I'm 62 and can remember the tripe which infested the UK singles chart at the time, and then The Pistols (and punk in general) came along. Seriously, it was like being reborn. And I know others there at the time felt the same way.
Rob- Judging from many comments that I've seen, there are many people who felt your sense of elation. I appreciate you for adding to our knowledge. Thank you for sharing with us!
Just turning 63 and I feel your definition of tripe is somewhat misguided! I remember very well when punk rose in popularity! I was involving myself in other tripe at the time, i.e., Black Sabbath, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, and Queen, to name a few! Punk was an abhorence to the music industry! I literally skipped past it and went directly to Judas Priest and beyond! The only decent punk band was " The Stranglers" and the local band SLF! Aside from them there is not much to commend that genre! 😎
In the UK, Punk was working class kids who felt that they faced a future of No Jobs, No Future, No Fun…. It was two fingers to the establishment. Life couldn’t get any worse, and then it did 😂
Rob- At least the world got the music out of it. I'm ignorant on the specifics of the time, but the dissatisfaction with life and angst for the situation comes across easily. Thank you for the context!
As a teenager hearing this in 1977 I knew I'd found my place in the world, still gives me goosebumps hearing it now. They're saying we are who we are, deal with it.
Rob- For me, I think I got that feeling listening to Nirvana. The Sex Pistols make great music, and I'm grateful for the recommendation on this one. Now we're getting more punk recommendations and I get to dive deeper!
As far as I'm aware, the first punk single released in the UK was New Rose by the Damned. They opened the floodgates of punk in the UK. It still absolutely rocks! Check it out.
@@wanggangworld7649 Malcolm McLaren bought a copy of I'm Stranded and handed it to the Pistols and told them to sound like this. The Saints had been going since 74
70s ...bullied kids horrible schools hard upbringing..but we all left our doors open to everyone...not now kids are cowards no respect...wouldn't fight one on one ...❤
@TheCornishCockney Love the Pistols, and there's no doubt about their cultural impact globally, but the majority of so-called punks were just fashion posers.
The greatest opening riff ever written , a performance of menace to last a lifetime , it’s hard to explain the impact of the pistols in that time period . Simply it was just the best and worst of times .
Rob- The amount of commenters expressing a similar sentiment tells the story of their impact as well. That opening riff kinda makes me think of an alarm, but I dig it. Thanks for sharing.
Despite the Pistols democracy of crediting all four guys to each song, Glen Matlock (Orig & current Bassist) wrote this song in its entirety (except two lines), 'Pretty Vacant' was his answer to NYC's 'Blank Generation' type of thing. Cheers! (David - Drummer w/ Glen Matlock 2010 - 2015))
Hey, thanks for the insider's view David. That's cool. The first time I heard the Sex Pistols, we got drunk on the full quart of Jack Daniels, tore all the Aerosmith and Van Halen and Ted Nugent posters off my bedroom wall; then we made frisbees out of my record collection, even most precious Judas Priest (one of the two guys said that to be punk was all or nothing, I was in) albums. That was September 1981. I was at the Hollywood Palladium in 1983, and PiL's camera caught me in line; it made the PiL '83' Toyko/Hollywood video, and is on RUclips. In the U.S. Army in South Korea, a guy in the chow hall actually recognized me. Oh, my fifteen minutes. Cheers, and thanks for your post.
Rob- There's so much I don't know about this group. I appreciate the info! When you say NYC's blank generation, is that in reference to the punk scene or the city at large? Thanks!
Jason (SWYL Producer) - David, Truly Honored that you watched & took the time to comment. We can’t imagine that stories that you might have with your musical background. If you’d ever like to review a song with us and do a Q&A, we’d be thrilled. ❤️
@@ShareWhatYouLove - The Pistols are kind of my specialist subject ha ha! Lydon/Rotten is the only one I haven't either worked with or for at some point. To answer your question, CBGB original Richard Hell put out a single & LP called 'Blank Generation', Glen thought it summed up the vibe in NYC & London at that time so as a 'reply' Pretty Vacant was written. Similar thoughts ,Hell's "..I belong to the Blank Generation" chorus, & Glen's 'We're pretty, pretty vacant". The extra fun bit is that the famous opening riff to PV was Glen trying to remember the bridge riff from Abba's SOS! He'd heard it on a pub jukebox & tried to replicate it from memory when he got home, got it wrong & birthed a classic! Cheers.
I played this track LOUDLY on the university radio station every term in college when final exams got started. When you're burned out from studying or anything else, "Pretty Vacant" hits just right.
We salute you and your tenacity to help rile the troops during final exams. Great song choice for the occasion. 🙂 Thank you for watching & commenting. Any requests for future episodes?
Best dissection of Punk and the Pistols i've seen on any reaction channel. Most Americans are clueless, but you seemed to get it and captured the reality. Nice one!
Humbled by the praise. Thank you so very much. We hope to continue the insightful breakdowns in all future episodes. Thank you for watching and for the wonderful compliment. ❤️❤️❤️🙂
I saw the Sex Pistols in 1978 in Texas, I was 13 and really into punk rock. My brother and I went with some of his friends, from Kalamazoo Michigan to San Antonio Texas partying all the way there and back. The show was nuts live but I had the time of my life.
First time watching your channel, I have subscribed and would really like to see you exploring the Punk culture and music try some Siouxie & the Banshees maybe, Happy House or cities in dust.
Rob- Kat is a big fan of Siouxie and the Banshees, so I'm pretty confident that we'll get there. It is on the list. As far as punk goes, it has been the best received genre overall. We don't plan to go straight punk, but I don't see us shying away from it any time soon. Thanks for the watch and the sub!
Rob- Pretty Vacant is a great track! We're fortunate to have it recommended to us. Likewise, we appreciate your suggestion, which I'm adding to the list right now.
Most reactions are about the Sex Pistols, I was a teenager at that time & there was so much more in the British punk scene, Sham 69, Stiff Little Fingers, Siouxie & the Banshees, Buzzcocks, Poly Styrene to name but a few.
Rob- I know Kat is a HUGE Siouxie & the Banshees fan. My knowledge is a mile wide and an inch deep down the most part. Any specific recommendation you might offer to continue the punk journey?
Today’s music doesn’t compare to it. It doesn’t even come close. These songs had meaning & lyrics that spoke out against the system, pointed out inequality, expressed frustration and demanded change whilst simultaneously, flipping off the machine as a whole. The artists today can’t match that same energy. It’s sad. But we still hold out hope that it’s all cyclical and we’ll be hearing from artists like this again someday.
The Germs were a notorious early LA punk band I like. Their guitarist Pat Smear was later in Nirvana and Foo Fighters. Also Minutemen's Mike Watt later joined Iggy and the Stooges
Rob- I might have heard some Germs, but I wouldn't swear to it. I definitely know Pat Smear from Nirvana and Foo. I feel like I need more Iggy and the Stooges in my life!
We absolutely thought so. But all the comments we’re receiving from everyone seem to suggest otherwise. There are some clearly astute listening out there.
I was 16 at the time and depressed at the pappy music dominating the charts. Punk was such a breath of fresh air. It was not just a music movement, it was about ripping control of all media from corporations who judged what we were allowed to experience based on what they liked in the 40s and 50s. Suddenly, anyone could grab an instrument and record their feelings in a song and release it themselves or via one of hundreds of independent labels. You could start your own clothing line from your bedroom without needing a degree in Design and an apprenticeship with a big fashion house. People were producing and distributing magazines made by hand. Much of this got subverted and commercialised but the core concepts still remain in that independent record labels and fashion are now a thing. Bands like Nirvana would never have been heard in the early 70s when nothing could be released unless an old man from EMI or RCA had agreed to sign you up and mould your music to what they, with their.outdated tastes, thought would appeal to the largest number of people.
Glad to see that the punk rock movement could help raise your spirits from the doldrums of the factory line pop music that permeated the airwaves. There’s nothing better than people grabbing the reins and taking control of their own destiny’s. Thank you so much for the comment and for watching. We hope you enjoyed the video. This was a great story. 🙂❤️
Yeah! Glad you suggested Dead Kennedys! They were free speech warriors in court. Dig Ramones, MDC, Clash, Slits, Dicks, Damned, Crass, Conflict, Poison Girls, Lydia Lunch, Dead Boys, Bad Brains, Minutemen, Black Flag. Punk rock is essential.
Rob-That easily goes beyond my punk knowledge! I know a handful of Dead Kennedy's songs, and I can definitely get behind the sound and message. I definitely dig the Ramones and the Clash. Maybe a touch of Bad Brains. And I want to get into some Black Flag because of Henry Rollins. But that's a lot of new music for me and know that's just scratching the surface. Feel free to hit us with some specific tunes if you get a moment.
@@ShareWhatYouLove Cool! Black Flag- Drinking & Driving The Clash- The Call-Up Minutemen- Corona Slits- Typical Girls Poison Girls- Political Love Ramones- Bonzo Goes To Bitburg, Pet Sematary, Teenage Lobotomy, Censorshit☠️
@@ShareWhatYouLove Cool! I suggest Black Flag- Drinking & Driving, Slits- Typical Girls, the Clash- The Call-Up, Minutemen- Corona, Ramones- Bonzo Goes To Bitburg. On a related note, Reagan sucked. Decent people do not become US presidents.
