Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hard to believe...
Happy B-day, mr Lydon!

Not hard for me to believe, the great thing about The Pistols for me(other than the music, which changed my life)was when they hit they were just a couple years older than I. Up to then all my musical heroes were 10-15 years older than me.

I just watched "The Great Rock & Roll Swindle" the other day...it is kinda hard to believe, for me anyway. Still love the way they just gave everyone the finger and the response from the stuffy corporate types was priceless.
It wouldn't be nearly as shocking now.

"Swindle" was a huge disappointment when I saw it in the early '80s, Malcolm's ego trip.
"The Filth & The Fury" is the one to see.

Ronn: I remember seeing 'The Punk Rock Movie' in the late 70's. It was my only way to see them performing live, after buying my first punk single 'Pretty Vacant/Sub-Mission' single in 1977. I missed seeing them at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas because I was only 17-years-old.

Also worth watching is the VH1 (I may have the that wrong) program that examines the recording of "classic" albums; the one on "Never Mind The ********" is great.

It still is a fine album to turn up loud. Though as time goes on, the need to turn it up loud is because of failing ears, not misdirected, youthful rebellion.

Ronn, "Swindle" was a huge disappointment when I watched it the other day!
I want to see Filth & Fury, it has just eluded me thus far.
Another good read is "12 Days on the Road with the Sex Pistols", amazing the amount of problems they had during 12 days in America.

such an awful excuse for a band imho.

merely a sub-average rock band. i never considered them punk.

Phlemmy: I think the Sex Pistols (actually McLaren) deserve a lot of credit for shaking up the music scene in 1977. I honestly haven't listened to them in the last (20) years, so the music isn't important, but somebody needed to destroy the stagnant rock music culture of time. They did it in short order while imploding at the same time.

You had to be there to experience them in '77. No one else was remotely close.

The raw aggresion and power of NMTB overpowered all at the time and the social impact was huge. Still today, it stands out ahead of all of the other contemporary punk albums of the time and the social issues addressed in songs like "Pretty Vacant" are as valid as ever.

It was a major undertaking of attitude for a lot of people. I remember kids starting to come to school in bin liners became the norm...

That "Punk" was a British raw working class ideal that the vast majority of Americans could not, and never did relate to.

Andrew: Absolutely right. Hearing the Pistols 'Never Mind The ********' in '77 was pretty exciting. After that album, they ran out of material and then promptly self-destructed. I think Lydon made some pretty interesting records with Public Image Ltd.

What Wints said.
When that album came out my best friend and I were learning guitar and bass and wanted to start a band but didn't know how or what kind of music to play. He bought NMTB(on LP!)one day and as soon as it started to play we had an epiphany. We soon found the only two others in our Texas town who were into punk at the time and started a band. The Stiffs. Texas soon developed a pretty good punk scene and we released a few singles and eventually broke up in '82, but it was a huge blast. It was an amazing feeling to be part of something new, something NOW!

NEVER TRUST A HIPPIE.

Hmm... i like the last phrase in your post, Ronn...

'Tis my creedo.

i first heard the pistols around 79 or so as i had an older brother who was very into music. but it did nothing for me at the time. i was more into sabbath, priest, cooper and rush at that point. i do understand and respect their influence on a genre, but i just could never get into them...although holidays in the sun is a great song. i much preferred some of the latter punk/hardcore such as gbh, tsol, cro mags, 1st motorhead LP and early black flag.