Sex Pistols: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox_band | |
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band_name = Sex Pistols| |
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image = [[Image:Sex_Pistols.jpg|220px]]| |
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caption = The Sex Pistols in 1977. Left to right: Sid Vicious, Johnny Rotten, and Steve Jones, with drummer Paul Cook in the background. The photo was taken during the video shoot for ''[[God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols)|God Save the Queen]]''.| |
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origin = [[London]], [[England]]| |
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status = Inactive| |
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years_active = [[1972]]–[[1978]], [[1996]], [[2002]], [[2003]]| |
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music_genre = [[Punk Rock]]| |
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record_label = [[Virgin Records|Virgin]], [[Warner Bros.]]| |
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current_members = | |
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past_members = [[Johnny Rotten]]<br />[[Steve Jones (rock musician)|Steve Jones]]<br />[[Glen Matlock]]<br />[[Paul Cook]]<br />[[Sid Vicious]]<br />[[Wally Nightingale]]<br />[[Del Noone]] | |
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}} |
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'''Sex Pistols''' were, despite their short existence, one of the most influential [[England|English]] [[punk rock|punk]] [[band (music)|bands]]. While [[The Clash]] were perhaps more articulate and politically motivated, and [[Buzzcocks]] had more astute [[pop music|pop]] sensibilities, the Pistols achieved more recognition through their iconic punk rock passion and flamboyancy, and no other band of the era made such a lasting impression on British [[popular culture]]. In November 2005, it was announced that they would be inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]. |
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== Origins and early days == |
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Originally called '''The Strand''' (in reference to a song by [[Roxy Music]]), the band was formed during 1972 by [[Paul Cook]] (drums), [[Steve Jones (rock_musician)|Steve Jones]] (vocals) and [[Wally Nightingale]] (guitar). During 1973 the band members began to frequent a [[1950s]]-themed clothes shop which sold [[Teddy Boy (youth culture)|Teddy Boy]] clothes called 'Let It Rock' in the Kings Road, [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]] area of [[London]]. Here they met the shop's manager, [[Malcolm McLaren]]. Jones, being aware that McLaren had some connections within the music business, asked if he would be interested in becoming the group's manager, although at the time McLaren declined. [[Del Noone]], who they met at the shop, was recruited to play bass. By 1974, the group called themselves '''The Swankers''' and played their first gig at a birthday party of a friend of Cook's at Tom Salter's Café in London. They also began rehearsing in a studio called the 'Crunchy Frog', near London's docklands. Noone left the band shortly afterwards because he was becoming unreliable and not turning up at rehearsals. |
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The remaining members recruited bass player [[Glen Matlock]]. By early 1975, Jones and Nightingale had begun arguing about what direction the band should take. Nightingale then left the group. Jones replaced him on guitar. [[John Lydon|Johnny Rotten]], who was another of the clientele of the by now renamed and restyled 'SEX' boutique, showed up at the shop in August 1975 wearing a homemade 'I Hate [[Pink Floyd]]' t-shirt. He was asked to audition by singing along to [[Alice Cooper]]'s ''Eighteen''. He passed. McLaren became the new group's manager and was asked to think of a name for the group. Among the list were; 'Le Bomb', 'Subterraneans', 'The Damned', 'Beyond', 'Teenage Novel' and 'QT Jones and his Sex Pistols'.[[Image:Pistolsflyer.jpg|270px|thumb|right|Promotional flyer for an early Sex Pistols gig]] The QT bit was taken from the postcode both Mclaren and Jones lived in. The 'QT Jones' part was dropped, and 'the Sex Pistols' were born. The name, no doubt, brings to mind the [[Penis|male sex organ]], but McLaren has stated that he wanted the band to be "sexy assassins" (in later years band members frequently accused McLaren both of cheating them financially, and of claiming credit for things that were not his idea as well as falsifying the bands' history). Under McLaren's guidance, the band was initially influenced in part by the simple, [[Chord (music)|chord]]-based style of [[The New York Dolls]] and [[The Ramones]]. McLaren had given guitarist Jones the [[Gibson Les Paul|Les Paul]] guitar used by NY Doll [[Sylvain Sylvain]], and the torn-shirt, spiked-hair look of [[Richard Hell]], then bass player for [[Television (band)|Television]]. All of these figures were pioneers of the [[New York City]] [[Punk rock|punk]], and later [[new wave music]], scene. Rotten and his circle of friends (coincidentally all also called John) walked into the arrangement already possessed of a similar style -- a grunged-out version of the 'soul boy' fashion affected by fans of [[Roxy Music]]. McLaren also claimed that he wanted the Sex Pistols to be "the new [[Bay City Rollers]]". |
