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The '''Sex Pistols''' were an iconic and highly influential [[England|English]] [[punk rock]] [[Band (music)|band]], formed in [[London]] in 1975. The band originally comprised vocalist [[John Lydon|Johnny Rotten]], guitarist [[Steve Jones (musician)|Steve Jones]], drummer [[Paul Cook]] and bassist [[Glen Matlock]] (later replaced by [[Sid Vicious]]). Although their initial career lasted only three years and produced only four singles and one studio album, the Sex Pistols have been described by the [[BBC]] as "the definitive English punk rock band."<ref name="BBC1">{{cite web | author= Artist Profiles | year=| title="Artist Profiles: Sex Pistols"| work=BBC.co.uk| url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/profiles/sexpistols.shtml | accessdate= September 22 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> The Pistols are widely credited with initiating the punk movement in the [[United Kingdom]]<ref>{{cite web | author= | year=| title="The birth of punk" | work=Independent News and Media Limited (UK)| url=http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/features/article324977.ece | accessdate= September 22 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> and creating the first [[generation gap]] within rock and roll.<ref name="Robb2">{{cite web | author= Robb, John| year= 2005 | title="The Birth of Punk" | work=The Independent (UK)| url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20051105/ai_n15761493/pg_1 | accessdate= October 15 | accessyear=2006}}</ref>
⚫
The '''Sex [[Image:Filthand fury.jpg|thumb|150px|left|The cover of ''[[The Daily Mirror]]'' published the day after the Grundy appearance.]]

The Sex Pistols emerged as a response to what was perceived to be the increasingly safe and bloated [[progressive rock]]<ref name="thesexpistol">{{cite web | author= | year=2001| title="The Sex Pistols " | work=Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll | url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thesexpistols/biography | accessdate=September 11 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> and manufactured [[pop music]] of the mid-1970s. The band created various controversies during their brief career which captivated England,<ref>{{cite web | author= | year=| title="2006 inductees" | work=The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | url=http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=2408 | accessdate= October 11 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> but often eclipsed their music.<ref name="Robb">Robb, John, "Punk Rock: An Oral History", Elbury Press, 2006. ISBN 0-09-190511-7</ref> Their shows and tours repeatedly faced difficulties from authorities, and public appearances often ended in disaster and riot. Their 1977 single, "[[God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols song)|God Save the Queen]]", released to coincide with the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, was widely regarded as an attack on the [[British monarchy]] and British [[nationalism]].<ref name "nat">{{cite web | author= | year= 2001| title="Artists A-Z" | work=BBC Radio 1| url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/artists/s/sexpistols/# | accessdate= October 17 | accessyear=2006}}</ref>

Lydon / Rotten left the band in 1978 amid a turbulent tour of the [[United States]]; the remaining trio carried on for the remainder of the year but disbanded in early 1979. With Lydon, they reunited in 1996 for the "Filthy Lucre" tour and have staged subsequent reunion tours in 2002 and 2003. On [[24 February]] [[2006]], the Sex Pistols were officially inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]], but they refused to attend the induction, calling the museum a "Hall of Shame".<ref>{{cite web | author= | year= 2006| title="Sex Pistols snub US Hall of Fame" | work=BBC.co.uk| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4750262.stm | accessdate= October 3 | accessyear=2006}}</ref>

==History==
===Origins and early days===

The Sex Pistols evolved from The Strand, a band formed in 1972 with Jones on vocals, Cook on drums and [[Wally Nightingale]] on guitar. Early line-ups also included Jim Mackin (now a GP practising in Lincolnshire) on organ, as well as Stephen Hayes, and later Del Noones, on bass.<ref name="Anarchist">O'Shea, Mick, "The Early Days of the Sex Pistols: "Only Anarchists Are Pretty"", Helter Skelter Publishing (2004), p. 29. ISBN 1-900924-93-5. </ref> By 1973 the band members were spending time at [[Don Letts|Don Letts']] "Acme Attractions", and the more upmarket [[SEX (boutique)|Let It Rock]],<ref name="Robb"/> a 1950s-themed clothes shop in the [[Kings Road]], [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]] area of [[London]]. "Let It Rock" was owned by former [[New York Dolls]] manager [[Malcolm McLaren]] and his partner [[Vivienne Westwood]]; the shop specialised in "anti-fashion",<ref name="thesexpistol"/> selling the drapes, slashed T-shirts, [[brothel creepers]] and [[Sexual fetishism|fetish]] gear<ref name="Robb"/> later popularised by the punk movement. As Rotten observed: "Malcolm and Vivienne were really a pair of shysters: they would sell anything to any trend that they could grab onto."<ref name="Robb"/> The shop was to become a focal point of the punk rock scene, and brought together many of its primary members, including [[Soo Catwoman]] as well as [[Captain Sensible]], [[Sid Vicious|John Ritchie]] (later Sid Vicious), [[Jah Wobble]], [[Gene October]], [[Mick Jones (The Clash)|Mick Jones]], [[Tony James]], and [[Marco Pirroni]].<ref name="Robb"/> All were reacting to a distaste to the prevailing fashion of long hair and flared jeans of the early 1970s. McLaren took over management of the band around this time.
By then renamed "The Swankers",<ref name="Frame">Frame, Pete, "The Complete Rock Family Trees", Omnibus Press (1993), p. 29. ISBN 0-7119-3449-5.</ref> the band began rehearsing at the Crunchy Frog, a studio near the [[London Docklands]]. In 1974, they played their first gig at Tom Salter's Café in London. Noones was ejected from the band shortly afterwards, due to his unreliability and unwillingness to rehearse.<ref name="Anarchist"/>

