In the video, that was Syd, but he didn't play on their (one and only) album. Glen Matlock played bass on the album then split. He had an interesting career afterwards.
Sid Vicious was the bass player. The singer was Johnny Rotten (John Lydon). The song was released during the Queen's Silver Jubilee (25th anniversary as queen). The video is from an event the Pistols' manager arranged. He rented a barge and had them play as it was pulled down the River Thames in front of the Queen's palace. Police boarded the barge and arrested them.
@@bjrnhagen2853Indeed - he didn't actually play on many of their songs as Steve Jones played both guitar and bass because Sid struggled with his playing.
@@danilson69some would say Australian band The Saints were a bigger influence as Malcom McLaren encouraged The Sex Pistols their sound should be similar to The Saints
That album is still my favorite punk album of all time. I'm 58 and still listen to it sometimes. There wasn't major rioting or anything going on in this video. I believe that footage was from a show they tried to do on a boat and the police came to shut it down because it was disturbing the peace. The police were the rioters really, coming in to bust heads, not the punks. The Sex Pistols were just from the poor working class in England and were just pissed off at society in general. They were rebelling against everything and anything, really. Steve Jones the guitarist has a really cool interview show he does now in LA called Jonesy's Jukebox.
@@jco207 Ah, yes. That sounds about right. I'm sure that's all it was for Malcom and maybe a little bit for some of the band even, but I do believe him when Johnny says his reasons were their disgust at the big disconnect between the opulence of the monarchy and the poverty of the people. Whatever the reasons, I'm glad the Sex Pistols happened anyway.
That album, their one and only, is hands down one of the best albums from start to finish there is. It is, quite possibly, better than almost every punk band's greatest hits album (with the possible exception of the two icons The Clash & The Ramones). Seriously, 'Bollocks ' is that good.
This video was produced on a barge on the Thames River through Central London in earshot of all the bigwigs at a gala event celebrating 25years of the reign of Elizabeth ll. The barge was boarded by the river police in order to halt the performance. This comprises some of the police footage. 1977 was marked by increasing social problems including mass strikes, power outages and economic hardship. The late year following year 1978 which saw Thatcher sweep to power became known as "The Winter of Discontent". I remember it well. Regular power cuts, piles of uncollected trash, army doing fire service work because even the regular firemen were on strike. Both my parents were on strike several times as were our school teachers. Ostensibly the 'discontent' was economic however it is interesting to note that in real wages we are no better off today than then.
I'd argue that Never Mind the Bollocks is one of the most influential albums of all time ergo The Sex Pistols being one of the most influential bands of all time.
Hi. I'm 58 too! Lol. There is a widely held belief that during 1977 when this was released, the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations were in full swing. This song outsold everything two to one, despite being banned from radio-play here in the UK. Nevertheless, anecdotal evidence from all of the record stores involved, had the Sex Pistols at number one in the charts. When the week of the Jubilee arrived, miraculously the charts had Rod Stewart's 'First Cut is the Deepest' as the Number 1 and the UK's 'best-selling' song. It was and continues to be a disgrace that the Palace and The UK Government conspired to manipulate the UK Charts this way. Makes you wonder what else is being quietly manipulated don't it? Lol. Great reaction Sweets x
It's hard to know quite who was involved, but it's true that for one week the charts didn't count sales from Virgin Records' shops, where sales would have been higher due to the pistols being on their label.
Legend is that Johnny and Malcolm their manager did not like each other. At one point in the video you can hear "they are arresting Malcolm". Supposedly the police went up to johnny and asked him which one was johnny rotten and he pointed to Malcolm and said "that's hm right there" and they arrested the wrong guy.
Great Rayaction! Yes, their rage was fueled by the terrible economic conditions in the UK at the time. The country was celebrating the Queen’s jubilee and these teens from the poor part of London said no, we aren’t happy about being ruled by a queen.
Flashed like a comet across the horizon. England was burning with class resentment. Young punks with no future expressing themselves in crime and rioting and punk rock. This was the #1 single when it was released, even though it was banned by the BBC. They only did one album and one USA tour, but it's one of the best rock n roll albums ever and the tour was a legendary, epic disaster. God save Johnny Rotten. Keep on rockin
I was around then growing up in a fairly poor family in the U.K. With hindsight the optimism and change of the 1960s hadn’t reached the less affluent parts of the country. By the mid 70s our UK post industrial decay came with nothing for young people but the expectation of being poor, downtrodden, lied to and grim. Betrayal by society. John Lydon was chosen as vocalist for the pistols. He wrote about how hopeless it felt (pretty vacant), how we were ignored by the affluent (God Save The Queen), teenage pregnancy (Bodies), lies by the establishment and what they deserved (EMI) and escape from it (Holidays in the Sun). The anger was uncorked. And then we moved on. The last songs attributed to the pistols were people trying to squeeze heat out of a dying ember. But a few years later we got Thatcher and change. Maybe not what was envisaged but many of us grasped that new world and made a life for ourselves from it. I certainly did. John Lydon is a champion of honesty and truth to this day. That campaign for transparency and honesty which was at the heart of it for youth continues with other bands and music, art and literature. But the Pistols God Save the Queen and all of Never Mind the Bollocks sentimentally holds a special place for those of us who, when young found it something to hold onto when there wasn’t much for us at all.
