Sex Pistols - There'll Always Be An England (2008)

×

Sex Pistols - There'll Always Be An England (2008)

Close

Long before punk was relegated to slogans on a Hot Topic T-shirt or a watered down pop craze with the mall crowd, bands like the Sex Pistols represented themes of rising up from the underground, rebellion, and at times, all out anarchy. Though the act only released one proper studio project in the form of Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, it's become a legendary slice of the genre as it was truly meant to be represented and once again takes the focal point of the current incarnation's latest DVD. There'll Always Be An England celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of that acclaimed album with John Lydon leading the aging (but still entertaining) pack on top of his game. It's not necessarily a miracle considering the Sex Pistols have always been a powerful live band, but let's just say that on some tours the singer is dead on with delivery and other times he appears to be going through the motions in hopes of milking the cash cow.

But the latter charge doesn't seem to be the case on this concert collection, thanks in part to filmmaker Julien Temple (Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten, The Filth and the Fury), who presents the band in a more current format with riveting camera angles and such engaging lighting on both the band and the audience that it makes the viewer feel more involved in the experience than most concert DVDs.

Even with all the production bells and whistles, it's up to the band to deliver iconic fist pumpers like "Pretty Vacant," "New York," "God Save the Queen" and "Anarchy In the UK," all of which pack the Pistols' feisty spirit and impactful presentations of the increasingly provocative lyrics. Though some would argue the need for new versions considering these songs have been presented on live products countless times before, there truly does seem to be a fire lit under the players, plus the project benefits from the bonus segment "The Knowledge: The Pistols Guide To London." Whether taking a firsthand tour of where the band first rose to fame or seeing its surviving members recall one of punk's most important periods, There'll Always Be An England is an explosive anniversary celebration.

The Sex Pistols may have only been together for two years in the late '70s, but they changed the face of popular music. Through their raw, nihilistic singles and violent performances, the band revolutionized the idea of what rock & roll could be. In England, the group was considered dangerous to the very fabric of society and was banned across the country; in America, they didn't have the same impact, but countless bands in both countries were inspired by the sheer sonic force of their music, while countless others were inspired by their independent, do-it-yourself ethics. Even if they didn't release any singles by themselves, there was an implicit independence in the way they played their music and handled their career. The band gave birth to the massive independent music underground in England and America that would soon include bands that didn't have a direct musical connection to the Sex Pistols' initial three-minute blasts of rage, but couldn't have existed without those singles.

Guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook were regulars at a boutique owned by their manager, Malcolm McLaren; bassist Glen Matlock worked at the store. Vocalist John Lydon, who would later perform under the name Johnny Rotten, met the rest of the group at the shop and was asked to join the band. While the band played simple rock & roll loudly and abrasively, Rotten arrogantly sang of anarchy, abortion, violence, fascism, and apathy; without Rotten, the band wouldn't have been threatening to England's government – he provided the band's conceptual direction, calculated to be as confrontational and threatening as possible. The publicity caused by their caustic first single "Anarchy in the U.K." caused the band to be dropped by their record label, EMI. Matlock was fired before their next single "God Save the Queen," which was released on Virgin; it was banned by the BBC. Matlock's replacement was Sid Vicious, a tough street kid who, unlike the rest of the band, couldn't play his instrument.

After releasing one album in 1977, the band headed over to the U.S. for a tour in January of 1978; it lasted 14 days. Rotten left the band after their show at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom on January 14, heading back to New York; he would form Public Image Limited later that year. McLaren tried to continue the band but Cook and Jones soon turned against him. In the two decades following the Sex Pistols' implosion, an endless stream of outtakes, demos, repackagings, and live shows were released on a variety of labels, which only helped their cult grow.

In 1996, to celebrate their impending twentieth anniversary, the Sex Pistols reunited, with original bassist Glen Matlock taking the place of the deceased Sid Vicious. The band embarked on an international tour in June of 1996, releasing the Filthy Lucre Live album the following month. Four years later, Julien Temple (who helmed the band's first movie, The Great Rock & Roll Swindle) directed the documentary film The Filth & the Fury.

×

Sex Pistols - There'll Always Be An England (2008)

Close

×

Sex Pistols - There'll Always Be An England (2008)

Close

×

Sex Pistols - There'll Always Be An England (2008)

Close

×

Sex Pistols - There'll Always Be An England (2008)

Close

×

Sex Pistols - There'll Always Be An England (2008)

Close