===Johnny Rotten joins the band ===
[[Image:Pistolsflyer.jpg|thumb|130px|left|Promotional flyer for an early Sex Pistols gig]]
[[Image:John Destroy.jpg|thumb|130px|right|Johnny Rotten c. 1977, photographed by Dennis Morris]]
Glen Matlock was recruited as bass player in early 1975. Around this time Jones and Nightingale began to argue over the band's musical direction, and Nightingale departed soon afterwards. In August 1975, [[John Lydon]] (Johnny Rotten), was spotted by Jones at the now renamed and restyled [[SEX (boutique)|SEX]] boutique. According to Jones: "He came in with green hair. I thought he had a really interesting face. I liked his look. He had his 'I Hate [[Pink Floyd]]' T-shirt on. John had something special, but when he spoke he was a real asshole - but smart."<ref name="jlydon">Lydon, John. "No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs", Keith & Kent Zimmerman, [[St. Martin's Press]], May 1994. ISBN 0-312-11883-X </ref> Though he had never considered singing before, Rotten was asked to join as vocalist.<ref name="savage"> Savage, Jon, "England's Dreaming: The Sex Pistols and Punk Rock", [[Faber and Faber]], 1991. ISBN 0-312-28822-0</ref> Rotten and his circle of friends (including Soo Catwoman and [[Bromley Contingent]] members [[Siouxsie Sioux]], [[Steve Severin]] and [[Billy Idol]]),<ref name="bctg">{{cite web | author= | year=| title="The Bromley Contingent"| work=punk77.co.uk| url=http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/bromley.htm| accessdate= October 09 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> were by now dressing in the torn-shirt, sado-masochistic inspired clothing sold by [[Vivienne Westwood]];<ref name="BBC1">{{cite web | author= Bell-Price, Shannon | year=2006| title="Vivienne Westwood and the Postmodern Legacy of Punk Style"| work=The Metropolitan Museum of Art| url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/vivw/hd_vivw.htm | accessdate= October 07 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> the trend quickly spread, and was adopted by the band's fans.<ref name="savage"/>

''[[NME]]'' journalist [[Nick Kent]] used to jam occasionally with the band, but left upon Rotten's recruitment. According to Rotten: "When I came along, I took one look at him and said, 'No. That has to go.' He's never written a good word about me since".<ref name="jlydon" /> Following Kent's departure, Cook began to feel that Jones might not be capable enough alone on guitar, and 1976 they placed an advertisement in the fanzine [[Melody Maker]] for another "Whiz Kid Guitarist"<ref name="mlock"> Matlock, Glen and Silverton, Peter, "I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol", Omnibus Press, 1990</ref> that read "''Wanted Whizz kid guitarist Not older than 20, Not worse looking than [[Johnny Thunders]].''" Steve New answered the advert, and played with the band for a few weeks, though he too left shortly afterwards.
{{Sound sample box align right|Music sample:}}
{{listen|filename=Anarchy in the UK.ogg|title=Anarchy in the UK | description= |format=[[Ogg]]}}{{sample box end}}
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One of McLaren's first acts as manager was to rename the band. Among the options considered were 'Le Bomb', 'Subterraneans', 'Beyond' and 'Teenage Novel'. The band played their first gig as Sex Pistols at [[Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design|Saint Martins College]], on [[6 November]] [[1975]],<ref name="Frame"/> though they were thrown off before finishing their first song. The gig had been arranged by Matlock, who was studying there at the time. This gig was followed by other performances at colleges and art schools around London. In early 1976, the Sex Pistols began to play larger venues such as the [[100 Club]], and the Nashville. On [[3 September]] [[1976]], the Pistols played their first concert outside of Britain, at the opening of the Club De Chalet Du Lac in [[Paris]]. Their first major tour of Britain soon followed, lasting from mid-September to early October.

===EMI and the Grundy incident===
⚫
[[Image:Filthand fury.jpg|thumb|150px|left|The cover of ''[[The Daily Mirror]]'' published the day after the Grundy appearance.]]