I collect pistols vinyl since I was 10 Years old and my fave track for me was "I wanna be me" just love em' along with the Damned,the Clash,great stuff thank you for this and both keep safe and well always.😉.
Rob- Thank you so much! Very kind. I'll add that track to the list. We have some more punk reactions coming out in weeks to follow. I played my parents' vinyl collection growing up. What's your favorite piece of vinyl, Sex Pistols or not?
The most influential band i know of in modern times , many bands followed the Sex Pistols into the punk genure having seen The Pistols live in Manchester and London
What is often overlooked is Steve Jones' guitar tone in the Pistols. It's on top. It's difficult to get across if you weren't about at the time. The media were disgusted with them, kicked off tv shows, gigs cancelled. It was a considerable shift from what was previously going on. Also see early Damned, SLF, Clash and the 'kin legendary X ray spex.
Rob- We've got a formidable showing of punk growing on the list! I'm here for it! I don't know the scene around them coming up, but they definitely pulled no punches with their sound and content. I'm looking forward to getting more into the line up.
Rob- Being exposed to works like this what this channel is all about. Pretty Vacant is a great track! It sucks that it took me this long to hear it, but I'm grateful for the recommendation putting it in front of us.
Did you genuinely not realise the reason why the word "vacant" is split into two very distinct syllables is so Johnny Rotten could emphasise the second and so swear repeatedly on the BBC at 7:00 in the evening...
Rob- After the fact and certainly after having it pointed out in various ways, I most definitely hear it now. Before? I might have been focused a little more on the music and lyrical interpretation. Thanks for watching and adding more wood to the fire!
If you want more punk, check out Stiff Little Fingers, irish punk band that started up during the troubles in Northern Ireland and the music reflects that. absolutely outstanding
Thank you for watching & for the recommendation. We already have them slated for a future episode. Lots of requests for Alternative Ulster at this point. Cheers!
Pistols fan from 1976, as a 16 year old, saw them at the Roxy, and various gigs, what about sounded in 1977, The Great Rock n'Roll Swindle, etc. It was a working class movement that didn't like the establishment of people with long hair and hemp underpants.
Rob- Funny how quickly the counter culture long hairs became the norm. I suppose any movement with enough weight gets glommed onto by financial interests. I'm envious of your concert experiences!
Listen to The Saints, from Australia (first album: I’m Stranded) and Dead Boys, from Cleveland, OH (first album: Young, Loud, and Snotty). Both were part of the original wave of Punk, which was over by 1979. Their music stands up today. Listen also to the ground-breaking post-Punk band Gang of Four, from the UK (first album: Entertainment). If their music sounds familiar, it’s because they inspired so many bands that followed. Just listen to the complete albums; they’re short.
We are pretty vacant was about not having work in a period of mass unemployment.I was 18 living in the north of England that was pretty grim The Pistols anti establishment ,no future spoke to us.I was young,,pissed off and ready for the revolution.Now I.m old,pissed off and still waiting
Johnny Rotten said Vacant was a good way to sing C**t on Top of the Pops . I asked him about it a few months ago and he said yea its a fact. A few times he sang Va-C**t .
I am always stunned at how many people don't know that about this song. It was pure punk genius to get away with singing such crude words on British TV and radio.
@@leithmacdonald4242 They finished Bill Grundy's (the TV presenter) career. He interviewed them live and they were using crude words on prime time viewing, and he didn't stop them. They came across as ignorant yobs, which being England, caught the yoof's interest, and hence their popularity. I actually own this single, which I think is their best, and reminds me of the early "Who". Johnny Rotten has surprisingly, become an English "national treasure" in his dotage, wearing tweeds and selling butter on TV. Incidently, Sid Vicious here isn't actually playing bass, he's there for the image, a bit like Stu Sutcliffe was for the Beatles.
@@leithmacdonald4242 This wasn't for you, one of the initiates, but for those people who stunned you with their lack of knowledge about this song. This is also for those 'across the pond' who will never understand the background to English youth anger during the 1970s and beyond. (I can't speak for Scottish anger during that period though 😐).
I see Dead Kennedys have been suggested - either Holiday In Cambodia or “we’ve got a bigger problem now” - which is a remake of California Uber Alles only with updated lyrics about Regan that if you could rhyme trump it is prophetic
Pretty Vacant is my favourite Pistols song musically speaking - though their other songs were more "punk". This list of songs were the first I heard from each of these punk band in the late 70s /early 80s, which made me want to search out more from each. Some went on to fame, fortune & importance, and some stayed fairly obscure: Peaches - The Stranglers Metal Postcard - Siouxsie and the Banshees Danced - Toyah Emergency - 999 Dog Eat Dog - Adam and The Ants Gary Gilmore's Eyes - The Adverts Oh Bondage, Up Yours - X-Ray Spex Don't Dictate - Penetration
True story I once went out for a drink with some work colleagues and via a relatively serious concussion on the way home, the following day I ended up in a hotel bar about 70 miles from home drinking with Paul Cook from the Sex Pistols. He called me the C-word & bought me a JD & coke, lovely fella...
Kat: Holy guacamole, Davey! Glad you’re safe! Also that’s really neat! I feel like the C- word has so many flavors of meaning to the Brits depending on the tone used. The first time I heard it as a term of endearment I was genuinely thrown off. Wild. 🤣
I was 18 at the time, and into soft rock and soul. I thought they were too anarchic for me at the time, but it grew on me. I was pleasantly pleased to read that Johnny Rotten loved the music of 10cc at the time. You can't get less punk than that. He knew music, and like what he liked despite his public persona.
Rob- 10cc! I've heard a song or two, and I'm pretty sure I have Guy Ritchie to thank for that. I don't know what my first exposure to punk was, but it's been an appealing sort of energy to me. The Sex Pistols definitely catch me with their sound and attitude. Thanks for checking out the video!
Tommy Gun - The Clash ‘Orgasm addict’ - the Buzzcocks On the edge - SLF Kids are united - Sham 69 No more heroes - The Stranglers New Rose - The Damned
Theres a band from Australia , The Saints , who had also had that sound and attitude even a year before the Sex Pistols album also check out , Amyl and the sniffers ,
@ShareWhatYouLove yes. The Saints.....(I'm) Stranded is the first punk song of that style and era. They followed up with Know Your Product which is a critically acclaimed song about consumerism. It features horns. I am sure you will enjoy. PS try Television Addict by The Victims. Let me know what you think.
I absolutely love the Saints Musically perhaps, but before them MC5, the Stooges, Pink Fairies, but nobody had the attitude of the Pistols, absolutely nobody. They were just so anti everything. Punk was attitude, not just music.
Love this vid, and also your idea of sharing what we love. Would you be up for sharing what WE make? Be it visual arts, music, or whatever? I think it could be pretty interesting to get your guys opinions on 'homebrewed' arts. In the meantime, if it's new to you, I'd love to hear your response to 'A pair of brown eyes' by the Pogues. Cheers both x
Rob- We're a fledgling channel and still figuring it all out, but I would like to be an avenue for all sorts of art, including what your or others have created. The paintings behind us are made by Kat and I. I am a huge Flogging Molly fan, so I'm all about getting into some Pogues! It's on the list
Jason: Hey there @SundanceLemur (great handle btw). When you say “Homebrewed Arts”, what exactly are you referring to? Music, Videos, Art, dance, etc…? We definitely want you to share what you love and if it’s feasible to create content on it, we’re down for it. I think that would be fun. What are you thinking?
Hi again, I hadn't really given it a lot of thought to be honest, it was just one of those 'wouldn't it be nice if...' ideas. The hardest thing for you guys of course, would be trying to generate views by reacting to things no-one's ever heard of 😅. Once you start to get some momentum though (and I really hope you do), maybe you could ask for submissions once in a while as a supplement to your main vids. I guess short form audio and video would be easier, but it'd be great to see prints, ceramics, paintings, poems...anything really if you could make an interesting vid about it. I'm a musician, so I'll always be a bit biased towards tunes, but there are sooo many talented people out there, and it's always cool to see what people are making. Good luck with the channel, and I'll keep watching with interest 👍
Send us a link to any content you would like to share, if we can find a place for it, we’ll get it on an episode and give you your credit, links, info, whatever. Happy to help, see/hear some new things and of course, share what you love. ❤️ 😉
Out to lunch was a euphemism for crazy,Not all there ! And vacant was like a vacant look in a person's eyes; They're not exactly sure what's going on, what the Americans name a" basket case".
Rob- The soundtrack for the original movie of The Crow put me on to I Wanna Be Your Dog. Great track! I've seen Iggy in a few other instances, but I'm a blank on most of his stuff. Onto the list it goes!
i was lucky enough to see the pistols twice in a week Dec 77 I walked to Huddersfield xmas day to watch them I ended up doing two documentaries about that gig never mind the Baubles and ghost of christmas past Punk rock wasn't about music it was about changing society Music was one of the tools we got the message across But art and mental attitude were others It was unique to the UK in the 70's because the content was dealing with things going on in our environment It later became a vehicle for other people to rebel against their country
Rob- It was before my time, but I've gotten quite a few stories to set the scene. Thank you for adding to it. I've often heard that punk isn't fashion. To say that Punk isn't about music, but about changing society, gives me the thread to tie them all together. Thank you for the comment.
