Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols Song by Song Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Zoot Marimba, Feb 26, 2018.

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  1. TheLoveDrags

    TheLoveDrags Forum Resident

    I often wonder if one of the reasons this record turned out so well is because they had demoed most of the songs numerous times and therefore, worked out all the bugs in them...
     
  2. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    That would make a lot of sense.
     
  3. Randoms

    Randoms Aerie Faerie Nonsense

    Location:
    UK
    I only ever leave you when you got no money

    Great lyrics to another powerful song.
     
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  4. Veni Vidi Vici

    Veni Vidi Vici Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    They always had great intros and outros to all their songs - I don’t think they ever released a track that just faded out (hmm, except “Friggin”, which was a swan song after all).
     
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  5. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    Also they were banned for playing everywhere so they were always in the studio. The recording sessions started in March, when the band was still signed to A&M records, and went through August. Two more months of mixing and mastering and this masterpiece was finally complete.
     
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  6. Randoms

    Randoms Aerie Faerie Nonsense

    Location:
    UK
    Good comparison of Paul to Phil Rudd. For a band that supposedly couldn't play, Steve, Paul and Glen (when he was in the band) are accomplished musicians.

    Whilst Paul keeps things tight, powerful and dynamic, there are a few little fills he throws in, such as on GSTQ, that let you know he is a long way from being a rookie. Steve's bass lines really work in driving it all along.

    With all the guitar overdubs and the effort that was taken to get such a great drum sound, the production of the album has probably done it a lot of favours in maintaining its significance over 40 years. Despite the anger, it is a very easy album to listen to from start to finish, and around the perfect length for maximum attention span.

    There are not many 40 year albums, especially ones I already own, that I splash out on a box set.
     
  7. Randoms

    Randoms Aerie Faerie Nonsense

    Location:
    UK
    That and the arrangement of the songs between Spunk and NMTBHTSP.

    Whilst some will always prefer the raw, purer sound, the polish of the official release probably helped made it more accessible.
     
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  8. Scott6

    Scott6 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I absolutely love the sound of NMTB. Real wall of sound, especially the guitars. I have both NMTB and the 1st Clash album on my Ipod and while on shuffle 1 song from each came on the other day. Really hit me how different in sound the two albums are. I adore both albums but the Clash album is actually pretty weak sounding at times. Sure we know NMTB had layers of guitars but it really is far more powerful an album.
     
  9. Randoms

    Randoms Aerie Faerie Nonsense

    Location:
    UK
    Yes, I have no problem with the singles being on the album, predates Jacko! It was really some parts of the press that were a bit negative about having four previously released songs on an album: The Beatles wouldn't have done it!! :D
     
  10. Leepal

    Leepal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Swindon, UK

    Personally, I prefer the more polished sound of NMTB. It was the guitar sound as much as anything that made me listen to this album repeatedly, and of course Lydon's lyrics/persona.
     
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  11. Randoms

    Randoms Aerie Faerie Nonsense

    Location:
    UK
    Yes, agree, I certainly play NMTBHTSP more often, especially recently having bought the 40th anniversary and not having played vinyl for a dozen years, but every now and then it's good to hear the raw versions.
     
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  12. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    Unfortunately, Spunk runs too slow.
    Those songs are available at the correct pitch in The Mini Album, Early Daze, The Swindle Continues, No Future UK and other unofficial releases in different qualities. There are great info about them and the best versions here in this forum in other old threads and in www.sex-pistols.net, by far the best source about Sex Pistols on the web.
    The 1976 demos are officially available in Spunk/This Is Crap, disc 2 in the 2xCD Never Mind The Bollocks from 1996 (except for Pretty Vacant) and the January 1977 demos are also officially available in Spunk/This Is Crap, but you can find a much better mastering (imo) in the 35th and 40th anniversary deluxe sets.
     
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  13. Randoms

    Randoms Aerie Faerie Nonsense

    Location:
    UK
    Agree, and apart from the better mastering on NMTBHTSP, one of the reasons I was delighted with the 40th anniversary deluxe set, which I would recommend to anyone with more than a passing interest in the group / album.
     
