The Sex Pistols

A violent, explosive record that is in no danger of ever sounding dated, this 1977 manifesto spews out equal amounts of nihilism and full-on rock 'n' roll. The band kicks out dirty, sloppy riffs that cut to the bone, while Johnny Rotten is probably the only vocalist whose sarcasm is worth listening to.

When the father-house burns…Young men find blisters on their hearts. -Old Ukrainian
Proverb If it's not clear to you now, it's going to be: the rock wars of the Seventies have
begun, and the Sex Pistols, the most incendiary rock & roll band since the Rolling Stones
and the Who, have just dropped the Big One on both the sociopolitical aridity of their
native England and most of the music from which they and we were artistically a... More >

Get this straight: no matter what the chicmongers want to believe, to call this band dangerous is more than a suave existentialist compliment. They mean no good. It won't do to pass off Rotten's hatred and disgust as role-playing--the gusto of the performance is too convincing. Which is why this is such an impressive record. The forbidden ideas from which Rotten makes songs take on undeniable truth value, whether one is sympathetic ("Holidays in the Sun" is a hysterically frightening vision of global economics) or filled with loathing ("Bodies," an indictment from which Rotten doesn't altogether exclude himself, is effectively anti-abortion, anti-woman, and anti-sex). These ideas must be dealt with, and can be expected to affect the way fans think and behave. The chief limitation on their power is the music, which can get heavy occasionally, but the only real question is how many American kids might feel the way Rotten does, and where he and they will go next. I wonder--but I also worry. (Grade - A)