1977 was a very bloated time for mainstream music. The top single that year was “Tonight’s The Night (Gonna Be Alright)” by Rod Stewart. It needed to be taken down a peg or two — or perhaps burned to the ground.
Enter the Sex Pistols’ Never Mind The Bollocks, literally the exact opposite of what “rock” the masses were listening to as the time. It’s anger and aggression seemed to really catch people by surprise.
“The Filth And The Fury!” screamed front page headline of the UK newspaper the Daily Mirror.
Clearly the Sex Pistols were on to something.
Never Mind The Bollocks was and still is today one of those records that pulls people into punk rock. Countless contemporary punk bands that we all listen to in 2017 credit it as a major influence. And why not? When you’re an angry teenager and you heard (now) classic anthems like “God Save The Queen” and “Anarchy In the UK” it is kind of hard not be totally fascinated by the record despite what decade you discovered it. Between Johnny Rotten’s furious vocals on tracks like “Liar” and “Problems” and bold guitar playing on “Anarchy In the UK” and “Holiday In The Sun” it was hard not to be totally enthralled by it. Lyrically, it was something that really made a lot of people angry. You had “Holiday In The Sun” talk about communism right the middle of the Cold War, “Bodies” talk about abortion, “God Save The Queen” was basically a middle finger to the British monarchy and “Anarchy In The UK” advocated for the dismantling of the government. On top of all that, the censorship that was imposed on this album and its singles just made the kids want it more. Consequently, it would become one of the most legendary punk albums of all time.
What makes Never Mind The Bollocks and the Sex Pistols in general so incredible is that they really helped start the outrageousness that punk rock would become known for. There was so much more than just the music that surrounded this album whether it be the stories about the band members (like the one about Sid and Nancy) or just how revolutionary their performances were. Never Mind The Bollocks added so much stylistically to punk rock. It made punk rock became a threat — and boy were the British people and soon after, the rest of the world terrified. And at the same time it gave the youth something dangerous to look forward to.
Never Mind The Bollocks forty years later is still one of the most referenced and remarkable punk albums that we all still look to today. Though the Pistols were a relatively short-lived band, what they gave us in music, attitude and influence still very much lives on.