I was just about to leave secondary school when punk arrived , so ended up with a school uniform held together with safety pins and sprayed with arrosol paint. Saw most punk bands of that brief era and met some great like minded people on the streets , kings road being one , and at gigs. Literally still have my original bondage trousers and T shirts etc up my loft , and still have all my original punk vinyl , both singles and albums including a number of coloured vinyl . A mate of ours actually formed and is still in a punk band called Vicious Rumours , not to be confused with the rock band of the same name , but they were there at the start and still going , so big shout out to John Mundy. Best time to have been a teenager was definitely the 70s and the whole punk scene. You want more insight into the pistols , watch the filth and the fury.
I agree with you. He may not be a 'great' guitarist (he ain't Segovia) but he is one of the all-time best Rock'n'Roll guitarists; he really gets the MUSIC!
They were massive and had a huge influence on music and the youngster's lives...i know i was there and 16 at the time! They turned music on its head! I still play guitar today and love it, to this day! Im guessing you have seen the tv interview with Bill Grundy? First time the F word was used on prime time tv in the uk..Steve Jones, a legend!! Riots also happened all over the uk at this time...people were pissed off!!
Your comments about the disproportionate impact Sex Pistols had is spot on. As a group they produced one album. And with that one album they literally changed the trajectory of popular music in the Western world.
"they literally changed the trajectory of popular music in the Western world" - ever heard of the word overstatement? After all, we ended up with the likes of Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift. They were nevertheless a great, influential band.
@@EmmaPeelman No, they didn’t eliminate all other forms of pop, but that’s a rather ridiculous metric to apply to anyone, isn’t it? I mean, even the Beatles would fail that test of yours, wouldn’t they.
I was in high school when this came out and it was such a frying pan to the face of disco. It was awesome! Thank God for British rock and roll! They kept moving the bar every decade
Disco takes actual talent rather than just vomiting in the microphone, and let's not even talk about the dancing, the drunk pub roll is just plain embarrassing as is most of rock's pathetic 4 chords plays all drivel.
@@steve8510You have got to be kidding. Disco was typical sugar coat pop for the masses, which by the way is not difficult to play. Yes, early punk was played with major chords, but with individuals who had drive and were making a statement. Looks like the message in this song went over your head too.
@@douglaslorin739 Garage band level addicts.. disco is just a generic word for dance r&b techno etc where is punk now? because they play dance music at nightclubs so disco never dies
@@steve8510 I have never heard of disco being used to equate the other styles you listed. If I ask any one person what disco is , they would answer it was the dance music of the 70s. R&B, dance, etc are their own things. As far as punk goes, yes it is not as prolific as it once was, but the Sex Pistols album and many others encouraged countless other groups in rock and other genres, and I guarantee they influence others to this day to start up a band. Screw being the next guitar phenomenon, just bang it out and have something to say.
Wasnt a riot, was Queens jubilee celebrations, the police raided the boat the pistols were playing on, the singer is Johnny Rotten ( lydon) Sid was bass player
This video was shot in 1977 during the queens silver jubilee , they gate crashed on a thames river boat , John lydon ( johnny rotten ) vocals , sid vicious bass the ER ypu saw was the queens initoals (Elizabeth Regina the second) .The band had a motto -Cash From chaos, I strongly reccomend you view the film The Great Rock And Roll Swindle . Regards.
Great review; In the late 70s here in New Zealand, my neighbour bought the 45 of God save the Queen, blue cover, he played it on a three-in one stereo, one of those old cabinet systems you lift the lid up. We stood around stunned, guitar like a chainsaw, complete anger. What was unique is that bands from the UK had a universal impact, one that extended beyond the parameters of the UK.
If you want to know about this era of Britain and the Pistols relation to it, I’d probably just pop in “The Filth & the Fury”, a 2000 doc on them. Handles it quite well. And this footage is from when they rented a barge and blasted this song on the river outside the palace during the Queen’s jubilee celebration. The police were there to arrest them as soon as they came ashore.
I was fortunate enough to see them at Middlesborough Rock Garden here in the UK in 1977. I've also got a 7" vinyl record of an interview they done at the gig. Im 62 now and I've seen many bands live, mainly punk bands from around that time. Saw The Clash 3 times, The Damned a couple of times, The Buzzcocks, very early Adam & the Ants, i could go on. The Clash and Pistols are the best I've seen live. Forgot to say The Ramones couldn't touch them live
A really good documentary about punk music generally, the times, and this band is *Punk: Attitude* . It talks about both the British and American scenes, but it focuses the social/political context of the British scene a lot more than the American one. Sid Vicious was the bass player, and Johnny Rotten was the singer. His real name is John Lydon, and he went on to be in a band called Public Image Limited, which is quite good. A lot of the film in this video came from when the band played on a boat in the River Thames near the houses of Parliament during Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee and got arrested.
I think that the couplet, "God Save the Queen, She ain't no human bein' " has got to be in the Top 3, if not #1 of the best lyric lines of the entire 20th century!!!!
Nailed it on the social point. The music and the interviews they did completely portrayed the working class anger against Margret Thatcher and the lack of Work/opportunities
I've only vague recollection of the Sex Pistols as was only 8 years old when this was released but it is without doubt a very influential album that inspired future bands that emerged later. I love this album. Economically the mid to late 70's was a tough time in the UK with rising unemployment especially among young people and high inflation. It was also quite violent with the IRA bombs, violent clashes between striking workers and police and football (soccer) hooliganism was rife. The Sex Pistols mirrored the chaos of the time.
well now i have to admit to being 59 .. another good way to learn about the politics in England from the time frame would be the Clash - london calling and so many others. I have this record on 12" my 5 yr old loves it and most of the music i play for her. ESP The Specials, Nick Cave, Skinny Puppy, Misfits, and many many more... great to see new blood exposed to the Pistols
As a fan of this era, I remember it as a big middle finger to the establishment. It was loud, fun, and completely childish, and we knew it then, but we still loved it. But no one who was serious took it seriously, but thats what made it fun.
