Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols

Well... this easily goes on record for my biggest changed opinion. The first (and last) time I listened to this record in full was over a decade ago, back when I was still in high school. And I hated it. HATED it. I thought it was the most boring, annoying, overrated bit of trash, and that it didn't deserve to it's place among contemporaries like The Damned and The Clash. And over the years, hearing a song or two here or there, my opinion was unchanged. Even getting a PiL record on this project just reinforced my opinion that John Lydon is trash. When I saw this come up for the day, I groaned. I was expecting to give it a 1, have it give me a headache, and life would move on. But something changed. The singing that I thought was grating nonsense now felt passionate and aggressive. The boring and overdone guitar riffs now felt enormous and fiery. The songs were all far catchier and more fun than I used to appreciate. I LOVED it. So, I would like to apologize, Sex Pistols, for years of trashing you. You deserved better.

Not into rap

I get that this one of the most influential albums of all time, but it sounds f-ing terrible🤷🏻‍♂️

This album is pure energy. Weird listening to it today, when all the "controversial" aspects seem tame. It's been imitated so much that it almost sounds like a parody of itself. No doubt that this is as punk as a studio album can get.

Has given me thrills ever since my mum put it on in the car during my metal/Beatles phase and said, “I think you’ll like this.” Never a headbanger, I wondered what made the Pistols her exception. Probably the same thing that does it for me: the very real danger posed by ex-dole queue give-no-fuckers snarling through a litany of things they find contemptuous about society and spitting the things society finds contemptuous about them back in its face. Some of their assaults ring resoundingly true (Holiday in the Sun, God Save The Queen). Some of them are plain scary (Bodies, No Feelings). Everywhere, contradictions abound. None more so than in the figure of Johnny Rotten, who cuts through the noise with a spiteful clarity, taking care to make sure his words land because he knows how much they'll make you squirm. It's an unsettlingly committed performance, through which a fully (de)formed character emerges. More than just a frontman, he’s a leader, an icon, a hero. But wait, aren’t icons and heroes anathema to anarchists? Yep. Fortunately, the band has no interest in resolving these conflicts, opting to intensify them instead, which they do gloriously. Undoubtedly more shocking at the time, punk has been revived and remodelled so often since 1977 that to someone who first heard it 28 years after the fact, it simply sounds perfect.

A very music-wise friend called the Sex Pistols a punk rock boy band. Apparently they were hand picked and assembled by manager, and there's more to the story, but the conversation was on a train car in the Orient Express and I was a wee bit drunk. It changed they way I hear their music. I've always thought they seemed like an act. They give themselves funny stage names "Rotten" and "Vicious" and call their band a combination of two "dangerous" words. This album apparently revolutionized music and kicked off punk rock, but it doesn't really feel like punk rock to me. I thought the whole point of punk was a DIY, pared down approach to rock that allowed raw expression to rise above musicianship. Being loud isn't necessarily raw. Snarling anger isn't necessarily expressive. I sound like an old guy. It's a cool album from a boy band who played a style of music that was different than anything else played prior, except the Stooges. I think I have a bias against all UK bands. B-

Honestly did not know the sex pistols only had one album. I didn't really know Sid Vicious' story either jesus christ. This album is great 5 stars would recommend

