Arguably a couple of the first, best and most important albums in the history of punk (and popular music in general), both "Never Mind the Bollocks...Here's the Sex Pistols" and "Damned, Damned, Damned" have been reissued countless of times over the years, although I do believe the reissues to end all reissues (perish the thought) were the 35th anniversary issues of both which were released a couple of years back.
The Pistols' one is a bit more lavish of the two containing three CD's of the original album, demos and live shows, a DVD, a massive "1977: The Bollocks Diaries" coffee table book, a replica of the infamous A&M 7" single "God Save the Queen" + reprinted lyrics, a poster and stickers.
The Damned one contains four CD's of the original album, demos, radio sessions, live shows and interviews, a book of reprinted lyrics, poster and badges.
Both - in spite of hefty price tags (70 quid for Pistols; 60 for the Damned) - come highly recommended. Apart from their obvious and undisputed historic importance the music itself is timeless and sounds as fresh and vital as the day it was committed to tape. That's something that can not be said about every piece of music recorded more than 35 years ago. That said, I can hardly wait for the 40th anniversary editions...
,,Sid [Vicious] was a good singer, he was a great front man", pre-show Glen Matlock matter-of-factly informs a somewhat sceptical and puzzled yours truly about his clearly musically-challenged, albeit more (in)famous successor, in, arguably, the greatest Punk band of them all, the Sex Pistols. Understandably though, he isn't quite so kind when it comes to discussing Sid's bass-playing abilities, or lack thereof; Matlock, in spite of having left the Pistols, played bass on their seminal, sole masterpiece, "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols" - without receiving the credit for doing so at the time. All the while - briefly - Vicious took the glory and the fame and became the face of Punk before succumbing to the life and, ultimately, death of a sad and pathetic heroin addict-cum-(most likely)murderer.
But that's an entirely different story altogether.
Meanwhile...
Spot, Kópavogur, Iceland, Thursday May 8th, 2014.
In between typically zealous sets from two locally-legendary Icelandic Punk acts Q4U and Fræbbblarnir, Glen Matlock, formerly of the Sex Pistols, and the Rich Kids, takes the stage delivering an impassioned acoustic gig to an overall indifferent and under appreciative audience, most of which clearly doesn't realize it is being treated to a performance by a living bloody legend. IMHO.
Taking in all the major signposts of his career, from the Pistols to some of his latter-day solo stuff, Matlock's repertoire is a diverse beast, to say the least.
From the underrated Rich Kids, the massively misunderstood Power Pop band he formed after he left the Pistols - featuring, amongst others, former Slik and future Ultravox singer Midge Ure - both "Burning Sounds" and the powerful title track of their only LP "The Ghosts of Princess in Towers" (Quite possibly the coolest album title of all time!) get an airing. And so does "Ambition", a song that was demoed by Rich Kids, but eventually recorded by Iggy Pop for his "Soldier" album in 1980, which featured Matlock as well.
A section of old faves and influences, including the Small Faces' "All or Nothing", The Kinks' "Dead End Street", and the Monkees'/Paul Revere & the Raiders' "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" (The latter was covered by the Sex Pistols) follow suit.
The audience momentarily shows life signs during solo song "Yeah, Right". Matlock's 1996 Creation Records solo set "Who's He Think He is When He's at Home?" (Quite possibly not the coolest album title of all time!), all simultaneously wall of noise, melody and guitars, is a lost treasure indeed.
A couple of the biggest canons from the Pistols arsenal - "God Save the Queen" and "Pretty Vacant" - get the crowd kinda going as well.
As someone who was famously kicked out of the Pistols because he liked The Beatles (or so John Lydon maintains although Matlock himself insists he left the band), Glen Matlock is nonetheless a vital part of the Pistols' history and, therefore, legacy. Obviously, he had a hand in writing all of their key tracks. And let's just face it, after he left/was kicked out, they were pretty much over and done with...Never mind Malcolm McLaren. Plus the fact that Glen Matlock has been asked to join in all subsequent Sex Pistols reunions should lay the leather jacket wearing ghost of Sid Vicious to rest once and for all.
