As a die hard Sex Pistols fan, this made my day. Proof that these guys acted unprofessional, but took music seriously. Sounded great, especially the more pissed Johnny Rotten became, cos his vocals sound better the angrier he gets. Superb.
This is without doubt one of the best things I've ever listened to when it comes to the sex pistols - no bullshit production and they probably didn't even know they were being recorded. Sober and clean they sounded amazing at this point. Massive thank you for being there and making the effort to record it and share it for others.
He was shit. Ditching Glen was the beginning of the end, although I couldn't see them doing more than one album together even if Glen stayed. But to hear his melodic bass tones over Bollocks would have been awesome. Thank God for Spunk
Steve Jones best ever. He said he couldn't play that well. He's just being modest. He was incredibly good. The tones the riffs the licks all performed impeccably
its a good job there was one real musician in the band otherwise, theyd have really been up shit creek. Looking back though, they were a necessary step in the furtherance of popular recorded music.. John Lydon nowadays has my great respect too, for being one of the very few people who at the time, when in amongst the BBC, dared to 'out' what Jimmy Saville was really up to.
Sid may have not been the best technical bass player, but I love his raw backing vocal. That photo of him coming off the bus with what looks like a stand-in for a Beastie Boys video is priceless.
the bollocks record...was raw, primal and mostly live, this tape is the same band but totally w/out a net live. not too much different...these yng geezers had something me thinks.
@@jamesian-allen8725 bollocks still sounds fantastic, but has "wall of guitar" tracking to beef it up. This cassette sounds pretty amazing considering the time and technology....
lee shafer Bad Brains recorded their best shit on an 8 track or maybe a 4. Still stands as one of the best hardcore/punk albums today. But yeah. The Sex Pistols were no Bad Brains.
the first question any guitarist (like Brian May) asks Steve Jones is "How did you get that guitar sound on Bollocks? (Les Paul Custom through a dimed Twin Reverb with a pair of Gauss speakers in the Twin. Jones is a fantastic player.
This sound check is really tight. Also very similar to the recordings. Yet the concerts are lose and wild. Just shows that behind closed doors they were pretty accomplished.
By this time, the Pistols were actually pretty good, tight and coherent. What I love the most is they were so fuckin unique. I have listened their music now for 38 years and I never get tired of it. No feelings is my huge fave. And Belsen.
Haha I knew before listening that John would be telling sound to turn Steve down. That was great, sound was amazing considering how it was recorded. Thanks for posting.
The difference between this and a regular bootleg is there's no audience so the sound quality is remarkable. Thanks for uploading! The photos are great. Also puts to bed the idea that they were shite musicians just winging it
Jonesy was crisp and delivered these notes with perfection. Band should have kept Matlock, he had the greatest musicality of the bunch, they'd have lasted longer.
Well, for starters genius, the phrase is " With all DUE respect " not DO respect " Glen Matlock was the guy that wrote the Riffs, the Hooks, most of the songs. PRETTY VACANT came to Glen when he was coming home on a train and Glen has made the very honest admission that he got the idea from SOS by ABBA. DICK, I can tell you that Matlock was booted out of THE SEX PISTOLS because he liked PAUL McCARTNEY. DICK, THE SEX PISTOLS music is brilliant, great, fantastic because of Glen Matlock, not Sid Vicious. Matlock is a very smart guy, so is John Lydon. Sid looked and played the role of an archetypal PUNK. Sid had the sneer and the attitude that Malcolm loved. Malcolm was the mastermind and puppeteer of the band. I think everyone except Sid ( and Dick Dickerson ) knew it was all a scam and a ROCK n ROLL SWINDLE.
I love how johnny claims that there was NO sound cheek before the winterland gig.. just another one of his selective memory.. great piece of history.. nice sound cheek
workin' w/the Ramones, close to 20 yrs, i find, these "sound checks" better than the finish'd product! and, you get the feeling that they're playin just for you! thanks 4 popp'n this up, i lovitt!
If only they’d replaced Glen Matlock with an equally good bass player things could of been different....McClaren was a genius manager in one respect but a total dick in other ways.
Band soundcheck fine, drums were mic'd up proper, and the guitar tone was very good, along with the vocals and background vocals. Bass was on it as well. This is the best I heard these guys sound, compared to the other live videos circulating around during this time period. RIP, Sid.
Sid, just before the last tune, starts playing “I Don’t Wanna Go Down To The Basement” from the first Ramones album, and Steve and Paul jump right in. Johnny promptly threatens to leave…
wow, never thought I would ever hear this. I recorded this on a cassette back in 78 from KSAN, except my copy doesnt have the first 6 min or so, and doesnt have No Feelings at the end. I always wondered if anyone had this besides me. Thank you
@@haupper 'Belsen Was a Gas' -- ugh. That piece of shit still makes it hard to be a Pistols fan sometimes. One of two serious lyrical embarassments in an otherwise steller oeuvre.
@@contentstarved991 Just some stupid shit Sid wrote, trying to be shocking. It opens with this couplet: "Belsen was a gas I heard the other day/In the open graves where the Jews all lay." It gets worse from there.
+onlyjoetee Steve was a born guitarist. Those licks on the intro of this tape are really good. He could clearly hear stuff and pick it up as he went along.
