Keith Levene's death was announced on Saturday. He died the day before peacefully at home, aged sixty five. He started in The Clash, was instrumental in spotting Strummer while he was with the 101ers and getting him into The Clash, and has a co- writing credit on What's My Name but parted company with them early on. Recruited by John Lydon following the Sex Pistols break up, Keith's guitar playing with Public Image Ltd, from 1978 to the early 80s, is the real deal, an extraordinary style and technique that sounded unique, not- punk but not rock either, shards of clear, sharp metal fired through the amp outwards. The debut single, Public Image, with Lydon, Jah Wobble and Jim Walker would on it's own be enough, with the thrilling rumble of Wobble's bass, Lydon's 'hello, hello' and then Levene's two chord slashing guitar part, wire shredded and tangled, the six string version of Lydon's voice.
On 1979's Metal Box Levene's metallic guitar is a sharp, otherworldly presence, the definition of post- punk dread. Levene's Prophet synth is all over the album too, on Careering especially to the fore. No Birds has Levene's guitar part split in two, one as played, the other duplicated and fed through a harmoniser. On Radio 4, the startling semi- ambient piece that closes the album, Leven plays bass as imagining he was Wobble and layered up synth strings from a Yamaha synth. The spooked, paranoid, dub influenced post punk dance of Metal Box is in no way just Lydon's work, it is an album written, improvised and recorded by Lydon, Leven and Wobble plus the several drummers, all pushing and pulling to create a stunning piece of work.
In December 1979 PiL appeared in session for John Peel, recording versions of Careering, Poptones and Chant. Careering is a thrilling, a breathtaking, intense seven minute cacophony.
R.I.P Keith Levene.
The day before it was reported that Hawkwind's Nik Turner, the man who put the space jazz sax and flute into psychedelic space rock, had died aged eighty four. This song, from 1971's In Search Of Space, is nearly sixteen minutes long and is as good a send off as anyone could wish for, the sax twisting, turning, warbling and freaking out into all eternity.