Glen Matlock recommended listening:
Sex Pistols/"Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols" (LP, Virgin Records, 1977)
Rich Kids/"Ghosts of Princes in Towers" (LP, EMI, 1978)
Glen Matlock/"Who's He Think He is When He's at Home?" (CD, Creation, 1996)
Recommended reading:
Glen Matlock with Peter Silverton/"I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol" (Rocket 88, 2012)
Arguably, TRB's "Power in the Darkness" (1978) is one of the finest debut albums in the history of popular music. In my humble opinion at least. Never mind the classic rock radio staple (The phenomenal "2-4-6-8 Motorway"), which, by the way, is NOT included on the original LP - it's just a cracking rock album, chock full of anthems and energy...as such albums should be.
So why isn't it more widely lauded then? Well, wrongly pigeonholed in with the burgeoning Punk/New Wave movement of the time could have had a little something to do with it. After all, TRB wore flares - a Punk no-no - and had a Hammond organ-player in their midst...although the Stranglers also had one of those. Furthermore, perhaps, the gay rights posturing/preaching may have been a factor. Say what you like about Tom Robinson, but he was/is never one to shy away from a topic close to his heart and mind. Just take a listen to the unforgettable (You have been warned: A '60s hippie term coming up) 'protest song' "(Sing If You're) Glad to be Gay" (Again, NOT on the album!) to find out...
Produced by then-recent Sex Pistols/The Clash accomplice Chris Thomas, "PITD" packs a powerful punch. "Long Hot Summer", "Ain't Gonna Take It", "The Winter of '79" (My favorite line: "Spurs beat Arsenal - What a game!") and single "Up Against the Wall" are just some of the highlights.
And odd as it may seem, Danny Kustow is for some reason not a household name today. THE lost guitar god of the '70s if you ask me.
Inevitably, for the follow-up album, the big, currently hip American producer (Todd Rundgren, in this space and time) was flown in and the record was hastily finished in, eh, record time.
"TRB 2" (1979) wasn't an entirely bad record, but it wasn't very good either. A Peter Gabriel co-write "Bully For You" (Later in the year nicked by Pink Floyd of all people for the depressing disco of "Another Brick in the Wall Pt.2") was a strong track and an obvious single, but which somehow - inexplicably - failed miserably chart-wise.
By then the writing was on the wall and by 1980 TRB had broken up.
Their fearless leader has never been completely out of the spotlight since, though in later years his profile has been somewhat lower.
But fear not. Recently EMI had the good sense to put out the excellent and exhaustive 3CD/1DVD "Tom Robinson Band Anthology 1977-1979", containing all the essentials, previously unissued demos, live recordings and the like. It should be available at a (net)store near you.
And, by the way, Tom Robinson Band recorded one of the finest Dylan covers the '70s served up. But, yet again, it wasn't included on the album. Which just goes to show how many good songs they had to begin with. I suppose.
The Heartbreakers' "L.A.M.F." (The original and, arguably, charming title of "Like a Mother Fucker" was aborted for this, most likely, record company sanctioned abbreviation) never got its due praise until a couple of decades later.
Probably the second best punk album of all time. Or, at least, of 1977. No price for guessing the best one. And, no, it's not The Clash's self titled debut - although that is a mighty fine effort as well.
"Mudded" mix has been blamed for "L.A.M.F''s original vinyl issue's lack of proper awe and respect at the time. But it couldn't have been quite so simple. Personally, I believe the origin of the Heartbreakers was somewhat to blame as well. Although it may not have been a great sounding record, it was nonetheless a great record.
Formed from the ashes of the New York Dolls, by ex-Dolls Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan, to the coolest U.K. punks of '77 the Heartbreakers' was possibly not the most credible background around. Being American probably didn't help matters much either - even though they did take the trouble to relocate to the U.K.
The New York Dolls, although in the early '70s sounding like a fabulous and fresh cross between prime-era Stones and Mott the Hoople, by 1977 - and in spite of having an obvious influence on the likes of The Sex Pistols as well as Sham 69 (to name but two) - sounded a tad dated and worn.
Nonetheless, in the press and by the powers that were, the Dolls were touted as the predecessors of punk. Remember those odd and opportunistic "New Wave" comps from circa '77, which collected artists as diverse as Ramones, Runaways, Flamin' Groovies, and, err, Little Bop Story? Not to mention New York Dolls. Well, those were the daze...
Fronted by David Johansen and Johnny Thunders, as the Jagger & Richards of their time, New York Dolls, in the early '70s, paved the way for mid '70s NY punks like Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, Television, etc. But as The Clash declared "I'm so Bored With the U.S.A.", the U.K. punks were sceptical and eager to put as much distance between themselves and their U.S. counterparts. Let's not forget that Ramones weren't even considered to be cool at this point in time.