I don't know why you guys keep acting like this proves he could play, he's out of time and tune constantly and he drops out here and there. He could play in the sense that he knew the songs enough to kind of strum along with them but his playing here wouldn't be good enough for most open mic night bands.
@quiflington Mike Brown is a faux fan. Doesn't understand punk rock, or what made the Sex Pistols great. He's not qualified to make the statements he makes. I hope this kind of "fan" goes away soon.
thanks again for posting this in its entirety Jim...it's a real treat for us longtime fans and always great when a rare treasure like this surfaces.so thanks for having the foresight to tape this..and keeping the tape all these years (and not taping over it,with some bullshit like Bob Segar or tom petty or some other crap) and for posting it without editing anything..gives a real "fly on the wall" feel to it...you get double thumbs up in my igloo for this 'un...all hail Jim draper!!!!
Glad you enjoyed it! Hope to finish a doc on KSAN (who broadcast the '78 Winterland show) for release next year. Will post trailer on my site when ready.
Jim- Did you know this tape is playing too fast? Like a whole step (2 keys) too fast? It sounds good like this, but it's a distortion of what the real performance sounded like. Any way to slow it back to concert pitch? Thanks!
The first bootleg LP I ever bought was the Chelsea Bath release of the Winterland show, which sounded like it was recorded through a wet sock in a supply closet in a building across the street. What an improvement to hear this sonically superior soundcheck recording that could have been made yesterday.
Great report, very interesanting, the BEST sound i never listened of pistols. Congratlations. I was ten years old then and in knowed It with eleven. They changed my life
Brilliant,first time i.ve ever heard this. Sid could play. Just really good hearing Sid away from all the bullshit. Rotten saying turn Sid down,classic. Even though the pistols eventually became a circus there can never be a more fearsome sight than Rotten Jones Vicious and Cook in front of you. Cheers Jim
The Sex Pistols are so great,even now 2022 sound awesome and modern,it s difficult to believe the way they play so well at a very young age(around 15 when started the band).Steve Jones is the best guitar player ,Cook, Matlock and Lydon all are really a tight line up,Sid was sometimes acceptable playing some notes.longhorn ballroom in the U S tour was a great performance.The Sex Pistols changed the world!!!
Jones was 23 in '78 so I dought if they started the Pistols as such aged 15 as early as 1970.Still great though.Its punk all right ,but with more rock and ( very important) roll than most
People are complaining about Johnny asking for sid to be turned down and they're thinking its sids bass that's being asked to be turned down but it's not, johnnys asking for sids background vocals to be turned because they're coming up louder than his own in the stage monitors.
Their voices sounded well together during the chorus, Lydon doesn’t like to share the limelight.... This soundcheck and most of the US tour shows Sid could play. Not well, but he could play.
Buying God Save The Queen on 7" in 1977 was lifechanging for me. Finding something new and unheard this many years after the fact is fucking stunning. Thanks for posting this. It's amazing to hear. Hearing how much Lydon cares and how he's trying to make it the best-sounding thing he can is pretty great. Showing the professionalism behind his "I don't care about anything" act. Wonderful! I used to record people secretly at WHFS when they stopped by. I have a lot of DAT tapes of bands playing unheard stuff that I've also never bootlegged! Nice job, man!
What are you talking about? If this proves Sid could play then you must think every middle schooler garage band can "play" too. Sid is awful here. He drops out, he's out of time, out of tune, he has no technique or sense of rthym. Really, if you honestly think his playing is anything but awful here you're just silly. If you heard his "playing" and didn't know it was Sid Vicious you'd think it was garbage. Playing A Ramones riff doesn't mean you can play. Being able to play a whole song, in time, in tune, without stopping, and with feeling, means you could play. And did couldn't. His playing reminds me of when a non playing friend of mine will come over, pick up,one of my guitars and plonk around on it. They might scratch out the riff to Smoke On the Water or maybe a basic riff to a Ramones tune but they couldn't play the actual song. That's the level Sid is "playing" at here.
Sid is better than most people say, he improvised and follows johns vocal line with his bass, can play and do backing, and tunes himself-he wasn’t exceptional but he was pretty good in all honesty
Sid definitely learned on the job, at this point he was somewhat competent, could keep up with Steve and in general played a lot better than people gave him credit for.
This is amazing. Thanks so much! What I'm most surprised about is actually hearing Sid's bass, and he's playing pretty much the right notes! The band sounds particularly vicious here (yeah, I know, no pun intended). That guitar tone, that voice ... just amazing. Steve really shines here as well.
Nothing funny about that he was just saying to turn down Sid from the monitors of his vocals because he was louder than Johnny and second vocals are always lower.
This sounds amazing, pieces of documentation like this gain their value as time goes on, I love how this is some kind of truly unbiased documentation, just the tape capturing the whole ecosistem as it unfolds, thanks for sharing!!!
15.20 problems how tight is that and don't ever say Sid could not play bass guitar they ALL sounded amazing one hones ones craft and well what if and all that, their music touched me then in 76 and still does now, love to all !!!
Jim thanks so much for posting this! Very cool. I am old enough to remember KSAN and fortunate enough to have seen many fantastic gigs at Winterland. I feel incredibly fortunate for having had the privilege of spending the halcyon days of my wanton youth in "the city" during the 70's and the 80's . The "Fab Mab" Rock On Broadway, Winterland and all the other great venues now gone but not forgotten. Cheers!