The EIIR thing you saw in flames stands for Elizabeth Regina, the second. This song is about the monarchy, so it's no surprise that a lot of the lyrics are aimed at Queen Elizabeth II. Johnny Rotten on Vocals Steve Jones on Guitar Sid Vicious on Bass Paul Cooke on Drums
Getting his autograph soon! Lydon is a legend. They were AGAINST the establishment. Glen Matlock is a great bloke, signed Pretty Vacant for me. I asked him if he missed the Sex Pistols, he replied I miss a caring government! beautiful honest words, never get that with politicians anymore!
Ok, so the story here is that this song became a #1 hit in the UK. It was officially listed (in UK) with a blank title. When they wanted a music vid, no one would rent them space, so they chartered this Thames paddle boat or whatever it is and then got shut down as they blasted the song to the whole City with much media fanfare. Couldn’t pay for better publicity!!
The band existed for such a short while, that the bass player, Sid Vicious, actually doesn't play on any of the records. Or, rather, on the one record they recorded. That bass player you hear on the record is Glen Matlock. Who was fired for liking the Beatles! Well, I think that is just a story, but anyhoot. In the video, you can see the bass player, Sid, looking kind of shy. Which is probably because at the time he couldn't really play the bass yet, he was the former drummer of Siouxie and the Banshees. But he was a friend of Johnny Rotten, the singer of Sex Pistols, so he got the job as a bass player that way. His story is kind of sad, he died way too young, and in a sad way. There's a great movie about him, with a young Gary Oldman playing him, Sid and Nancy.
Yeah, Sid's story is kind of sad, a junkie who murdered his own girlfriend and then OD'd a while later. I'm sure the parents of the girl he killed are weeping for poor old Sid. Sid Vicious was a complete piece of shit in life (in addition to being a talentless hack of a musician as well), just because he's dead doesn't make his story sad.
Glad you enjoyed it was funny the boat in video was going up and down the thames on same day queen celebrating 25 yrs on theine and when they docked in port got boarded and arrested legend's
There's footage of Richard Branson getting off the boat. I thought it was in this clip but I didn't see him so I either missed it or it was from another clip.
You mention you like the guitar in this song...The guitar player is Steve Jones. A little know fact about Jones is that he is considered to be in the top 100 best guitar players of ever. He played all guitars, lead, bass whatever, on the entire Never Mind The Bullocks album.
If you can search out the pistols film , The filth and the fury , it's on RUclips it will give you a pretty good understanding of that time , it was a fantastic time to be a teenager loved that band
The Sex Pistols only released one album ... yet they changed music forever. Nevermind the Bollocks is an essential album for everyone. A record to live your life by.
Britain was going through a bad period at that time, and the Sex Pistols and punk scene in general just seemed to capture the frustration and general sense of no hope, or no future as this song states. The Pistols lit the touch paper and a whole movement sprung up around them. Young people who had been taught to stay in line and accept their fate suddenly decided to rebel and make their own voices heard.
I would really succeed reading the John Lydon autobiography, titled Rotten. You really find out quickly where the animosity and disdain came from. Just imagine being his age and growing up Irish in England. Also, his interviews are gold.
it was 1977 and it was the 25th anniversary of queen elizabeth ii's coronation in 1952 - contrary to what people outside the uk think , not all british people support the monarchy and this was a protest against the monarchy- the single was banned in the uk( a reason was never given why it was banned)but it went to number 2 in the charts, a big deal in 1977- there was suspicion that the record was held off number 1 spot by government intervention
They were very influential. If you believe the movie, 24 Hour Party People, there were about a dozen people at their show in Manchester who formed a dozen bands after seeing them. The only band that kicked off the formation of more bands was The Beatles. Britain, in the mid-seventies, the only thing for young people to do was work in a factory, go on the dole or start a band.
I remember hearing Anarchy in the UK for the first time which was a game changer.... and waited and waited for Never Mind The Bollocks to be released.. I bought the first Clash album and The Dammed as well.. all great albums.. I wore out Never Mind The Bollocks .. a great album.. The Pistols hit the heights and crashed very quickly.. Lydon formed PIL who put out a few decent albums..Public Image , the single, was the most perfect rock single.. since then , imho, he's disappeared up his own arse.. never grew up.. thinks he's smarter than he is.. He said he would vote Trump because it annoyed people.. I realised he was a man in his sixties who was still, intellectually , a child.. wanting to shock.. and seek attention.. Kudos though to him.. he looked after, and cared for his wife when she had dementia.. much respect on that.
Johnny Rotten on vocals. Sid on the bass. They chartered a boat to play during the silver jubilee of the queen, and ended up getting broken up by the police. There's a wider context of British politics, and decline around this time that they're angry about.
The mainstream media of the time did go a bit overboard about the sex pistols and the shock value of some of their songs. Being in my late teens at the time music was a big influence. As a geriatric it is still an absolute pleasure to go out in the car with the windows down and the system up playing "Anarchy in the UK"....
