"The crowd is punked up" I am 40 and I have heard the sex pistols and other punk bands but never heard "punked up" and I am going to bring it into my vocabulary. Ps. Love how trying to pause it is almost breaking your heart :p
I really think you should check out Death - Politicians In My Mind (or whatsitcalled). They were punk rockers before there was such thing. Same kind of energy but totally different music.
@@leonardshevlin7260 The Ramones had nothing of importance to say. They just played high school pop for nerds. Not saying the Pistols always knew what they were on about but at least their lives were shitty enough to matter.
i was . i fell in love with the pistols very young . i was born in england my sister use to listen to them , moved to oz got to 18 n became a punk rocker . today im 56 still love the sex pistols . and greenday , and the whole punk scene lol .
I agree,even back then I listen to the Ramones and they sound like Frank Sinatra to the Pistols,and people label the Ramones as Punk,they are Pop -Rock Punk at best.
Totally agree. I find it bizarre that a lot of today's music is so tame. When parents are listening to music that is more radical than their children, then something is wrong! LOL:)
As a 14 year old boy in London in 1976, this song pulled me into the Punk scene, to the consternation of my parents. It was a great time to be a teenager.
You’re such a decent and healthy guy, and so open mindedly wonder what the aggressive song is about while appreciating the amazing musical energy. You’re cool
These guys changed EVERYTHING! They weren't the first punk band, but they were the ones who took it to a whole 'nother level in the UK and beyond. Massively influential -- music was simply never the same after this. The entire "Never Mind the Bollocks" album is BRILLIANT, pure and simple.
I heard that they manipulated the charts to prefent that song from beeing nr. 1. Cause there was a law that nr. 1 at charts had to be broadcasted at bbc radio, and they wanted to keep that song out of the radio cause the queen had her 25y throne anniversary that year. 😂
Definitely their "God Save the Queen" song. That one caused a massive uproar in the UK because it was seen by many of the general public as an assault on Queen Elizabeth II and the monarchy.
The Sex Pistols and this song in particular was a total game changer single handedly wiping everything that went before. They only released one studio album before self-imploding but what a legacy. I highly recommend 'Pretty Vacant' not only because it's such a superb track but also demonstrates their song writing abilities and musicianship in one fell stroke
The UK was almost a failing state in the 70s, economic crises and rapid deindustrialisation, this was basically a “Fuck You” to the current uptight older generation
Not just the older generation, but was also sticking two fingers up to the elitist prog-rock music scene at the time, and to the music industry in general.
This was powerful stuff when it first came out. Hugely influential. One of those rare moments when music was actually considered dangerous, alongside early Elvis and NWA's "Fu*k the Police." Scared the crap out of people. The Pistols and the Clash were the apotheosis of punk rock.
The Pistols were far more than just a band. They were the first of their kind. Forget the New York Dolls and The Ramones, this was something completely different and completely English, the first (and best) English Punk band. These days it's common to hear Punk bands attacking their governments and Monarchy but in the 1970's it was unheard of and it got the Pistols put onto MI5's 'watch' list along with suspected terrorists and spies. They were playing in small London venues before The Clash or The Damned were even formed. Almost everything they did was a direct challenge to an out dated and unfair social and political landscape. They had their own live sound engineer who made sure all the early gigs were as loud and ferocious as possible. Look at the legacy they left behind after only two and a half years. To say you are blown away by Anarchy in the UK is only scratching the surface, but it's a good start.
The UK of the 1970s was mired in economic depression and lack of social opportunity for anyone who was young. It was also an economically depressed time for older people as well, but the older generation mostly stuck to traditional values of having a stiff upper lip and all that kind of thing. The youth generation of the time basically was raising a middle finger to the World War II generation, you might simplify it by saying their parents and wanted to create something for themselves. At the time it seems, Anarchy was as good a choice as anyting. Especially given the ineffective governance of the authorities at the time. This is an extremely reductive and simplified version, but I hope it gives you some flavor of what was going on at the time in the UK.
The UK in the 1970s was a depressing place: IRA bombs, riots, mass unemployment, crumbling industries, and mass exodus to other countries. Alot of working class people in the UK felt trapped, hopeless, and angry. Punk music was a reaction to all that was wrong about the UK and living under the strict class structure/rules imposed by the British establishment. You might want to try their other big song: 'God Save the Queen'. It was banned on UK radio but went to #1 any way.