Thank you for sharing this !!! I'm a huge fan of the Sex Pistols i have to admit the soundcheck is better than the gig. And yes Sid could play not bad at all.
You think Sid's playing here is good? He was playing in the sense his bass was actually turned on and he's trying to stay with the rest of them but his playing here is horrible. If you just heard his bass isolated here and you didn't know who it was there is no way you would say he could play. He's out of tune, out of time, he drops out at certain points. It must have drove poor Paul nuts trying to keep in time with Sid.
Not in the way that he was a great bass player but if you listen to this soundcheck and the gig at Winterland, he did good sometimes. Not enough for sure. The gigs in Sweden was not bad at all with Sid's bass. He was not a junkie yet.
Awesome upload, thanks for sharing. A genuine piece of nostalgia and history here.....lydon always said they werent allowed to do a soundcheck for this gig! I still feel for steve and paul, they knew it was over when glen went and sid came in. Sid got way too much credit than he deserved, yet remains one of the most iconic figures in rock n roll.....he IS the image of the pistols. The "one album band" just adds to the myth, maybe it was for the best.....limited back catalogue, and virtually every song is a "greatest hit". Still Legends.
Yeah Sid didn't contribute anything. Just absolute nonsense.....It's kind of funny cause the Clash did the same thing with Paul Simonon. They hired him cause he looked cool. He couldn't play either but he got better as time went on. Also Pete Best was hired cause they thought he looked cool. I guess it's an English thing. But Albums You've got "Flogging a Dead Horse" and "Rock & Roll Swindle"
Thanks for posting this. A fantastic rock'n'roll moment frozen in amber. What always comes across in every recording is just how amazing Jones was. Magnificent.
No sh*t... It's a long standing joke. That's what Jones is like. Anyway as I said before, believe what you want to believe. You'll notice most of the comments on this post are about the underestimation of Jones' talent.
This is indeed a rare treasure so thanks a million to the uploader for sharing this, it would have made an amazing bonus to the NMTB box set, especially if it had been shot on 8mm, but for a cassette tape from the late 70's this sounds pretty fucking good. When they released the studio demo of Belsen on RUclips, after decades of thinking such recording doesn't exist, it was mind-blowing to hear. I still prefer the live versions as I think the echo in Johnny's vocals pretty much ruins it, but I guess he never liked the song in the first place and asked for the echo effect as a protest. Anyway this soundcheck tape is awesome stuff! I just found this yesterday, can't believe it's been here for over five years and I've missed it. Sid sounds much better here than during the actual gig, I think he got a fix between this and the show. Also, here he's not bouncing up and down constantly so he doesn't miss as many notes :D But Sid made the gigs LOOK interesting, and his background vocals are hilarious. I just can't listen to / or watch the Filthy Lucre or newer gigs, I can't stand Lydon's PIL voice in Pistols songs, and Matlock is a better bassist but he has zero stage charisma and he's just not very interesting overall. So every time something new from 1977-1978 gets released, it's very exciting for me. Imagine what an eargasm it would be if they played "Sod in Heaven" in its entirety on this soundcheck! Or at least a short clip of it, but I doubt we'll ever get to hear that.
yeah this soundcheck sounds better mix wise than the actual set later on that night. wonder what happened? like the roadies kept handing them guitars that were out of tune . some of the stuff sounds sharp other takes sound flat but bigger sounding than when they actually went on
@4th_Lensman_of_the_apocalypse yes I was watching a live DVD of the Pistols in Japan from the 1996 tour and I was thinking the same about his PIL voice , even when he moves and dances it's very PIL like , which is annoying.
Im gonna assume Sig probably shot up just before the show. Cause he levels out for a moment midway through the show smack wise to play 1 or 2 songs moderately (at best). The rest you barely hear
It's a fucking miracle that this even exists. Sid was exactly what the pistols needed. Otherwise what little happened maybe never would have. Steve fucked up all the time live so Sid's playing is just fine.
What? The Pistols didn't need Sid. They were already the biggest punk band before he joined and he contributed nothing musically. If they had gotten a competent player to replace Matlock or even a beginner who really cared about learning (like Paul Simonon, who had never played bass before joining the Clash) they would have been much better off musically. Sid was just a cartoon and a joke that got old quickly. The guy was a junkie who threw his life away and nobody needs that. Really, when I was 18-19 and knew nothing about music, the Pistols or Sid, I thought Sid was cool. But the more I read about him the more and more I realized what a waste of life he was. Just a junkie murderer. The guy strangled a cat once too. So no, the Pistols didn't need him except maybe to sell T shirts to punk posers.
Questo video, anzi, documento, dovrebbe essere riprodotto in un museo del rock'n'roll. This document should be played in a rock'n'roll museum. Thank you for sharing...
![ARGENTINA vs. PERÚ [1-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 12](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xtI25ENDDSY/mqdefault.jpg)
As a die hard Sex Pistols fan, this made my day. Proof that these guys acted unprofessional, but took music seriously. Sounded great, especially the more pissed Johnny Rotten became, cos his vocals sound better the angrier he gets. Superb.
