Is Never Mind The Bollocks considered an important album

A.� Probably less so on its own, but in context, this album can be seen as the single formal recorded statement of The Sex Pistols, a band who single-handedly changed the face of popular music with an impact not seen since the heyday of The Beatles.

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Q.� That sounds like it was some serious impact!

A.� It was, but as musical history constantly reminds us, innovative musical styles and fashions occur in a wider context, and the impact of The Sex Pistols was a product of time and place as much as any other groundbreaking musical movement.

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In the mid 1970's Britain was in morass of social and musical torpor�- the industrial unrest caused by fragmenting industrial relations, coupled with a music scene that had all but imploded in a morass of heavyweight 'progressive' rock bands meant that the time was right for a wind of change, and the wind blew in The Sex Pistols, and the DIY attitude to music that has remained and expanded out of all recognition.

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Q.� How did it happen

A.� The Pistols were the brainchild of manager and entrepreneur Malcolm McLaren who saw an opportunity to break the stranglehold of corporate record companies by taking control of a phenomenon known as punk rock.

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McLaren exploited the desperation of record companies to sign the biggest name in punk, which was The Sex Pistols, and he shamelessly courted more than one major company, signing and ditching deals, and laughing all the way to the bank.

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Q.� Were The Pistols a musical force of any substance

A.� More than their recorded output suggests. Their Never Mind The Bollocks - Here's The Sex Pistols album was a patchy affair�- any fan of the band knows that The Pistols were about singles, and the album is largely filler based around the singles they released at the time. None the less, it goes some way to encapsulating the sheer unadulterated force that was the Pistols' sound.�A force that swept aside the band's musical abilities, which were basic at best, ands in the case of replacement bassist Sid Vicious, non-existent, and demonstrating the vital lesson behind the band's success�- anyone can do this, why not you It was a clarion call answered by thousands of young would-be pop stars that took the DIY ethic and two-fingers attitude of punk and ran with it.

Q.� So is the album a classic

A.� In context, it probably is.�It contains God Save The Queen, which shook British society to its very roots on its release at a time when Britain was bathed in the rosy glow of royalty, the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Again, a masterpiece of timing, the lyrics which denigrate Her Majesty so vehemently are encapsulated in one of the finest examples of three-minute rumbling spitting swaggering rock and roll ever committed to vinyl. Twinned with Anarchy In The UK, those two songs alone make the album a must-have for anyone who likes their music to contain the sort of rebellion that makes music for teenagers, not older brothers and sisters, and God forbid, not for parents. The purpose of the Bollocks album was to make some money, stir up some hostility, and give a moribund musical culture a kick up the backside, and it works highly successfully on al levels.

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Q.� What happened after that

A.� Having caused Questions in The Commons, and seen their first nationwide tour collapse in a welter of court cases and Council dithering, The Pistols took off to America, where they promptly imploded and split in a welter of acrimony, legal wrangles, and never-ending attempts to squeeze the maximum amount of money and publicity out of what had been such a glorious musical revolution.

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Q.� And now

A.� With the inevitable rosy glow of nostalgia, The Pistols are now viewed as frisky youngsters who had a good laugh, and caused a bit of a fuss. History conveniently forgets that at the time, a BBC presenter lost his job for encouraging the band to swear on live teatime national television, and several record companies lost serious money on contacts that the band had neither the intention, nor the ability, to fulfil. Johnny Rotten�- nee Lydon appears occasionally on mainstream TV chat shows, but should never be considered ripe for patronising, or glad-handing.�The ire and spite that made him such a mesmerising front man and icon for a generation is still very much in evidence, and he should always be approached with caution.

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The Never Mind The Bollocks album can be viewed as an iconic blast of protest and dissatisfaction, a musical backdrop to the times in which it was created, or as a red-hot slab of powerful furious rock and roll. It's either. It's both.

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If you have a question about any style of music, click here.

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By:� Andy Hughes.