They played this song on a boat on the river Thames outside the queens castle on her 50th birthday. Their their record was #1 but the charts rufused to post it. So #1 was black on the charts. They were almost all arrested as the boat docked. Johnny Rotten was almost murdered by a man on the street for these songs. The shit was real and they were the pioneers
You have to understand America Great Britain and France and New Zealand were all coming out of Vietnam and all those countries suffered a recession because of it. There was no jobs there was hyperinflation! And people were getting frustrated not just in England. In America as well!
Perhaps you have not heard their stuff, but you have certainly heard some music influenced by them, maybe the big takeaway here is, almost 5 decades later, people are still talking about it John (Johnny Rotton) Lydon on vocal. They played on a barge because no one could pull the power, they were pretty much banned from everywhere by then, but they still had a statement to make. It was Jubilee year, 1977, ER-II is Elisebeth Regina II (The Queen) The song was banned everywhere, radio stations would not, or would not dare play it. The charts had a blank space at number 2, though some say it outsold everything but the numbers were fudged to stop it being number 1. I think that is possible. I was just a kid at the time, Britain was still recovering from war, there was a fair bit of unrest and the Pistols had something to say and found a platform to say it... Happy history hunting, the story is fragmented but fascinating. Check out the rest of the album! lol
Thanks, I'm not sure if political or social issues are really being discussed here, think you have to live in the UK to really get a feeling about living in a decaying empire with everything falling apart which likes to hold extravagant pageantry to celebrate itself, if anything this seems even more true in 2024 than it did in 1977 - I would check out Bob Vylan for an up to date example of this mixture of nihilistic rage and despair which is also kind of cheeky.
Those burning letters, EIIR. That's Elizabeth the second, Regina. Queen Elizabeth the Second. The song is so angry and angsty because of the political situation at the time. Leftist governments had left for rightist ones. Poor people were worried, labour unions were losing influence. Strikes, unemployment. Angry times. Who to blame, I don't know, but the Sex Pistols surely blamed the establishment!
According to John Lydon's book, he said the song had been written earlier, but hadn't been released for some reason or other. Coinciding with the Queen's Silver Jubilee wasn't deliberate, just luck, like a number of Pistols happenings.
there was lots of recession at the time. it is of the generation X, sometimes called the lost generation. post baby boomer optimism. pre tech explosion. nihilism and anti establishment. check their other title "anarchy in th UK" for a clue what they felt. Dont forget Glenn Matlock the original bass player who was the key lyric writer of both tunes
I can imagine once this theme came out in 1976; the British government must have felt insulted along with the queen herself. Technically, this song is such a protest against the British reality back in the day.
This song, along with their entire Never Mind the Bollocks album, is simply electrifying. The Sex Pistols changed music forever.
The lead singer is John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten. The bass player was Sid Vicious.
And the reactor was my gal 😂😅
@@alel3994yikes, go outside, guy.
In the video, that was Syd, but he didn't play on their (one and only) album. Glen Matlock played bass on the album then split. He had an interesting career afterwards.
Simon John Ritchie aka Sid Vicious. Steve Jones on guitar and Paul Cook on drums
Think steve jones played bass on the album
Sid Vicious was the bass player. The singer was Johnny Rotten (John Lydon). The song was released during the Queen's Silver Jubilee (25th anniversary as queen). The video is from an event the Pistols' manager arranged. He rented a barge and had them play as it was pulled down the River Thames in front of the Queen's palace. Police boarded the barge and arrested them.
Not the Queen's Palace. It was in front of Westminster Abby.
Yeah but sid was not a bass player hehe
can't get much more punk than that 😉
@@bjrnhagen2853Indeed - he didn't actually play on many of their songs as Steve Jones played both guitar and bass because Sid struggled with his playing.
Yepp everyone knows that 😉
They were such big influences on so many great bands/artists. Kurt Cobain, Morrissey, Joy Division, Oasis, Guns N’ Roses, just to name a few.
Megadeth
And this sound born when The Ramones came to UK in 76. As always, the british improved it.
@danilson69 😆 if by improved you mean copied it and pretended it was new.
@@danilson69some would say Australian band The Saints were a bigger influence as Malcom McLaren encouraged The Sex Pistols their sound should be similar to The Saints
Not to mention anarcho-punk bands like Crass, Conflict, The Subhumans and Poison Girls.
That album is still my favorite punk album of all time. I'm 58 and still listen to it sometimes. There wasn't major rioting or anything going on in this video. I believe that footage was from a show they tried to do on a boat and the police came to shut it down because it was disturbing the peace. The police were the rioters really, coming in to bust heads, not the punks. The Sex Pistols were just from the poor working class in England and were just pissed off at society in general. They were rebelling against everything and anything, really. Steve Jones the guitarist has a really cool interview show he does now in LA called Jonesy's Jukebox.
They were disturbing the Queen's jubilee flotilla by playing their music. A publicity stunt engineered by Malcom McLaren.
@@jco207 Ah, yes. That sounds about right. I'm sure that's all it was for Malcom and maybe a little bit for some of the band even, but I do believe him when Johnny says his reasons were their disgust at the big disconnect between the opulence of the monarchy and the poverty of the people. Whatever the reasons, I'm glad the Sex Pistols happened anyway.
That album, their one and only, is hands down one of the best albums from start to finish there is. It is, quite possibly, better than almost every punk band's greatest hits album (with the possible exception of the two icons The Clash & The Ramones). Seriously, 'Bollocks ' is that good.
This video was produced on a barge on the Thames River through Central London in earshot of all the bigwigs at a gala event celebrating 25years of the reign of Elizabeth ll. The barge was boarded by the river police in order to halt the performance. This comprises some of the police footage.