Ooooh you're hard

I had been procrastinating my review of this, because the Sex Pistols were the most important band to my life, and I think I became very wary that explaining my veneration of the Pistols would slightly dispel the magic. I feel I should add some biography. My brother was 14 years older than me, and when he was a teenager, punk was already long dead. But, as an angry teen, he'd built up a vinyl collection of the Pistols and the Clash. Then one of my sisters, 7 years older than me, began seeing an Iron Maiden fan around 1993 while she was into Nirvana, so they dug out my brother's old albums. Initially, when one of my other sisters, 4 years older than me, played Anarchy in the UK once (odd, as she has never been into punk or rock, preferring smarter pop), I tried to be a snotty, bratty younger brother and dismiss it, but I became fascinated. So, my earlier-mentioned sister began playing the Sex Pistols for me, along with Guns N Roses and Nirvana (despite Kurt's rhetoric, every Nirvana fan was also a GnR fan). I now recognise the Sex Pistols as the first artistic experience I ever had in my life, aged 8 in 1992. And yes, that does mean I was a cooler 8-year-old than you. Looking back, much of my subsequent aesthetic mindset was determined by Never Mind the Bollocks. I discovered and fell in love with dada aged 15, clocking that it was WW1 punk. Most of the music I adore is music I can connect to the Sex Pistols (aside from the Stooges, Ramones, Clash and Joy Division, I would name my beloved blues, rock n roll, outlaw country, garage rock, Krautrock, glam, and indie as punk-adjacent, along with plenty of others). Much of my favourite writing has a punk sneer delivered with two fingers. Hell, despite the punk aesthetic being so watered-down that the anarchy symbol is a corporate stand-by, women with dyed, spiky hair and Doc Martens stir something in me few women do. But why was I hesitant? Are the Sex Pistols like an eclipse: as astonishing a spectacle as they are, you shouldn't look upon them with naked eyes? Nope. I was second-guessing myself again. The Sex Pistols are the greatest, most important band of all, and Never Mind the Bollocks is the greatest, most important album of all. The title makes the point: compared to the Pistols, much else is just bollocks. The album is ultimately a monument to two youths: Steve Jones and John Lydon. Steve Jones, a teenage petty criminal who was just starting off on the career of professional criminal (already a housebreaker and football hooligan, even he accepts that without the Pistols he was destined for prison), agrees with his mate Paul Cook to join a band founded by Wally Nightingale called Swankers, with Jones on vocal. Badgering Malcolm McLaren for management, they also recruit his stockboy Glen Matlock as bassist. Though a charismatic thug and womaniser, Jones is not a great frontman, and McLaren convinces him to take up the guitar and ditch Wally (what an apt name). The group, now firmly cemented as Jones' band, stages auditions for a new lead singer, and a teenage oddball with green hair and yellow teeth (hence the nominer Johnny Rotten) mimes to the wonderful Alice Cooper track I'm Eighteen, securing his place in the band. Remarkably, that football hooligan turned out to have an instinctive, almost unconscious grasp of the most powerful power chords, and that oddball happened to have a decent brain, making that unaligned pair briefly the greatest living songwriters, in that they simply made the best songs. Of course it couldn't be sustained; nobody could be that wonderful for too long, and the collapse of the Pistols is one of the most wretched in music history. But they made the greatest album of all, an album that served as a compass for good music: everything worthwhile can be found if you follow the path directed by Never Mind the Bollocks. My ultimate question: what do I have to say to that 8-year-old boy who would jump around the front room to God Save The Queen after mass? You were right. Fucking hell, you were right. John Lennon is a wanker. Got any glue?

A classic and socially significant album with some huge bangers. Its context makes it greater than the music objectively is. The bangers are spread across the album, which works well as a pick-me-up just as things are starting to get a bit samey. This would be a 3 if it wasn't so culturally significant.

HAIKU REVIEW Rotten and Vicious More energy than talent I can not listen

almost didn't make it through. i did though. not a quitter

The Godfathers of Punk! One of my favourite albums of all time. Crunching guitar, snarling in your face vocals, solid album.

It is much slower than I remember it being - listened to it a lot when it came out, when it all seemed to hurtle along. Now, even the faster songs feel fairly considered. Great guitars from Steve Jones, fabulous sneering from Rotten. (Famously described by Captain Sensible as " 'e sounds like Old Man Steptoe!" )

Epitome of pared down punk rock. Simple three piece, singer with an enigmatic voice and delivery singing street anthems. Not to mention a great name and some crazy swagger to go with it. They’re not master of their instruments but they manage to make it sound good. You can feel the grime of the 1970s on this album. Smell the cigarettes and booze. It’s a fun album that breezes through with reckless abandon like a drunken night leaving you with a hangover. You can hear the dead Kennedy’s, the strokes, yeah yeah yeahs and many others in this album. It’s short and sweet and sour, though I think it gets a bit repetitive and could be a little shorter. It’s a 4 from me.

Even if I didn't know they were British, I still can tell they have bad teeth. My friend Cristina--a grad student studying speech pathology--would be stoked to work with them.