Rolling Stone magazine voted Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols as the best album of the 1980’s. Which tells you how out of touch the USA was with UK punk
Rob- The pop world in general I think, is out of touch and sync with most genuine movements. I don't hate pop. It has good points like the production quality and striving for a sort of audio purity. But the really moving work is on the fringes in my opinion.
Johnny Rotten ( John Lydon) is a true Brit and a wonderful Human being. He famously attributed his stage energy to an ongoing troublesome case of haemorrhoids
Interesting you saying he's a "true Brit",as he's first generation Irish & a US Citizen now. (I am a Pistols fan of original standing & Lydon/Rotten was/is a hero [disclaimer])
Rob- I've heard takes on him that run both ways. I'm just grateful he made the music! And as a US citizen, I'll stay right out of the discussion about what a true Brit he was or wasn't...
@adrianmcdonald84 I didn't say he wasn't British or English either. Your words were a "True Brit". Implication being someone of long standing British heritage.
@normandavidtidiman9918 I'm just talking about culture. You seem to be leaning towards a more racial interpretation. There's no single 'british gene' that would be required for your implied interpretation of 'True Brit' to be valid. We can have different interpretations, no problem . Mine just isn't the same as yours. All the best.
Rob- That fits with what I keep hearing about the job prospects in the UK at the time. I had no idea the things were so bleak for many at that time. Thank you for the watch and comment!
I was 18 in 1976 and too old to be a "punk", but I remember being seriously impressed by an interview with Rotten in the NME, which lambasted him for telling of the time he was caught urinating on the grave of one of his teachers called "Pissy Procter". We were all pretty vacant and going nowhere, so I saw it as an act of thanksgiving. Incidentally, a "punk" is an older English name for a prostitute or a worthless person.
Rob- I love a good bit of etymology and word history, so thanks for that last tidbit. There's a lot of varying takes on Rotten, but the "Pissy Proctor" fits in with all of it lol
It was a figure of speech to say that someone who looked lethargic or idiotic, looked "Vacant"... So the song is them labelling themselves as very "pretty" Vacant. Great play on the English language
Rob- Thank you for the feedback, no pun intended. We're still hammering out the kinks in our production method, but things are shaping up nicely. Thanks for the watch and comment!
Rob- Excellent! Thank you for the correction. I'll have to into the second album. I believe we have more Sex Pistols to record later, so I'll do my best to remember to mention that.
Which part of the video are you referring to? I’m not catching any sound problems on this end. If it’s the echo at the beginning, it’s because the producer is not mic’ed up (that’s why he sounds a bit distant compared to the mic’ed up talent) That was just some BTS banter that we included because we thought it was funny.
The only people who are mic’ed up are the talent. The producer was talking in the background, said something that caught Kat & Rob off guard and prompted some burst out laughter. We wanted to share that behind the scenes footage with the audience because we thought it was funny (despite the echoey audio) and we knew the rest of the audio was spot on. We hope you at least found the exchange funny and we’ll mic the BTS for future episodes in case we have moments like this happen again that we’d like to use. Thank you for watching. We hope you enjoyed it. 🙂❤️
@@ShareWhatYouLove I think what @Theo-be1wd means is that maybe the mics you were wearing were picking up the music and putting a delay on it which got mashed up with the original audio. I hope what you were hearing in the studio didn't sound like that.
No, it didn’t sound like that at all. I really appreciate you letting us know so we can be more aware of that for future episodes. Good looking out, Thank you. ❤️
The Sex Pistols (believe it or not) were a band put together by a manager who was very interested in culture and fashion (and changing it). Pretty Vacant is an ironic statement about the band being a disposable product for the fashion and music industries.
Primary punk song. Alternative Ulster - Stiff Little Fingers, No More Heroes - The Stranglers, Teenage Kicks - The Undertones, What Do I Care? - The Buzzcocks, Smash it Up - The Damned, Follow the Leader Killing Joke. Great times for music with 3 channels on TV, no internet, no phones....
the play on words is so clever- they obviously weren't pretty - adding the second word changes the meaning of pretty to mean 'totally'. the ultimate in nihilism!
MY understanding is..they faced constant rebuttals from intern type bored receptionist girls club managers and hip music journalists while trying to get a record deal or somewhere to play.
You gotta look at the Dead Kennedys,the best of the bunch IMO,from the states.Saw them here in New Zealand in their heyday in the'80's. Some other bands I'd recommend are the Buzzcocks,the Ruts,the Stranglers,Stiff Little Fingers from Ireland,GBH & Discharge. I can tell you first hand,us punks were despised,actually spat on in the street,we were considered the architects of chaos....funny how many of the gigs were peaceful....& then the cops turned up & carnage ensued....its amazing I'm so well adjusted😂😂😂yeah right!!
@ShareWhatYouLove great stuff!Fresh fruit for rotting vegetables was probably the best of the best from American punks IMO,absolutely adore this album.....& they ain't the DKs without Jello!!
I started my musical venture with early The Who that were rebels in their own right. Moved on to early rock and then saw several punk bands including The Pistols, The Damned, The Clash, The Adverts, Slits, Sham 69, and The Stranglers. They were fun to watch but moved on to early punk influenced Iron Maiden and then other NWOBHM bands. And now in my early 70s it's predominantly metal but in particular symphonic metal and especially Nightwish with Floor Jansen.
Rob- That's quite the resume! Any particular songs you might throw out for us from that grouping? I know that we're sitting on a few of those bands already, but there's room for more.
@@ShareWhatYouLove okay here's the most popular Nightwish song from Wacken 2013. So reacted to but an exceptional performance. Ghost Love Score. ruclips.net/video/JYjIlHWBAVo/видео.htmlsi=vvRQwcLubkKb_on_
This is the origin of Punk. I was one of those little kids absolutely fascinated by all those folk with the bright pink or blue or green or orange spiky hair and giant skinny mohawks in crazy clothes and the music was perfect for a 5yo like me to bounce around too and then grow up understanding more and more how powerful and deep and influential it really was. All of this was, and still much to my Mum's displeasure, Dad's fine lol but I haven't burned down the system . . . . yet 😆
Check out the other British band Discharge and their debut LP; Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing. They upped the tempo, noise, distortion and paved the way for music to become more extreme.
@@ShareWhatYouLove Thanks for the reply. Discharge did a lot of great stuff early in their career, hard to pick out just one song, but "Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing" from the aforementioned LP is a good start. (The LP that has been described to have changed extreme music forever.) Or the slower "State Control State Violence". Enjoy. P.S. buy ear plugs!
The most important British band in my lifetime. Not so much for the music, which was great, but the wider influence they had. Its not an exaggeration to say in the uk at least, the pistols and punk actually changed society.
Rob- I've been learning a lot from commenters. Some have advised me not to read too much into UK punk, but many more seem to have a a positive mark left in their lives by it.
Very interesting, but why does everybody miss it? Listen to the last line; Johnny wanted to say the C word on the radio and he does, even the BBC missed it.
Personally, I believed, and still do, that at a time when swearing was banned from the airwaves, it was a subtle attempt to repeat the 'C' word as many times as they could get away with! Very punk!
I liked the Pistols even though I was too old: I was not the target audience. One of the things that grabbed me was that there was evidence of intelligence in the composition of some of the music. The word "intelligence" seems counter-intuitive in the context but I believe that Mr Rotten is actually very clever. Any interviewer who underestimates him usually get their asses handed back to them, often somewhat shredded. And, of course, the Svengali that put the whole act together - bloke name of Malcolm McLaren - was clever in a carnivorous way. Just a tiny piece of advice: do not over-analyse early British punk. Any deep "message" you think you detect is most likely in your own mind. You will be better off developing your pogo-ing moves.
Rob- It's a good, cohesive sound to my ears. There's the old joke about picking any 3 chords and you've got a punk song, but I think good punk is in that range of deceptively simple. I appreciate your take on the Sex Pistols, and I'll keep your advice in mind in upcoming videos. I think we'll be seeing more punk on this channel!
Lads, Punk was not 'antisocial' especially the SP's It was anti hypocrisy and bullshit. I was 15 yrs old, in the local authority care system in North Wales when NMTB came out. it blew my head off then and still does.
Rob- I've always thought the hypocrisy was housed in social institutions, sheltered and perpetuated. That might be a bit of negativity I need to examine. Thank you for the context and the comment!
Lol OK. Play God Save The Queen by The Exploited. They were a hardcore punk band from Scotland in 1981 onwards. Theyr still going today but only the singer is an original member. They had one hit single that charted, and many albums. The suggested track is an outstanding tune if you lurrve bass guitar and hard drums.
Rob- They were definitely at the forefront. I'm glad that they've had the reach and influence that they've had. I'm not exactly fashion conscious, but the sound and attitude are thankfully still alive and kicking.
If you want more Punk then you need to listen to _Bad Religion._ Classic Southern California Punk with a lead singer who had a PhD in zoology and has taught Evolutionary Biology at Cornell and UCLA. Start with _Stranger Than Fiction_ for an easy introduction, then go to _Recipe for Hate_ (especially the songs _American Jesus_ and _Kerosene)_ and then go back to the album that really started their rise; _Suffer._
According to Glen Matlock, (who co-wrote it), the 'Main Riff' in 'Pretty Vacant', was 'inspired' ABBA's 'SOS'! Personally - I've never been able to hear any connection. Just as I can't hear, the least similarity, to ABBA's 'Dancing Queen', in Blondie's 1979 Single - 'Dreaming'. Blondie claim, that the ABBA Song, 'inspired' 'Dreaming'....