Following a showcase gig held during [[London]]'s first [[100 Club Punk Festival|punk festival]], at the [[100 Club]] in [[Oxford Street]], in September 1976, the Sex Pistols signed to the major label [[EMI]]. The band's first single, "[[Anarchy in the U.K.]]", released on [[26 November]] [[1976]], served as a statement of intent—full of wit, anger and visceral energy. Despite a common perception that punk bands couldn't play their instruments, contemporary music press reviews and live recordings reveal the Pistols to have been a tight, competent, and ferocious live band.<ref name="punk77">{{cite web | author= Don't Care, Peter| year= 1977| title="Club Lafayette, Wolverhampton, UK 21/12/77" | work=Punk77.co.uk| url=http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/sexpistolsclublaf.htm | accessdate= October 10 | accessyear=2006}}</ref><ref name="Coon">Coon, Caroline, "Parade Of The Punks", Melody Maker, October 2 1976</ref><ref name="rstn">{{cite web | author= Young, Charles M| year= 1977| title="Rock Is Sick and Living in London" | work=Rolling Stone| url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thebeatles/articles/story/9437647/sex_pistols_rock_is_sick_and_living_in_london?source=thebeatles_rssfeed | accessdate= October 10 | accessyear=2006}}</ref>
Following a showcase gig held during [[London]]'s first [[100 Club Punk Festival|punk festival]], at the [[100 Club]] in [[Oxford Street]], in September 1976, the Sex Pistols signed to the major label [[EMI]]. The band's first single, "[[Anarchy in the U.K.]]", released on [[26 November]] [[1976]], served as a statement of intent—full of wit, anger and visceral energy. Despite a common perception that punk bands couldn't play their instruments, contemporary music press reviews and live recordings reveal the Pistols to have been a tight, competent, and ferocious live band.<ref name="punk77">{{cite web | author= Don't Care, Peter| year= 1977| title="Club Lafayette, Wolverhampton, UK 21/12/77" | work=Punk77.co.uk| url=http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/sexpistolsclublaf.htm | accessdate= October 10 | accessyear=2006}}</ref><ref name="Coon">Coon, Caroline, "Parade Of The Punks", Melody Maker, October 2 1976</ref><ref name="rstn">{{cite web | author= Young, Charles M| year= 1977| title="Rock Is Sick and Living in London" | work=Rolling Stone| url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thebeatles/articles/story/9437647/sex_pistols_rock_is_sick_and_living_in_london?source=thebeatles_rssfeed | accessdate= October 10 | accessyear=2006}}</ref>

Revision as of 22:01, 4 April 2007

Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols were an iconic and highly influential English punk rock band, formed in London in 1975. The band originally comprised vocalist Johnny Rotten, guitarist Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook and bassist Glen Matlock (later replaced by Sid Vicious). Although their initial career lasted only three years and produced only four singles and one studio album, the Sex Pistols have been described by the BBC as "the definitive English punk rock band."[1] The Pistols are widely credited with initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom[2] and creating the first generation gap within rock and roll.[3]

The Sex Pistols emerged as a response to what was perceived to be the increasingly safe and bloated progressive rock[4] and manufactured pop music of the mid-1970s. The band created various controversies during their brief career which captivated England,[5] but often eclipsed their music.[6] Their shows and tours repeatedly faced difficulties from authorities, and public appearances often ended in disaster and riot. Their 1977 single, "God Save the Queen", released to coincide with the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, was widely regarded as an attack on the British monarchy and British nationalism.[7]

Lydon / Rotten left the band in 1978 amid a turbulent tour of the United States; the remaining trio carried on for the remainder of the year but disbanded in early 1979. With Lydon, they reunited in 1996 for the "Filthy Lucre" tour and have staged subsequent reunion tours in 2002 and 2003. On 24 February 2006, the Sex Pistols were officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but they refused to attend the induction, calling the museum a "Hall of Shame".[8]

History

Origins and early days

The Sex Pistols evolved from The Strand, a band formed in 1972 with Jones on vocals, Cook on drums and Wally Nightingale on guitar. Early line-ups also included Jim Mackin (now a GP practising in Lincolnshire) on organ, as well as Stephen Hayes, and later Del Noones, on bass.[9] By 1973 the band members were spending time at Don Letts' "Acme Attractions", and the more upmarket Let It Rock,[6] a 1950s-themed clothes shop in the Kings Road, Chelsea area of London. "Let It Rock" was owned by former New York Dolls manager Malcolm McLaren and his partner Vivienne Westwood; the shop specialised in "anti-fashion",[4] selling the drapes, slashed T-shirts, brothel creepers and fetish gear[6] later popularised by the punk movement. As Rotten observed: "Malcolm and Vivienne were really a pair of shysters: they would sell anything to any trend that they could grab onto."[6] The shop was to become a focal point of the punk rock scene, and brought together many of its primary members, including Soo Catwoman as well as Captain Sensible, John Ritchie (later Sid Vicious), Jah Wobble, Gene October, Mick Jones, Tony James, and Marco Pirroni.[6] All were reacting to a distaste to the prevailing fashion of long hair and flared jeans of the early 1970s. McLaren took over management of the band around this time.

