The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols

Recognizing that there's no such thing as bad publicity, manager-Svengali Malcolm McLaren molded the Pistols into the most confrontational, nihilistic band rock & roll had ever seen. Propelled by Johnny Rotten's maniacal vocals, Steve Jones's buzz-saw guitar, and (most importantly) bass player Glen Matlock's hook-filled compositional skills, the Pistols' early singles "Anarchy in the U.K." and "God Save the Queen" defined the raging style of British punk. By the time they recorded their lone 1977 album, Matlock had been bounced, replaced by the image-correct but utterly untalented (and ultimately group-dooming) Sid Vicious. Not a 10th as good as the singles, the album nontheless remains a bile-filled emblem of the times. --Billy Altman Amazon.com essential recording

Perhaps they were phonies, but we still listen to them

Only a few bands are as love/hate dividing as Sex Pistols. But more than 30 years later they are still discussed and listened to, so yeah, never mind the bollocks!

Yes, they came out of a mayor record label (today they are released by Virgin) and were intended to be commercial probably. But punk ain't that far removed from pop as some like to think. Ramones aimed at creating good, simple melodies without the phony pretensions that plagued music of the 70's, and Sex Pistols is just about the same.

There is hardly any politics in the album, which means it kinda stands the time easier. And today the tracks still packs an undeniable energy and a soul that is with no doubt purely British. This IS great rock. August 18, 2008

PUNK

This is my favorite punk album. This is the only album the pistols ever released, it was released back in 1977. That is over 31 years ago and is not just my opinion but in general considered the best punk album ever made. but they are certainly not the most talented punk band, but they recieved the most attention in the U.K August 15, 2008

God Save the "People who think The Dead Kennedy's are better"

I always get a kick when people are upset by the 1's a review gets, I also get a kick out of the people constantly spewingthe same non-sense from "Behind The Music" or what ever web article they read. Yes the Sex- Pistols were a manufactured group, However this is not entirely true, they weren't told to behave this way, they weren't given characters or roles to play. When McLaren saw this raw intent for self destruction he capitalized on it ,thats it. If you do any research on the guys you will find out he robbed them blind and wasn't until years later they got compensated. They acted wild and exhibited anti-social anarchist qualities because that who they were. And they could barely play there instruments, but that's what made them great, along with Glen Matlock's need to have a social relevance in his music. Bad Brains, Dead Kennedy's whatever what impact did they make outside of their local area, very little, so what a famous musican was a fan, thats all he was a fan, yet the world is so big and you strike out in the States. Its no excuse about limited air play, Dead Kennedy's and Bad Brains are the 2 fashion groups its cool like. Not very punk.

This is a great album from track to track. A classic its flawed which makes it perfect. August 11, 2008

The record that changed it all

I just listened to this record again after I went to a Sex Pistols concert on the 4th of July, 2008 in Slovakia, of all places. It is still a great record after more than 30 years, although hearing them in concert singing about the Berlin Wall ("Holidays in the Sun") and their spat with their former record label ("EMI") did sound a bit dated today.
I think a lot of reviewers have it right when they call this the "album that changed everything". But I don't think most of them go far enough, because they seem to limit it to punk. Without the Sex Pistols, we would not have had New Wave, which within a few years turned into the industry mainstream. The Police? Not there (so no Sting either!). U2? No way. Duran Duran? Nope. The B-52s? Don't kid yourself. Devo? Forget it. The musical reality that we now know as the 1980s could not have happened without the Sex Pistols. They really did change everything. This isn't just the "greatest punk album of all time", which it actually may or may not be. It's the album that set the stage on which the musical background of the entire Reagan era was played. (Let's ignore "Thriller" and Stevie Nicks for a moment -- great as their achievements may be...)
If you want to understand the evolution of pop and rock music into what we have today, at a minimum you have to understand Elvis, the Beatles and the Sex Pistols. Those are the guys that came along and changed everything. (Number 4 is arguably Grandmaster Flash, but let's ignore that as well for now...) Enough from me -- just get it. This is one of the basics.
July 10, 2008

Should've Known

I try to come off as some kind of music afficiando all the time, but truth be told I didn't even own this album until two days ago. An album that pretty much changed the landscape of music in the 70s, an album that is revered by all punks through out the world.

So when I was at Tower Records the other day, they had a huge display declaring What's missing from your collection and there it was this Sex Pistols album for only $7. I felt more than compelled to pick it up when also in that rack of what you should own was Stevie Nick's last album which of course I do own. So I picked up this classic album and of course already knew most of the songs.

It's amazing how something at one time so radical can sound not so radical thirty years ago. Of course the reason for that is, is because everyone who wanted to make punk rock started by listening to this album and adding or subtracting from the elements. None have come close to reproducing it because no one else can be the first radicals. Though "Anarchy In The UK" and "God Save The Queen" along with "Pretty Vacant" are forever branded in the mind, there are 9 other classics on this album and through pissiness, thick accents and a lot of drum rolls I am finally in the know... are you?
June 25, 2008

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