I used Anarchy in the UK as a way to talk about Political Theory in a college class. All in all, I feel like The Sex Pistols tried to use cheap shock value to stir controversy. Many of their songs sound repetitive. While I tend to like punk, the Sex Pistols are not for me. Best Songs: God Save the Queen, Pretty Vacant Worst Songs: Bodies, Problems, New York

Pistols started the UK punk movement. A seminal album, though probably not the finest (imo) debut album in the genre. Given the chaos that surrounded the band, the recording and the record company shambles it is an excellent effort.

What an album for a sunny commute. Would know that vocal anywhere. Bit samey and you never get a breather do ya but undeniably iconic to punk-rock and I do love me some punk-rock sometimes. Guitar in Problems is sick. Anarchy in the UK is one to skip to at the bottom of a big hill on a long run. "She was a girl from Birmingham and she just had an abortion" EMI

Malcolm McLaren is a certified genius. Kudos to him for capturing the zeitgeist of the era so well and creating and marketing a Boy Band for angry, disenfranchised and rebellious teens. They could barely play their instruments but it didn’t matter, this was all part of their schtick. Bands such as the Ramones or the Stooges actually has more talent. And coming up with Pro-wrestling like stage names like Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious was another stroke of marketing genius. And like the saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad publicity. The semi controversial album name, “bollocks” getting banned by the BBC, mocking the beloved Queen, the wild hair and costume all added fuel to the fire and the the kids loved and lapped it all up. They were probably a handful to manage though, so poor Malcolm could only squeeze one studio album out of them before they self-destructed. And the album wasn’t half bad, it had a few memorable singles and it sold millions. This gets one star for the content and two for its huge influence on music and culture.

Rollicking, deafeningly monotonous.

Yup, it's the blueprint!

The recording quality is abysmal, if somebody tried to put this out now, I'd be giving it a one. That being said, I can't help but give this a five. It's a cracking album.

I really don't listen to this enough. I was too young to experience it in person but the story is incredible and, most importantly, it SOUNDS FUCKING GREAT, packed with tune after fucking tune. The songs are (almost) all bangers - Bodies is shocking and abrasive even 45+ years later, and I can only, gleefully, imagine how God Save The Queen and Pretty Vacant sounded at the time. All monster riffs and amazing vocals. The title, the image and the contents still give a mild frisson; it's a bit weird (and disappointing) to be considered "classic rock" these days. I know the MC5 and others did it first, but this was executed perfectly. McLaren chose the ingredients masterfully; this could have been Sigue Sigue Sputnik or, I dunno, Gay Dad but is, instead, timeless like Elvis and The Beatles. Steve Jones and John Lydon are absolute giants (and both their books are well worth a read). Play it again! PS - listened to the "Spunk" demo bootleg in addition - it's not anywhere close to "superior" to these versions, don't waste your time; Chris Thomas knew what he was doing.

love the punk sounds and vocals. im personally unaware of the context this came out in but there is a level of inflated anarchy to it. my first time listening to sex pistols. i really like the way the singer enunciates some of the words. sex pistols is such a punk name actually. sex and pistols. such taboo topics. tackling and challenging modernity; and those who simply drift through life. bodies, the song about abortion really stuck with me because of the current debates surrounding abortion laws all over the world. its very interesting. i never really looked at things in the way this song presented them to be. really good album man, probably my favourite that ive heard this year. after exmilitary

Right. If you knew nothing about the history, you would find that this album still rocks pretty hard. The music has swagger, great guitar solos and that lead singer sort of sings, screams and sneers. No topic for a song seems off the table. Ah, but history it does have. Controversy. Censorship. Johny Rotten. Side Vicious. Starting the Punk Movement. Malcom McLaurin. Plenty of history. There has been a lot of more extreme punk and music in general since that this sounds just like rock and roll. I think it's also been absorbed into rock history so. The one thing that has stayed punk are the song lyrics; they're still pretty edgy and anti-everything: anarchy, abortion, women, the Queen, the UK. Most of the songs are great. I can't really add anything more other than this still well worthy of a listen.