By then renamed "The Swankers",[10] the band began rehearsing at the Crunchy Frog, a studio near the London Docklands. In 1974, they played their first gig at Tom Salter's Café in London. Noones was ejected from the band shortly afterwards, due to his unreliability and unwillingness to rehearse.[9]

Johnny Rotten joins the band

File:Pistolsflyer.jpg
Promotional flyer for an early Sex Pistols gig
File:John Destroy.jpg
Johnny Rotten c. 1977, photographed by Dennis Morris

Glen Matlock was recruited as bass player in early 1975. Around this time Jones and Nightingale began to argue over the band's musical direction, and Nightingale departed soon afterwards. In August 1975, John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), was spotted by Jones at the now renamed and restyled SEX boutique. According to Jones: "He came in with green hair. I thought he had a really interesting face. I liked his look. He had his 'I Hate Pink Floyd' T-shirt on. John had something special, but when he spoke he was a real asshole - but smart."[11] Though he had never considered singing before, Rotten was asked to join as vocalist.[12] Rotten and his circle of friends (including Soo Catwoman and Bromley Contingent members Siouxsie Sioux, Steve Severin and Billy Idol),[13] were by now dressing in the torn-shirt, sado-masochistic inspired clothing sold by Vivienne Westwood;[1] the trend quickly spread, and was adopted by the band's fans.[12]

NME journalist Nick Kent used to jam occasionally with the band, but left upon Rotten's recruitment. According to Rotten: "When I came along, I took one look at him and said, 'No. That has to go.' He's never written a good word about me since".[11] Following Kent's departure, Cook began to feel that Jones might not be capable enough alone on guitar, and 1976 they placed an advertisement in the fanzine Melody Maker for another "Whiz Kid Guitarist"[14] that read "Wanted Whizz kid guitarist Not older than 20, Not worse looking than Johnny Thunders." Steve New answered the advert, and played with the band for a few weeks, though he too left shortly afterwards. Template:Sound sample box align right

Anarchy in the UK
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One of McLaren's first acts as manager was to rename the band. Among the options considered were 'Le Bomb', 'Subterraneans', 'Beyond' and 'Teenage Novel'. The band played their first gig as Sex Pistols at Saint Martins College, on 6 November 1975,[10] though they were thrown off before finishing their first song. The gig had been arranged by Matlock, who was studying there at the time. This gig was followed by other performances at colleges and art schools around London. In early 1976, the Sex Pistols began to play larger venues such as the 100 Club, and the Nashville. On 3 September 1976, the Pistols played their first concert outside of Britain, at the opening of the Club De Chalet Du Lac in Paris. Their first major tour of Britain soon followed, lasting from mid-September to early October.

EMI and the Grundy incident

File:Filthand fury.jpg
The cover of The Daily Mirror published the day after the Grundy appearance.

Following a showcase gig held during London's first punk festival, at the 100 Club in Oxford Street, in September 1976, the Sex Pistols signed to the major label EMI. The band's first single, "Anarchy in the U.K.", released on 26 November 1976, served as a statement of intent—full of wit, anger and visceral energy. Despite a common perception that punk bands couldn't play their instruments, contemporary music press reviews and live recordings reveal the Pistols to have been a tight, competent, and ferocious live band.[15][16][17]

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The Fucking Rotter
Audio from the 1976 interview conducted by Bill Grundy
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Their behaviour, as much as their music, brought them national attention. On 1 December 1976 the band and members of the Bromley Contingent created a storm of publicity by swearing during an early evening live broadcast of Thames Television's Today programme. Appearing as last-minute replacements for fellow EMI artists Queen, band and entourage took full advantage of the Green Room facilities, and consumed large amounts of alcohol. During the interview, Rotten used the word "shit", and host Bill Grundy, who was drunk at the time, flirted openly with Siouxsie Sioux ("We'll meet afterwards, shall we?"). This prompted Jones to call Grundy a "dirty old man". Grundy responded by requesting that the band "say something outrageous",[18] to which Jones replied: "you dirty fucker . . . what a fucking rotter".[19]

Although the programme was only broadcast in the London region, the ensuing furore occupied the tabloid newspapers for days. The Daily Mirror famously ran the headline "The Filth and the Fury", while the Daily Express led with "Punk? Call it Filthy Lucre"—phrases Lydon adopted for Pistols projects many years later. Thames Television suspended Grundy, and though he was later reinstated, the interview effectively ended his career.[20]

The episode created mass publicity for the band and brought punk into the mainstream. The 'Anarchy' tour of the UK followed, though many of the concerts were either dogged by hostile press or cancelled by local authorities.[12] London councilor Bernard Brook Partridge, during a television interview conducted at the time, declared: "The Sex Pistols would be vastly improved by sudden death . . . I would like to see someone dig a huge hole and bury the lot of them in it".[21]

Following the end of the tour in December 1976, EMI arranged a series of concerts for January 1977 at the Paradiso in Amsterdam.[22] But before boarding the plane at London Heathrow Airport, the band reportedly spat on each other and verbally abused airport staff. "One witness claimed the Sex Pistols were doing something so disgusting that she could not repeat it for publication . . . it became generally believed Jones had been vomiting on old ladies in the preflight lounge," reported Rolling Stone.[17] EMI released the band from their contract two days later.[22] "I don't understand it," Rotten remarked at the time. "All we're trying to do is destroy everything."[23]