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  14. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    The best sounding CDs for NMTB are surely the ones that use the 35th/40th anniversary mastering done by Tim Young with Chris Thomas in 2012, i.e., every Universal release since then.
    However, I'm not sure I prefer the LP versions that came out using this mastering since 2012. They sound great indeed, no doubt about it, but I don't think they beat the original UK 11 and 12 songs versions from 1977 and others that may sound as good as those, like the German and the Holland early pressings.
     
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  15. yarbles

    yarbles Too sick to pray

    Cook(ie)'s work on NMTB has always reminded me of Paul Thompson's rockier moments, which is probably no coincidence given that Chris Thomas also produced all the worthwhile Roxy albums (Pleasure through to Siren). I expect the drummers' similarity was remarked on back in the day, but I'm pretty sure I noticed it myself before reading about it. idk whether Cook(ie) admired Thompson's work, but I seem to recall Viscous was a big Roxy fan, fwiw.

    There's no doubt the production has aided NMTB's enduring significance over the decades. As someone mentioned earlier, although the Clash debut had some exceptional songs, the production and much of the playing was rubbish. From memory, NMTB was the first UK punk album that didn't sound like crap, and that was one of the reasons it's had its detractors over the years, with some folks opining that it sounded too good to be a proper punk album :laugh:
     
  16. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    Cook and Jones stated their career playing in a band called Strand after the Roxy Music. The band also featured Nightingale. This was before Malcom, around 1972, and that band was the seed of what would become the Sex Pistols.
     
  17. AZRunner

    AZRunner Forum Resident

    Location:
    SW FL
    I can’t believe I missed the start of this thread. Just jumping in now and need to do some in depth listening before I comment on the songs, but this is one of my favorite albums to this day. I was a junior in high school when it came out and I bought it immediately. I loved it from the start. My core group of friends also embraced punk, while most of our high school actively disdained it.

    I’ve seen the Sex Pistols once, on the Filthy Lucre tour. I also saw PIL live before that. I’ve seen hundreds of concerts in my life, and nobody commands the stage like Johnny Rotten.
     
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  18. JM Jones

    JM Jones Forum Resident

    Location:
    ohio
    How was your performance of “Bodies” at 2? ;-p
     
  19. sleeptowin

    sleeptowin Forum Resident

    Location:
    Birmingham
    HAHA im guessing it was amazing

     
  20. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Liar:

    Track Four, written about manager Malcolm McLaren, who they accuse of greed and incompetence, and who John notoriously had a very tense relationship with.
    Steve kicks off the song, play a very solid little lick while locking in with Paul, and the two are so tight on this tune, while John spits venom at the Liar, letting him know that nobody will believe his bull for long.
    While probably one of the lesser tunes on here, it’s a kickass song, which shows you how kickass this album.
     
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  21. Randoms

    Randoms Aerie Faerie Nonsense

    Location:
    UK
    I've always thought of Punk as rock and roll with attitude, and on this track Steve comes close to taking us on a Francis Rossi, Status Quo journey! As always the playing is super tight (tighter than Quo!), and John snarls the lyrics. Good stuff.
     
  22. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    Liar is an interesting song. Its verse and chorus are not among the strongest they had, but the bridge is killer. The change in chords and rhythm and the way Johnny sings from deep of his heart, specially when he almost get out of tune in that "dhoo or say" and that "fhhoool". This bridge is one of the finest moments in the record and it alone makes this song up there with the others:

    I know where you go everybody you know
    I know everything that you do or say
    So when you tell lies I always be in your way
    I'm nobody's fool and I know all 'cause I know
    What I know...
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2018
  23. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    Also it's interesting to register that Liar was the second song in the early pressings, following Holidays In The Sun, when they couldn't decide on whether including Sub-Mission or not.

    Bodies works better as the second song.
     
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  24. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    I agree, Liar would lose the listener after Holiday.
     
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  25. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    Every time I listen to the 11 songs version it feels something isn't right when Liar comes in instead of Bodies. I can't get used to it after growing up with Bodies after Holidays.
     
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