Indeed they were a forerunner to so many music trends. Not only were they one of the leading lights in the fast burn of that punk scene, they were also born of an era where on occasions technical musicianship was less important than stage presence, something that fitted the Sex Pistols well given the way the band members started out and how they were drawn together to become the group they were.
To try and make this a history lesson into the birth of the Sex Pistols, and their place in the history of punk music in the UK, would stretch this episode beyond what it has set out to be. The drawing together of the initial quartet of guitarist Steve Jones (who famously is quoted that he taught himself guitar while on methamphetamine to keep his concentration over several days without sleep), drummer Paul Cook, bass guitarist Glen Matlock and lead vocalist John Lydon (better known under his stage pseudonym of Johnny Rotten) through the influence of manager Malcolm McLaren is an interesting story, along with Matlock’s eventual leaving of the band prior to the recording of their debut album even though he had contributed to the writing of most of it, and the recruitment of John Ritchie as his replacement, who is better known as Sid Vicious. Several documentaries exist of course, and a recent dramatization of their career in the six-part series titled “Pistol” is a fun way to follow those early exploits.
The band had already signed and been sacked by two record companies before Richard Branson came along and signed them up to his Virgin label, and the Sex Pistols had matured from a band that played cover versions of songs to writing and playing their own material. The band had recorded the single “Anarchy in the UK” for EMI in late 1976, but due to several controversies they were dropped by the label in early 1977 and not long after Matlock left the band. This left “Anarchy in the UK” as the only song on which Matlock played on the album, though its inclusion on “Never Mind the Bollocks” was not in line with what the band wanted. They had wanted all new songs on the album, and the songs they had released as singles - “Anarchy in the UK”, along with “God save the Queen” and “Pretty Vacant” - to be left off. Virgin and McLaren were having none of that, which, in retrospect was the smart move, as they are arguably the best songs on the album, and certainly the best known.
At the time, the Sex Pistols were reviewed and marketed as being ‘out there’ on stage, with crazy antics and sometimes incomprehensible musicianship, certainly in the case of when Sid Vicious joined the band as he was reported as being almost completely useless on the bass guitar. And that leads to the two things that make this album so interesting even in the modern day. Because, when the band was recording this album, Malcolm McLaren was given the task of making up excuses to keep Vicious unaware that the recording was occurring, and also then keeping him away from the studio, as the three other members of the band recorded the album on their own. There are two songs where Vicious has played the bass, on the songs “Bodies” and “God save the Queen”. However, those pieces were also tracked by Steve Jones on bass, and eventually Vicious’s bass was turned down so far in the mix that it is basically not heard at all. For the remainder of the tracks, Jones recorded the bass guitar, to make the songs sound listenable.
And that’s one of the main points about this album that doesn’t usually get mentioned. The music is not all over the place, out of time or unlistenable. The lyrics are not shouted of screamed or unintelligible. In fact, Jones and Cook are actually pretty awesome together, with drums and bass forming a great rhythm section, and Jones’s guitar chugging along perfectly, setting a terrific platform for each song. It is exactly what the Sex Pistols brought to the table in regards to their legacy to music. It is stripped back, basic power chords, tight 3-4 minute songs with catchy choruses and lyrics that create topical songs in an era where the times needed a push back. Chris Thomas and Bill Price as producers have done a sterling job on this album and in getting a great sound out of the band that, 45 years later, still stands up again everything that has come since this was recorded.
This album has always been one that the industry has held up as the main source of the UK punk scene, but is rarely referenced in recent years. Given the way modern punk affiliated bands have gone about their work, many of the songs here are felt to be tame in comparison. The songs that created such controversy at the time, such as “Anarchy in the UK” and “God save the Queen” are referenced as being simplified musically, and with lyrics that aren’t fiery enough to create the mayhem needed in the modern day. And there is little doubt, and I can’t say this from first hand experience, that this recorded version of their songs are quite different from the way they played them live in the clubs of those days, in front of rabid fans who had taken them to their hearts. They haven’t been stonewashed of their impact, but the producers have made sure that everything comes at you at the same level. Is this a good thing in regards to putting the band’s imprint on vinyl to share with the world? Obviously, to get the full impact, a live recording of the band performing their material would have been the ideal way to follow up this album. Of course, that didn’t happen.
Like most people of my generation through the 1980’s, I knew the main songs from this album. I even played a couple of them in my first band, no doubt to please one or two members who thought we were being the rebellious types at the time. “Anarchy in the UK” has been covered so many times over the years by all manner of bands that it has probably lost its sheen and meaning of the day. But other songs still come across as they must have in the day, such as “Liar” and “Submission” and “Pretty Vacant”, and there is still lots of fun in listening to “Holidays in the Sun” and “Bodies” and “God save the Queen”. Like I said, I think the album itself still holds itself up amazingly well in the modern age. And perhaps that is because it was the one and only that the band produced, with first John Lydon moving on during their tour of the US, and Sid Vicious overdosing a year later. In many ways it is probably this album’s saving grace, as there is nothing to compare it with after this. The band always seemed to be on borrowed time before they imploded, and while a second album may well have been bigger than this in sales and content, the fact that it is a standalone volume still makes it a unique experience to listen to. I’ve had it on constant rotation over the last six weeks, as well as having watched the mini-series on their lives, and it still has the power of its convictions.
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