Sid Vicious joins the band

The Paradiso gigs would be their last with Matlock, and he parted company with the band in February 1977. According to popular legend he was sacked because he "liked The Beatles",[1] but Steve Jones later claimed the reason was that Matlock didn't "fit in" with the others, stating, obliquely, that Matlock was "always washing his feet".[24] Matlock now claims to have quit voluntarily, mainly because of an increasingly acrimonious relationship with Rotten.[25]

Matlock was replaced by Rotten's friend and self-appointed "ultimate Sex Pistols fan"[26] Sid Vicious (John Simon Ritchie), previously drummer of Siouxsie & the Banshees and The Flowers of Romance. McLaren approved Vicious as a member on account of his look and "punk attitude", despite his limited musical abilities.[14] According to McLaren: "When Sid joined he couldn't play guitar but his craziness fit into the structure of the band. He was the knight in shining armour with a giant fist."[27] Lydon later recalled: "The first rehearsals with Sid were hellish. Everyone agreed he had the look. Sid tried real hard... but boy, he couldn't play guitar."[11]

In recent years McLaren stated that Vivienne Westood told him he should "get the guy called John who came to the store (SEX) a couple of times" to be the singer, and that once he did and Johnny Rotten was recruited for the band, Vivienne said he had got it wrong, "he had got the wrong John." She actually meant John Simon Ritchie (Sid Vicious) to be the singer.[28] According to this version of the events the original plan would have been to get Sid Vicious to be the singer and not Johnny Rotten, and Vivienne he had always been interested in Sid but didn't have an opportunity to do so until Glenn Matlock left the band.

Marco Pirroni: "After that, it was nothing to do with music anymore. It would just be for the sensationalism and scandal of it all. Then it became the Malcolm McLaren story..."[27] Vicious' amplifier was often turned down, or off, during live performances,[29] and most of the bass parts on the band's later recordings were played by either Jones or Matlock.[11]

Membership of the Sex Pistols was to have a destructive effect on Vicious personality. As Rotten observed: "Up to that time, Sid was absolutely childlike. Everything was fun and giggly. Suddenly he was a big pop star. Pop star status meant press, a good chance to be spotted in all the right places, adoration. That's what it all meant to Sid."[27] Vicious responded by actively cultivating a notorious persona. Early in 1977, he met Nancy Spungen, a drug addict and occasional prostitute[30] from New York with a history of severe emotional problems.[27] Spungen is commonly thought to be responsible for introducing Vicious to heroin, and the emotional co-dependency between the couple alienated Vicious from the other members of the band. Rotten said: "We did everything to get rid of Nancy. She was killing him. I was absolutely convinced this girl was on a slow suicide mission. Only she didn't want to go alone. She wanted to take Sid with her. She was so utterly fucked up and evil."[11] Sid Vicious debuted with the band at the Screen on the Green in London on 3 April 1977.

God Save the Queen

Main article: God Save the Queen
File:GSTQ cover.jpg
The cover of the God Save the Queen single was designed by Jamie Reid in the ransom note style so closely associated with the group.

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God Save the Queen
"God Save the Queen" was originally titled "No Future", but was changed to coincide with the 1977 Jubilee
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On 10 March 1977, at a press ceremony held outside Buckingham Palace, the Sex Pistols signed to A&M Records. They later went back to the A&M offices for what would become an unruly party. Sid Vicious trashed the managing director's office and vomited on his desk. Under pressure from its own employees, artists and distributors, A&M broke contract with the Pistols six days later.[17] In May the band signed their third and final record deal with Virgin Records.[4]

The Pistols' second single, "God Save the Queen", was released 27 May 1977. Though widely perceived as a personal attack on Queen Elizabeth II,[12] Rotten later stated that the song was not specifically aimed at the Queen, but was instead intended to critique the deference given to Royalty in general. However, the perceived disrespect to the monarchy caused widespread public outcry. The record was banned from airplay by the BBC, whose Radio 1 dominated music broadcasting at the time. Rotten later remarked, "We had declared war on the entire country—without meaning to!"[11]

During the week of Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee, the single reached number one in the NME chart, but number two in the official UK chart.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name (see the help page). However, many suspected that the chart compilation had been massaged,[31] suggesting that the record had actually reached number one, but that the charts had been rigged to prevent a spectacle.[32] At least one radio station announced the song at number one, but refused to play it, as they had been advised it might cause upset to the national celebrations.[33][34]

The Pistols marked the Jubilee, and the success of their record, by chartering a private boat, intending to perform live while sailing down the River Thames, passing Westminster and the Houses of Parliament. The event ended in chaos, however, when the boat was raided by police, despite a license to perform having been granted in advance. McLaren, the band, and many of their entourage were taken into custody when the vessel docked.[35]

Violent attacks on punk fans were on the increase at this time, and Rotten himself was assaulted by a knife wielding gang outside the Islington Pegasus pub,[36] causing damage to two tendons in his hand. Due to the attacks, a tour of Scandinavia, which would have started at the end of June, was delayed until mid-July. This was followed by a secret tour of the UK at the end of August (known as SPOTS—Sex Pistols On Tour Secretly), with the band playing under pseudonyms to avoid cancellation.[37]