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The band played their first gig under their new name at St. Martin's School of Art in London on [[November 6]] [[1975]]. It was arranged by Matlock as he had been made by default this college's social event organiser as he was studying there at the time. The other band playing was called Bazooka Joe, which had Stuart Goddard on bass who would later become [[Adam Ant]]. This gig would be followed by other performances at colleges/art schools for the remainder of 1975 until early 1976, when they started playing at clubs (like the 100 Club) and pubs (like The Nashville). On [[September 3]] [[1976]], they played their first concert outside of Britain, when they played at the opening of the Club De Chalet Du Lac in [[Paris]]. After that they went on their first major tour of Britain which lasted from mid-September to early October (this included a performance at the [[Chelmsford]] Prison), which got them noticed by EMI. |
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== EMI and the Grundy Incident == |
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[[Image:Filthand fury.jpg|190px|thumb|right|The cover of ''[[The Daily Mirror]]'' the day after the Grundy appearance.]] |
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Following a showcase gig as part of [[London]]'s first [[100 Club Punk Festival|punk festival]] at the [[100 Club]] in [[Oxford Street]], the band was signed (for a large advance) to the major label [[EMI]]. The Sex Pistols' first single, ''[[Anarchy in the U.K.|Anarchy in the UK]]'', released on [[November 26]] [[1976]], served as a statement of intent -- full of wit, anger and visceral energy. Despite a common misconception that punk bands 'couldn't play', the evidence of live recordings of the time reveal the Pistols to be a tight, competent and ferocious live band. |
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However, on [[December 1]] [[1976]], the group and their close circle of followers, the [[Bromley Contingent]], created a storm of publicity in the UK when, goaded by interviewer [[Bill Grundy]], [[Johnny Rotten]] said "shit" and guitarist [[Steve Jones (rock musician)|Steve Jones]] calling Grundy a "dirty fuckin' bastard" on [[Thames Television]]'s early evening television programme ''Today'', after he made a rather inept attempt at 'chatting up' [[Siouxsie Sioux]]. Although the programme was only seen in the [[London]] [[ITV]] region (and although Matlock had, unnoticed, been the first to utter the word 'fuck'), the ensuing furore occupied the [[tabloid]] newspapers for days afterwards(The ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' famously ran the headline "The Filth and the Fury" and the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' ran the headline "Punk? Call it Filthy Lucre"). Grundy was suspended for two weeks and the ''Today'' programme was cancelled two months later. |
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The shambolic 'Anarchy Tour' of the UK followed, with the majority of the concerts dogged by a hostile press and cancelled by local authorities, and many of the rest ending in states of semi-riot. |
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== Sid Vicious joins the band == |
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After the end of the 'Anarchy Tour' in December 1976, EMI decided it was too dangerous for the Sex Pistols to be in the UK, so they got the band some gigs at the Paradiso in Amsterdam in early January 1977. After getting some bad publicity at [[Heathrow Airport]] on their return, EMI finally had enough and dumped the band on [[January 27]] [[1977]]. The Paradiso gigs would be the last with [[Glen Matlock]] on bass. In February Matlock parted company with the band. According to legend he was sacked because he "liked [[The Beatles]]" - although in a 2002 television interview Steve Jones claimed the real reason was that he was "always washing his feet". Matlock himself now claims to have quit voluntarily (which was probably due largely to personality clashes with Rotten). He was quickly replaced by Rotten's friend and "ultimate Sex Pistols fan" [[Sid Vicious]] (real name [[John Simon Ritchie]]) of [[The Flowers of Romance (band)|The Flowers of Romance]], famously endorsed as a member by McLaren for his looks and "punk attitude" despite his very limited musical abilities. According to [[Jon Savage]]'s biography of the Sex Pistols, ''England's Dreaming'', at live performances his amplifier was often turned down or off, and most of the bass parts on the band's later recordings were actually played by guitarist Steve Jones or Matlock, who (according to Lydon's autobiography ''Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs'') had been drafted in as a [[session musician]]. Sid played his first concert with the Pistols at the Screen On The Green in London on [[April 3]] [[1977]]. |
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== God Save the Queen == |