I listened to this album a bunch a few weeks ago but wanted to find the time to listen to it while reading the lyrics because I thought they were the epitome of biting sarcasm and criticism. They give a big middle finger to everyone - the iron curtain and western society (Holidays in the Sun), orphans (No Feelings), the music industry and record companies (Liar and EMI), monarchy and British government (God Save the Queen and Anarchy in the UK), working stiffs and couch potatoes and sheeples and themselves (Problems and Pretty Vacant), middle class (and above) society (Seventeen), silver spoon or flaky musicians (New York). They even call out abortion. Ok, that one is a bit jarring and a little offside. But if you really listen to it, they're not taking a position on the issue and the lyrics are powerful. It certainly cannot have endeared them to too many folks to even discuss the issue back then, so you gotta respect their guts. There is no better example of screw the man and screw everything than this band and this album. And for all the flack they have taken for average musicianship, I liked their sound and thought it was solid. Combine the music and the lyrics and their energy/fire and you've got a classic album.

Classic Pistols, The Filth and The Fury (Headline from the Sun the day after their Today with Bill Grundy Interview) Malcom Mclaren was a master manipulator of the media. A terrific example of British Punk, Not the first British Punk Album (That was the Damned on Stiff Records) but seminal for sure. Johnny and his sneering lyrics, the sheer energy of the music was such a relief for this 18 Year Old in '77. Pistols, Clash and Damned, what a good time the mid 70's were for British punk, link that with New Wave and Pub Rock and you had the perfect alternative to Prog Rock Navel Gazing. Holiday In the Sun & Bodies were both favourites and of course Anarchy, GSTQ, Holidays In The Sun, Pretty Vacant all top Punk Singles. A must have in any Vinyl Collection. It is in mine!

What an album. Perhaps the most influential album of the rock era. After this nothing would be quite the same. All thus would be hyperbole if the songs weren't so fucking good. Some of the hardest most uncompromising rock music ever committed to tape. It's a masterpiece. 5 🌟

Haven't listened to this since college. People tend to be dismissive of the Pistols but this reminded me that they were actually quite good and Glen Matlock was only brilliant. Songs are great. Holds up.

What an album. Perhaps the most influential album of the rock era. After this nothing would be quite the same. All thus would be hyperbole if the songs weren't so fucking good. Some of the hardest most uncompromising rock music ever committed to tape. It's a masterpiece. 5 🌟

While Johnnie Rotten has given up his Punk Roots and gone full MAGA (or maybe that IS punk now), I was really blown away to hear this album for the first time realizing just how much it inspired later musical acts in the 80's and 90's. While a completely different genre, it reminded me a lot of the Beastie Boys. I am very unfamiliar with Sex Pistols besides their biggest hits and enjoyed this album much more than I thought I would.

I can understand a neutral not liking this, but to me, it’s rock music in the truest sense. Loud, aggressive, a punch to the face. These guys made a statement, one album, they broke up, and they changed society. I always loved this album.

This is a pretty fun album, surprisingly well written and played considering everyone thinks they were hopeless. Holidays in the sun in particular is a bona fide banger. And it aged well! 4/5.

Snotty, brash, and unapologetic songs. I tend to enjoy the bands the Pistols inspired more, but this collection of songs was a great starting point. Good Punk primer, but comforting to know it gets better from here.

I’m that old I was at school at the time

There’s no denying the impact and influence of this record and band, especially from an aesthetic point of view, but The Damned’s “Damned Damned Damned” runs circles around this and every other UK punk debut record. (Plus, it came out before them all.)

Every music magazine and Sunday afternoon VH1 documentary tried incessantly to convince me of the significance of this album. Taken within the context of 1977, I can see how this might've once felt groundbreaking but by now this entire sound has been wholly swallowed up and digested - there's very little here that to me sounds new or exciting. Certainly it seems like a strong example of early punk - songs convey an appropriately cynical POV, songs hit hard and rapid fire. And the vocals and guitar lines are exceptionally clear - plenty of muscle in the recordings. It's an enjoyable enough listen but I'll be only too happy to re-shelf this one back into the "canon", never to be picked up again.

