Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols (CD - 1977)

While mostly accurate, dismissing Never Mind the Bollocks as merely a series of loud, ragged midtempo rockers with a harsh, grating vocalist and not much melody would be a terrible error. Already anthemic songs are rendered positively transcendent by Johnny Rotten's rabid, foaming delivery. His bitterly sarcastic attacks on pretentious affectation and the very foundations of British society were all carried out in the most confrontational, impolite manner possible. Most imitators of the Pistols' angry nihilism missed the point: underneath the shock tactics and theatrical negativity were social critiques carefully designed for maximum impact. Never Mind the Bollocks perfectly articulated the frustration, rage, and dissatisfaction of the British working class with the establishment, a spirit quick to translate itself to strictly rock & roll terms. The Pistols paved the way for countless other bands to make similarly rebellious statements, but arguably none were as daring or effective. It's easy to see how the band's roaring energy, overwhelmingly snotty attitude, and Rotten's furious ranting sparked a musical revolution, and those qualities haven't diminished one bit over time. Never Mind the Bollocks is simply one of the greatest, most inspiring rock records of all time. ~ Steve Huey

Put this alongside BLONDE ON BLONDE and REVOLVER as an album that changed the face of rock forever. Along with the Clash and the Damned, the Sex Pistols were one of the first bands to channel the anger of dole-queue '70s Britain through a fierce musical amalgam of pub rock, the Stooges and the New York Dolls. Despite their influences, Johnny Rotten and company created something utterly unlike what had come before. Their anarchist/nihilist attitude, reflected in tunes like "Anarchy in the U.K." and "No Feelings" spoke to a new generation of kids, more profoundly disaffected than any other in the 20th century.

Rotten's snarling, distinctly British delivery of his agitational lyrics made Dylan sound like Mario Lanza, and the pile-driver guitars of Glen Matlock and Steve Jones move the songs along like a well-oiled but ornery machine. For all their iconoclasm, though, the Pistols were far more indebted to traditional pop song format (and dynamics) than most of the punk bands that followed in their wake. Consequently, for all their anger and urgency, such songs as "Submission" and "Pretty Vacant" enter the ear easily, only beginning to cause real internal damage once they get into your gut. One of the most essential rock albums of all time. minimize