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The band signed to [[A&M Records]] on [[March 10]] [[1977]], in a ceremony outside of Buckingham Palace. They later went back to the A&M offices for a party, at which the Sex Pistols' unruly behaviour included Sid Vicious trashing the Managing Director's office and vomiting on his desk. As a result, A&M dumped the Pistols on March 16. On May 12, the Pistols signed their third and final record deal with [[Virgin Records]], with the promise of total artistic control. |
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[[Image:GSTQ cover.jpg|thumb|The cover of the ''God Save the Queen'' single designed by [[Jamie Reid]].]] |
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The group's second single, released by Virgin on [[May 27]] [[1977]] was ''[[God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols song)|God Save the Queen]]'', a stinging attack on the British Royal Family, and by extension the institutions of Britain, delivered in Rotten's trademark sneer. Coming at a time when deference to royalty was still a predominant trait in both the establishment and the country as a whole the record was quickly banned from airplay by the staid [[BBC]], whose [[BBC Radio 1|Radio 1]] dominated music broadcasting at the time. |
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Nevertheless, in the week of [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]]'s [[Silver Jubilee]], the record officially reached number two in some UK charts (although the number-two spot was, tellingly, left blank in several listings, and many believe, with evidence, that the record actually reached number one, and that the charts were rigged to prevent such a spectacle). Meanwhile, the Sex Pistols decided to celebrate the Jubilee, along with the success of their record, by chartering a boat, upon which they sailed down the [[Thames]], past [[Westminster]] and the [[Palace of Westminster|Houses of Parliament]], performing their live set. As usual, the event ended in chaos; the boat was raided by the police, despite being licensed for live music, and McLaren, the Pistols and most of their entourage were arrested and taken into custody. It was arguably all good fun and a great [[publicity stunt]], but matters took a distinctly uglier turn when young punk followers of the Sex Pistols became victims of physical attacks in the street by 'pro-royalists', and Rotten himself was assaulted by a [[razor]] wielding gang of '[[Teddy Boy (youth culture)|Teddy Boy]]s' outside the Pegasus pub (which was a music venue at the time) close to [[Newington Green]], [[London Borough of Islington|Islington]], who, it seems, didn't see the humour of the Pistols' antics. This delayed the tour of [[Scandinavia]] by a couple of weeks, which would have started at the end of June, but because of the attacks, it started in mid-July. This was followed by a secret tour of the UK at the end of August (known as '''SPOTS''', '''S'''ex '''P'''istols '''O'''n '''T'''our '''S'''ecretly), when the band played under [[pseudonyms]] to avoid cancellation. |
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== Never Mind the Bollocks == |
== Never Mind the Bollocks == |
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{{main|Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols}} |
{{main|Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols}} |
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[[Image:Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols original UK album cover.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Original UK album cover: ''Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols'']] |
[[Image:Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols original UK album cover.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Original UK album cover: ''Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols'']] |
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The promise of the band's early singles was eventually fulfilled by the group's first album ''[[Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols]]'', released on [[October 28]] [[1977]]. The album included singles ''[[Pretty Vacant]]'' (released on [[July 2]] [[1977]]), an ode to apathy, and ''[[Holidays in the Sun]]'' (released on [[October 15]] [[1977]]) - [[Bruce Foxton]], bass player for [[The Jam]] and [[Stiff Little Fingers]] later alleged in a 1990s book that the riff had been stolen from the Jam's ''In the City'' single. Again the Sex Pistols faced controversy when a record shop in [[Nottingham]] was threatened with prosecution for displaying the album's 'obscene' cover, although the case was overturned when defending [[Queen's Counsel|QC]] [[John Mortimer]] produced expert witnesses, including Professor James Kinsley, a professor of [[linguistics]] at the [[University of Nottingham]], who were able to demonstrate that the word "[[bollocks]]" was a legitimate [[old English]] term originally used to refer to a [[priest]], and that although the word is also slang for the [[testicles]], in this context it meant '[[nonsense]]'. |
