Sex Pistols

So what makes them so great, you ask? Well, I could go on for quite some time, but I'll condense it all here.

The Sex Pistols first formed in 1975 by members Paul Cook and Steve Jones. Soon after, they met both bassist Glen Matlock and vocalist Johnny Lydon (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten), who both were recruited into the band almost right away.

However, in February 1977, Matlock left the band, replaced by the one and only John Simon Ritchie (a.k.a. Sid Vicious). Sid wasn't exactly cut out for the role as the new bassist, having no guitar skills whatsoever, but Malcolm McLaren, the bands manager, saw him the perfect replacement for Matlock. A huge Pistols fan himself, he was chosen for both his look and his "punk attitude".

After that, the band jumped around from record company to record company, trying to get an album released. They found it a bit hard, however, since they were continually fired. In fact, the song E.M.I., which is the last track on Never Mind the Bollocks, is about their first bad experience with record company.

Luckily, Virgin Records finally gave them both a contract and the chance to release an album. Unfortunately, for many reasons, it was the only album to ever be officially released, other than one, which was the soundtrack to their movie The Great Rock 'n Roll Swindle (see link for more info).

The Pistols stuck it out, through a lot of really tough times, and I really think they deserve more recognition for all that they brought to the music world. As, um...somebody once said, "The Sex Pistols were punk. Everybody else is just punk-rock." I think that just about says everything.