Listen on headphones the quality is AMAZING
If you are a Pistols fan, This is CLASSIC 💯🔥
"'aaaallo, 'aaaallo, aaaallo!"
This is without doubt one of the best things I've ever listened to when it comes to the sex pistols - no bullshit production and they probably didn't even know they were being recorded. Sober and clean they sounded amazing at this point. Massive thank you for being there and making the effort to record it and share it for others.
They most definitely weren`t "sober and clean",but yeah,they still sounded fantastic.
This is a critical piece of history, and it may be the first time I've really heard Sid's bass.
I wish we could see him too,...Mister Charisma Sid
@@mjh5437 I love his primitive backing vocal.
He was shite as a bass player, looked the part but no talent. This gig is rock history in action though. Sid was used and abused by Malcolm Mclaren
@@TobcioccLeytonok, but I always thought that he was worse than this. Sounds better than I thought he would sound
@@TobcioccLeytonNancy didn’t help much either
Sid knew how to play. The band sounded AMAZING vocals are great and guitar and drums sounding killer .
i prefer Glen though
I must have been listening to someone else play bass then because that was pretty bad.
@@WearySisyphusThat's like saying you prefer fish to chips
He was shit. Ditching Glen was the beginning of the end, although I couldn't see them doing more than one album together even if Glen stayed. But to hear his melodic bass tones over Bollocks would have been awesome. Thank God for Spunk
@@piglos Glen is on Anarchy and Pretty Vacant on Bollocks.
Steve Jones best ever. He said he couldn't play that well. He's just being modest. He was incredibly good. The tones the riffs the licks all performed impeccably
Yeah, Mister Johnny Thunders was a good teacher...
What did he do that was so incredible? What did he do that couldn't be duplicated?
@@nathandodge665 What did he do? He did it first.
I agree. Although I think the Sex Pistols sucked, Jones was and still is a monster on guitar. When he plays, I sit up and take notice.
its a good job there was one real musician in the band otherwise, theyd have really been up shit creek. Looking back though, they were a necessary step in the furtherance of popular recorded music.. John Lydon nowadays has my great respect too, for being one of the very few people who at the time, when in amongst the BBC, dared to 'out' what Jimmy Saville was really up to.
What a fantastic piece of history. Respect due for sharing.
Hello Swift;-))) Yes totally,and I love to see and listen to this now.A great & fantastic memory too!
Le temps passe et passe et passe... Déjà 9 ans que tu as écrit ce message... Et on se disait 9 ans après leur existence que ça faisait déjà loin ...
Sid may have not been the best technical bass player, but I love his raw backing vocal. That photo of him coming off the bus with what looks like a stand-in for a Beastie Boys video is priceless.
He wasn't even the best bass player in the band 😂😂
This was better sound recording than the concert
I'm 60 and I'm still a pistols fan, brilliant song writing and the music to match....sid was iconic!
Jonesy is SUCH a great player. This is an amazing tape. Thanks for sharing something so special.
he did well copying Thunders. The success and invention of punk was Lydon single handed.
@@pennyhemens478 Nonsense
@@pennyhemens478 To the layman who doesn’t understand music, only the vocals are intelligible.
"Sid is still too loud, He's throwing me off" Love it. What a great song lyric.
Contrary to what many people say, Sid knew how to play his bass, the problem was to play totally drunk. Sid is note 5 on the sound pass.
Johnny's referring specifically to Sid's voice on the monitors while doing backing vocals, not his bass playing!
Johnny was pissed off that Sid hadn't taken the soundtrack that seriously. Sorry for my english✌
I'm surprised they had his amp turned on at all
@@danielaschwarz1971 is that Sid...looks a bit too healthy
17:31 Sid plays "I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement" great!
Brilliant! That would have been a great cover for them
Just few words.......
Thank you for sharing this unique and fantastic document
This cassette recording sounds almost as clear as their studio recordings.
Thanks for sharing.
that's no compliment
the bollocks record...was raw, primal and mostly live, this tape is the same band but totally w/out a net live. not too much different...these yng geezers had something me thinks.
@@jamesian-allen8725 bollocks still sounds fantastic, but has "wall of guitar" tracking to beef it up. This cassette sounds pretty amazing considering the time and technology....
lee shafer Bad Brains recorded their best shit on an 8 track or maybe a 4. Still stands as one of the best hardcore/punk albums today. But yeah. The Sex Pistols were no Bad Brains.
the first question any guitarist (like Brian May) asks Steve Jones is "How did you get that guitar sound on Bollocks? (Les Paul Custom through a dimed Twin Reverb with a pair of Gauss speakers in the Twin. Jones is a fantastic player.
This is a piece of history. This is so exciting for all the punk fans. Man. Thank you.
What a recording! 42-43 years ago I would have killed for it…❤
This sound check is really tight. Also very similar to the recordings. Yet the concerts are lose and wild. Just shows that behind closed doors they were pretty accomplished.
Absolutely Sir Bob!!
Always good and wasted by the time it's time to go on lol
One of the most unique uploads on RUclips.
A Holy Grail of sorts..
Something is either unique or it's not. There aren't degrees of uniqueness
MegaHaymaster, and you, my friend are a special kind of special.