The promise of the band's early singles was eventually fulfilled by the group's first album ''[[Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols]]'', released on [[October 28]] [[1977]]. The album included singles ''[[Pretty Vacant]]'' (released on [[July 2]] [[1977]]), an ode to apathy, and ''[[Holidays in the Sun]]'' (released on [[October 15]] [[1977]]) - [[Bruce Foxton]], bass player for [[The Jam]] and [[Stiff Little Fingers]] later alleged in a 1990s book that the riff had been stolen from the Jam's ''In the City'' single. Again the Sex Pistols faced controversy when a record shop in [[Nottingham]] was threatened with prosecution for displaying the album's 'obscene' cover, although the case was overturned when defending [[Queen's Counsel|QC]] [[John Mortimer]] produced expert witnesses, including Professor James Kinsley, a professor of [[linguistics]] at the [[University of Nottingham]], who were able to demonstrate that the word "[[bollocks]]" was a legitimate [[old English]] term originally used to refer to a [[priest]], and that although the word is also slang for the [[testicles]], in this context it meant '[[nonsense]]'. |
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== Last UK gig == |
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The Sex Pistols' final UK performance was at Ivanhoe's in [[Huddersfield]] on Christmas Day 1977, a benefit for the families of striking firemen. Despite the band's state of disintegration by this time, the gig was considered by some as a vindication of their anti-establishment stance when they were, for once, united with what might be viewed as their true constituency, the dispossessed British working class. They played two shows, a matinee and an evening show. Tickets for the latter were furtively sold for a secret venue, announced shortly before the gig as a tactic to avoid the attentions of local councillors and the like, who had cancelled many of the Pistols' other shows. Those waiting outside for the second show were given turkey sandwiches from the remains of the meal laid on for the strikers' families. The atmosphere in the evening show was counter to the negative publicity that had been generated towards the band by the tabloid press; before the show, Johnny Rotten mingled with the crowd wearing his pith helmet, and the good humour of the matinee (which was a benefit played for free) lingered on. Years later the promoter of the evening show confessed that the Pistols never cashed his cheque. |
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== The end of the band == |
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Early in 1978 an American tour was booked by McLaren. Originally they were scheduled to begin the tour in December 1977, beginning with a performance on [[Saturday Night Live]], but due to the members' minor scrapes with the law, they were unable to receive passports in time. ([[Elvis Costello]] and [[the Attractions]] went on instead). The two-week American jaunt was an exhausting, badly-planned, dispiriting experience for all concerned (Vicious was beaten by the bodyguards hired to protect him, Rotten had a fierce head cold, and the band's performances were plagued by bad sound and physically hostile audiences, mainly at unlikely venues in the South), and on the final date at [[Winterland]] in [[San Francisco]] on [[January 14]], the disillusioned Rotten quit, famously asking "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" from the stage before walking off.[[Image:Greatrock500uk.jpg|thumb|250 px|right|The promotional poster of ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'']] On [[January 17]] [[1978]], Rotten announced the break-up of the Sex Pistols. He later claimed to have been bluffing, but McLaren, Cook and Jones left for a working vacation in Brazil, and Vicious left for New York, leaving Rotten stranded without airfare in America. [[Warner Brothers]] paid his passage back to London, courting him as a solo artist. |
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McLaren had been attempting to make a film featuring the Sex Pistols and in 1977 had hired director [[Russ Meyer]] to make such a film. The film, titled ''[[Who Killed Bambi?]]'' was scripted by McLaren and [[Roger Ebert]] but only a day and a half's worth of shooting was ever achieved.[http://www.lilithgallery.com/articles/2005/russmeyer_biography.html] The next attempt was in the summer of 1978, Cook and Jones helped McLaren make ''[[The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle]]'' which was directed by [[Julien Temple]]. The movie was McLaren's fictionalized account on the band's history, claiming he controlled and manipulated the band from start to finish. The soundtrack had Jones, occasionally Cook or Vicious, and sometimes [[Edward Tudor-Pole]], trading on their vocals and engaging in McLaren-concocted gimmicks -- such as recording two songs on the album with notorious British criminal [[Ronnie Biggs]]. |
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== Post Sex Pistols == |
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After leaving the Pistols, Johnny Rotten reverted to his given name of John Lydon, and formed [[Public Image Ltd]] with his old friend [[Jah Wobble]] (born John Wardle), a previous contender to replace Matlock. This group was signed by Virgin and Warner Brothers (in the UK and US respectively). Vicious meanwhile relocated to New York and continued to gig as a solo performer, recording an album that many consider substandard. He was shortly afterwards arrested on [[October 12]], [[1978]] for the murder of his girlfriend, [[Nancy Spungen]], in [[New York City]] and died of a [[heroin]] overdose on [[February 2]], [[1979]], before his trial. |
