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

A trigger, I hadn't thought about it.

 

Problems:

Now we have Problems, basically summing up John’s philosophy in life.
It kicks off with a really killer riff and someone mentioned Status Quo previously, I don’t really know Status Quo, but I can say chunks of the guitar work remind me of AC/DC, this honestly isn’t that radically a departure from AC/DC, and that’s okay, because Acca Dacca absolutely. Paul kicks major ass on the drums. For me though, the star is John, as he preaches individuality and self reliance, help yourself, you’ve got one life, really make something of it, and it shows that the Sex Pistols and John in particular weren’t just pure anger and nihilism, there was more to it, and i love that, this is possibly John’s best song lyrically, or at least up there.
This is a stellar song and one of my favorites on the album.

 

Track 5 is actually God Save The Queen, Warner’s switched them on their release.

 

When I was looking for a better CD mastering, the Warner's was supposed to be the best sounding CD of NMTB (until 35th anniversary), so I bought it. I ripped it back into the UK running order with God Save The Queen track 5 and Problems track 6. I also used the yellow and pink cover.

Now I've got the 40th, the US order and the salmony and green sleeve have been restored! It seems strange talking about sound quality in relation to the Pistols, but the UK Virgin vinyl always packed a punch, missing on the early CD pressings.

Problems is a great song and an excellent way to end side one, with the repetition of "Problems". To me the album doesn't flow so well promoting it to track 5.

I mentioned Status Quo and @Musicman1998 AC/DC, let's settle on the common ground of Chuck Berry. John's "slight negatively" towards Johnny B. Goode on The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle always amused me, as Chuck was obviously a fairly large influence on Steve's playing. Whether you call it Chuck, AC/DC, or Status Quo (John is a fan of Quo), Steve riffs his heart out on Problems.

The Jones / Jones / Cook playing is as tight as ever, and John delivers.

 

Yes the real link is Chuck Berry.

 

I would argue the link is Johnny Thunders, who loved Keith Richards, who loved Chuck Berry.
Most of Steve's playing is derived from JT, but slightly more controlled. Not a criticism, love Steve's playing. And they obviously got along, as they gigged and recorded together.

 

In the words of Mark Prindle: “Steve wanted to be Johnny Thunders, who wanted to be Keith Richards, who wanted to be Chuck Berry, who wanted to watch women take a pee”

 

Good one

 

I heard the US version of NMTB first, and I always thought that God Save The Queen sounded weird where it was. The UK running order is much better, imo.

Anyway, Problems is a great track that I don't think I fully appreciated for a while. It works perfectly as the side 1 closer, and it made for a great finale at the Burton-On-Trent gig (doubly so, thanks to the irony of the PA system going out during their first attempt at the song).

Finally, I'm glad they ditched the idea of ending NMTB with a reprise of the Problems coda.

 

I think that way too. Problems was meant to close side A. One of the three songs recorded in the first demo along with No Feelings.

However, as we'll see when we talk about the next song, God Save The Queen doesn't sound like the other songs on Side A production wise. It's worse. Considering this, Problems coming before makes sense.

 

Problems

The Cookie Monster is the best part of this song. Doing some great pocket work, and signalling the chord changes with his fills. He's getting busy here. Cool guitar riff, and solid backing bass.

This is the first song on the album where I'm disappointed by the production. Johnny sounds poorly recorded, and the the guitar solo is too far back in the mix.

Overall, a really good song.

 

You're right. The record is not regular and some songs are better than others production wise. Problems is worst than the previous ones but still better than God Save The Queen I think.

 

Produced by Bill Price or Chris Thomas.

In seriousness, I remember Paul when he did “Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction” saying that originally the live engineer did the record and the band threw it out as they weren’t happy with it.

 

Live:

 

Problems.

Really if I get too down I think of this song.

Puts things in perspective sometimes.

Don’t come to me if you need pity!

This song definitely picks up again after Liar on the album.

I leave it you with your problem!

The lyrics and tone just cut right through.

 

this album just feels so angry. i love it

 

Anger is an energy

 

Somebody let me know when the thread gets to "Submission". That's the song I like the best from this one. Actually, one of the few I like at all.

I've got my opinions on this album, but I'm going to keep them to myself as I'd kill the vibe of the thread.

 

Steve Jones has that nice scratchy/slinky fret tone if I'm making any sense. He mentions Ronnie Wood and Mick Ronson as influences. which makes perfect sense (especially Mick Ronson) because of that slinky fret sound and no-nonsense chord changes. Obviously, his Gibson Les Paul and Twin Reverb up to 10 combination is going to sound great.

 

I wouldn't be offended. And I guess to express your opinion against everybody else would be in a true Sex Pistols fashion. As long as I'm concerned, feel free.

 

Couldn't agree more. A few of my mates and me loved the Pistols, but it is true to say this wasn't universal, both amongst Punks and non-Punks.

 

My quick opinion of this record is it isn't very 'punk rock'. Sure there lyrics are pretty anti-establishment and Lydon's voice is nice and snotty, but the music is, essentially, well played hard rock. Steve Jones and Paul Cook were pretty decent musicians and that goes against the punk aesthetic. I recognize the record for what it is and what it spawned, but it's not true 'punk rock' to me. Neither would any Ramones album be so either though I certainly do not deny their influence on the genre.

For me, an album like Discharge's Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing is a far better example of true punk rock. Hell, even the New York Dolls is a better example. For punk, you want it shambolic nature and always on the verge of feeling like it's about to fall of the rails or go wheels off. Nothing about Never Mind feels that way to me. As most know, the band and their image was conceived by Malcolm McLaren. He was selling a musical product to the misfits and disenfranchised that frequented his shop, but it's too calculated and too well constructed to be anything other that what it was which is, as I said, pure product trying to tap into a movement, but other than the lyrical content, it doesn't really work; at least not for me.

 

Pretty much the entire class of 75-78 on both sides of the pond sound nothing like "punk rock". In fact, they didn't even look very "punk rock". And some critics at the time noted the later change, which they cryptically described as "punk" becoming "punk rock", when a small movement based on experimentation and DIY became just another guitar genre that added little to what heavy metal and Detroit had already done. It's also notable that those early bands with their sounds-nothing-like-real-punk-rock started an aesthetic revolution that still echoes today, while the latter bands founded an artistic, must-play-this-and-wear-that ghetto. I don't want to derail the thread, just my 2c, so I'll shut up about it now.

 

Agree. Musically it's a pretty slickly produced hard rock record. The tempos are unusually slow for punk too.

But hey, I think the songs are great and Lydon's lyrics are very advanced for a guy barely out of his teens. Despite McLaren's manipulation, it wouldn't have worked without Rotten/Lydon's intellect. He was and remains a fly in the ointment (of establishment) to quote another UK punk band.