Rob- Short of Dancing Queen, I am woefully ignorant of ABBA. It's worth a look for the comparison though! ... and I'm back. I'm going to have to agree with you. I don't really hear a correlation.
It's all about the UK class structure which gave all the opportunity (mostly) to the upper classes & those at the bottom got nothing, so people did the only thing they could do, they rebelled & they did it themselves (which, to me, is what punk was really all about). I suppose you had to be there to realise just how restricted society was in Britain back then.
Many great bands owe everything to the Sex Pistols in breaking the mould in new rock music. - AD/DC, The Clash, Midnight Oil, The Knack, The Radiators, Ramones etc
If you mean AC/DC , they predate the Sex Pistols by several years. Plus Bon Scott wasn’t particularly complimentary about them in an interview. I never got the impression AC/DC saw themselves as punk in any way.
Sex pistols my brother was 14 years older than me he was into them on his guitar amp he had the "nevermind the bollocks "a massive sticker on it but this is original punk , Malcolm Mc claren was the manager too , 3 buffalo gals was a lil punkish too , not as hardcore to the era the sex pistols
Rob- Punk has so many flavors! From the hard edge to the more melodic ska side, I enjoy the energy of it. Thanks for reaching out! And stay tuned. We'll have more punk on the channel soon.
I struggled with the origins of punk for a while, Pistols or Ramones? Then I learned that the true origins of punk were hiding in plain sight (and no media coverage) since they were the soundtrack to the 1968 DNC riots. Just inducted to the R&R HoF by Tom Morello, The MC5. The true OG punk song was Kick Out the Jams. But the Pistols were like if The Ramones tried too hard to be cool. They're a construct.
Rob- Thank you for the lead! I'll take that as a recommendation for Kick Out the Jams by MC5. A quick read as me extremely intrigued. Their position in the counter culture movement of the time certainly makes sense in reference to punk rock. As far as the Sex Pistols being a construct, I would argue that every band is a construct, whether by outside or internal direction. That might just be a bit of semantics though.
It's a shame you cut off the last few seconds where Johnny Rotten is scowling into the camera. I remember this on the telly in 1976 (first time) and my mum came downstairs for the end bit and said "Oh I don't like them !".
Oh man, we didn’t notice that. Drag. Sorry about that. But what a great story. We could hear our own mom’s saying that too. 😂 Thank you for the story and for watching.
There are soo many directions you can go with punk. It didn't necessarily have a sound. Siouxsie and the Banshees are very different from the Exploited. For me, personally, the music was only about 20% of it. Sor the most part, it was living in Punk houses, or squats, in Oakland, Ca. Doing what we could to scrape up enough cash for food, beer, or whatever. If you want, poppy punk on different ends of the spectrum, try The Toy Dolls, Nellie the Elephant..then try Conflict's Force or Service?
Isn’t it amazing how music can be the soundtrack for our own lives? And how it can resonate for decades after you heard it. Adding The Toy Dolls by NTE and Force or Service by Conflict to the list. Thank you for the recommendations and for watching. 🙂🤟🏻
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm 62 and can remember the tripe which infested the UK singles chart at the time, and then The Pistols (and punk in general) came along. Seriously, it was like being reborn. And I know others there at the time felt the same way.
Rob- Judging from many comments that I've seen, there are many people who felt your sense of elation. I appreciate you for adding to our knowledge. Thank you for sharing with us!
I agree 100%. (Am also 62)
64 here! Felt exactly the same as you. Being reborn, remodelled & reaffirmed overnight. 64 & still playing live, thanks to punk!
63 here and groups like these were a breath of fresh air to a just teenager after all the grandiose super groups.
Just turning 63 and I feel your definition of tripe is somewhat misguided! I remember very well when punk rose in popularity! I was involving myself in other tripe at the time, i.e., Black Sabbath, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, and Queen, to name a few! Punk was an abhorence to the music industry! I literally skipped past it and went directly to Judas Priest and beyond! The only decent punk band was " The Stranglers" and the local band SLF! Aside from them there is not much to commend that genre! 😎
In the UK, Punk was working class kids who felt that they faced a future of No Jobs, No Future, No Fun…. It was two fingers to the establishment. Life couldn’t get any worse, and then it did 😂
Rob- At least the world got the music out of it. I'm ignorant on the specifics of the time, but the dissatisfaction with life and angst for the situation comes across easily. Thank you for the context!
And a anti disco song
And now it's even more worse.
Iggy Pop wrote no fun in 1969///
It did get worse. Thatcher!
As a teenager hearing this in 1977 I knew I'd found my place in the world, still gives me goosebumps hearing it now. They're saying we are who we are, deal with it.
Rob- For me, I think I got that feeling listening to Nirvana. The Sex Pistols make great music, and I'm grateful for the recommendation on this one. Now we're getting more punk recommendations and I get to dive deeper!
As far as I'm aware, the first punk single released in the UK was New Rose by the Damned. They opened the floodgates of punk in the UK. It still absolutely rocks! Check it out.
I’m still so in love with The Dammed!
Rob- Thank you! I'll throw that recommendation on the list!
I would think McLaren getting a copy of The Saints "I'm Stranded" in 1976 had a massive influence on how they both sounded?
Pistols started in August 75 n sounded like they did from the very start. Saints are definitely great too tho. @@frankschlanker
@@wanggangworld7649 Malcolm McLaren bought a copy of I'm Stranded and handed it to the Pistols and told them to sound like this. The Saints had been going since 74
70s ...bullied kids horrible schools hard upbringing..but we all left our doors open to everyone...not now kids are cowards no respect...wouldn't fight one on one ...❤
Sad reality. Hopefully things are circular and we come back around to times of normalcy and common sense. Here’s to hoping. 🍺 Cheers.
Alternative Ulster and Tin Soldiers by Stiff Little Fingers
Rob- Thank you! It's on the list.
Yes! Anthem!
And “Suss suss suss suss suspect device”.
HANX!!
Friend of mine from Denmark heard Alternative Ulster when she was 8, thought it was "I'm Terry the Lobster" for years
NOBODY did punk like the Brits.
Really? Listen The Saints, The Stooges, The Birthday Party, The Dead Kennedys, The Ramones...
@@kimn9802 matter of opinion,and imo,Brits did it best.
@TheCornishCockney Love the Pistols, and there's no doubt about their cultural impact globally, but the majority of so-called punks were just fashion posers.
@@kimn9802 The Brits were punk end of.
All good bands but tame compared to British Punk.@@kimn9802
The greatest opening riff ever written , a performance of menace to last a lifetime , it’s hard to explain the impact of the pistols in that time period . Simply it was just the best and worst of times .
Rob- The amount of commenters expressing a similar sentiment tells the story of their impact as well. That opening riff kinda makes me think of an alarm, but I dig it. Thanks for sharing.
Followed by one of the best drums intro ever.
Despite the Pistols democracy of crediting all four guys to each song, Glen Matlock (Orig & current Bassist) wrote this song in its entirety (except two lines), 'Pretty Vacant' was his answer to NYC's 'Blank Generation' type of thing. Cheers! (David - Drummer w/ Glen Matlock 2010 - 2015))
Hey, thanks for the insider's view David. That's cool. The first time I heard the Sex Pistols, we got drunk on the full quart of Jack Daniels, tore all the Aerosmith and Van Halen and Ted Nugent posters off my bedroom wall; then we made frisbees out of my record collection, even most precious Judas Priest (one of the two guys said that to be punk was all or nothing, I was in) albums. That was September 1981. I was at the Hollywood Palladium in 1983, and PiL's camera caught me in line; it made the PiL '83' Toyko/Hollywood video, and is on RUclips. In the U.S. Army in South Korea, a guy in the chow hall actually recognized me. Oh, my fifteen minutes. Cheers, and thanks for your post.
Rob- There's so much I don't know about this group. I appreciate the info! When you say NYC's blank generation, is that in reference to the punk scene or the city at large? Thanks!
Jason (SWYL Producer) - David, Truly Honored that you watched & took the time to comment. We can’t imagine that stories that you might have with your musical background. If you’d ever like to review a song with us and do a Q&A, we’d be thrilled. ❤️
Lydon wrote nearly all the lyrics, Matlock most of NMTB's melodies, Matlock's a bigger tool than Sid just uglier!
@@ShareWhatYouLove - The Pistols are kind of my specialist subject ha ha! Lydon/Rotten is the only one I haven't either worked with or for at some point. To answer your question, CBGB original Richard Hell put out a single & LP called 'Blank Generation', Glen thought it summed up the vibe in NYC & London at that time so as a 'reply' Pretty Vacant was written. Similar thoughts ,Hell's "..I belong to the Blank Generation" chorus, & Glen's 'We're pretty, pretty vacant". The extra fun bit is that the famous opening riff to PV was Glen trying to remember the bridge riff from Abba's SOS! He'd heard it on a pub jukebox & tried to replicate it from memory when he got home, got it wrong & birthed a classic! Cheers.