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A fictionalized account of Vicious's relationship with Spungen was later recounted in the 1986 film ''[[Sid and Nancy]]'' (dir. [[Alex Cox]]). Lydon has publicly dismissed this film, stating that it has little to do with the reality of what actually happened. |
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Cook and Jones continued to work as something of an 'instant band,' doing many dates as session musicians, and later forming [[The Professionals (band)|The Professionals]], whose records are in a strong continuum with the duo's post-Rotten 'Pistols recordings. Glen Matlock was involved in various projects, the most noteworthy being [[The Rich Kids]], which featured [[Midge Ure]], later of [[Ultravox]], on vocals. Malcolm McLaren went on to manage [[Adam and the Ants]] and [[Bow Wow Wow]], and later scored a number of hits as a solo artist. Paul Cook is currently playing in the band [[Man-Raze]]. |
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In 1987 Lydon took McLaren to court in order to gain control of the Sex Pistols copyright and to sue him for "all the criminal activities that took place"[http://www.johnlydon.com/TIMES_UK99.HTM]. After a long drawn out case Lydon won and set up Sex Pistols Residuals (a company [[Doing business as|t/a]] for Rotten, Jones, Cook, Matlock, and the estate of Sid Vicious) which gained complete ownership of all the band's master recordings; all the copyrights to the music publishing of the songs; and ownership of all film footage and the name Sex Pistols. This made the documentary ''[[The Filth and the Fury]]'' possible and the film was released in 2000. The film, directed by Julien Temple, was an attempt by the band to tell the story of the Sex Pistols from their point of view. |
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The surviving members of the Sex Pistols reunited for the six month 'Filthy Lucre World Tour' in 1996 including a headlining slot at that years [[Phoenix Festival]], two gigs (one in the [[UK]] and one in the [[United States|US]]) in 2002, and the three week 'Piss Off Tour' in [[North America]] in 2003. They are also planning to do a concert in Iraq [http://www.nme.com/news/105582.htm] and a Japanese tour in the near future. |
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== Influences and legacy == |
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The Sex Pistols remain influential, however, both for their musical style and in terms of their influence on the British cultural landscape. Whereas previous challenges to the class system, and to the post-war British ethos of uncomplaining sacrifice, had come mainly from within, such as from the [[English public school|public school]] and [[Oxbridge]] dominated satire boom of the late 1960s and early '70s (including the [[Monty Python]] troupe), or from the social-realist novels and theatre of the 1950s and early '60s, the Pistols communicated directly with a much wider, more vernacular audience and, to some extent, the resulting shock waves can still be felt. |
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It can be argued that the Sex Pistols were the most influential British band of the post-Beatles era. In pure form, their chord progressions and pounding, primal bass lines can still be heard in the music of bands such as [[Rancid]], [[The Libertines]], [[Black Rebel Motorcycle Club]] and other revivalists. They also had a major influence on [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]], with [[Liam Gallagher]] claiming Never Mind The Bollocks was his favourite album of all time and stating that he tries to sing like a cross between John Lydon and [[John Lennon]]. |
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Conversely, it can also be argued that the Sex Pistols were a manufactured pop act in the vein of [[The Sweet (band)|The Sweet]], [[Mud (band)|Mud]], and other early-'70s '[[hard rock]]' singles acts, in as much as their look and sound were in partly Malcolm McLaren's innovations. Opinions, however, differ widely on McLaren's actual responsibility for the band's artistic and cultural relevance, with the evidence suggesting that McLaren was never fully in control of events, and played almost no role in creating the band's actual music and lyrics. |
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The aim of shocking the establishment has always been a traditional goal for all groups who feel that a given music or art style is in serious need of renovation. The Sex Pistols emerged at a time when the economic boom had finished, youth unemployment was rising, and pop music was indisputably sugary. Their aggressive lyrics and standpoints were taken literally by the conservative press, but really, as later in rap, they can be seen as a form of theatre of rage. In contrast with rap, making money was not glorified at this time. |
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== Members == |
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'''Main Members''' |
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*[[John Lydon|Johnny Rotten]] – vocals (1975-1978, 1996, 2002, 2003) |