True
This proves once again the Pistols weren’t as bad live as everyone said at the time. I was 17 yo and it influenced my further life.
What are you now?
A Neuro Surgeon?
@@greatestytcommentator Yeah maybe he can help you
By this time, the Pistols were actually pretty good, tight and coherent. What I love the most is they were so fuckin unique. I have listened their music now for 38 years and I never get tired of it. No feelings is my huge fave. And Belsen.
Haha I knew before listening that John would be telling sound to turn Steve down. That was great, sound was amazing considering how it was recorded. Thanks for posting.
The difference between this and a regular bootleg is there's no audience so the sound quality is remarkable. Thanks for uploading! The photos are great.
Also puts to bed the idea that they were shite musicians just winging it
Jonesy was crisp and delivered these notes with perfection. Band should have kept Matlock, he had the greatest musicality of the bunch, they'd have lasted longer.
With all do respect I don't agree. They were getting no where with Glen... When they got Sid they exploded and besides that Glen wanted out anyway...
@ddjdd wfgggb would you say that to his face? Come on the truth now . He would punch your lights out brave guy.
Well, for starters genius, the phrase is " With all DUE respect " not DO respect "
Glen Matlock was the guy that wrote the Riffs, the Hooks, most of the songs.
PRETTY VACANT came to Glen when he was coming home on a train and Glen has made the very honest admission that he got the idea from SOS by ABBA.
DICK, I can tell you that Matlock was booted out of THE SEX PISTOLS because he liked PAUL McCARTNEY.
DICK, THE SEX PISTOLS music is brilliant, great, fantastic because of Glen Matlock, not Sid Vicious.
Matlock is a very smart guy, so is John Lydon.
Sid looked and played the role of an archetypal PUNK.
Sid had the sneer and the attitude that Malcolm loved.
Malcolm was the mastermind and puppeteer of the band.
I think everyone except Sid ( and Dick Dickerson ) knew it was all a scam and a ROCK n ROLL SWINDLE.
@@alanstrom2221 you're absolutely right!
@ddjdd wfgggb another keyboard warrior coward idiot now you know you couldn't fight your way out of a wet paper bag 🤣😂
Beautiful and sad at same time. This is a real treasure ! Thank you for posting!
John’s straining at the top of his range on “No Feeling” gives us the beginnings of his PIL approach.
I love how johnny claims that there was NO sound cheek before the winterland gig.. just another one of his selective memory.. great piece of history.. nice sound cheek
What a gem. This is what happens when you choose image over quality. Regardless, no other band made such an impact with one record. Legends.
@Sid Sixx That was a soundtrack.
workin' w/the Ramones, close to 20 yrs, i find, these "sound checks" better than the finish'd product! and, you get the feeling that they're playin just for you! thanks 4 popp'n this up, i lovitt!
Must of been interesting working with the ramones I've been a big fan since 84 seen them live many times 😊
"When we should have been the tighest we were't"
This is incredible to listen to. What an amazing piece of Rock N Roll history. Thank you so much Jim. Sid playing along nicely too.
I was 12 & loved this music then im 53 now & still love it 👍
Now I know where he got the 'Hello, hello, hello' opening to the 'Public Image' single he would record later that year.
Uhm.. How would you check the microphone on a soundcheck yourself??
he just saying dude... btw the standard way is 'testing, testing one two' because of the explosive T sounds.
@@Stigmatix666 you don't, you send a band mate out in to different areas of the venue, who said that, thread is too long to check lol.
It used to be 1 2 1 2 for about half an hour before the band got on stage.
"We're so pretty, oh so pretty...turn Sid down!" LOL
"He's putting me off" lol
@@supermiembro HAHAH, funny stuff
Johnny's referring specifically to Sid's voice on the monitors being too loud, not his bass playing!
He couldn’t play period. They were done when Matlock left. Steve Jones agrees
well.. if you insist on not having a monitor... you get what you're given
'Turn Sid down!' Priceless.
Priceless comment. Ever been on stage with horrible sound in the monitors?
'Turn Sid down, it's putting me off'.
Indeed
Fuck the junkie. What a massive screw up bringing that POS in.
If only they’d replaced Glen Matlock with an equally good bass player things could of been different....McClaren was a genius manager in one respect but a total dick in other ways.
This is fantastic,I work at an arena,and love to listen to soundchecks. This is what they are like,much appreciated.
Band soundcheck fine, drums were mic'd up proper, and the guitar tone was very good, along with the vocals and background vocals. Bass was on it as well. This is the best I heard these guys sound, compared to the other live videos circulating around during this time period. RIP, Sid.
Sid was the greatest rock star of all time....all pretense/no pretense/whatever....
@@johnhechtlinger9465😂
Incredible.
This is an Amazing piece of Pistols History! Finally, A great version of Belsen! I never heard this before. Thanks for posting this.
Sid, just before the last tune, starts playing “I Don’t Wanna Go Down To The Basement” from the first Ramones album, and Steve and Paul jump right in. Johnny promptly threatens to leave…
wow, never thought I would ever hear this. I recorded this on a cassette back in 78 from KSAN, except my copy doesnt have the first 6 min or so, and doesnt have No Feelings at the end. I always wondered if anyone had this besides me. Thank you
PS now I see that this has been pressed onto vinyl is being sold on ebay from various sellers
Am I alone in finding this more interesting and rockin' than the actual show?
