After my post yesterday which talked about a day that changed my life in some ways. Here is a record that changed many people's lives and could even be argued to have changed the face of music and much else besides.
"Anarchy In The UK" wasn't the first Punk Rock single to be released, in the UK, back in those heady days of 1976 and 1977, but it was certainly the most influential.
The honour of being the first Punk Rock single probably goes to The Damned and their first release "New Rose", which came out about a month earlier. I will more than likely talk about "New Rose" at a later date, as it's still a big favourite of mine.
"Anarchy In The UK' was released on the EMI label on 26th November 1976 and reached number 38 in the UK charts. It was produced by Chris Thomas. But, the B Side of the single "I Wanna Be Me" was produced by Dave Goodman. I don't think that happened very often?
Both songs are credited to, in my mind anyway, the classic line up of Sex Pistols: Rotten, Jones, Matlock and Cook.
To be honest, i was never much of a fan of Sid Vicious, who joined after Matlock left the band in 1977 and i do get a little annoyed when Sid is mentioned above Glen Matlock most of the time. Especially when it was Glen Matlock who wrote most of the early and classic music that Sex Pistols produced.
Once again, i can remember buying "Anarchy In The UK" and once again, it was from 'Standens' in Tonbridge high street.
For some reason i didn't buy the single when it was first released. I'm not sure why, as i was well aware of the band and their music at that time. I was a voracious reader of the weekly music papers, especially Sounds and the NME. So, i knew all about this new musical movement called Punk Rock. In fact the NME is even mentioned in the lyrics of "Anarchy In The UK".
What i do know though is that i bought the single for only 40pence. It had been reduced in price, probably because of it's low chart position and was in a bargain bin!
It certainly was a bargain, as the single was deleted not long afterwards (see below for the reasons) and is now worth some money because of its rarity. I don't know how much it's worth, as i have no intention of selling it anyway.
At one time i thought i had lost my copy of "Anarchy In The UK", as i couldn't find it in my big box of vinyl singles. But, thankfully, it turned up recently in another box with some other of my rarer vinyl 45's. Phew!
Sex Pistols were dropped from EMI records in early 1977, after the all the "Filth and the fury" and the aftermath of the now infamous Bill Grundy interview on Thames TV on 1st December 1976.
I remember that interview well, although i didn't actually see it at the time.
I was at work and in another section of the building where i worked, when a young work colleague, who had seen the interview, rushed up and told me all about it. He obviously knew i'd be interested, which i was.
I think it can safely be said, that if you didn't know about this new thing called Punk Rock before 1st December 1976, you most certainly did on 2nd December 1976.
The rest, as they say, is history and what a history it is.
That period certainly changed my life, possibly because of my age? I was 18 in 1976.
Music was a huge part of that change, as it was a time when i probably bought more records than i have ever done since. Most of those records were 45rpm vinyl singles, like "Anarchy In The UK".
I even paid full price for most of them too.
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