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*[[Steve Jones (rock musician)|Steve Jones]] – guitar (1975-1978, 1996, 2002, 2003), vocals (1972-1975) |
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*[[Glen Matlock]] – bass (1974-1977, 1996, 2002, 2003) |
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*[[Paul Cook]] – drums (1972-1978, 1996, 2002, 2003) |
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'''Other Members''' |
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*[[Sid Vicious]] – bass (1977-1978) |
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*[[Wally Nightingale]] – guitar (1972-1975) |
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*[[Del Noone]] – bass (1973-1974) |
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People who have sung on [[The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle]] include; |
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* [[Ronnie Biggs]], sung on "No One Is Innocent" and "Belsen Was A Gas", 1978 |
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* [[Malcolm McLaren]], [[manager]], sung on "You Need Hands", 1979 |
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* [[Edward Tudor-Pole]], sung on "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle", "Rock Around The Clock", and "Who Killed Bambi?", 1979 |
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== Discography == |
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=== Albums === |
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*''[[Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols]]'' ([[October 28]] [[1977]]) # 1 UK, # 106 US |
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*''[[The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle]]'' ([[February 26]] [[1979]]) # 7 UK |
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*''Some Product: Carri on Sex Pistols'' (interviews and radio spots) ([[July 27]] [[1979]]) # 6 UK |
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*''[[Flogging a Dead Horse]]'' (compilation) ([[February 16]] [[1980]]) # 23 UK |
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*''Kiss This: The Best Of'' ([[October 10]] [[1992]]) # 10 UK |
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*''Filthy Lucre Live'' ([[June 24]] [[1996]]) # 26 UK |
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*''Jubilee: The Best Of'' ([[May 27]] [[2002]]) # 29 UK |
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*''Sex Pistols Box Set'' ([[June 2]] [[2002]]) |
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*''Raw and Live'' ([[February 16]] [[2004]]) |
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===Sid Vicious Solo album=== |
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* December 1979 - ''[[Sid Sings]]'', #30 UK |
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=== Hit singles === |
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* from "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols" |
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** November 26, 1976 - "[[Anarchy in the UK]]" # 38 UK |
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** May 27, 1977 - "[[God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols song)|God Save the Queen]]" # 2 UK |
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** July 2, 1977 - "[[Pretty Vacant]]" # 6 UK, # 93 US |
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** October 15, 1977 - "[[Holidays in the Sun]]" # 8 UK |
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* from "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" |
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** June 30, 1978 - "[[No One Is Innocent]]" # 6 UK |
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** February 9, 1979 - "[[Something Else (song)|Something Else]]" # 3 UK |
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** March 30, 1979 - "Silly Thing" # 6 UK |
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** June 22, 1979 - "C'mon Everybody" # 3 UK |
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** October 18, 1979 - "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" # 21 UK |
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** June 4, 1980 - "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" # 21 UK |
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* from "Kiss This: The Best Of" |
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** October 1992 - "[[Anarchy in the UK]]" (re-issue) # 33 UK |
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* from "Filthy Lucre Live" |
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** June 1996 - "[[Pretty Vacant]]" (live) # 18 UK |
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* from "Jubilee: The Best Of" |
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** May 27, 2002 - "[[God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols song)|God Save the Queen]]" (re-issue) # 15 UK |
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== References and further reading == |
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* ''The Boy Looked at Johnny'' - [[Julie Burchill]] & [[Tony Parsons (British journalist)|Tony Parsons]] |
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* ''The Sex Pistols'' - Fred & Julie Vermorel |