Steve said it was about the worst show they ever played. Great version of Belsen though.
@@haupper 'Belsen Was a Gas' -- ugh. That piece of shit still makes it hard to be a Pistols fan sometimes. One of two serious lyrical embarassments in an otherwise steller oeuvre.
@@haupper one of thee influential bands of the 20th century,on the strength of one album,,,,but what an album 😉
@@ericblowtorch what is the song about? I don’t even know.
@@contentstarved991 Just some stupid shit Sid wrote, trying to be shocking. It opens with this couplet: "Belsen was a gas I heard the other day/In the open graves where the Jews all lay." It gets worse from there.
wow cleanest take of sids bassplaying ever!
+Randy Young and he actually tunes to Steve...history has been rewritten
+Randy Young soundquality is amazing too..this could be the rarest pistols shit yet
Turn Sid down, he's putting me off!!
And I sat that woth love as a bass player. 😉
He was the weak link to put it overly kindly
Excellent sound quality and 3 world class talents....and Sid
Crystal clear! great thanks for sharing! Sid tuning his own bass, i'm impressed! i'm only at Belsen so far! love it! 'Boogie! turn me up a bit more'
i love Steve's guitar sound,him and Mick Ronson had great sound..
+onlyjoetee Steve was a born guitarist. Those licks on the intro of this tape are really good. He could clearly hear stuff and pick it up as he went along.
+Alanko Donnet He sucks on guitar ROYALLY
toob maniac no he doesn’t you fucking muppet.
He was a big fan of Mick
@@armil5569 indeed, infact wasn't Bowie one of the acts he robbed lol.
Ironically as much as Rotten is hating how it sounds, they sound their absolute best in this sound check in my opinion even with Sid on base.
Nice sound from a cassette recorder. Drums are on point.🎧🎵
Sid could play, he was evolving but hampered by the smack.
I don't know why you guys keep acting like this proves he could play, he's out of time and tune constantly and he drops out here and there. He could play in the sense that he knew the songs enough to kind of strum along with them but his playing here wouldn't be good enough for most open mic night bands.
@quiflington Mike Brown is a faux fan. Doesn't understand punk rock, or what made the Sex Pistols great. He's not qualified to make the statements he makes. I hope this kind of "fan" goes away soon.
thanks again for posting this in its entirety Jim...it's a real treat for us longtime fans and always great when a rare treasure like this surfaces.so thanks for having the foresight to tape this..and keeping the tape all these years (and not taping over it,with some bullshit like Bob Segar or tom petty or some other crap) and for posting it without editing anything..gives a real "fly on the wall" feel to it...you get double thumbs up in my igloo for this 'un...all hail Jim draper!!!!
Glad you enjoyed it! Hope to finish a doc on KSAN (who broadcast the '78 Winterland show) for release next year. Will post trailer on my site when ready.
Yes, this is priceless. Thanks for not bootlegging it and selling it to me as a teen in the 80's for 30 bucks.
Jim- Did you know this tape is playing too fast? Like a whole step (2 keys) too fast? It sounds good like this, but it's a distortion of what the real performance sounded like. Any way to slow it back to concert pitch? Thanks!
LOL The tape isn't too fast, do you even hear what Rotten is complaining about? They are full of amphetamines AND it's uptuned. SMFH
uh, yeah- a, "treat", understating it!!! ✔️
Wow, amazing stuff...thank you! Love the story at the beginning and photos. Wow. I really appreciate you sharing this!
You're welcome!
Incredible find after all these years. Thank you for unearthing this piece of history, and sharing it with all of us!!!
I don’t think we know how lucky we are. That this guy got this recording personally. I mean he was there in the flesh Amazing
the best is Steve jamming in the beginning
Yeah ridiculously interesting jamming...damn Jonesy always surprising us.
Great guitarist
I had the jumbo poster of pictures taken from this concert. It was awesome. I think I still have it.
The first bootleg LP I ever bought was the Chelsea Bath release of the Winterland show, which sounded like it was recorded through a wet sock in a supply closet in a building across the street. What an improvement to hear this sonically superior soundcheck recording that could have been made yesterday.
Kiitos! Kaunista!
Thanks for this, Jim, amazing piece of music history from one of the greatest bands ever!
Great report, very interesanting, the BEST sound i never listened of pistols. Congratlations. I was ten years old then and in knowed It with eleven. They changed my life
Awesome Recording & it's took me until 2019 to hear this-great love it.
Brilliant,first time i.ve ever heard this. Sid could play. Just really good hearing Sid away from all the bullshit. Rotten saying turn Sid down,classic. Even though the pistols eventually became a circus there can never be a more fearsome sight than Rotten Jones Vicious and Cook in front of you. Cheers Jim
Could he fuck play!
Thanks for sharing this, Cook and Jones are awesome.
The Sex Pistols are so great,even now 2022 sound awesome and modern,it s difficult to believe the way they play so well at a very young age(around 15 when started the band).Steve Jones is the best guitar player ,Cook, Matlock and Lydon all are really a tight line up,Sid was sometimes acceptable playing some notes.longhorn ballroom in the U S tour was a great performance.The Sex Pistols changed the world!!!