This reminds me of everyone’s youth. Brilliant but terrible. Ruined by knowing the manufacture and what became of Lydon. Some of the lyrics too are the same depressing misogyny which seems to be unfortunately found on more of these albums than you’d wish. Also - is there anything more English than stealing a joke from Shakespeare and claiming it counterculture?

Absolute tripe.

Genuinely the worst album I've listened to in my life.

John Lydon is a legend, ya cunts.

They didn’t invent punk rock; they perfected it. It’s the second-most important British record of the 21st century behind Sgt Pepper’s. The Johnny Rotten snarl alone warrants a full 5 stars.

This record changed the UK. At least, it helped to confirm the change already in progress. The music here is much better than advertised, the lyrics deliberately provocative. It's a shame it all fell apart; was designed to fall apart, really.

When the Sex Pistols arrived it is fair to say I hated them. I also hated all they represented as well as the entire punk scene. I was after all in a profession which the Pistols and all their sort would hate as much as I hated them. Let alone my main musical tastes, Prog Rock, which was the complete opposite and often cited why punk rock was established. When this album was released the UK Fire Brigade were on strike with the Army deputising for them. The Army had no idea where they were going so needed to be escorted which is what I was doing. The Sex Pistols were booked into a Keighley nightclub Nikkers for a gig and as a goodwill gesture the Army lads were invited free. A mate and I were able to go on the back of not many of the Army lads were up for going. To say I was transformed is an understatement as I would put it in the top 3 gigs I have ever attended. Not because of the music which to be honest was not very good but more for the chemistry the presence of the Pistols made in that very small club. The acoustics were awful and I now shudder to think what would have happened if there was a fire (ironic given how I was there)as the place was overcrowded but that made for an atmosphere I have only experienced that once. I cannot now remember if I had bought the album before the gig in anticipation or afterwards now that I was then a convert. I continually played the album over the next year or so. I knew it was very raw and basic but it served as a reminder of that great night. But eventually as the punk movement burnt itself out and became a cash cow for the record companies who would promote anything they thought would replicate this album, my enthusiasm also waned and I once again returned to my preferred more sophisticated music. I don't often play the album now other than to rekindle memories. Anarchy, GSTQ and Pretty Vacant are to me the best tracks which I never tire of. The album as a whole is not really very good but that is not the point. It will always be a statement of that point in time and probably the best one. It is iconic and has one of the best and most recognisable album covers ever. A work of art which pictorially tells you all you need to know about the music and generally what was relevant in 1977. 5/5 6/12/24

Nasty and amateurish at times. This is what punk rock should be like. Also, makes me want to play Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.

Very good will always have a special place in my heart, love the art and design of the album, still love almost all these songs! But AC/DC rocks harder...

"Anger is an energy" - John Lydon, Rise

GOAT album name. First time I've heard this all the way through and it surprised me how great it was. Loved it - true punk rock where the music is actually good instead of experimental nonsense. 9/10.

An imperfect band that made a perfect album

Recalled early teens, still makes me angry and euphoric Have to keep in mind, what punk must feel like

One of the most important albums in popular music since 1950. That is all.

Peculiarly British and contains a couple of the best tracks of their type. Instantly recognisable and the start of a movement. Difficult to rate but as no one had heard such a compilation before, I’ll give it a five.

I always thought the meaning of the song "Bodies" was troublingly anti-abortion, and was surprised to hear the F word. But I suppose punk was not about being politically correct. I tried to explain it to my Dad once (who was around in the sixties and had some cool rock records but who really liked jazz big band music) that I appreciated it as an expression of the raw anger felt by youth in the late 70s and early 80s. Listening to it now, it amazing how much Steve Jones wrung out of those 50s rock riffs. It still sounds great, and if anything I appreciated some of the album tracks even more this time. Classic!

Fantastic!

This is absolutely perfect. Instant mood changer, anarchist, inspiring, amazing.

A classic, the genesis of punk music. Even if I'm not the biggest fan of the genre I have to say that in this album you feel all the energy and the sound of these rebel kids. I also appreciated the brief guitar solos and what can I say... It's history!

The Monkees of punk rock, insofar as a complete construction by a label, but like far better than they should have been!

Nothing sounds like this. Nothing.