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* ''Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs'' - John Lydon |
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* ''England's Dreaming: The Sex Pistols and Punk Rock'' - [[Jon Savage]] |
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* ''I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol'' - Glen Matlock |
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* ''Please Kill Me'' - Legs McNeal |
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* ''God Save the Sex Pistols: A Collector's Guide to the Priests Of Punk'' - Gavin Walsh |
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* ''Destroy: Sex Pistols 1977'' - Dennis Morris |
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* ''I Swear I Was There . . .: Sex Pistols and the Shape of Rock'' - [[David Nolan (author)|David Nolan]] |
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* ''Vicious: Too Fast to Live'' - Alan Parker |
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== Films == |
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* ''Sex Pistols Number One'' ([[Julien Temple]], 1976) (a short of footage shot at early gigs) |
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* ''[[Jubilee (film)|Jubilee]]'' ([[Derek Jarman]], 1978) |
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* ''[[The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle]]'' (Julien Temple, 1979) (McLaren's version of the Pistols story) |
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* ''[[The Punk Rock Movie]]'' ([[Don Letts]], 1979) (contemporary independent documentary footage) |
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* ''DOA'' (Lech Kowalski, 1981) (includes footage shot during the Pistols' 1978 US tour) |
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* ''[[Sid and Nancy]]'' (dir. [[Alex Cox]], 1986). |
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*''Sid's Gang'' (dir. Andrew Mcleigh, 1999). |
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* ''[[The Filth and the Fury]]'' (Julien Temple, 2000) (The Pistols' version of events) |
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* ''[[24 Hour Party People]]'' ([[Michael Winterbottom]], 2002) |
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== See also == |
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*[[Jamie Reid]] |
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== External links == |
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* [http://www.anorakyintheuk.co.uk Excellent Sex Pistols collectors site] |
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* [http://www.sex-pistols.net God Save The Sex Pistols] |
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* [http://www.no-future.org/ "No Future" Japanese Official Site] |
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* [http://ent2.excite.co.jp/entertainment/special/destroy/index.html Dennis Morris' "Destroy" Photo Exhibition @ Japan] |
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* [http://www.thefilthandthefury.co.uk/home.htm The Filth And The Fury] |
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* [http://www.finelinefeatures.com/filthandfury/ Fine Line Features : The Filth And The Fury] |
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* [http://www.lyricsdir.com/sex-pistols-lyrics.html Sex Pistols Lyrics] |
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[[Category:English musical groups]] |
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[[Category:Music from London]] |
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[[Category:Early punk groups]] |
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[[Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees|Sex Pistols, The]] |
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[[Category:Musical activists|Sex Pistols]] |
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[[Category:Sex Pistols]] |
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[[Category:Transgressive artists|The Sex Pistols]] |
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{{featured article}} |
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Revision as of 18:17, 13 February 2006
Never Mind the Bollocks
The promise of the band's early singles was eventually fulfilled by the group's first album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, released on October 28 1977. The album included singles Pretty Vacant (released on July 2 1977), an ode to apathy, and Holidays in the Sun (released on October 15 1977) - Bruce Foxton, bass player for The Jam and Stiff Little Fingers later alleged in a 1990s book that the riff had been stolen from the Jam's In the City single. Again the Sex Pistols faced controversy when a record shop in Nottingham was threatened with prosecution for displaying the album's 'obscene' cover, although the case was overturned when defending QC John Mortimer produced expert witnesses, including Professor James Kinsley, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nottingham, who were able to demonstrate that the word "bollocks" was a legitimate old English term originally used to refer to a priest, and that although the word is also slang for the testicles, in this context it meant 'nonsense'.