Dropping today, August 29, from Rhino High Fidelity comes a new remaster of the Sex Pistols‘ influential 1977 album Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols. Cut from the original master recordings, this reissue celebrates the album’s incredible place in the history of rock music.
The reissue is limited to 5,000 vinyl copies available on Rhino’s online storefront. Additionally, it’s available in a more limited capacity at some Warner Music Group stores globally.
Recorded by Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Paul Cook, and Glen Matlock (who would later be replaced by Sid Vicious), Never Mind The Bollocks was released in 1977. It remains the Sex Pistols’ only studio album even as it shook up decades of rock and roll. The album debuted at No. 1 in the U.K. even while being banned from most retailers. It distilled rage, discontent, and rebellion into only 40 earth-shattering minutes.
Sex pistols reissue of only studio album comes with new liner notes and commentary
The Sex Pistols Rhino Hi-Fi reissue comes with brand new liner notes from producer Chris Thomas. In 1977, Thomas worked on the original recordings alongside producer Bill Price. His notes include commentary on the early sessions for the album, sharing insight into how the Sex Pistols found their rhythm almost accidentally.
“We put down a track, just rhythm guitar and drums, pretty much first-take, no mistakes. It was impossible to know if it was any good, so, being a bit stumped, I asked Steve [Jones] if he would like to have a go at putting the bass part on,” Thomas explained in the notes.
Jones apparently didn’t go about his contribution like a traditional bassist. Instead, he played an octave lower and mirrored what had already been put down. “It was an absolute ‘Eureka!’ moment,” Thomas recalled. “The combination was so powerful, so simple. We bashed three more songs down, adding the bass and double-tracking the guitar in just a couple of hours. We were seriously in first-take territory.”
While the Sex Pistols fell apart early in 1978, their lasting impact on the rock world is clearly felt. Never Mind The Bollocks has sold more than a million copies just in the U.S., and it remains one of the clear-cut symbols of the early rise of punk.
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