I played this track LOUDLY on the university radio station every term in college when final exams got started. When you're burned out from studying or anything else, "Pretty Vacant" hits just right.
We salute you and your tenacity to help rile the troops during final exams. Great song choice for the occasion. 🙂 Thank you for watching & commenting. Any requests for future episodes?
@@ShareWhatYouLove Check out "Jac Mac and Rad Boy GO" from the early 80s. It's a short, animated indie film.
Best dissection of Punk and the Pistols i've seen on any reaction channel. Most Americans are clueless, but you seemed to get it and captured the reality. Nice one!
Humbled by the praise. Thank you so very much. We hope to continue the insightful breakdowns in all future episodes. Thank you for watching and for the wonderful compliment. ❤️❤️❤️🙂
Kat: thank you so much!! 😊
This was the first album I ever bought at 13! Now do CRASS and their Feeding the 5000 album.
Crass - Bloody revolutions would be a great song to do a reaction to. Also one of their best songs.
Rob- Right on! Is there a particular song that sticks out?
I saw them back in 1980 at the Plaza Ballroom in Glasgow, Scotland.
I saw the Sex Pistols in 1978 in Texas, I was 13 and really into punk rock. My brother and I went with some of his friends, from Kalamazoo Michigan to San Antonio Texas partying all the way there and back. The show was nuts live but I had the time of my life.
Rob- I'm envious of your experience! That sounds like a blast! Do you recall who played with them?
@@ShareWhatYouLove It's weird, I don't remember another band playing?
First time watching your channel, I have subscribed and would really like to see you exploring the Punk culture and music try some Siouxie & the Banshees maybe, Happy House or cities in dust.
Rob- Kat is a big fan of Siouxie and the Banshees, so I'm pretty confident that we'll get there. It is on the list. As far as punk goes, it has been the best received genre overall. We don't plan to go straight punk, but I don't see us shying away from it any time soon. Thanks for the watch and the sub!
'bodies' by the sex pistols, is a good punk song, ive been listeing to pretty vacant for decades i lov eit, i hav enoidea what the lyrics are about
Rob- Pretty Vacant is a great track! We're fortunate to have it recommended to us. Likewise, we appreciate your suggestion, which I'm adding to the list right now.
My favorite from them!
I very much enjoyed watching a couple of Christian conservatives reacting to Bodies. The look on their faces was just priceless
Most reactions are about the Sex Pistols, I was a teenager at that time & there was so much more in the British punk scene, Sham 69, Stiff Little Fingers, Siouxie & the Banshees, Buzzcocks, Poly Styrene to name but a few.
Rob- I know Kat is a HUGE Siouxie & the Banshees fan. My knowledge is a mile wide and an inch deep down the most part. Any specific recommendation you might offer to continue the punk journey?
Siuoxie's 'Metal Postcard...genuis. You didn't mention The Stranglers, their 70's music was/is still great listening. ; )
I was a rebellious 17yo when this came out...imagine!? Still gives me goose bumps on the intro'. A musical masterpiece! ; )
Today’s music doesn’t compare to it. It doesn’t even come close. These songs had meaning & lyrics that spoke out against the system, pointed out inequality, expressed frustration and demanded change whilst simultaneously, flipping off the machine as a whole. The artists today can’t match that same energy. It’s sad. But we still hold out hope that it’s all cyclical and we’ll be hearing from artists like this again someday.
Ruts- Babylon's Burning
Stiff Little Fingers- Suspect Device
Xray Spex- Art I Ficial
Rob- Thank you for your recommendations! I've recorded them to the list.
Oh yeah X ray spex!
The Germs were a notorious early LA punk band I like. Their guitarist Pat Smear was later in Nirvana and Foo Fighters. Also Minutemen's Mike Watt later joined Iggy and the Stooges
Rob- I might have heard some Germs, but I wouldn't swear to it. I definitely know Pat Smear from Nirvana and Foo. I feel like I need more Iggy and the Stooges in my life!
The lyric's to this song are really fun and funny, I think that gets overlooked.
We absolutely thought so. But all the comments we’re receiving from everyone seem to suggest otherwise. There are some clearly astute listening out there.
I was 16 at the time and depressed at the pappy music dominating the charts. Punk was such a breath of fresh air.
It was not just a music movement, it was about ripping control of all media from corporations who judged what we were allowed to experience based on what they liked in the 40s and 50s. Suddenly, anyone could grab an instrument and record their feelings in a song and release it themselves or via one of hundreds of independent labels. You could start your own clothing line from your bedroom without needing a degree in Design and an apprenticeship with a big fashion house. People were producing and distributing magazines made by hand. Much of this got subverted and commercialised but the core concepts still remain in that independent record labels and fashion are now a thing. Bands like Nirvana would never have been heard in the early 70s when nothing could be released unless an old man from EMI or RCA had agreed to sign you up and mould your music to what they, with their.outdated tastes, thought would appeal to the largest number of people.
Glad to see that the punk rock movement could help raise your spirits from the doldrums of the factory line pop music that permeated the airwaves. There’s nothing better than people grabbing the reins and taking control of their own destiny’s. Thank you so much for the comment and for watching. We hope you enjoyed the video. This was a great story. 🙂❤️
Yeah! Glad you suggested Dead Kennedys! They were free speech warriors in court. Dig Ramones, MDC, Clash, Slits, Dicks, Damned, Crass, Conflict, Poison Girls, Lydia Lunch, Dead Boys, Bad Brains, Minutemen, Black Flag. Punk rock is essential.
Rob-That easily goes beyond my punk knowledge! I know a handful of Dead Kennedy's songs, and I can definitely get behind the sound and message. I definitely dig the Ramones and the Clash. Maybe a touch of Bad Brains. And I want to get into some Black Flag because of Henry Rollins. But that's a lot of new music for me and know that's just scratching the surface. Feel free to hit us with some specific tunes if you get a moment.
@@ShareWhatYouLove Cool!
Black Flag- Drinking & Driving
The Clash- The Call-Up
Minutemen- Corona
Slits- Typical Girls
Poison Girls- Political Love
Ramones- Bonzo Goes To Bitburg, Pet Sematary, Teenage Lobotomy, Censorshit☠️
@@ShareWhatYouLove Cool! I suggest Black Flag- Drinking & Driving, Slits- Typical Girls, the Clash- The Call-Up, Minutemen- Corona, Ramones- Bonzo Goes To Bitburg. On a related note, Reagan sucked. Decent people do not become US presidents.
Oh, and i msy be 61, but on the back of my leather jacket i still proudly display a very large punker "A"
Hell yeah! 🤟🏻
the jam in the city
Adding it to the list. Thank you for watching & the recommendation. 🙂
I collect pistols vinyl since I was 10 Years old and my fave track for me was "I wanna be me" just love em' along with the Damned,the Clash,great stuff thank you for this and both keep safe and well always.😉.
Rob- Thank you so much! Very kind. I'll add that track to the list. We have some more punk reactions coming out in weeks to follow. I played my parents' vinyl collection growing up. What's your favorite piece of vinyl, Sex Pistols or not?
I Wanna Be Me is a great song, and there's a great video for it on youtube
Punk lives on today in the likes of Idles, Amyl & the sniffers & even my band, The Motive
Rob- Thank you! We have some hits for Amyl & the Sniffers. Perhaps you might give us a recommendation from The Motive?
The most influential band i know of in modern times , many bands followed the Sex Pistols into the punk genure having seen The Pistols live in Manchester and London
What is often overlooked is Steve Jones' guitar tone in the Pistols. It's on top. It's difficult to get across if you weren't about at the time. The media were disgusted with them, kicked off tv shows, gigs cancelled. It was a considerable shift from what was previously going on. Also see early Damned, SLF, Clash and the 'kin legendary X ray spex.
Rob- We've got a formidable showing of punk growing on the list! I'm here for it! I don't know the scene around them coming up, but they definitely pulled no punches with their sound and content. I'm looking forward to getting more into the line up.
My favourite Pistols song. The guitar intro gets me going every time
Rob- Being exposed to works like this what this channel is all about. Pretty Vacant is a great track! It sucks that it took me this long to hear it, but I'm grateful for the recommendation putting it in front of us.
Changed my life just as I left school
Hopefully for the better?
Did you genuinely not realise the reason why the word "vacant" is split into two very distinct syllables is so Johnny Rotten could emphasise the second and so swear repeatedly on the BBC at 7:00 in the evening...
Rob- After the fact and certainly after having it pointed out in various ways, I most definitely hear it now. Before? I might have been focused a little more on the music and lyrical interpretation. Thanks for watching and adding more wood to the fire!
To say someone is 'pretty vacant' is basically saying they're not quite there - the lights are on but nobody's home
So…pretty but dumb? 🤔
Johnny Rotten slipping under the radar with some eccentric pronounciation on the word 'vacant.'
Gotta love it.
Kat: 🤭😁
If you want more punk, check out Stiff Little Fingers, irish punk band that started up during the troubles in Northern Ireland and the music reflects that. absolutely outstanding
Thank you for watching & for the recommendation. We already have them slated for a future episode. Lots of requests for Alternative Ulster at this point. Cheers!
@ShareWhatYouLove Also have a look at Suspect Device
HANX!