Classic: rebellious, loud and raw. The very definition of punk and still sounds pretty fresh today. Ignoring what came after and Johnny Rotten becoming a bit of a tosser, Never Mind The Bollocks is both a riot and incredibly important album

Whatever anyone may say this was a gamechanger. Iconic in every way- the cover, the band and the music. What an amazing time it was.

Classic

Amazing album.

First time hearing this album and I’m very impressed. Pure punk this. Anarchy in the UK giving me crazy nostalgia from a Tony Hawk game. Didn’t want to skip a single song on this and kept it short and sweet. Only small complaint is some of the lyrics are cringe but that’s expected from a 70s band. 4.90/5

Men herrejävlar. Den här skivan platsar definitivt på den här listan. Älskar den. Vill egentligen inte lyssna för tänk om den inte åldrats med värdighet. Men det har den. Gillar energin, sången och musiken. En solklar 5a.

This one’s not about lyrics, which aren’t great. It’s not about musical talent either, which isn’t anything special (but if Sid Vicious wasn’t good enough to play on this, it really says something about his [lack of] talent). It’s all about a vibe, which is captured perfectly. There’s a reason this was so influential. Deserves to be played as loud as possible.

Great album with some iconic songs

All solid. There is nothing shabby about this record.

Fuck yeah

One of the game changers in musical history 👌

A classic punk rock album that still holds up today

рррротен. god save the queen. драйвово, грязно, по-пистолски.

Not a great album at all but it sparked a movement! It has a cultural significance that gets it on lists like this, PIL is a much better group but still

Fun album. Takes me back to my spiked hair, torn jeans, combat boots, and leather jacket days in the 80s.

Punx not dead ;-/

One of the most important releases of all time for the evolution of music. Well-deserved 5, even though there is the inclusion of "Bodies" on the track list.

I’m at a 5. It’s just a raw fucking album, and I love that. Right from the album title, this thing sets a tone and an expectation that’s instantly met throughout the whole thing. Never mind the bollocks, forget the bullshit, forget the marketing, forget the catchy album titles – this isn’t “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, it’s the fucking Sex Pistols, and you’ll just have to deal with it. That’s the expectation, and it’s the core tenet of the album – Johnny Rotten couldn’t give less of a shit about your opinion on his opinion. He is brutally honest throughout this whole thing, and I respect most of that honesty -- the only song I can't really respect the "honesty" on is "Bodies". “Bodies” is probably the one that’s aged the very worst, and I didn’t like it one damn bit, but it’s not like I can debate the guy over it. It's a shame, because the instrumentation is pretty good, but I just can't agree with any part of the messaging. Regardless of how I feel on that track, his honesty in those moments spreads throughout the entire album, with perhaps the greatest prescience of all time in “God Save The Queen” – opinion of the royal family and the British monarchy has probably dipped as far as it has because of whatever avalanche that song probably started. The instrumentation on here is just as much of a highlight as Johnny Rotten’s vocals and lyrics – this is great punk rock. It’s a little overblown and overdone at points on this album, but when it’s fucking rolling, and Johnny is throwing his nasally voice out there in perfect harmony and energy, there is nothing that hits more of a raw nerve. I could point to 90s grunge, but even that’s steeped within production standards, commercialism, and a more sensible form of storytelling as opposed to how often this album tends to punch down on a few people just for the hell of it. EMI probably fucking deserved it, though. Anyway, I just really liked it – it is a brutally honest album for 1977, and I’m guessing it sort of snapped people out of this idea that everyone just had to try and be the Beatles. It’s raw as hell, it sounds great to this day, and its influence is likely immeasurable for the 1980s and beyond. Easy 5.