@@yvonnesanders4308 Rod Stewart had the official No 1 that week. Independent record stores like Virgin and many more did not have their record sales counted that week by BMRB ensuring the Pistols were kept off the top.
Growing up in the seventies was great, far from depressing. And there was loads of work out there. You could leave a job in the morning and walk into another one in the afternoon. We had a great, fashion, music and nightlife. Yes Thatcher was destroying the unions, the mining industry and any others she could get her hands on but there was still lots of other industries that were booming at the time. If you think the seventies was depressing what the hell are the 2020’s? We were out having fun in the seventies. The young people of today are under house arrest. If you think it was all doom and gloom I can assure you, you are very wrong
I was seventeen when this came out and it was a complete rush. What a time to be alive. Punk rock never leaves you! We were going through some bad times back then with power cuts, strikes across the country, the winter of discontent and conflict in Northern Ireland which spread to the mainland. No wonder the younger generation were so angry. Thanks for sharing and great reaction.
You have to remember before punk came along we were all dancing around to pretty little disco tunes. Then this loud noise, dirty clothes and the idea of sticking up the middle finger to the world came crashing in. That was the Anarchy - fighting back against the establishment. Punk music was never really taken seriously by the mainstream music industry. It was always thought of as a passing fad and the music was often criticised as being bad. But there was some really good music. The opening guitar riff to Pretty Vacant is sublime.
"It's better to burn out than it is to rust" --Neil Young. Yep, The Sex Pistols came to burn it all down. Also check out "God Save The Queen", "Submission", "Pretty Vacant", "Holidays In The Sun", "Bodies" ....
Jayvee, as a lifelong fan of the Sex Pistols I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your genuine reaction Obviously you're not familiar with the details and technicalities of what was going on in the culture at the time, but you totally understand and felt the essence, intention and the feeling of the song and thats what counts. Will check out more of your vids
I saw a photo of an old, fat, John Lydon hanging out a hotel window smoking a cigarette just a couple of weeks ago. He was wearing a red "Make America Great Again" t-shirt. Times change. So, apparently, do people. Whoda thunk?
Johnny Rotten: “The old order was not working. The Labour Party had promised so much for the working classes but had done so little. There was no work, but they just all kept telling us to accept it and get on with it. I don’t know why some things happen, other than that they just should. And The Sex Pistols should have happened, and did.”
Yeah they were against the monarchy, their single God Saves the Queen has the Sex Pistols logo over the Queens face, which is technically illegal to deface the monarch. Not that they would have ever been charged, although it did rile up the older generation.
I was just a kid when they started. I remember the media's reaction of genuine horror at what was happening. Great stuff. And John Lydon grew up just down the road from me. I love this band.
Now THAT'S Punk. It's not that type like today where the "so-called" singer sounds like he's sick, projectile vomiting, and sounds like a demon possessed Cookie Monster.
YES! Ok, I thought I was the only one who described his sound as "demon possessed Cookie Monster"! What are the chances?! (Or did someone in media call him that & it stuck in some of our minds?)
@@karikells Nope, that's all me! No Media. My nephew is into that new so-called "punk." I told them in the past what punk was with well know groups. The Sex Pistols and Clash from England, The Ramones, and even Blondie started out as punk. The closest thing the punk we knew is Green Day.
I was 15 when this came out. It changed everything culturally in the UK. It wiped out the dinosaur bands like Floyd, Yes, Genesis, and a whole new wave of music was ushered in. But not just music. Hair went from long to short, trousers went from flares to straight legs, Fashion changed. TV became edgier. They didn't want anarchy. They just wanted to shock! and they did.Their records were banned, the police broke up gigs. Check out their next single "God Save the Queen" released to coincide with her silver jubilee celebrations in 77.
Are these the same "dinosaur" Bands like Yes,Floyd and Genesis that millions still listen to nearly 50 years later while a handful of former Punks still listen to JR while he is supporting Donald The Trump ? That is right right isn't it ?
Wiped out the Floyd? Oookay. This must be some strange usage of the words "wiped out" that I wasn't previously aware of. If by "wiped out" you mean "musical Gods who were, and still are, one of the biggest bands on the planet with muti platinum albums, the biggest grossing tours of the 80s and 90s and who created music for the ages that mires your soul in quasi religious ecstasy", then, yes, I agree with you, they were indeed "wiped out".