Pistols fan from 1976, as a 16 year old, saw them at the Roxy, and various gigs, what about sounded in 1977, The Great Rock n'Roll Swindle, etc. It was a working class movement that didn't like the establishment of people with long hair and hemp underpants.
Rob- Funny how quickly the counter culture long hairs became the norm. I suppose any movement with enough weight gets glommed onto by financial interests. I'm envious of your concert experiences!
Note that Johnny Rotten (Lydon) also have a progressive rock album with PIL on the 500 best album according to Rollinger Stone magazine
Noted. The man had talent, of that, there is no doubt.
Listen to The Saints, from Australia (first album: I’m Stranded) and Dead Boys, from Cleveland, OH (first album: Young, Loud, and Snotty). Both were part of the original wave of Punk, which was over by 1979. Their music stands up today.
Listen also to the ground-breaking post-Punk band Gang of Four, from the UK (first album: Entertainment). If their music sounds familiar, it’s because they inspired so many bands that followed.
Just listen to the complete albums; they’re short.
Rob- Thank you for the recommendations! I definitely have some of The Saints on the list, and I'll put the Dead Boys on as well.
We are pretty vacant was about not having work in a period of mass unemployment.I was 18 living in the north of England that was pretty grim
The Pistols anti establishment ,no future spoke to us.I was young,,pissed off and ready for the revolution.Now I.m old,pissed off and still waiting
Rob- Thank you for the context. That certainly makes sense. Kat and I do this as one of many ways to blow off steam from the grind.
Johnny Rotten said Vacant was a good way to sing C**t on Top of the Pops . I asked him about it a few months ago and he said yea its a fact. A few times he sang Va-C**t .
Rob- That is totally believable and makes the contrary part of my heart smile.
I am always stunned at how many people don't know that about this song. It was pure punk genius to get away with singing such crude words on British TV and radio.
@@leithmacdonald4242 They finished Bill Grundy's (the TV presenter) career. He interviewed them live and they were using crude words on prime time viewing, and he didn't stop them. They came across as ignorant yobs, which being England, caught the yoof's interest, and hence their popularity. I actually own this single, which I think is their best, and reminds me of the early "Who". Johnny Rotten has surprisingly, become an English "national treasure" in his dotage, wearing tweeds and selling butter on TV. Incidently, Sid Vicious here isn't actually playing bass, he's there for the image, a bit like Stu Sutcliffe was for the Beatles.
@@SuperNevile Thanks for the history lesson but it isn't needed - I lived the era and survived it!
@@leithmacdonald4242 This wasn't for you, one of the initiates, but for those people who stunned you with their lack of knowledge about this song. This is also for those 'across the pond' who will never understand the background to English youth anger during the 1970s and beyond. (I can't speak for Scottish anger during that period though 😐).
I see Dead Kennedys have been suggested - either Holiday In Cambodia or “we’ve got a bigger problem now” - which is a remake of California Uber Alles only with updated lyrics about Regan that if you could rhyme trump it is prophetic
Rob- Thank you! My knowledge of them is pretty shallow. I will add those to our list.
They saved rock and roll when all looked lost they came out and punched rock and roll in the face. 1 album changed everthing
@@howarddickson8856 Rob- Definitely a step outside the norm. Music needs a good kick to the nethers now and again.
Hell yeah, punks not dead,,,
Rob- It lives on directly and in the veins of several genres...
Pretty Vacant is my favourite Pistols song musically speaking - though their other songs were more "punk".
This list of songs were the first I heard from each of these punk band in the late 70s /early 80s, which made me want to search out more from each. Some went on to fame, fortune & importance, and some stayed fairly obscure:
Peaches - The Stranglers
Metal Postcard - Siouxsie and the Banshees
Danced - Toyah
Emergency - 999
Dog Eat Dog - Adam and The Ants
Gary Gilmore's Eyes - The Adverts
Oh Bondage, Up Yours - X-Ray Spex
Don't Dictate - Penetration
Rob- Thank you for sharing! Kat will be happy to see that Siouxie and the Banshees made the list!
True story I once went out for a drink with some work colleagues and via a relatively serious concussion on the way home, the following day I ended up in a hotel bar about 70 miles from home drinking with Paul Cook from the Sex Pistols. He called me the C-word & bought me a JD & coke, lovely fella...
Kat: Holy guacamole, Davey! Glad you’re safe! Also that’s really neat! I feel like the C- word has so many flavors of meaning to the Brits depending on the tone used. The first time I heard it as a term of endearment I was genuinely thrown off. Wild. 🤣
If you were in a pub band in the UK in the late 70's or 1980's, this was likely a cover on your set list.
There music still holds up decades later. We love it.
I was 18 at the time, and into soft rock and soul. I thought they were too anarchic for me at the time, but it grew on me. I was pleasantly pleased to read that Johnny Rotten loved the music of 10cc at the time. You can't get less punk than that. He knew music, and like what he liked despite his public persona.
Rob- 10cc! I've heard a song or two, and I'm pretty sure I have Guy Ritchie to thank for that. I don't know what my first exposure to punk was, but it's been an appealing sort of energy to me. The Sex Pistols definitely catch me with their sound and attitude. Thanks for checking out the video!
the saints - i'm stranded
Rob- I'll add that to the fire! I know we've got one or two mentions on that song.
Tommy Gun - The Clash
‘Orgasm addict’ - the Buzzcocks
On the edge - SLF
Kids are united - Sham 69
No more heroes - The Stranglers
New Rose - The Damned
Rob- Thank you for your recommendations! They're on the list.
Theres a band from Australia , The Saints , who had also had that sound and attitude even a year before the Sex Pistols album also check out , Amyl and the sniffers ,
Rob- Thank you! Are there any particular songs you would recommend?
@ShareWhatYouLove yes. The Saints.....(I'm) Stranded is the first punk song of that style and era. They followed up with Know Your Product which is a critically acclaimed song about consumerism. It features horns. I am sure you will enjoy. PS try Television Addict by The Victims. Let me know what you think.
I absolutely love the Saints
Musically perhaps, but before them MC5, the Stooges, Pink Fairies, but nobody had the attitude of the Pistols, absolutely nobody.
They were just so anti everything.
Punk was attitude, not just music.
Would definitely 2nd The Saints, but I’d choose ‘This Perfect Day’.
Brisbane Security City is an awesome tune
Neat,Neat,Neat... The Damned!
Noted and now on our list for a future episode. Thank you for watching and recommending. 🙂❤️👍🏻
And of course, it gave them the chance to almost, nearly, kinda say the word "c*nt" on a single.
Love this vid, and also your idea of sharing what we love.
Would you be up for sharing what WE make? Be it visual arts, music, or whatever?
I think it could be pretty interesting to get your guys opinions on 'homebrewed' arts.
In the meantime, if it's new to you, I'd love to hear your response to 'A pair of brown eyes' by the Pogues. Cheers both x
Rob- We're a fledgling channel and still figuring it all out, but I would like to be an avenue for all sorts of art, including what your or others have created. The paintings behind us are made by Kat and I.
I am a huge Flogging Molly fan, so I'm all about getting into some Pogues! It's on the list
Jason: Hey there @SundanceLemur (great handle btw). When you say “Homebrewed Arts”, what exactly are you referring to? Music, Videos, Art, dance, etc…? We definitely want you to share what you love and if it’s feasible to create content on it, we’re down for it. I think that would be fun. What are you thinking?
Hi again,
I hadn't really given it a lot of thought to be honest, it was just one of those 'wouldn't it be nice if...' ideas.
The hardest thing for you guys of course, would be trying to generate views by reacting to things no-one's ever heard of 😅. Once you start to get some momentum though (and I really hope you do), maybe you could ask for submissions once in a while as a supplement to your main vids.
I guess short form audio and video would be easier, but it'd be great to see prints, ceramics, paintings, poems...anything really if you could make an interesting vid about it.
I'm a musician, so I'll always be a bit biased towards tunes, but there are sooo many talented people out there, and it's always cool to see what people are making.
Good luck with the channel, and I'll keep watching with interest 👍
Send us a link to any content you would like to share, if we can find a place for it, we’ll get it on an episode and give you your credit, links, info, whatever. Happy to help, see/hear some new things and of course, share what you love. ❤️ 😉
Out to lunch was a term for being drunk. I think most people miss it.
Rob- That definitely flew over my head. I can't say that I'm familiar with that usage. Thanks for the info!
Out to lunch if you check means not in touch with real world or crazy aka vacant
Out to lunch was a euphemism for crazy,Not all there !
And vacant was like a vacant look in a person's eyes; They're not exactly sure what's going on, what the Americans name a" basket case".
Highly recommend you check out the stooges, especially “down on the street” and “I wanna be your dog.”
Rob- The soundtrack for the original movie of The Crow put me on to I Wanna Be Your Dog. Great track! I've seen Iggy in a few other instances, but I'm a blank on most of his stuff. Onto the list it goes!
i was lucky enough to see the pistols twice in a week Dec 77 I walked to Huddersfield xmas day to watch them I ended up doing two documentaries about that gig never mind the Baubles and ghost of christmas past Punk rock wasn't about music it was about changing society Music was one of the tools we got the message across But art and mental attitude were others It was unique to the UK in the 70's because the content was dealing with things going on in our environment It later became a vehicle for other people to rebel against their country
Rob- It was before my time, but I've gotten quite a few stories to set the scene. Thank you for adding to it. I've often heard that punk isn't fashion. To say that Punk isn't about music, but about changing society, gives me the thread to tie them all together. Thank you for the comment.