Never Mind the Bollocks

Main article: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols album cover

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Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols was recorded between March and June 1977, in Wessex Studios, Highbury, London.[38] Produced by Chris Thomas, who had previously worked with Roxy Music, the album featured Matlock on bass, redrafted as a session musician to compensate for Vicious' lack of musical ability. According to Jones: "Sid wanted to come down and play on the album, and we tried as hard as possible not to let him anywhere near the studio. Luckily he had hepatitis at the time".[11] Although Vicious did record on one occasion, his contribution was later over-dubbed. Jones recalls: "We just let him do it, innit. When he left I dubbed another part on, leaving Sid's down low. I think it might be barely audible on the track".[11]

Never Mind the Bollocks was released on 28 October 1977, to mixed reviews. Rolling Stone described the album positively, comparing the sound to "two subway trains crashing together under 40 feet of mud, victims screaming", and praised the band for playing "with an energy and conviction that is positively transcendent in its madness and fever".[39] Some critics, however, were disappointed that the album contained all four previously released singles, and considered the release to be effectively a "Greatest Hits" album.[40] In recent years, the album has come to be commonly regarded to be one of the most influential rock albums of the last 40 years,[41][42][43] and has been described as "one of the greatest, most inspiring rock records of all time".[44]

The album title caused difficulties for the band. Boots, W.H. Smith and Woolworth's refused to stock the album, a Conservative MP condemned it as "a symptom of the way society is declining", and the Independent Television Companies Association refused to carry the album's TV advertising campaign.[45] In Nottingham a record outlet was threatened with prosecution for displaying "indecent printed matter". The case was overturned however, when defending QC John Mortimer produced expert witnesses, who were able to demonstrate that the word bollocks was a legitimate Old English term originally used to refer to a priest.[46] Although the word in popular slang means testicles, in this context it is intended to signify 'nonsense'; the title had been unwittingly suggested by Steve Jones when, in response to bickering over possible titles, he exclaimed "Oh, never mind the bollocks of it all!"[11]

The Sex Pistols' final UK performance took place at Ivanhoe's in Huddersfield, on Christmas Day 1977, where the band played a matinee and evening show as part of a benefit for the families of striking firemen. The location of the gigs was not announced until shortly before the venue opened, a tactic the band used at the time to avoid the sort of attention that had led to earlier cancellations.

US tour and the end of the band

File:Greatrock500uk.jpg
Promotional poster for The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle.

In January 1978 the Sex Pistols embarked on a US tour, consisting mainly of dates in America's Deep South. Though originally scheduled for December 1977, it was delayed due the US authorities reluctance to issue visas to band members with criminal records.[47] Though highly anticipated by fans and media, the tour was plagued by in-fighting,[47] poor planning and physically hostile audiences.[48] Malcom McLaren has admitted that he purposely booked redneck bars to create those hostile situations.[28] Over the course of the two-weeks, Vicious, by now chronically addicted to heroin,[49] began to live up to his stage name. According to Rotten: "He finally had an audience of people who would behave with shock and horror. Sid was easily led by the nose."[11] Early in the tour, Sid wandered off from his Holiday Inn in Memphis looking for drugs. He was found in a Memphis hospital with the words "Gimme a fix" self-carved in his chest with a razor. During a concert in San Antonio, Texas, Vicious called the audience "a bunch of faggots", before striking a member of the audience across the head with his bass guitar.[49] In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he received simulated oral sex onstage, later declaring "that’s the kind of girl I like".[50] Suffering withdrawal symptoms from heroin, Vicious appeared onstage in Dallas, Texas, with the words "Gimme a Fix" still cut into his chest, and spat blood at a female who had climbed on stage and punched him in the face.[11] He was admitted to hospital later that night to treat injuries resulting from his wounds. Offstage he is said to have kicked a female photographer, attacked a security guard, and was eventually beaten by one of his own bodyguards.[27]

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No Fun
Sample of "No Fun", an early cover of The Stooges song.
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Rotten, meanwhile, suffering from flu[51] and coughing up blood, felt increasingly isolated and distanced from Cook and Jones,[11] and disgusted by Vicious.[6] At the final date in Winterland, San Francisco, on 14 January 1978 a disillusioned Rotten ended with an encore of a Stooges cover, "No Fun." Sneering at the audience, he exclaimed "This is No Fun, at all", making clear his personal feelings about the gig, the band, and the audience.[11][6] After the performance Rotten asked the audience "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" before throwing down his microphone and walking off stage.[52] He later observed: "I hated the whole scenario. It was a farce. I felt cheated. Sid was completely out of his brains - just a waste of space. Malcolm wouldn't speak to me. But then he would turn around and tell Paul and Steve that the tension was all my fault because I wouldn't agree to anything. It was all very bitter and confusing."[6]