Jones was 23 in '78 so I dought if they started the Pistols as such aged 15 as early as 1970.Still great though.Its punk all right ,but with more rock and ( very important) roll than most
@@randybackgammon890 yes you re rigth.jones started playin at 15 if i remember correctly
People are complaining about Johnny asking for sid to be turned down and they're thinking its sids bass that's being asked to be turned down but it's not, johnnys asking for sids background vocals to be turned because they're coming up louder than his own in the stage monitors.
Don’t try explaining stage sound to the masses LOL
You are correct. Sid was increasingly trying to butt in vocally over John toward the end.
Correct!
Yup listen closely after that johnny says his vocals clearly.. never mentions bass.
Their voices sounded well together during the chorus, Lydon doesn’t like to share the limelight.... This soundcheck and most of the US tour shows Sid could play. Not well, but he could play.
Buying God Save The Queen on 7" in 1977 was lifechanging for me. Finding something new and unheard this many years after the fact is fucking stunning. Thanks for posting this. It's amazing to hear. Hearing how much Lydon cares and how he's trying to make it the best-sounding thing he can is pretty great. Showing the professionalism behind his "I don't care about anything" act. Wonderful!
I used to record people secretly at WHFS when they stopped by. I have a lot of DAT tapes of bands playing unheard stuff that I've also never bootlegged! Nice job, man!
What are you talking about? If this proves Sid could play then you must think every middle schooler garage band can "play" too. Sid is awful here. He drops out, he's out of time, out of tune, he has no technique or sense of rthym. Really, if you honestly think his playing is anything but awful here you're just silly. If you heard his "playing" and didn't know it was Sid Vicious you'd think it was garbage. Playing A Ramones riff doesn't mean you can play. Being able to play a whole song, in time, in tune, without stopping, and with feeling, means you could play. And did couldn't. His playing reminds me of when a non playing friend of mine will come over, pick up,one of my guitars and plonk around on it. They might scratch out the riff to Smoke On the Water or maybe a basic riff to a Ramones tune but they couldn't play the actual song. That's the level Sid is "playing" at here.
Sid is better than most people say, he improvised and follows johns vocal line with his bass, can play and do backing, and tunes himself-he wasn’t exceptional but he was pretty good in all honesty
He also hits a bunch of extra passing notes that are perfectly in key during problems with was great
Sid definitely learned on the job, at this point he was somewhat competent, could keep up with Steve and in general played a lot better than people gave him credit for.
This is amazing. Thanks so much! What I'm most surprised about is actually hearing Sid's bass, and he's playing pretty much the right notes! The band sounds particularly vicious here (yeah, I know, no pun intended). That guitar tone, that voice ... just amazing. Steve really shines here as well.
Sid was a very good bass player. ❤️🎼🎵🎶
Than you're deaf. Sid's bass is so out of tune, I'm rolling 😆😆.
Thanks, Jim. This is superb. Hugely enjoyable and a piece of rock 'n' roll history. You were lucky to be there!
This a true gem for any Pistol's fan. Nicely done sir. May thanks.
10:07 LOL!!! 'Turn Sid down"
Nothing funny about that he was just saying to turn down Sid from the monitors of his vocals because he was louder than Johnny and second vocals are always lower.
this looks interesting
Pistols sounding GREAT even Sid .
This sounds amazing, pieces of documentation like this gain their value as time goes on, I love how this is some kind of truly unbiased documentation, just the tape capturing the whole ecosistem as it unfolds, thanks for sharing!!!
Unbelievable stuff. Brilliant.
Such an amazing band!
What a gem upload. The decay in that room is beautiful.
15.20 problems how tight is that and don't ever say Sid could not play bass guitar they ALL sounded amazing one hones ones craft and well what if and all that, their music touched me then in 76 and still does now, love to all !!!
are you serious? sid sounds awful. Out of tune and playing loads of wrong notes. Maybe you should try headphones.
How come the soundcheck was better than the actual show? It sounds almost on par with some of their '76 gigs. This upload is gold.
Because it was early in the day? 🥴
No audience?
This is Better than the actual Show
Long Live The Pistols And Anarchy
Jim thanks so much for posting this! Very cool. I am old enough to remember KSAN and fortunate enough to have seen many fantastic gigs at Winterland. I feel incredibly fortunate for having had the privilege of spending the halcyon days of my wanton youth in "the city" during the 70's and the 80's . The "Fab Mab" Rock On Broadway, Winterland and all the other great venues now gone but not forgotten. Cheers!
"HELLLLLOOOOOO!!!" We're hearing the origins of PiL... You're a great man Jim!
Thank you for sharing this !!! I'm a huge fan of the Sex Pistols i have to admit the soundcheck is better than the gig. And yes Sid could play not bad at all.
+Niko38260 Nonsense. Sid couldn't play to save his life.
You think Sid's playing here is good? He was playing in the sense his bass was actually turned on and he's trying to stay with the rest of them but his playing here is horrible. If you just heard his bass isolated here and you didn't know who it was there is no way you would say he could play. He's out of tune, out of time, he drops out at certain points. It must have drove poor Paul nuts trying to keep in time with Sid.
Not in the way that he was a great bass player but if you listen to this soundcheck and the gig at Winterland, he did good sometimes. Not enough for sure. The gigs in Sweden was not bad at all with Sid's bass. He was not a junkie yet.