From Disco to Punk ! From Soul to Heavy ; The 70's were The Kick off...
Would’ve loved to have experienced it firsthand.
Rolling Stone magazine voted Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols as the best album of the 1980’s. Which tells you how out of touch the USA was with UK punk
Rob- The pop world in general I think, is out of touch and sync with most genuine movements. I don't hate pop. It has good points like the production quality and striving for a sort of audio purity. But the really moving work is on the fringes in my opinion.
This is probably their best one tbh.
Debatable for sure, depending on whom you ask, but we really love it. Thank you for watching and commenting. 👍🏻🙂
Out to lunch used to be slang for mad.
That makes sense.
Johnny Rotten ( John Lydon) is a true Brit and a wonderful Human being.
He famously attributed his stage energy to an ongoing troublesome case of haemorrhoids
Interesting you saying he's a "true Brit",as he's first generation Irish & a US Citizen now. (I am a Pistols fan of original standing & Lydon/Rotten was/is a hero [disclaimer])
@normandavidtidiman9918 are you saying people that moved to and built their lives in Britain aren't British? Now that's Interesting !
Rob- I've heard takes on him that run both ways. I'm just grateful he made the music! And as a US citizen, I'll stay right out of the discussion about what a true Brit he was or wasn't...
@adrianmcdonald84 I didn't say he wasn't British or English either. Your words were a "True Brit". Implication being someone of long standing British heritage.
@normandavidtidiman9918 I'm just talking about culture. You seem to be leaning towards a more racial interpretation.
There's no single 'british gene' that would be required for your implied interpretation of 'True Brit' to be valid.
We can have different interpretations, no problem . Mine just isn't the same as yours. All the best.
Pretty vacant was all about being sacked by their record company at the time, they were made 'Vacant'.
Rob- That fits with what I keep hearing about the job prospects in the UK at the time. I had no idea the things were so bleak for many at that time. Thank you for the watch and comment!
I was 18 in 1976 and too old to be a "punk", but I remember being seriously impressed by an interview with Rotten in the NME, which lambasted him for telling of the time he was caught urinating on the grave of one of his teachers called "Pissy Procter". We were all pretty vacant and going nowhere, so I saw it as an act of thanksgiving. Incidentally, a "punk" is an older English name for a prostitute or a worthless person.
Rob- I love a good bit of etymology and word history, so thanks for that last tidbit. There's a lot of varying takes on Rotten, but the "Pissy Proctor" fits in with all of it lol
The Pistols may have put out only one album, but what an album! Most bands would have that as their grestest hits album.
Completely agree. It’s a wonderful, front to back, headbanger filled with angst that resonates decades later.
It was a figure of speech to say that someone who looked lethargic or idiotic, looked "Vacant"... So the song is them labelling themselves as very "pretty" Vacant. Great play on the English language
Rob- I like their use of the language and sarcasm has a sort of general appeal to me. Naturally, I enjoy the Sex Pistols! Great music to my ears.
Written so Mr Lydon could say 'the nasty swearword' on Top Of the Pops
Sneaky little bugger. Cheers. Thank you for watching & commenting. 🙂
Is this them live on top of/alongside the recording? The intro's clearly live but then it sounds doubled
Rob- Thank you for the feedback, no pun intended. We're still hammering out the kinks in our production method, but things are shaping up nicely. Thanks for the watch and comment!
@@ShareWhatYouLove Pretty sure the issue was in the video itself, not on your end
Wrong.. The sex pistols had at least 2 albums.. Never mind the bollocks and The Great rock and roll swindle.. and I've got both
Rob- Excellent! Thank you for the correction. I'll have to into the second album. I believe we have more Sex Pistols to record later, so I'll do my best to remember to mention that.
Sham 69, if the kids are united.
Was a belter of a tune, stiff little fingers been noted another brilliant band ✌️🏴🇬🇧
Rob- I have a few different recommendations for Stiff Little Fingers. That Sham 69 song is going on the list now. Thank you!
My first gig SLF at Wolverhampton civic hall .I was 14 .going home drenched in sweat and with gob in my hair, GLORY DAYS.
@@roytwinberrow7956 if the kids are united, song opening is where, my mind goes too, when someone mentions Punk Rock,
You want to sort that sound out.
Which part of the video are you referring to? I’m not catching any sound problems on this end. If it’s the echo at the beginning, it’s because the producer is not mic’ed up (that’s why he sounds a bit distant compared to the mic’ed up talent) That was just some BTS banter that we included because we thought it was funny.
@@ShareWhatYouLove We hear your mic recording the video's audio and the audio of the video, i think that's what they are referring to
The only people who are mic’ed up are the talent. The producer was talking in the background, said something that caught Kat & Rob off guard and prompted some burst out laughter. We wanted to share that behind the scenes footage with the audience because we thought it was funny (despite the echoey audio) and we knew the rest of the audio was spot on. We hope you at least found the exchange funny and we’ll mic the BTS for future episodes in case we have moments like this happen again that we’d like to use. Thank you for watching. We hope you enjoyed it. 🙂❤️
@@ShareWhatYouLove I think what @Theo-be1wd means is that maybe the mics you were wearing were picking up the music and putting a delay on it which got mashed up with the original audio. I hope what you were hearing in the studio didn't sound like that.
No, it didn’t sound like that at all. I really appreciate you letting us know so we can be more aware of that for future episodes. Good looking out, Thank you. ❤️
The Sex Pistols (believe it or not) were a band put together by a manager who was very interested in culture and fashion (and changing it). Pretty Vacant is an ironic statement about the band being a disposable product for the fashion and music industries.
Love it. Didn’t know that. It has been fun finding out so much more about this amazing band. Thank you for sharing and for watching. ❤️🤘
Primary punk song. Alternative Ulster - Stiff Little Fingers, No More Heroes - The Stranglers, Teenage Kicks - The Undertones, What Do I Care? - The Buzzcocks, Smash it Up - The Damned, Follow the Leader Killing Joke. Great times for music with 3 channels on TV, no internet, no phones....
You have some great recommendations on here. Throwing them on the list for a future episode. 💯 Thank you for watching and reaching out. 🙂👊
the play on words is so clever- they obviously weren't pretty - adding the second word changes the meaning of pretty to mean 'totally'. the ultimate in nihilism!
Once you hear it, you can’t in-hear it. It’s deceptively brilliant. 🙂 Thank you for watching & taking the time to reach out to comment. ❤️
Never trust a hippie 😂😂
Rob- Gotta keep an eye on those dirty long-hairs! 😂
@ all in jest my friend 😂😂😂😂✌️🏴
Kat: HA!! 🤣
Jason: I produce the show and I still keep an active eye on both these hippies on screen. 🤨 Thank you for watching & the hilarious comment. 😂
MY understanding is..they faced constant rebuttals from intern type bored receptionist girls club managers and hip music journalists while trying to get a record deal or somewhere to play.
Rob- That certainly makes sense in the context of the lyrics and delivery. Thanks for the additional context!
My favourite Pistols track.
How could you not love it?
Awesome song and a good excuse for putting emphasis on the second syllable of the word vacant 👍😎
The creative deception of the lyrics just makes this song even better. Thank you for watching and commenting. 🙂🤟🏻
Kat: *giggles deviously*
You gotta look at the Dead Kennedys,the best of the bunch IMO,from the states.Saw them here in New Zealand in their heyday in the'80's. Some other bands I'd recommend are the Buzzcocks,the Ruts,the Stranglers,Stiff Little Fingers from Ireland,GBH & Discharge. I can tell you first hand,us punks were despised,actually spat on in the street,we were considered the architects of chaos....funny how many of the gigs were peaceful....& then the cops turned up & carnage ensued....its amazing I'm so well adjusted😂😂😂yeah right!!
Do you mean, these Dead Kennedys? ruclips.net/video/__iFhFIPxmM/видео.htmlsi=7-nA4NKzpP7Ao6x5
Rob- By all means! Hit us with another DK song! There's so much good music just from this band.
@ShareWhatYouLove great stuff!Fresh fruit for rotting vegetables was probably the best of the best from American punks IMO,absolutely adore this album.....& they ain't the DKs without Jello!!
Jason (Producer, SWYL): Wholeheartedly agree. Not the same without Jello.
I started my musical venture with early The Who that were rebels in their own right. Moved on to early rock and then saw several punk bands including The Pistols, The Damned, The Clash, The Adverts, Slits, Sham 69, and The Stranglers. They were fun to watch but moved on to early punk influenced Iron Maiden and then other NWOBHM bands. And now in my early 70s it's predominantly metal but in particular symphonic metal and especially Nightwish with Floor Jansen.
Rob- That's quite the resume! Any particular songs you might throw out for us from that grouping? I know that we're sitting on a few of those bands already, but there's room for more.
Kat: oooooh Nightwish!!!
