Never Mind the Bollocks... Here's the Sex Pistols (Rhino)
The Sex Pistols may have only released one proper album, but let's be fair--it's one of the greatest albums that anybody ever recorded. Not just within punk, but by anyone, ever. All killer no filler, there's really little that needs to be said anymore about genre-defining anthems "Anarchy in the U.K.," "Bodies," "Pretty Vacant," "God Save the Queen," "No Feeings"... we could go on and on.
The social impact of the band and the album has also been written about to death. But it's the songs that history sometimes does an injustice too. They're simply phenomenal. They can be stripped down to pure pop gems (we once saw Glen Matlock perform a bunch of them at an acoustic gig). It's not just, as many people have said over the years, noise.
That said, the album is gleefully noisy, as well as deliberately and joyfully defiant. This new Rhino reissue from the High Fidelity series offers a wonderful opportunity to revisit.
The cover is obviously the U.S. version--that's muted pink and green, as opposed to the luminous yellow and pink that the rest of the world got. That's still inexplicable, but we can live with it.
"Cut from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray, the Sex Pistols' 1977 debut (and only studio album) arrives in a limited run of 5,000 copies," the press release reads. "Banned by major retailers yet still debuting at #1 on the U.K. charts, Never Mind The Bollocks condensed rage, disillusionment and disruption into one unrelenting statement. This new Rhino Hi-Fi edition features fresh liner notes from original producer, Chris Thomas, who recalls the 'absolute Eureka! moment' when the band discovered their own recording style. With archival-grade packaging that honors the album's original intent in both sound and design, this reissue allows fans the opportunity to hear one of the most influential, GRAMMY Hall of Fame recordings of all time in uncompromising audio fidelity."
Milo Goes to College (Org Music)
Another punk classic. Even if the Descendents' debut didn't have the seismic impact of ...Bollocks, it's still a record that is on a lot of "faves" lists.
And rightly so. Songs like "I'm Not a Loser," "Parents," and "I'm Not a Punk" are timeless, and ended up having a huge influence on the pop-punk scene that would come later.
There are variants of this reissue, and we received the smokey gray vinyl. It's as stunning as the classic drawing on the cover.
"Reclaimed by the band and lovingly restored, this release marks the beginning of an extensive reissue campaign that will include the band’s foundational albums from their early years, originally released on New Alliance and SST Records," they say. "Milo Goes to College leads the way, setting the tone for what’s to come with a variety of formats and exclusive editions."