@@alisonanthony1228 If you're in the UK, and a big fan of 70s Yes, Floyd & Genesis, as I am, you'll know everything changed after 77. Genesis adapted and became a hugely successful pop band, Floyd, Yes, Sabbath, Purple, Zep never made a decent album since.
@@mrbrad4566 I am in the UK actually but disagree with your analysis. If you honestly don't think that Animals, The Wall, AMLOR, the Division Bell, In Through the Out Door or 90125 (just off the top of my head) were decent albums then there's nothing I could say that will convince you otherwise. I was 16 in 1977 and, for my friends and I, punk was nothing more than than a mildly amusing, throwaway moment in time. It ran its course in around 18 months or so and was fun while it lasted but that was it - like a party popper, loud and surprising for a moment but, ultimately, "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing". Sorry, but it just wasn't very important to us.
@@johnLennon255 He was a friends with Pete Townshend from The Who, he is an interesting bloke John. Unfortunately going though a bad time as his wife has dementia, His band P.I.L. are an excellent Post Punk group. Anger is an Energy is excellent.
No the first punk song that changed my life was the falls the classical. I was to young for the sex pistols. The classical was my first experience of punk
The situation back then is the same as it is now. Rich people hoarding all the resources and wealth for themselves and then gaslighting the rest of us. Voices of change or for change get rubbed out in the end but the song is still relevant today. Great reaction. Also you should listen to Pretty Vacant fantastic guitar riff at the intro. Also check out PIL, the band John Lydon formerly Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols formed back in the 1980s. Keep those reactions coming.
Haha. I have a distinct memory of my friend removing some stage diver’s foot from atop my head while I was up against the stage at a Ramones show like a lifetime ago. 💜🤣 Now that circle pit thing is a whole different deal. 🤣 Infest, now that show was a bit too much for me. They sounded great, but even smushed against the back wall I wasn’t safe. 🤣🤣
@@Jillyconjem I've been to a few gigs like that. I've tried telling myself it's all part of the experience but I'm getting too old for that shit but not the music so I've found myself listening from the footpath afew times 😂
@@jadecawdellsmith4009 It’s definitely caught up to me these last few years. A while back is gone to a three day festival where Radiohead headlined two of the nights. I met a friend up close the second night, but the first I just sat on a bench outside the venue with a beautiful view of the moon over the water and listened to the whole show that way. It was a lovely experience. I’m appreciating those experiences now. Although, seeing FLAG a few years ago just on the outskirts of the circle still was very cool. 💜
@@Jillyconjem I wish I'd done the same with Radiohead, instead I got caught up in the mosh pit & ended up with a boot to the head. Got rescued by security cos they could see I was concussed. Special treatment after that so not all bad.
Every kid, knew he was a wrong un, love John Lydon, I was too young for the Sex pistols so was more into Public Image Ltd, sadly Johns wife has Alzheimer's & he's her sole carer.
It's funny you got the song straight away. Because back in 1976 Americans didn't get punk rock at all. In fact a chasm opened between UK and US which is why so many reaction RU-vidrs are hearing British music from the 70s and 80s for the first time.
@@lucidloon Oh really? Care to back that up? I am aware, of course, of the New York Dolls, The Ramones and The Stooges. However, I think you'll find that their effect on the US charts was minimal, at the time, and they had more success in the UK. British punk bands eg The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Buzzcocks, Siouxie and The Banshees, The Damned, Sham 69, The Slits, Eddie and the Hotrods, Stiff Little Fingers, The Jam, The Clash, Generation X etc etc had major chart success in the UK. Few of them had success in the US because you didn't like the way they looked and sounded and you were too pre-occupied with hard rock groups like Aerosmith, Van Halen, Bon Jovi etc
@@Almost_Famous_Ryan The New York Dolls, The Stooges and The Ramones had minimal success in the US and in fact had more success and influence in the UK. America was into big haired, tight trousered hard rock bands. Punk rock was a largely British phenomenon which Americans didn't get, hence my point about the chasm that developed, post punk, between the UK and the US.
The Pistols were that rarest of show business entities: the real thing. And that's why their music survives today, even though the band didn't. As Rotten said, "Only the fakes survive."