On 17 January 1978, Rotten announced his departure from the Sex Pistols.[12] Vicious departed for New York, while McLaren, Cook and Jones left for a working vacation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, leaving Rotten in America without money or a plane ticket. He would later state: "'The Sex Pistols left me, stranded in LA with no ticket, no hotel room, and a message to Warner Bros saying that if anyone phones up claiming to be Johnny Rotten, then they were lying. That's how I finished with Malcolm - but not with the rest of the band; I'll always like them."[53] He eventually telephoned head of Virgin Records Richard Branson, who agreed to pay for his flight back to London, via Jamaica. The Sex Pistols continued, briefly, with Cook, Jones and Vicious. Attempts were made at finding a new frontman, but the band ended up with all three members taking lead vocal turns with guest vocalists. The group did not perform live in the post-Rotten period, but the majority of the recordings from this time would end up released. Most fans do not consider the post-Lydon Sex Pistols as being a "true" Sex Pistols lineup, and by the time of Sid's death Cook and Jones had given up the pretense of being Sex Pistols and the band had simply faded away.

Post-Sex Pistols

After leaving the Pistols, Johnny Rotten reverted to his birth name of Lydon, and formed Public Image Ltd, with former Clash member Keith Levene and school friend Jah Wobble.[54] The band went on to score a U.K. Top Ten hit with their debut single, 1978's "Public Image", and in 1979 recorded the post punk classic Metal Box.[55] In 1978 Lydon initiated legal proceedings against McLaren and his management company, Glitterbest. Among the claims made were non-payment of royalties, usage of the title 'Johnny Rotten', unfair contractual obligations,[56] and damages for "all the criminal activities that took place".[57]

Vicious relocated to New York, and with Spungen acting as his manager, began to perform as a solo artist. He recorded a live album, 1979's Sid Sings, backed by "The Idols" featuring Arthur Kane and Jerry Nolan of the New York Dolls in their line up. On 12 October 1978 Spungen was found dead in the Chelsea Hotel room she was sharing with Vicious, with stab wounds to her stomach and dressed only in her underwear.[58] Police recovered drug paraphernalia from the scene and Vicious was arrested for the murder. In an interview at the time, McLaren said: "I can't believe he was involved in such a thing. Sid was set to marry Nancy in New York. He was very close to her and had quite a passionate affair with her."[58] He died five months later, on 2 February 1979, of a heroin overdose after a party held to celebrate his release on bail.[59] He was 21. According to Lydon: "Poor Sid. The only way he could live up to what he wanted everyone to believe about him was to die. That was tragic, but more for Sid than anyone else. He really bought his public image."[60] A fictionalised account of Vicious's relationship with Spungen appears in the 1986 film Sid and Nancy, directed by Alex Cox. Lydon has been publicly critical of the film,[27] taking issue both with its portrayal of the main characters and the speculation that Vicious and Spungen had formed a suicide pact.[11]

McLaren had wanted for some time to make a film featuring the Sex Pistols. In 1977 he hired Russ Meyer to direct a script, Who Killed Bambi?, he had written with Roger Ebert. Production ceased, however, after only a day-and-a-half's shooting when members of the crew, in protest over unpaid monies owed by McLaren, walked off the set.[61] A second attempt was made in mid-1978, with Cook and Jones starring in the McLaren-scripted The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. Directed by Julien Temple, the movie was McLaren's fictionalised account of the Pistols' history; in it he claimed he had controlled and manipulated the band from its inception.[62] The soundtrack featured 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.[63]

Poster for Julien Temple's 2002 rockumentary film.

Cook and Jones continued to work through guest appearances[64] and as session musicians, and later formed The Professionals. Cook is currently playing in the band Man-Raze. Matlock has been involved in various projects, including The Rich Kids (with Midge Ure) in 1978. Matlock later released solo albums and with a backing band called The Philistines since 2000. McLaren went on to manage Adam & the Ants and Bow Wow Wow, and in the mid-1980s released a number of hit records as a solo artist.[65]

After a drawn out and bitter legal case, in January 1986 the four surviving members of the Sex Pistols as well as the estate of Sid Vicious were awarded control of the band's heritage, which included publishing rights, master recordings, film footage, as well as exclusive rights to the name "Sex Pistols".[66] This access enabled the production of the 2000 Julien Temple documentary The Filth and the Fury, formulated as an attempt to tell the story from the band's point of view, in contrast to the earlier "Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle", told from McLaren's perspective.[67]

The surviving members of the Sex Pistols reformed in 1996 for the six-month 'Filthy Lucre World Tour', which included dates in Europe, North and South America, Australia and Japan,[4] as well as appearances at the Phoenix Festival and Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in England ("Pistols at the Palace"). In 2003 they toured North America for three weeks, as part of their 'Piss Off Tour.'

