros. released the song "Public Image" on the compilation album ''Troublemakers'', the only album track released in the USA until the 2013 release of the entire album.<ref>[http://www.discogs.com/Various-Troublemakers/release/456496] Various Artists: ''Troublemakers'' (Warner Bros. Records, US, released 10 July 1980 / release date according to United States Copyright Office website)</ref>

The re-recorded version of "Fodderstompf" was released under the title "Megga Mix" as the B-side of the "[[Death Disco]]" 12" single (29 June 1979). The track was later included on the PiL compilations ''[[Plastic Box]]'' (1999) and ''[[Metal Box]]: Super Deluxe Edition'' (2016); to date, it is the only track from the February 1979 ''First Issue'' re-recording sessions to be officially released.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

On 18 June 2013, the UK version of the album was finally officially released in the US via [[Light in the Attic Records]].<ref>[http://lightintheattic.net/releases/866-first-issue] First Issue</ref> In 2025, the band announced that the 1979 US mix would finally be publicly released for [[Record Store Day]] of that year, featuring alternate artwork.<ref name="Jones 2025">{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Damian |title=Public Image Ltd to release "long lost" alternative US mix of 'First Issue' for Record Store Day 2025 |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/public-image-ltd-to-release-long-lost-alternative-us-mix-of-first-issue-for-record-store-day-2025-3838259 |access-date=20 February 2025 |work=NME |publisher=NME Networks |date=14 February 2025 |ref=Jones 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250217190031/https://www.nme.com/news/music/public-image-ltd-to-release-long-lost-alternative-us-mix-of-first-issue-for-record-store-day-2025-3838259 |archive-date=17 February 2025}}</ref>