Do people seriously still believe that? They weren't "the real thing", whatever that might mean. Certainly not in the way The Clash or The Jam were the "real thing". They may have been working class but the Sex Pistols were a 100% artificial band, selling themselves on image and bluster. They were Malcolm McLaren's attempt to make some cash through shock and outrage tactics. He manufactured them. Remember - they didn't form organically as any other band does; three of them (Cook, Jones and Matlock) were already pretty experienced musicians (the original bass player Glen Matlock was fired by McLaren because he was "too professional" and replaced by laughable cartoon punk Sid Vicious). The Pistols were put together quite deliberately and carefully by their manager. Of course, the best of their music was great and remains so, but nevertheless they were, in effect, a more dangerous version of The Monkees. They were a money making project. As Rotten said , "Ever had the feeling you've been had?"
@@zargonthemagnificent330 Not 100% correct. Yes, the media hype and manipulation thing definitely happened, but this was after they were up and running for a bit and building a following on their own simply by playing their music. Original music they wrote. They wore some clothes from Malcolm's shop and he did some basic manager moves, but to say he totally created them and they weren't real deal is insulting. Who created John Lydon's style? His look? His words? His voice? Who wrote the songs? Who played them? Not Malcolm. Cook and Jones were beginners that had a band idea brewing and Malcolm assisted them. His shop was a hub to connect everyone and build a scene. Malcolm was an essential character. Yes, he had his own ideas and put many into action. Many were great and effective. Some were nonsense. The Great Rock and Roll Swindle is trash. He was probably only in it for the money. But The Pistols were truly the chemistry of the 4 original members that made an effort to create something and say something musically. A reaction to life around them. The media frenzy and image distortion came after the infamous Grundy TV incident. The band rolled with it. Things became a circus. Still, even with Sid in the band later on, they played great gigs and revolutionized popular music. The effects are still felt today.
Just for clarity - the last lines of the song are "Get Pissed - Destroy" - I can't believe that was 45 years ago - but the streets were rocking - most of us took it for what it was - a legitimate complaint - and like you we enjoyed a good song and looked around at the life we were living - You should check out the Stranglers - Same period - bye the way I like that you're checking this material out - History is the key
This was one of the 1st punk rock songs I ever heard around 1980, listening through the door of my older brother's room. I was hooked and still love it 40 years later.
Ahhh... One of my favorite bands along with The Dead Kennedys. (I used to be a punk rock myself). Very intelligent music. Raw and real. Love that garage-sound... The Sex Pistols were very anti-establishment. anarchy is mind games for the middle class," "It's a luxury. It can only be afforded in a democratic society, therefore kind of slightly f--king redundant. It also offers no answers. It's offering some kind of answer to a thing, rather than spitefully wanting to wreck everything for no reason at all, other than it doesn't suit you." All Punk-Rock music is very political against corporate greed, Republicans, etc...
@Gerald H I thought that title would have gone to Jello Biafra. But perhaps I'm wrong about his sexuality. What counts is their music & I totally love it! There was usually a msg or statement of some kind. Would love to hear a reaction to Pull My Strings. I've been asking for ages
@Gerald H They were not communists... LoL! You're watching too much (Fake-News-Fox). LoL The Dicks went through two incarnations in the 1980s, changing its lineup when Floyd moved from Austin to San Francisco in 1983. As a political band with Marxist lyrics during the Reagan era, they did not shy from controversy.
I have 2 older brothers, the eldest was into Queen, ELO, Boomtown Rats etc, the younger one was into the Sex Pistols, The Buzzcocks etc. An 11 year old should not know all the lyrics to F****** in the Rigging, They are 7 and 5 years older than me. Our house was filled with music, some better than others. Quite liked the Sex Pistols though
I love you man, and watching you getting in to 2 Tone and Ska has been genuinely wholesome... but describing Johnny Rotten as 'seems like he is fed up' is golden. I'm still chuckling.
I was 17 when this came out. Incredibly important moment in music. Not for the exquisite musicality of the Pistols, but because it tore the wall down. Much of the music of the past 4 decades would never have happened without it. And you have to love Mr Lydon, a truly great British eccentric. Lives in Venice Beach these days. Was heavily featured in the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony to astonishment of everyone not in the UK!