In November 2005, the Sex Pistols were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an honour that the surviving members turned down, with an "obscene gesture" and a suggestion that the Hall of Fame "kiss this".[68] According to Jones: "Once you want to be put into a museum, Rock & Roll's over; its not voted by fans, its voted by people who induct you, or others; people who are already in it."[69]

On March 9 2006 the band sold the rights to their back catalogue to Universal Music Group. The sale was criticised as a "sell out".[70]

Influence and cultural legacy

After The Sex Pistols appearance on the infamous Bill Grundy TODAY show, their story appeared on the front of every national newspaper the next day. The media later raved, "The Sex Pistols sold more papers on Fleet Street than the armistice."[71]. Rolling Stone suggested the band, responding "to the star trappings and complacency" of mid-1970s rock, "came to spark and personify one of the few truly critical moments in pop culture—the rise of punk".[4] While they were not the first punk band, the Pistols' Never Mind the Bollocks is a singular achievement within the punk movement and an important event in the history of popular music in general. It is regularly cited on lists of the greatest albums ever: in 2006 the album was voted no. 27 in Q Magazine's "100 Greatest Albums Ever",[72] while Rolling Stone listed it at 2 in its 1987 "Top 100 Albums of the Last 20 Years".[73] In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked The Sex Pistols [74] #58 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[75]

Their live performances were also influential. A significant show occurred early in their career on June 4, 1976, when they performed to a crowd of just 42 people at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England. It was to become one of the most important and mythologized events in rock history.[76] Among the audience were many who would later form bands or otherwise popularise the embryonic punk movement, including the Buzzcocks (who had organised the gig), Anthony H. Wilson (founder of Factory Records), Bernard Sumner, Ian Curtis and Peter Hook (all later of Joy Division), Adam Ant, Morrissey (later of The Smiths), and Mick Hucknall (later of Simply Red).[77][78]

The Sex Pistols are also remembered for communicating directly with their audiences. According to Lydon: "If we had an aim, it was to force our own, working-class opinions into the mainstream, which was unheard of in pop music at the time."[57] Whether the Pistols' anti-establishment stance was spontaneous or cultivated has been debated. One reviewer notes that "England's depressed social psyche at the time" was enough to generate a band like the Pistols and that Rotten's "fierce intelligence and astonishing onstage charisma" were important catalysts, but ultimately credits McLaren's history-minded manipulations as the real power behind the band.[79]

Other bands who have been influenced by the Sex Pistols include The Clash,[80] Siouxsie & the Banshees,[81] Nirvana,[82][83] Oasis,[41] The Fall,[84] Green Day,[85] and Guns N' Roses.[86]

In 1997, paleontologists Adrain and Edgecombe, named a series of fossil trilobite species in honour of the Pistols' members: Arcticalymene rotteni, A. viciousi, A. jonesi, A. cooki and A. matlocki.[87][88]

Band members

1975-1977
1977-1978
1978
1996, 2002, 2003

Sex Pistols members and roles

Post-Rotten Sex Pistols

People who sang on The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle include:

  • Paul Cook – vocals on "Silly Thing" (1978)
  • Steve Jones – vocals on "Lonely Boy", "Friggin' In The Riggin" and the single release of "Silly Thing"(1978)
  • Ronnie Biggs – vocals on "No One Is Innocent" and "Belsen Was A Gas" (1978)
  • Malcolm McLaren, manager – vocals on "You Need Hands" (1979)
  • Edward Tudor-Pole – vocals on "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle", "Rock Around The Clock", and "Who Killed Bambi?" (1979)
  • Sid Vicious – vocals on "My Way", "C'mon Everybody" and "Something Else" (1978)

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

References

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Further reading

  • Burchill, Julie & Tony Parsons, The Boy Looked at Johnny: The Obituary of Rock and Roll, Pluto Press, 1978. ISBN 0-571-12992-7
  • Dalton, David, El Sid Saint Vicious, St. Martin's Press, July 1997. ISBN 0-312-15520-4
  • Lydon, John, (with Keith & Kent Zimmerman), Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs, St. Martin's Press, May 1994. ISBN 0-312-11883-X
  • Marcus, Greil, Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the Twentieth Century, Harvard University Press, 1989. ISBN 0-571-23228-0
  • Matlock, Glen, Silverton, Pete, I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol - Faber and Faber, October 1991. ISBN 0-7119-1817-1
  • McNeil, Legs, Gillian McCain (ed.), Please Kill Me, Grove Press, 1996. ISBN 0-349-10880-3
  • Morris, Dennis, Destroy: Sex Pistols 1977, Creation Books, 2002. ISBN 1-84068-058-X
  • Nolan, David, I Swear I Was There…: Sex Pistols and the Shape of Rock, Milo Press, May 2001. ISBN 0-9549704-9-7
  • Parker, Alan ,Vicious: Too Fast to Live, Creation Books, 2003. ISBN 1-84068-110-1
  • Southall, Brian, The Sex Pistols: 90 Days At EMI, Omnibus Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84609-779-9
  • Savage, Jon, England's Dreaming: The Sex Pistols and Punk Rock, Faber and Faber, 1991. ISBN 0-312-28822-0
  • Vermorel, Fred & Judy, The Sex Pistols, Omnibus Press, April 1981. ISBN 0-7119-1090-1
  • Walsh, Gavin, God Save the Sex Pistols: A Collector's Guide to the Priests Of Punk, Plexus Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-85965-316-1

Films

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Unofficial

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