4/5

Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols - Sex Pistols (1977) Ah Fuck this and fuck that, fuck it all and fuck the fucking brat... Considerado a origem do Punk Rock, não tem muito o que se falar, o vocal de Johnny Rotten é realmente um diferencial, o jeito rasgado de cantar incorpora de forma completa ao instrumental da banda. Vale destacar que aqui ou ali há experimentações de novos sons, que também chamam a atenção ainda hoje, e isso explica o sucesso massivo que a banda fez no ano de 1977 e seguintes, até os dias atuais. Tudo isso apesar da banda em si ter encerrado atividades em 1978, e posteriormente ter vivido de reuniões esporádicas. A sonoridade dos Sex Pistols moldou o que a música seria para sempre, e principalmente, talvez não no caso deles especificamente, a ideia do “Do It Yourself” fazendo com que cada vez mais os e as jovens se aventurassem musicalmente sem a necessidade de um apadrinhamento da indústria musical. Melhores músicas: Holidays in the Sun, God Save the Queen, Anarchy in the U.K., Bodies, Pretty Vacant, New York, E.M.I. Piores músicas: N/A 4.5/5

Sex Pistols fue la banda que hizo del punk británico un fenómeno mundial. Este fue el único álbum que grabaron con la formación original en 1977. Rock ruidoso y desgarrador, a gran velocidad y la voz ronca de Johnny Rotten, pero también canciones que describen su época con un amargo sarcasmo lleno de rabia y dirigido contra los cimientos de la clásica sociedad británica de finales de los 70. Un furioso nihilismo repleto de críticas sociales al orden establecido, llegando hasta la misma corona con ese himno rebelde que es "God Save The Queen", todo un temazo. Este disco supuso una auténtica revolución musical poniendo voz a la rabia y la frustración de la clase trabajadora que alcanza su punto culminante con el otro gran tema del disco que no podía titularse de otra forma que "Anarchy in the UK".

Pinnacle punk.

I loved it.

The angst!!

Even though musically this album is so-so. The influence and waves that it sent throughout the alternative world is undeniable. I would be remiss to not give it a 5 for that alone.

Every so often in this you get an album that stands on its record. Lots of bands have influence but this was a seismic point in the history of music. Their influence is obviously huge but also, as a Brit, you can ground it in a time when everything was going to shit. The 70s were terrible, a dark, dangerous, difficult, hopeless decade and it took a long time to get out of it. Punk was a product of that. Sure the Clash made better albums, and others had the same ideas but the Pistols were a package of music, attitude and PR management that made a serious impact. And you know what, Anarchy in the UK, God Save the Queen, Pretty Vacant etc. all sound forceful nearly 50 years later. And people still jump up and down and sing along. Not bad.

Some groundbreaking stuff here. Compositionally, not so much. But the results can't be argued with.

Fuck you.

I love this album and I 100% blame it for turning me into a complete shithead in my late teen years. Still goes hard 10/10 Memories of pointless rebellion

Never Mind the Bollocks is the only studio album release by the Sex Pistols, and is likely the most influential punk album of all time. A mixture of the thrashing energy of the guitars, and Johnny Rotten's snarling lyrics, the Sex Pistols's music defined punk. Their music scared people - "Anarchy in the U.K." was beyond what many were willing to accept from popular music. This is simple, driven, guitar based punk, that became more popular than any album like it had even gotten. It has come to be regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, because of the raw energy the Sex Pistols were able to capture in their music.

One of my all time favorites, and not just because of its influence. It has held up for me over the years, and I continuously come back to it.

Favourite Song: Anarchy In The UK

All time classic

Day206 - it’s wild that the sex pistols had one album and it’s an all time great

tight as shit. rock tf out. yeah.

37 years since I first heard this album. 47 years since this album was released. Go on I dare you to play Bodies on full pelt and not offend someone. Sometimes dismissed as grubby pub rock in fancy clothing, Never Mind The Bollocks is a landmark album.

Not all albums that are considered classics are good. I am looking at you, "Rumours." I know, it's a hot take and its controversial as fuck. Never Mind The Bollocks is a good classic album. What makes it a classic? The messaging of its resistive nature can be heard throughout the ages. Before it was made? Relevant. After and beyond? Completely and authoritative. What makes it good? It is about itself and only itself. The Sex Pistols provided a platform for the whack, the weird, and the wild. You don't even need to know what punk actually is or who came before them or after them to know that Bollocks wasn't about the Sex Pistols: It was about the internalized raging cacophony of the world's people.

I don't trust anyone who has never wanted to burn the whole fucking thing down.

Music 2.0

The songs on this record changed my youth forever. It may not be the best punk record but one of the most influential.

John Lydon is a bit of an arse. This album is the shit though.