1977 was marked by increasing social problems including mass strikes, power outages and economic hardship. The late year following year 1978 which saw Thatcher sweep to power became known as "The Winter of Discontent". I remember it well. Regular power cuts, piles of uncollected trash, army doing fire service work because even the regular firemen were on strike. Both my parents were on strike several times as were our school teachers.
Ostensibly the 'discontent' was economic however it is interesting to note that in real wages we are no better off today than then.
I'd argue that Never Mind the Bollocks is one of the most influential albums of all time ergo The Sex Pistols being one of the most influential bands of all time.
Hi. I'm 58 too! Lol. There is a widely held belief that during 1977 when this was released, the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations were in full swing. This song outsold everything two to one, despite being banned from radio-play here in the UK. Nevertheless, anecdotal evidence from all of the record stores involved, had the Sex Pistols at number one in the charts. When the week of the Jubilee arrived, miraculously the charts had Rod Stewart's 'First Cut is the Deepest' as the Number 1 and the UK's 'best-selling' song. It was and continues to be a disgrace that the Palace and The UK Government conspired to manipulate the UK Charts this way. Makes you wonder what else is being quietly manipulated don't it? Lol. Great reaction Sweets x
It's hard to know quite who was involved, but it's true that for one week the charts didn't count sales from Virgin Records' shops, where sales would have been higher due to the pistols being on their label.
Legend is that Johnny and Malcolm their manager did not like each other. At one point in the video you can hear "they are arresting Malcolm". Supposedly the police went up to johnny and asked him which one was johnny rotten and he pointed to Malcolm and said "that's hm right there" and they arrested the wrong guy.
Great Rayaction! Yes, their rage was fueled by the terrible economic conditions in the UK at the time. The country was celebrating the Queen’s jubilee and these teens from the poor part of London said no, we aren’t happy about being ruled by a queen.
Flashed like a comet across the horizon. England was burning with class resentment. Young punks with no future expressing themselves in crime and rioting and punk rock. This was the #1 single when it was released, even though it was banned by the BBC. They only did one album and one USA tour, but it's one of the best rock n roll albums ever and the tour was a legendary, epic disaster. God save Johnny Rotten. Keep on rockin
I was around then growing up in a fairly poor family in the U.K. With hindsight the optimism and change of the 1960s hadn’t reached the less affluent parts of the country. By the mid 70s our UK post industrial decay came with nothing for young people but the expectation of being poor, downtrodden, lied to and grim. Betrayal by society. John Lydon was chosen as vocalist for the pistols. He wrote about how hopeless it felt (pretty vacant), how we were ignored by the affluent (God Save The Queen), teenage pregnancy (Bodies), lies by the establishment and what they deserved (EMI) and escape from it (Holidays in the Sun).
The anger was uncorked. And then we moved on. The last songs attributed to the pistols were people trying to squeeze heat out of a dying ember. But a few years later we got Thatcher and change. Maybe not what was envisaged but many of us grasped that new world and made a life for ourselves from it. I certainly did.
John Lydon is a champion of honesty and truth to this day. That campaign for transparency and honesty which was at the heart of it for youth continues with other bands and music, art and literature.
But the Pistols God Save the Queen and all of Never Mind the Bollocks sentimentally holds a special place for those of us who, when young found it something to hold onto when there wasn’t much for us at all.
I was just about to leave secondary school when punk arrived , so ended up with a school uniform held together with safety pins and sprayed with arrosol paint. Saw most punk bands of that brief era and met some great like minded people on the streets , kings road being one , and at gigs. Literally still have my original bondage trousers and T shirts etc up my loft , and still have all my original punk vinyl , both singles and albums including a number of coloured vinyl .
A mate of ours actually formed and is still in a punk band called Vicious Rumours , not to be confused with the rock band of the same name , but they were there at the start and still going , so big shout out to John Mundy. Best time to have been a teenager was definitely the 70s and the whole punk scene. You want more insight into the pistols , watch the filth and the fury.
Steve Jones is one of the most underrated guitarist of all time
Yeah, by this time he had almost learned the basics. Good thing Chrissie Hynde was around to teach him
@tomaskiraly4612 if by "underrated" you mean not especially good
@@docsavage8640 no i mean underrated mean good
I agree with you. He may not be a 'great' guitarist (he ain't Segovia) but he is one of the all-time best Rock'n'Roll guitarists; he really gets the MUSIC!
E ii R = Elizabeth 2nd Regina (Queen Elizabeth 2nd). You should also do The Clash. Another influential band.
And Siouxsie and the Banshees
Please no
Check out the Damned they were the first band to cut a record and are still playing, formed in 1976.
They were massive and had a huge influence on music and the youngster's lives...i know i was there and 16 at the time! They turned music on its head! I still play guitar today and love it, to this day! Im guessing you have seen the tv interview with Bill Grundy? First time the F word was used on prime time tv in the uk..Steve Jones, a legend!! Riots also happened all over the uk at this time...people were pissed off!!
iirc the first use of the F word was Kenneth Tynan in 1965
Your comments about the disproportionate impact Sex Pistols had is spot on. As a group they produced one album. And with that one album they literally changed the trajectory of popular music in the Western world.
And only played 50 shows. Must’ve been something to be around England back then.
"they literally changed the trajectory of popular music in the Western world" - ever heard of the word overstatement? After all, we ended up with the likes of Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift. They were nevertheless a great, influential band.