The lead singer's name was Johnny Rotten, last not his real name though, . My sister was a punk, I was a high & my brother Was a skin head (just for the fashion). The queen we have now, we had when this song came out Jay. 😎👌🎸
John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten. Should listen to his later band too. PIL - Public Image Limited. He's been happily married for a long time now and is actually very intelligent and articulate. Always like hearing his interviews these days.
@@gkitteringham He may well be intelligent but he is in no way articulate. Every interview with him ends up with him failing to explain his thoughts adequately or with any real clarity. He may be more lucid than he was back in the late 1970s but he still struggles to string two sentences together. He still seems to think that staring manically is a good way to make his point.
This was a 'piss-take' of anarchy, it's evident in the lyrics. John himself called it 'mind games for the middle classes'. Nobody sensible wants actual anarchy, but we have to be aware of encroaching authoritarianism.
John Lydon is quite respectable now and lives in Los Angeles. Here in the UK in the 90's, he appeared on a tv advert for butter dressed as a country gent.
As a 60's born first time around Punk I'm pleased to hear and see your reaction, the world needs punk today to give it a kick up the arse. There is a video somewhere out there of them doing a gig at a poor kids party, they supplied cakes and drinks for the kids. The 70's were a hard time to live in, it's sliding back to it today. We need a new Pistols.
I am sat here on my 61st birthday and I have just celebrated my 17th watching that. My Mam was mortified when I asked for "Never mind the bollocks" for my prezzy. Happy days.
First vid of yours I’ve watched and you say you weren’t ready for this.. well, when I looked through your videos I wasn’t ready for the absolute sheer difference of genres and artist your going at. Looks like your going after every type, style out there and I think that is fantastic. 👌🏻 All the best, from Yorkshire 😀
Pretty much like what Nirvana was to grunge. The figure heads and the megaphone and wall breaker, but there were other bands that had a much longer and productive and successful career than Sex Pistols. The Jam, Clash, The Stranglers for example.
You don't need anyone to explain it to you, you got it. Thanks for this, you reminded me how startling it was to hear it for the first time and I why I get pumped by it every time. My advice is buy the album, paint over the Kalvin Klein t shirt and form a punk band.
great to see someone from your generation listening and enjoying a different cultures past music reaction channels have found a new lease of life with past music long may it last, some awesome music to be heard bro, props man great reaction
Each and every song of their first album is the same: rough, catchy and full of energy. I use this entire album a lot in my jogging playlist, actually. Try their songs God Save the Queen or Holidays in the Sun. Big big scandal back then, especially their insults towards the British Queen. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was tough and conservative, she brought all the Trade Unions down. She has been hated a lot by the British punk rockers.
Punk arrived along with this song in 1977 as a reaction to the Queens Golden Jubilee and the appalling mess the Labour government were making of the country. Thatcher didn’t get into office until 1979.
My brother brought their album, when it first came out, now they are nowhere near my favourite band. However they were quite brilliant at making statements, and they hit a raw nerve with a lot of youths at the time.
Man you look like I felt when I first heard this song at 12 when I got the record in New Zealand I didn't know what to expect and it changed my life!!!I really enjoyed watching it!
@@andrewlaw People retrospectively began to call MC5 proto-punk in acknowledgement of their influence on the early punk bands. They were never considered a punk band during their initial run.
Awesome reaction. The way you reacted was truly the same way we reacted. The energy and anger of it all was contagious. I first started listening to Punk Rock in 1984. I was 16. By then it was called Hardcore and local music stores called us the second wave of punk rock kids. That was Kenosha, Wisconsin where a punk rock scene has been thriving since about 1980 still today. Thanks for posting this. Fun!
I was there man! Ha ha, Yep, had the album. I recommend Pretty Vacant by the Sex Pistols. A song that we played a lot, by another band was Stiff Little Fingers, Alternative Ulster. Babylon's Burning by The Ruts.
I second those recommendations, though might choose Suspect Device by SLF for something less subtle. ;-) SLF and The Ruts had more genuine social causes than the chaos that Talcy Malcy was trying to create around the Pistols (with the removal of the genuinely talented Glen Matlock to be replaced by the plonker Sid Vicious, thankfully too late to ruin the debut album).
After the sanitised, big record studio music of the mid-70s, this was so energetic that it set the youth of the UK alight. Amazing reaction; thank you.