The Sex Pistols’ ‘Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols’ Turns 45
The Sex Pistols' impact on the music business is being felt today, 45 years after the band's studio album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols was released. For better or worse, in today's world, it still reigns supreme.
On November 6th, 1975, the group made their stage debut as the Sex Pistols, opening for Pub Rock band Bazooka Joe. The majority of the band's musical catalogue consists of covers. The band, however, spent the following year producing music and growing their fan base by touring the UK; as a result, on October 8, 1976, EMI Records signed them to a two-year deal, and on November 26, 1976, they issued their debut single, "Anarchy in the U.K. / I Wanna Be Me."
When Queen were forced to cancel their appearance on the Today programme, the band received its first significant amount of media attention. The band, which was drunk, used foul language throughout the programme, which was broadcast far before the watershed. Jones in particular was somewhat provoked by Grundy's request that he "say something outrageous." Even though the programme was only broadcast in the London region, the incident made tabloid newspapers' front pages, and the band suddenly became well-known all over the nation. This would be the band's first of many problematic performances over the course of their career.
While the band's broadcast on Today served to increase their fame, it also had unfavourable effects: on their "Anarchy Tour of the UK," the band only performed at around seven of the 19 shows they had planned to because organisers and local authorities cancelled or disallowed them. The band was dropped by EMI in January 1977 as a result of the growing controversy around them.
In February 1977, Sid Vicious (born John Simon Ritchie), a friend of Rotten's, was hired to take Matlock's place as the band's bass player despite Vicious' lack of musical skill. Matlock had been the group's primary songwriter up to that time. Almost shortly after, Matlock started Rich Kids with Ure, and drummer Rusty Egan.
The Pistols next signed with A&M Records at a press event in front of Buckingham Palace, but the relationship between the group and the label suffered from multiple conflicts and the arrangement was terminated after less than a week. The Pistols didn't sign their third deal until May, this time with Virgin Records, who dropped their second single, "God Save the Queen / No Feeling," on May 27. Despite Vicious now serving as the band's bassist, Jones recorded the bass for this song, a technique that would be carried out on nearly all Sex Pistols records.
Two more singles were issued in 1977 while the band was working on their debut album: "Pretty Vacant / No Fun" in July and "Holidays in the Sun / Satellite" in October.
Never Mind the Bollocks, the group's lone full-length studio album, was released in October 28th 1977. Despite being prohibited by most high street outlets, the record debuted at number one on the UK album charts. The band then launched an eight-show UK tour, of which they played four, and played a couple shows in the Netherlands. It would be their final trip to the UK.
The Sex Pistols' very concept is a prime example of performance art at its best. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols ended up being one of the most significant records in music history. You have a seriously good political statement about late-1970s England talking about disorder, anarchy, and style over substance. It is a colossal middle finger to the ruling class and a call to just go nuts in general. It's a shame that the message was obscured by the antics of a band that clearly couldn't care less. But in my opinion that is what punk is all about.