@@EmmaPeelman No, they didn’t eliminate all other forms of pop, but that’s a rather ridiculous metric to apply to anyone, isn’t it? I mean, even the Beatles would fail that test of yours, wouldn’t they.
@@submandave1125 Erm... it was not me that made an utterly ridiculous statement to begin with.
"Where there's no future there can be no sin." This song is a fucking hymn.
I was in high school when this came out and it was such a frying pan to the face of disco. It was awesome! Thank God for British rock and roll! They kept moving the bar every decade
Disco takes actual talent rather than just vomiting in the microphone, and let's not even talk about the dancing, the drunk pub roll is just plain embarrassing as is most of rock's pathetic 4 chords plays all drivel.
@@steve8510You have got to be kidding. Disco was typical sugar coat pop for the masses, which by the way is not difficult to play. Yes, early punk was played with major chords, but with individuals who had drive and were making a statement. Looks like the message in this song went over your head too.
@@douglaslorin739 Garage band level addicts.. disco is just a generic word for dance r&b techno etc where is punk now? because they play dance music at nightclubs so disco never dies
@@steve8510 I have never heard of disco being used to equate the other styles you listed. If I ask any one person what disco is , they would answer it was the dance music of the 70s. R&B, dance, etc are their own things. As far as punk goes, yes it is not as prolific as it once was, but the Sex Pistols album and many others encouraged countless other groups in rock and other genres, and I guarantee they influence others to this day to start up a band. Screw being the next guitar phenomenon, just bang it out and have something to say.
@@douglaslorin739 Then they wouldn't know very much about the evolution of music and I doubt they've ever been to a nightclub
Wasnt a riot, was Queens jubilee celebrations, the police raided the boat the pistols were playing on, the singer is Johnny Rotten ( lydon) Sid was bass player
Gotta love some good ol' punk rock! Keep up the great reactions!
This band changed everything
No it didn't but some find it pretty to think so
Yes it did
It did for me.
Well that’s patently not true.
This video was shot in 1977 during the queens silver jubilee , they gate crashed on a thames river boat , John lydon ( johnny rotten ) vocals , sid vicious bass the ER ypu saw was the queens initoals (Elizabeth Regina the second) .The band had a motto -Cash From chaos, I strongly reccomend you view the film The Great Rock And Roll Swindle . Regards.
We had no Job's no money at the time and this music spoke to teenagers +!!
There will never ever again be a band with so much influence as the sex pistols.
YES LOOK AT THE HISTORY--MINER'S STRIKE, MAGGIE THATCHER ETC
Great review; In the late 70s here in New Zealand, my neighbour bought the 45 of God save the Queen, blue cover, he played it on a three-in one stereo, one of those old cabinet systems you lift the lid up. We stood around stunned, guitar like a chainsaw, complete anger. What was unique is that bands from the UK had a universal impact, one that extended beyond the parameters of the UK.
Being blunt is the British way
I thought quiet desperation was the English way.
@@cmblitz I don't know that one😊
Came here to say this. 😅@@cmblitz
If you ain't got 'Never mind the Bollocks', you ain't really into music. This is era defining and awesome. :)
When this song came out, it showed in the newspapers and publications in the Uk as a blank spot as the title.
If you want to know about this era of Britain and the Pistols relation to it, I’d probably just pop in “The Filth & the Fury”, a 2000 doc on them. Handles it quite well.
And this footage is from when they rented a barge and blasted this song on the river outside the palace during the Queen’s jubilee celebration. The police were there to arrest them as soon as they came ashore.
Short lived, but very influential band.
Hey hey , my my it’s better to burn out……….
I was fortunate enough to see them at Middlesborough Rock Garden here in the UK in 1977. I've also got a 7" vinyl record of an interview they done at the gig. Im 62 now and I've seen many bands live, mainly punk bands from around that time. Saw The Clash 3 times, The Damned a couple of times, The Buzzcocks, very early Adam & the Ants, i could go on. The Clash and Pistols are the best I've seen live. Forgot to say The Ramones couldn't touch them live
A really good documentary about punk music generally, the times, and this band is *Punk: Attitude* . It talks about both the British and American scenes, but it focuses the social/political context of the British scene a lot more than the American one.
Sid Vicious was the bass player, and Johnny Rotten was the singer. His real name is John Lydon, and he went on to be in a band called Public Image Limited, which is quite good.
A lot of the film in this video came from when the band played on a boat in the River Thames near the houses of Parliament during Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee and got arrested.
They made just one album! But what an album it was 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
Johnny Rotten, the singer, is a huge Kate Bush fan. One album and that's all they needed.
One successful album and you to can be worth 40 million dollars...at least from back in the early days
I think that the couplet, "God Save the Queen, She ain't no human bein' " has got to be in the Top 3, if not #1 of the best lyric lines of the entire 20th century!!!!
Massive impact for such a short time.
“ we are the flowers in the dust bin” riget on John. The kids/youth telling the establishment that they are the only real thing.
Nailed it on the social point. The music and the interviews they did completely portrayed the working class anger against Margret Thatcher and the lack of Work/opportunities
not really an attack on Queen Elizabeth, but on the monarchy itself
"Sid vicious on vocals" wtf ksksksjskksjs
Please go back and do some research.before doing a reaction,,,it helps.
You should check out "Pretty Vacant", "Anarchy In The UK", "Holidays In The Sun" as well.
It's footage from the Sex Pistols being arrested on the Thames.
