Where it all began... (Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols - Sex Pistols)

Member Name: DeusXM

Product:	Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols - Sex Pistols
Date:	24/02/02 (127 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An essential purchase, sounds great and innovative, digitally remastered

Disadvantages: Some of the songs sound kinda similar, London Calling's better

Practically every modern British rock band owes a debt of gratitude to the Sex Pistols. Given the heritage of this band, it's kinda surprising, after all, the Pistols were a manufactured band, like Hear'Say or god knows who else, and they also suffered from one major drawback....they couldn't play.

Somehow, this band, the most influential band since the Beatles, managed to overcome that. The Pistols were accused of not being able to play. Listen to this album, their only 'proper' album, I think (although I can't claim that to be hard fact), and you'll hear what was basically the biggest revolution in music since rock n' roll finally blasted away the appalingness of drivel like 'How much is that doggy' and all the other songs your grandparents would find wholesome.

Picture the scene...ok, for me this is purely hypothetical because I was born in the same year Sid Vicious died, but hey, I'm making an effort. Anyway, picture the scene. In 1976, the music industry was...well, kinda like now, actually. Dismal, talentless vocal pop acts like Abba. Music that was safe and liked by your parents. Or you had stadium rock, where 40-year-old men afflicted with mullets played 3 chords to a stadium filled with scouts or Sunday school pupils.

Now imagine you switch on your radio one morning, and suddenly you hear some tuneless yob shouting out, with just a smidgen of irony, 'God save the queen!' The guitar's haywire, raw and dirty, and lacks technical accomplishment. And you know what? It sounds great. Unbelievably fantastic. This is exactly the sort of song that will piss off everybody, especially the record companies.

The Sex Pistols were by no means the first punk band in the UK, but they were the first who spat it firmly in the face of the Establishment, the sort of people who joined the Young Conservatives. Suddenly, someone young had made an album, which actually reflected the mood
of the time.

Ok, this isn't meant to be a biography of the Pistols, but I think this album needs to be reviewed in context. Make no mistake, for many people, this was very new. Now, every band seems to say what they want, but in 1976 this wasn't the case.

So then, the album. One of the best intros I've heard on an album (and I really go for that sort of thing), 'Holidays in the Sun'. Lovely marching sound effect, a solid beat, really makes you excited, and then climaxing with the guitar release. Stunning. Listen to it.

'Bodies', the second track, is a tad heavy and overdoes the swearing (I'm not a prude, but I think it's unoriginal), but then again, people rarely swore in music at the time. Again, lovely throaty guitar sound, really captures a sense of fury over the subject of abortion.

'No Feelings' is a pacy rock n' roll track with a great solo, makes you wanna laugh to if you listen to the lyrics.

'God Save The Queen' also has a great intro, in fact it was used on the Fast Show Live, and really sums up the attitude.

'Anarchy in the UK' is also wonderful, if a tad overrated. You can tell Johnny is really enjoying singing this, and it's got that bite to it which makes it a very listenable song.

Finally, the other highlight is 'EMI', where the lads stick two fingers up at their producers, a brave move (but I can't help thinking EMI planned it that way).

It's not the greatest punk album ever, but it is the definitive one. Buy it, even if just to say you heard the Sex Pistols.

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