NEM#220: Jah Wobble’s Bass Worship

Nakedly Examined Music Podcast

John Wardle (named Jah Wobble by Sid Vicious) started playing bass in John Lydon’s post Sex Pistols band Public Image Ltd. in 1978, left after two albums, and has since recorded 50+ solo and collaborative albums, largely led by the bass, but spanning many genres including some particularly famous work in the world-music area.

We discuss “Last Exit” from A Brief History of Now (2023), “21 Towards Lewisham Shopping Centre” from The Bus Routes of South London (2023), “Fly Away” from Jah Wobble & Invaders of the Heart from Ocean Blue Waves (2019), and “Blowout” (a 1985 single). End song: “Visions of You” by Jah Wobble’s Invaders of the Heart (feat Sinéad O’Connor) from Rising Above Bedlam (1991). Intro: “Public Image” by PiL from First Issue (1978).

Hear all of “Public Image” via the official video. Watch the new video for “Last Exit.” Another new video is for “I Am, I Am, I Am.” Watch the video for “Visions of You.” Watch a recent live version of the track.

Watch a video for a recent collaboration between Jah and one of my other NEM guests, Mark Stewart. Jah refers to playing with the drummer Jaki Liebezeit from Can; listen to this early release (1982) with Jaki and another Can member Holger Czukay. Listen to Jah in 2004 with his band Deep Space. Here he is with the Modern Jazz Ensemble. Watch a full live video performance on radio from 2016 with Invaders of the Heart. Here’s a recent work with one Jah’s recurrent collaborators, Bill Laswell. Here’s a video of Jah’s sons’ band that he’s featured on. Hear the brand new take on the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up.”

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