I've only vague recollection of the Sex Pistols as was only 8 years old when this was released but it is without doubt a very influential album that inspired future bands that emerged later. I love this album. Economically the mid to late 70's was a tough time in the UK with rising unemployment especially among young people and high inflation. It was also quite violent with the IRA bombs, violent clashes between striking workers and police and football (soccer) hooliganism was rife. The Sex Pistols mirrored the chaos of the time.
They played this song on a flotilla behind the queen's palace during her jubilee, and their manager malcom was arested for it.
The song was released during Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee in 1977.
well now i have to admit to being 59 .. another good way to learn about the politics in England from the time frame would be the Clash - london calling and so many others. I have this record on 12" my 5 yr old loves it and most of the music i play for her. ESP The Specials, Nick Cave, Skinny Puppy, Misfits, and many many more... great to see new blood exposed to the Pistols
As a fan of this era, I remember it as a big middle finger to the establishment. It was loud, fun, and completely childish, and we knew it then, but we still loved it. But no one who was serious took it seriously, but thats what made it fun.
The EIIR thing you saw in flames stands for Elizabeth Regina, the second. This song is about the monarchy, so it's no surprise that a lot of the lyrics are aimed at Queen Elizabeth II.
Johnny Rotten on Vocals
Steve Jones on Guitar
Sid Vicious on Bass
Paul Cooke on Drums
Getting his autograph soon! Lydon is a legend.
They were AGAINST the establishment.
Glen Matlock is a great bloke, signed Pretty Vacant for me. I asked him if he missed the Sex Pistols, he replied I miss a caring government! beautiful honest words, never get that with politicians anymore!
Malcom McLaren engineered British punk. Got the idea when he saw the New York Dolls and the Ramones in CBGBs.
Great reaction
Ok, so the story here is that this song became a #1 hit in the UK. It was officially listed (in UK) with a blank title. When they wanted a music vid, no one would rent them space, so they chartered this Thames paddle boat or whatever it is and then got shut down as they blasted the song to the whole City with much media fanfare.
Couldn’t pay for better publicity!!
This was recorded on the Thames during the Queens jubilee. I suggest watching the TV series based on Steve Jones book.
5:09 I think it's Malcom McLaren, Sex Pistols's manager.
Fireworks were during the Queen's Jubilee. 🥳
The band existed for such a short while, that the bass player, Sid Vicious, actually doesn't play on any of the records. Or, rather, on the one record they recorded. That bass player you hear on the record is Glen Matlock. Who was fired for liking the Beatles! Well, I think that is just a story, but anyhoot. In the video, you can see the bass player, Sid, looking kind of shy. Which is probably because at the time he couldn't really play the bass yet, he was the former drummer of Siouxie and the Banshees. But he was a friend of Johnny Rotten, the singer of Sex Pistols, so he got the job as a bass player that way. His story is kind of sad, he died way too young, and in a sad way. There's a great movie about him, with a young Gary Oldman playing him, Sid and Nancy.
Yeah, Sid's story is kind of sad, a junkie who murdered his own girlfriend and then OD'd a while later. I'm sure the parents of the girl he killed are weeping for poor old Sid.
Sid Vicious was a complete piece of shit in life (in addition to being a talentless hack of a musician as well), just because he's dead doesn't make his story sad.
Glad you enjoyed it was funny the boat in video was going up and down the thames on same day queen celebrating 25 yrs on theine and when they docked in port got boarded and arrested legend's
There's footage of Richard Branson getting off the boat. I thought it was in this clip but I didn't see him so I either missed it or it was from another clip.
Steve jones guitar Hero 🎸
You mention you like the guitar in this song...The guitar player is Steve Jones. A little know fact about Jones is that he is considered to be in the top 100 best guitar players of ever. He played all guitars, lead, bass whatever, on the entire Never Mind The Bullocks album.
If you can search out the pistols film , The filth and the fury , it's on RUclips it will give you a pretty good understanding of that time , it was a fantastic time to be a teenager loved that band
The Sex Pistols only released one album ... yet they changed music forever. Nevermind the Bollocks is an essential album for everyone. A record to live your life by.
it is a punk fairy tale without the happy ending!
She should read Jon Savage's "England's Dreaming" and watch the documentary "The Filth and the Fury".
Sex Pistols are a momentary phenomenon that can't truly be understood unless you lived it.😢
Britain was going through a bad period at that time, and the Sex Pistols and punk scene in general just seemed to capture the frustration and general sense of no hope, or no future as this song states. The Pistols lit the touch paper and a whole movement sprung up around them. Young people who had been taught to stay in line and accept their fate suddenly decided to rebel and make their own voices heard.
I am not sure of others commented but that the video was from when they were banned from playing so they got a boat and did it anyway.
I would really succeed reading the John Lydon autobiography, titled Rotten.
You really find out quickly where the animosity and disdain came from. Just imagine being his age and growing up Irish in England.
Also, his interviews are gold.
it was 1977 and it was the 25th anniversary of queen elizabeth ii's coronation in 1952 - contrary to what people outside the uk think , not all british people support the monarchy and this was a protest against the monarchy- the single was banned in the uk( a reason was never given why it was banned)but it went to number 2 in the charts, a big deal in 1977- there was suspicion that the record was held off number 1 spot by government intervention
They were very influential. If you believe the movie, 24 Hour Party People, there were about a dozen people at their show in Manchester who formed a dozen bands after seeing them. The only band that kicked off the formation of more bands was The Beatles. Britain, in the mid-seventies, the only thing for young people to do was work in a factory, go on the dole or start a band.