@@ShareWhatYouLove okay here's the most popular Nightwish song from Wacken 2013. So reacted to but an exceptional performance. Ghost Love Score. ruclips.net/video/JYjIlHWBAVo/видео.htmlsi=vvRQwcLubkKb_on_
That was bad ass. Okay, they’re going to have to get a dedicated episode.
Make sure to keep your eyes open for us to discuss Nightwish on a future episode. We’ll tag you on it for sure.
Bloody Revolutions - Crass
From the Cradle to the Grave - Subhumans
Warhead - UK Subs
So What - Anti Nowhere League
Every one of those 👍
Rob- We appreciate those recommendations! They'll go straight to the list.
Just needs something from The Exploited and that would be my choice too, mate.
This is the origin of Punk. I was one of those little kids absolutely fascinated by all those folk with the bright pink or blue or green or orange spiky hair and giant skinny mohawks in crazy clothes and the music was perfect for a 5yo like me to bounce around too and then grow up understanding more and more how powerful and deep and influential it really was. All of this was, and still much to my Mum's displeasure, Dad's fine lol but I haven't burned down the system . . . . yet 😆
Kat: They’re so fun to look at!!! Hey Paul, there’s still plenty of time my friend! Lol
Check out the other British band Discharge and their debut LP; Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing.
They upped the tempo, noise, distortion and paved the way for music to become more extreme.
@@sardo.numspa Rob- You've got my interest! Do you have a particular song in mind?
@@ShareWhatYouLove Thanks for the reply.
Discharge did a lot of great stuff early in their career, hard to pick out just one song, but "Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing" from the aforementioned LP is a good start. (The LP that has been described to have changed extreme music forever.)
Or the slower "State Control State Violence".
Enjoy.
P.S. buy ear plugs!
@@ShareWhatYouLove Some trivia; Keanu Reeves said in an interview for Far Out Magazine that Discharge was one of his favourite bands.
If John Wick says he likes ‘em, that gotta be good! 🙂
The most important British band in my lifetime. Not so much for the music, which was great, but the wider influence they had. Its not an exaggeration to say in the uk at least, the pistols and punk actually changed society.
Rob- I've been learning a lot from commenters. Some have advised me not to read too much into UK punk, but many more seem to have a a positive mark left in their lives by it.
Very interesting, but why does everybody miss it? Listen to the last line; Johnny wanted to say the C word on the radio and he does, even the BBC missed it.
It’s brilliantly deceptive and we love it! 🙂 Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. ❤️
Personally, I believed, and still do, that at a time when swearing was banned from the airwaves, it was a subtle attempt to repeat the 'C' word as many times as they could get away with!
Very punk!
Very punk and we applaud the deception. 🙂👍🏻 Thank you for watching & commenting.
"Bodies"......is the track.
Rob- I've got it logged on the list, but I'll add your vote to the tally.
YES YES YES!!
I liked the Pistols even though I was too old: I was not the target audience. One of the things that grabbed me was that there was evidence of intelligence in the composition of some of the music. The word "intelligence" seems counter-intuitive in the context but I believe that Mr Rotten is actually very clever. Any interviewer who underestimates him usually get their asses handed back to them, often somewhat shredded. And, of course, the Svengali that put the whole act together - bloke name of Malcolm McLaren - was clever in a carnivorous way.
Just a tiny piece of advice: do not over-analyse early British punk. Any deep "message" you think you detect is most likely in your own mind. You will be better off developing your pogo-ing moves.
Rob- It's a good, cohesive sound to my ears. There's the old joke about picking any 3 chords and you've got a punk song, but I think good punk is in that range of deceptively simple.
I appreciate your take on the Sex Pistols, and I'll keep your advice in mind in upcoming videos. I think we'll be seeing more punk on this channel!
The raison d’tera for this song was to get the word ”C*nt” on Top of the pops”
We love the ruse used by the band to ultimately deceive the network and get this on Top Of the Pops. Thank you for watching & for commenting.
im pretty sure the song was just an excuse to turn vacant into a swear word lol.. va- cant with a different vowel
Lads, Punk was not 'antisocial' especially the SP's It was anti hypocrisy and bullshit. I was 15 yrs old, in the local authority care system in North Wales when NMTB came out. it blew my head off then and still does.
Rob- I've always thought the hypocrisy was housed in social institutions, sheltered and perpetuated. That might be a bit of negativity I need to examine. Thank you for the context and the comment!
Punk was anti establishment and very pro social. Two very different things.
Lol
OK.
Play God Save The Queen by The Exploited.
They were a hardcore punk band from Scotland in 1981 onwards. Theyr still going today but only the singer is an original member. They had one hit single that charted, and many albums. The suggested track is an outstanding tune if you lurrve bass guitar and hard drums.
Rob- I'll add that to our list. Good bass and hard drums sound like a great time to me! Thanks for the suggestion.
This band the music, clothing hair, was changed because of The Sex Pistols! Even today bands are replicating them one way or another!
Rob- They were definitely at the forefront. I'm glad that they've had the reach and influence that they've had. I'm not exactly fashion conscious, but the sound and attitude are thankfully still alive and kicking.
If you want more Punk then you need to listen to _Bad Religion._ Classic Southern California Punk with a lead singer who had a PhD in zoology and has taught Evolutionary Biology at Cornell and UCLA. Start with _Stranger Than Fiction_ for an easy introduction, then go to _Recipe for Hate_ (especially the songs _American Jesus_ and _Kerosene)_ and then go back to the album that really started their rise; _Suffer._
Listen to the insrumts 😊
According to Glen Matlock, (who co-wrote it), the 'Main Riff' in 'Pretty Vacant', was 'inspired' ABBA's 'SOS'! Personally - I've never been able to hear any connection. Just as I can't hear, the least similarity, to ABBA's 'Dancing Queen', in Blondie's 1979 Single - 'Dreaming'. Blondie claim, that the ABBA Song, 'inspired' 'Dreaming'....
Rob- Short of Dancing Queen, I am woefully ignorant of ABBA. It's worth a look for the comparison though! ... and I'm back. I'm going to have to agree with you. I don't really hear a correlation.
It's all about the UK class structure which gave all the opportunity (mostly) to the upper classes & those at the bottom got nothing, so people did the only thing they could do, they rebelled & they did it themselves (which, to me, is what punk was really all about). I suppose you had to be there to realise just how restricted society was in Britain back then.
Rob- The social context is definitely new to me. I really appreciate you and others who have broadened our understanding of this.
Many great bands owe everything to the Sex Pistols in breaking the mould in new rock music. - AD/DC, The Clash, Midnight Oil, The Knack, The Radiators, Ramones etc
If you mean AC/DC , they predate the Sex Pistols by several years. Plus Bon Scott wasn’t particularly complimentary about them in an interview. I never got the impression AC/DC saw themselves as punk in any way.
Rob- They tapped into something that has people still drawn to their sound to this day. Leave to a bunch of punks to go breaking stuff!
Post punk next try joy division
Rob- Thank you! I am familiar with Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy division. Is there another song you would recommend?
No love lost .
Transmission..
Disorder...
Any of the tunes when they were Warsaw (before JD) are excellent mate.
On the list. Keep an eye out for a future episode. We’ll tag you on it with recommendation credit, when it cones out.
Sex pistols my brother was 14 years older than me he was into them on his guitar amp he had the "nevermind the bollocks "a massive sticker on it but this is original punk , Malcolm
Mc claren was the manager too , 3 buffalo gals was a lil punkish too , not as hardcore to the era the sex pistols
Rob- Punk has so many flavors! From the hard edge to the more melodic ska side, I enjoy the energy of it. Thanks for reaching out! And stay tuned. We'll have more punk on the channel soon.
I struggled with the origins of punk for a while, Pistols or Ramones? Then I learned that the true origins of punk were hiding in plain sight (and no media coverage) since they were the soundtrack to the 1968 DNC riots. Just inducted to the R&R HoF by Tom Morello, The MC5.
The true OG punk song was Kick Out the Jams.
But the Pistols were like if The Ramones tried too hard to be cool. They're a construct.
Rob- Thank you for the lead! I'll take that as a recommendation for Kick Out the Jams by MC5. A quick read as me extremely intrigued. Their position in the counter culture movement of the time certainly makes sense in reference to punk rock. As far as the Sex Pistols being a construct, I would argue that every band is a construct, whether by outside or internal direction. That might just be a bit of semantics though.
It's a shame you cut off the last few seconds where Johnny Rotten is scowling into the camera. I remember this on the telly in 1976 (first time) and my mum came downstairs for the end bit and said "Oh I don't like them !".
Oh man, we didn’t notice that. Drag. Sorry about that. But what a great story. We could hear our own mom’s saying that too. 😂 Thank you for the story and for watching.
There are soo many directions you can go with punk. It didn't necessarily have a sound. Siouxsie and the Banshees are very different from the Exploited. For me, personally, the music was only about 20% of it. Sor the most part, it was living in Punk houses, or squats, in Oakland, Ca. Doing what we could to scrape up enough cash for food, beer, or whatever. If you want, poppy punk on different ends of the spectrum, try The Toy Dolls, Nellie the Elephant..then try Conflict's Force or Service?
Isn’t it amazing how music can be the soundtrack for our own lives? And how it can resonate for decades after you heard it. Adding The Toy Dolls by NTE and Force or Service by Conflict to the list. Thank you for the recommendations and for watching. 🙂🤟🏻