Way to go Jim...
Thanks..
What an upload.
Pistols fan since 77
UK..
Awesome upload, thanks for sharing. A genuine piece of nostalgia and history here.....lydon always said they werent allowed to do a soundcheck for this gig! I still feel for steve and paul, they knew it was over when glen went and sid came in. Sid got way too much credit than he deserved, yet remains one of the most iconic figures in rock n roll.....he IS the image of the pistols. The "one album band" just adds to the myth, maybe it was for the best.....limited back catalogue, and virtually every song is a "greatest hit". Still Legends.
+Simon Carr Cheers ! Well said !
Yeah Sid didn't contribute anything. Just absolute nonsense.....It's kind of funny cause the Clash did the same thing with Paul Simonon. They hired him cause he looked cool. He couldn't play either but he got better as time went on. Also Pete Best was hired cause they thought he looked cool. I guess it's an English thing. But Albums You've got "Flogging a Dead Horse" and "Rock & Roll Swindle"
And there you have it. More proof that Rotten is an unreliable narrator at best.
this insane, the unwitting tuning up 1 whole step puts it over the top
Wot
funny when you think John was whinging about not having any soundcheck at the winterland gig …thanks for putting this up - interesting stuff! :-)
jaytv777 xx
Thanks for posting this. A fantastic rock'n'roll moment frozen in amber. What always comes across in every recording is just how amazing Jones was. Magnificent.
It was Chris Spedding on Guitar
Come on fella... That view was played out years ago. Anyway to each his own.
@@iandavidson4852 He still says it
No sh*t... It's a long standing joke. That's what Jones is like. Anyway as I said before, believe what you want to believe. You'll notice most of the comments on this post are about the underestimation of Jones' talent.
This is indeed a rare treasure so thanks a million to the uploader for sharing this, it would have made an amazing bonus to the NMTB box set, especially if it had been shot on 8mm, but for a cassette tape from the late 70's this sounds pretty fucking good. When they released the studio demo of Belsen on RUclips, after decades of thinking such recording doesn't exist, it was mind-blowing to hear. I still prefer the live versions as I think the echo in Johnny's vocals pretty much ruins it, but I guess he never liked the song in the first place and asked for the echo effect as a protest. Anyway this soundcheck tape is awesome stuff! I just found this yesterday, can't believe it's been here for over five years and I've missed it. Sid sounds much better here than during the actual gig, I think he got a fix between this and the show. Also, here he's not bouncing up and down constantly so he doesn't miss as many notes :D But Sid made the gigs LOOK interesting, and his background vocals are hilarious. I just can't listen to / or watch the Filthy Lucre or newer gigs, I can't stand Lydon's PIL voice in Pistols songs, and Matlock is a better bassist but he has zero stage charisma and he's just not very interesting overall. So every time something new from 1977-1978 gets released, it's very exciting for me. Imagine what an eargasm it would be if they played "Sod in Heaven" in its entirety on this soundcheck! Or at least a short clip of it, but I doubt we'll ever get to hear that.
yeah this soundcheck sounds better mix wise than the actual set later on that night. wonder what happened? like the roadies kept handing them guitars that were out of tune . some of the stuff sounds sharp other takes sound flat but bigger sounding than when they actually went on
@S.H.I.T. Southern Hauntings Investigation Team Haha, glad we agree!
@4th_Lensman_of_the_apocalypse yes I was watching a live DVD of the Pistols in Japan from the 1996 tour and I was thinking the same about his PIL voice , even when he moves and dances it's very PIL like , which is annoying.
Im gonna assume Sig probably shot up just before the show. Cause he levels out for a moment midway through the show smack wise to play 1 or 2 songs moderately (at best). The rest you barely hear
Fantastic document!!!!!!!
I love sound checks, they have an improv-like magic about them
Top Bass Playing!
WTF? this is amazing! Can't believe I just heard this...THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Winterland looks so beautiful! God bless The Sex Pistols ✌️❤️
It's a fucking miracle that this even exists. Sid was exactly what the pistols needed. Otherwise what little happened maybe never would have. Steve fucked up all the time live so Sid's playing is just fine.
What? The Pistols didn't need Sid. They were already the biggest punk band before he joined and he contributed nothing musically. If they had gotten a competent player to replace Matlock or even a beginner who really cared about learning (like Paul Simonon, who had never played bass before joining the Clash) they would have been much better off musically. Sid was just a cartoon and a joke that got old quickly. The guy was a junkie who threw his life away and nobody needs that. Really, when I was 18-19 and knew nothing about music, the Pistols or Sid, I thought Sid was cool. But the more I read about him the more and more I realized what a waste of life he was. Just a junkie murderer. The guy strangled a cat once too. So no, the Pistols didn't need him except maybe to sell T shirts to punk posers.
Wow! What a great tape! Jonesy has a great tone, such a great player. Thanks for sharing.👍
Wow, finally hearing Sid on the bass. He might have been a decent player had his life been longer.
15:25 really surprised me
Questo video, anzi, documento, dovrebbe essere riprodotto in un museo del rock'n'roll. This document should be played in a rock'n'roll museum. Thank you for sharing...
This is pure gold !!! Thank you!