Put The Needle On The Record Week #81 Sex Pistols - The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle
For this weeks feature we go back to February 1979 and the Sex Pistols album "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle".
This choice might just surprise a few people but I love this album, I was never into punk or anything but always found the Sex Pistols a fascinating band, total carnage with anything they were involved with, doing things there way way no matter what! Another surprising fact for you, is I bought this album the same day I bought the Tubeway Army album "Replicas", I bought both on cassette! During summer of 1979 when on holiday me and my brother listened to both of these albums over and over again.
Where do you start with this record, well it was released to tie in with a film being released back then with the same name, the big problem they had was, John Lydon had left the band before this soundtrack album was released and as such they needed a vocalist to record vocals and that is why Sid Vicious sings on quite a few tracks, the album also includes the great train robber, Ronnie Biigs who sang vocals on my favouite Sex Pistols track "No One Is Innocent" and Tenpole Tudor who provided vocals on "Who Killed Bambi", "Rock Around The Clock" and the title track "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle". Lots to enjoy on this album, my favourite tracks are "No One Is Innocent" (of course!), "Anarchy In The UK", "My Way", "Something Else", "C'Mon Everybody", "Friggin' In The Riggin'", and the title track.
If I had one recommendation it is this.....stick the album on crank up the volume and fuck the neighbours!
This was the bands follow up to the hugely successful "Never Mind The Bollocks" album.
A whopping 6 singles were released off the album, the double A Side "No One Is Innocent"/"My Way" (which reached number 7 in the UK Singles Chart), "Something Else" (which reached number 22 in the UK Singles Chart), "Silly Thing" (which reached number 6 in the UK Singles chart), "C'Mon Everybody" (which reached 3 in the UK Singles chart), "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" (which reached number 21 in the UK Singles chart) and "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" (which reached number 21 in the UK Singles chart.
The album reached number 7 in the UK Album Chart
Track Listing
Side A
God Save The Queen (Orchestral)
Johnny B Goode
Roadrunner
Black Arabs (Disco Medley)
Anarchy In The UK
Side B
Substitute
Don't Give Me No Lip Child
(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone
L'Anarchie Pour Le UK
Belsen Was A Gas
Belsen Vos A Gas
Side C
Silly Thing
My Way
I Wanna Be Me
Something Else
Rock Around The Clock
Lonely Boy
No One Is Innocent
Side D
C'Mon Everybody
EMI (Orchestral)
The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle
Friggin' In The Riggin'
You Need Hands
Who Killed Bambi
If you have this album in your collection, dig it out and give it a spin, go on, you know you want to!