Reviews

To say the Sex Pistols debut album exploded onto the music buying public in October 1978 would be an understatement. The band were already well beyond notorious, having been banned from various venues causing tour cancellations. They had already been dropped by label E.M.I. after guitarist Steve Jones called morning show host Bill Grundy a 'fucking rotter' live on national television. They had already been dropped by label A&M after the band threatened one of the label heads with violence, causing thousands of copies of their second single to be destroyed before they even hit the shelves. They had also by this point fired bassist Glen Matlock (the most musical of the four band members) and replaced him with the totally incompetent (but undoubted more 'punk') Sid Vicious. Virgin Records finally picked up the bill for an album, and the band finally captured their lightning in a bottle on vinyl. All this was of course playing out as newspaper front page headlines, partially because it made great news, but also because the abhorrent behaviour of these four young musicians was unheard of in 'civilised' English society. Musically the album is tame in comparison to some of the harder styles of punk seen today, but regardless it is still a classic that not only drove a well needed sea-change in the late 1970s musical landscape, but also spearhead a change in the collective thinking of the youth of the U.K. at the time. In fact, the band was so despised by the mainstream media that when they topped the U.K. singles and album charts the space on the chart where they should have been listed was just left blank - as if to say the band didn't even exist as far as the public were concerned. The album bursts out the speakers with 'Holidays In The Sun' hooking the listener immediately with Johnny Rotten's tuneless (but engaging) snarl, and his mentions of Nazi's and communism - all very much taboo in post-war England - pull you even closer into his deranged world views. 'Bodies', easily the most boisterous song the original line-up ever recorded, is a graphic novel about abortion that uses more expletives than the average music fan in 1978 was used to hearing. That said though, nothing from Rotten's mouth is for shock value alone. His words are carefully placed and timed to provoke thought. He may have often acted like a uncaged orangutang in public, but he knew that his words carried wisdom to those young enough to understand them. The controversial 'God Save The Queen' is a punk rock classic that has never been matched, and almost had Rotten up on charges for crimes against the empire - at that point still punishable by death. It is a perfect template that every punk band since has built upon. Although the establishment of 1978 would have you believe this 'music' was just noise, the songs are actually incredibly catchy, and you'll be singing 'I'm a lazy sod!' along with the band by 'Seventeen'. The songs conjure images in your mind's eye of the fashions of the period, and you immediately imagine the red-headed Rotten leaning forward toward the crowd with his signature crazed grin while Jonesy stands spread-eagled behind him, Les Paul in hand, playing his working man's chords - all the while dodging spit from the pogoing audience. The chugging 'Anarchy In The U.K.' is placed mid-way, and reminds us of the bend's message of anarchy. As their first single it was a message of intent - here it more a reminder to you as you pour another pint of lager. And lager it must be, as although this is as unhinged as music could be in the late 1970s there is still a feeling of Britishness here, of that staunch stiff upper lip. Even those on the brink of rebellion can't quite rebel without a break for a cup of tea at the local vicar's house on the way to oblivion. 'Pretty Vacant' continues the classics, and this is a song that transcends its time and place. It's a song that exemplifies rock and rock and not just this disgruntled generation, but ever disgruntled generation for the rest of time. It is the voice of youth, and should only ever be that way. The band wraps everything up with their ode to record companies with 'E.M.I', and it is a great closer. At under 40 minutes the album is short - but it should be, as this isn't just a musical expression, but a time capsule of a short moment in history where the youth actually created a voice for themselves that was so loud that their mums and dads paid attention. It has to be asked though, did anything actually change because of it?

I thought it was time to have some fun by reviewing a band that impersonates and mashes up such classic bands as The Beatles and Metallica. Yes that's right, Metallica singing Beatles songs mashed with Metallica songs. And let me tell you the mash up is absolutely brilliant. Brought to us by Jaymez Lennfield, Grg Hammerston, Kliff McBurtney and Ringo Larz. Some very creative minds behind this band in general and more-so this release which I think is the pinnacle of their talent. Up to this they had a couple of E.P.s to test the waters I guess before this being their first full length. Starting a listen to the first track which is the title track, you hear Lennfield kick off which is a brilliant parody of Hetfield's vocal style. It's a quick 2 minute song which is the case for half the songs on the record. I'm not going to do track by track so you get a sense of the track names and the melding of the title between Beatles and Metallica songs. Simple to say it is incredibly creative. I do have to pick out a few tracks that are my favourite. 'Blackened In The U.S.S.R.' - starts with the Blackend intro which is brilliant, then takes a Beatles turn singing to Back in the USSR. 'Sandman' very similar in the intro, then turns into the 'Taxman' type sound. Brilliant. 'A Garage Dayz Night', which you can guess which Beatles song this is linked to, with a short reference to 'Wherever I May Roam'. 'Anesthesia (I'm Only Sleeping)' where you have to ask in what right mind would you link this classic Cliff solo to the 'Happy Birthday' song? You have to hear it to believe it. My favourite on the record is clearly 'Hey Dude'. This is the flip where a Beatles song is the base for the song and Jude is changed to Dude. Thy rhyming lyrics in the song are genius. Extremely clever work. 'Remember that metal is in your heart, then you can start, to become a shredder.' There has been some releases since but with less to work with compared to a 2007 release where they had 30 years of Metallica to work with, they haven't been as creative as this release. Take a listen if you still want to hear from your favourite bands but not in a corny way.