I remember hearing Anarchy in the UK for the first time which was a game changer.... and waited and waited for Never Mind The Bollocks to be released.. I bought the first Clash album and The Dammed as well.. all great albums.. I wore out Never Mind The Bollocks .. a great album.. The Pistols hit the heights and crashed very quickly.. Lydon formed PIL who put out a few decent albums..Public Image , the single, was the most perfect rock single.. since then , imho, he's disappeared up his own arse.. never grew up.. thinks he's smarter than he is.. He said he would vote Trump because it annoyed people.. I realised he was a man in his sixties who was still, intellectually , a child.. wanting to shock.. and seek attention.. Kudos though to him.. he looked after, and cared for his wife when she had dementia.. much respect on that.
maybe the most punk band ever! ♥
A film is out there The Filth & the Fury which will inform you of the band and the times.
Believe it or not, even before the video started, I knew Steve would win you over with his grin 🤣
Johnny Rotten on vocals. Sid on the bass. They chartered a boat to play during the silver jubilee of the queen, and ended up getting broken up by the police. There's a wider context of British politics, and decline around this time that they're angry about.
Huge influence to everything that follows in rock
Steve Jones one of the most underrated guitarist's,his riff's are legendary
The mainstream media of the time did go a bit overboard about the sex pistols and the shock value of some of their songs. Being in my late teens at the time music was a big influence. As a geriatric it is still an absolute pleasure to go out in the car with the windows down and the system up playing "Anarchy in the UK"....
Filth And The Fury. Purest documentary about the band.
Uk 1977- High unemployment, Frustrated angry youth, Riots etc. The music came from the anger.
ER is Elizabeth Regina, (queen Elizabeth)
People will understand the lyrics once they'd all waken up! Still relevant to this day.
They played this song on a boat on the river Thames outside the queens castle on her 50th birthday. Their their record was #1 but the charts rufused to post it. So #1 was black on the charts.
They were almost all arrested as the boat docked. Johnny Rotten was almost murdered by a man on the street for these songs. The shit was real and they were the pioneers
Good film, but just Malcolm's POV. Watch The Filth an the Fury for the full story.
If you want the full dive on the Sex Pistols read "England's Dreaming" by Jon Savage, it's a great social/music history
Check out "Holiday in Cambodia" by The Dead Kennedys.
You have to understand America Great Britain and France and New Zealand were all coming out of Vietnam and all those countries suffered a recession because of it. There was no jobs there was hyperinflation! And people were getting frustrated not just in England. In America as well!
Thanks, miss, Great reaction.
...my skate board days 1979...and the weed had seeds in it.......damn I'm old.....Peace!
Perhaps you have not heard their stuff, but you have certainly heard some music influenced by them, maybe the big takeaway here is, almost 5 decades later, people are still talking about it
John (Johnny Rotton) Lydon on vocal.
They played on a barge because no one could pull the power, they were pretty much banned from everywhere by then, but they still had a statement to make.
It was Jubilee year, 1977, ER-II is Elisebeth Regina II (The Queen)
The song was banned everywhere, radio stations would not, or would not dare play it.
The charts had a blank space at number 2, though some say it outsold everything but the numbers were fudged to stop it being number 1. I think that is possible.
I was just a kid at the time, Britain was still recovering from war, there was a fair bit of unrest and the Pistols had something to say and found a platform to say it...
Happy history hunting, the story is fragmented but fascinating.
Check out the rest of the album! lol
ER is Elizabeth Rex in Latin Elizabeth the Queen!! -they represent socialism against capitalism and they are also veering towards anarchy!!
Regina is Queen, Rex is King
@@hamishericson2050 Well said -I used to walk past a series of postboxes with GR, ER and even VR!!
Thanks, I'm not sure if political or social issues are really being discussed here, think you have to live in the UK to really get a feeling about living in a decaying empire with everything falling apart which likes to hold extravagant pageantry to celebrate itself, if anything this seems even more true in 2024 than it did in 1977 - I would check out Bob Vylan for an up to date example of this mixture of nihilistic rage and despair which is also kind of cheeky.
Those burning letters, EIIR. That's Elizabeth the second, Regina. Queen Elizabeth the Second. The song is so angry and angsty because of the political situation at the time. Leftist governments had left for rightist ones. Poor people were worried, labour unions were losing influence. Strikes, unemployment. Angry times. Who to blame, I don't know, but the Sex Pistols surely blamed the establishment!
According to John Lydon's book, he said the song had been written earlier, but hadn't been released for some reason or other. Coinciding with the Queen's Silver Jubilee wasn't deliberate, just luck, like a number of Pistols happenings.
there was lots of recession at the time. it is of the generation X, sometimes called the lost generation. post baby boomer optimism. pre tech explosion. nihilism and anti establishment. check their other title "anarchy in th UK" for a clue what they felt. Dont forget Glenn Matlock the original bass player who was the key lyric writer of both tunes
You HAD to be there!
I love Johnny Rotten in TV shows and interviews. Fucking Legend!
ER stands for Elizabeth Regina. Regina is Latin for queen. The 1970s and 1980s were very tumultuous times in Britain.
The filth AND the fury, still relevant today
I can imagine once this theme came out in 1976; the British government must have felt insulted along with the queen herself. Technically, this song is such a protest against the British reality back in the day.
I don't think the song was against the Queen (RIP)) but the establishment in in the UK at the time.