The Flowers of Romance

Recording began at The Manor in October 1980, where only Hymie's Him was finished, and moved to Townhouse for two weeks in late October and November. Drummer Martin Atkins joined the sessions and left on 31 October 1980 to play a gig in New York, so Levene and Lydon handled percussion on much of the rest. Levene played bass on only Track 8 and Banging the Door. Lydon added Stroh violin and saxophone. Producer Nick Launay recalled putting Atkins's Mickey Mouse pocket watch on a floor tom for Four Enclosed Walls and building Track 8 around a loop he caught on an AMS digital sampler.

The single Flowers of Romance reached number 24 in March 1981, and the album went to number 11 in the UK and 114 in the United States. NME named it the 15th best album of 1981. Aaron Hemphill of Liars wrote in the Guardian that Levene's bass playing is highly under-rated and that certain records become resources, like an encyclopedia in a library.