"Too many problems" (Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols - Sex Pistols)

Member Name: Wolfzilla

Product:	Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols - Sex Pistols
Date:	21/03/07 (204 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: When the songs are good, they are great

Disadvantages: When the songs are bad, they are woeful

1977 was a year in which many a great band would release an album,many of them debut records. Indeed, the year introduced the record world to The Clash,The Stranglers,The Damned, and in one of the most famous instances, The Sex Pistols.

Formed by manager Malcolm McLaren,basically as a promotional tool for his business partner Vivien Westwood's boutique named Sex,the band consisted of 'vocalist' John 'Johnny Rotten' Lydon,bassist Glen Matlock,guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook, and would become known as the Sex Pistols. Naturally the group wore all clothes from Sex, most famously Lydon's 'DESTROY' T-Shirt which featured a Swastika and upturned cross. The band were basically better at riding the wave created by controversy than they were at playing, but a few good songs, slating the British Monarchy and calling for Anarchy, and the band were nigh on superstars without ever releasing a record. Their first single,Anarchy In The UK, caused a storm, and they were dropped by original label EMI because workers refused to produce it.
After McLaren tried in vain with Clash manager Bernie Rhodes to secure a joint record deal on the back of the disasterous Anarchy Tour, which saw the bands famously banned from playing several venues due to the public outcry over the Pistols, and the infamous incident where TV host Bill Grundy goaded the band into being as offensive as possible on TV, the band had essentially secured legendary status without actually releasing a long player.

When Virgin eventually did pick them up, releasing a few singles, it wasn't long before more changes were on the way, as Matlock was ejected, the band claim for not being punk enough, he claiming because he wouldn't do what Malcolm told him. Matlock was the musically talented member of the band, and replacing him was always going to be a mean feat, but Lydon demanded his friend, and punk crowd stallwart John 'Sid Vicious' Ritchie become the bass player. Sid was famous in the punk circuit, and his installment brought the band back instant street cred that was being lost to bands such as The Clash and The Damned, but there was one problem. Sid couldn't play the bass. It's said that for the first few months, he tried ardently to learn, but his life was interrupted by a certain Nancy Spungen, whom became his girlfriend after Lydon shrugged her off. She took him from experimenting with drugs to being a full blown junkie, and he was more often than not far too out of it to attempt to play bass on the record, so Steve Jones played his parts as well as his own guitar.


The album roars to life with the single Holidays In The Sun, a song that starts with the sound of marching feet, and quickly kicks into Steve Jones guitar as Lydon wails "cheap holidays in other people's misery" as the song rants on about visiting Germany, with references to the Berlin wall and Nazi Death Camp Belsen, something the band would also go further in-depth with on the non album track Belsen Was A Gas. The song is basically a catchy riff with Lydon's snarl first being introduced, and while not really a classic on level of some of the other songs on here, it at least qualifies as being pretty good, and it will stay in your head for quite a while after it's over.

Sadly, the next song,Bodies, an abortion rant, just seems to be trying to be controversial for the sake of it. Lydon's voice, which is both the band's strongest factor, due to it's piercing nature, and it's weakness, due to it on some occasions just sounding like a drunken idiot, is at it's worst here as he tries his utmost to be as offensive as possible. This is a major detraction from the band in general. From the Destroy T-Shirts to constant Nazi undertones and more, the band really do just appear to be trying to be controversial for the sake of controversy. Fair play to them in that it worked, much like it has for people like Eminem and Marylin Manson, but it's still no real subsitute for good music.

Tracks 6 and 8 are where it's at really,God Save The Queen, truly the band's masterpiece, is here in all it's sneering glory. Lydon rips the British Monarchy, denouncing the Queen as "no human being" and declares that there is no future in England's dreaming. Indeed, when Matlock was still in the band, the song went by the title of 'No Future', and one can only assume the title was changed to grab more attention, which is quite sad because the song deserves attention for it's own merits. Infamously, this single was released to coincide with the Queen's silver Jubilee, and it's often speculated that it should have taken the number one slot in the charts, but the powers that be declared it unsuitable and whatever did make number 1 somehow sold a massive amount of units mysteriously, and the song had to make do with second place.
Anarchy In The UK takes up slot number 8, and it's another masterstroke in the band's CV. While this is a blatant attempt at courting controversy, it's so bloody good that it doesn't matter, from Lydon's opening roar of "I am an antichrist" to his finish of "DESTROY", the song is menacing,nasty and in almost every way perfect.

The next real hit is the single Pretty Vacant, which lyrically doesn't push the same buttons as the rest of the singles,but I love it solely on the basis of the guitar intro, which is truly one of the more inspired instrumental parts on any Pistols track. The end to the song, with Lydon announcing "we don't care" in his unimitable stlye is what sets it apart from a lot of the other songs.

The final good moment would be EMI Unlimited Edition, which as you may have guessed, is ripping into former record label EMI for chucking the band after one single. Lyrically it's good, because it's witty and quite well thought out, but doesn't try too hard for shock value.

No Feelings and Problems, are both decently crafted tunes musically, featuring some nice riffs, but lyrically the pair of them are garbage, and sound far too much like the 10,000 imitators of the band. While I realise this isn't their fault, it still effects my enjoyment of the track.

The rest of the songs,New York,Submission,Liar and Seventeen are just bland filler, with decent enough guitar from Jones, but lacking the edge of the other songs, or any real purpose, which hinders Lydon's lyrics. I suppose in hindsight, given the fate of Sid, New York should take on some significance, but the fact it's a crap song really hinders any attempt at this.

On the whole, Never Mind the Bollocks is a mediocre album. 4 great songs, 2 ok ones and 4 crap ones. This has got to be one of the most blatant instances of 'filler' tracks on a record, and I would assume these were ones written, or completed after the departure of the talented Matlock. The fact is, that by the end of the record, Lydon's vocals, which when they are good they are awesome, have become tired in your ears, and Jones guitar, so fresh and sharp on the best songs, sound overdone and blurry.

While I would recommend the album to anyone with an interest in the Punk Scene, this would be purely on the strength of the singles, and had I been around in 1977 and already owned the singles, I would have felt very short changed upon buying this hideously overrated record.

Not long after it's release, the band folded, this being their only studio album. They went on to fairly splintered fates, Sid dying not too long after, with Lydon forming PiL, and last beeing seen on reality TV show 'Im a Celebrity - Get Me Out of Here' displaying what an absolute joke he has actually become and Steve Jones last being heard of playing on an Ashley Hamilton song and promoting the Towers of London. I have no idea what the hell happened to Paul Cook.

John Lydon often claims a lot things were down to him, most of them are crap. While he can claim his band started the wave of punk, they ended up leading to the creation of bands a lot better than themselves, and they couldn't even put out one completely good record. While this is a worthy purchase, especially at the current price(I bought mine for four pounds, granted Im in the UK, and we get the proper album cover). But to be honest, there are much better punk albums out there, and this is probably only sold due to it's reputation.

Review also posted at Epinions.com

Summary: An immensely influential band,an incredibly disappointing album