That said, The Sex Pistols sonically and verbally attacked the NY wave with "New York"; The Heartbreakers aptly and ably responded with "London Boys". Oh, well. And this was 20 years prior to the limp Oasis Vs. Blur feud...
Around which time U.K.'s Jungle Records first saw fit to unleash the "proper" mix of "L.A.M.F". Better late than never. And since then there have been at least a couple of reissues of said mixes + rarities, demos, etc. and so on. The last of which is a "Definitive" 4 CD box set, which, never mind the bollocks (in this case being pin badges), is as impressive and essential as they come....
It happened in the unlikeliest of places under the unlikeliest of circumstances. But that, after all, is how the great ones often go.
Reg Presley, the legendary lead singer of the even more legendary Troggs suffered a stroke a couple of years back. A massive one by all accounts. Thankfully, he survived it. But everyone worried that that was it performance-wise for the man best known for bringing "Wild Thing" to the masses, as well as nearly single-handedly inventing Garage Rock and Punk Rock in the process. Unintentionally of course. No mean feat that.
But good old Reg soldiered on. Insisted on it as a matter of fact. And the (re)appearence of The Troggs at the "21. Oldie Night Live" festival in Gugahalle, Essen, Germany on Saturday December the 3rd 2011 was supposed to be his big comeback of sorts. The proof he could still cut it, still roar proudly through '60s classics like "Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You", "I Can't Control Myself", "Love is All Around" and all the rest. But that wasn't to be. Well, not exactly.
As soon as The Troggs took to the stage just after 9 pm on that fateful Saturday night, in between German '60s act The Rattles and an odd yet presentable version of T.Rex, it became painfully clear that all was not well. Reg seemed exhausted and, honestly, in over his head from the get-go. Every now and then he even needed to sit down for a rest, which made some of the ill-informed audience (needless to say, the promoter should have made the situation clear beforehand) jump to the conclusion that he was either drunk or drugged - if not both. But according to long-serving Troggs bassist Pete Lucas, "Reg has never done drugs and he's not a boozer. He wouldn't even know what to do with a line of coke".
And although Reg certainly tried to explain the situation, due to the inevitable language-barrier that explanation somehow got lost in the translation and a portion of the punters just booed! It was such a sad spectable it beggars belief.
Nonetheless, under these, the most dire of circumstances, the band bravely trawled through some of of their best known songs, such as "Give it to Me", "Anyway That You Want Me" and "Love is All Around", as well as a cover or two ("Walking the Dog").
Reg just barely managed to deliver the ever touching epitaph contained in arguably The Troggs' best-loved song (covered by everyone from R.E.M. to Wet Wet Wet), "Love is All Around"; "It's written on the wind, it's everywhere I go. So if you really love me come on and let it show". But merely a small fraction of the audience saw fit to do just that. Fucking shameful!
As Bay City Roller Eric Faulkner commented later on in his band's set: "I hope you realise how priviliged you've been to see Reg Presley perform". Well, I for one felt privilidged.
But the worst was yet to come. As the band was - prematurely in Reg's obvious opinion - going to wrap things up quickly with the obligatory "Wild Thing", Reg stopped them in their tracks by shouting "No, no, no!" and instead preceded to introduce their sole no.1 U.K. hit "With a Girl Like You" - a Reg Presley compostion no less. But then the clueless emcee, probably sent in by the promoter to "salvage" the situation, cut Reg off mid-sentence by announcing a short break until the next act would be on. What have they done to my song, Ma, indeed!?
Sadly, Reg just sat there stunned and motionless for a few moments until he, like his bandmates had done before him, staggered off the stage, beaten and humiliated.
Reg Presley, one of the most distinctive voices in Rock, had been silenced with a dismissive shrug! Meanwhile, the shrilling "Oh, no!" scream which opens "I Can't Control Myself" (covered by both The Ramones and Joan Jett) is one of the defining moments in Rock history. People should just try to keep a fucking perspective!
After the show, at the local Holiday Inn bar, I was lucky enough to run into 3/4 of The Troggs (Regrettfully, Reg had gone to bed), who were all just gutted. "It was a great show", I tried to lie to Pete Lucas. "No it wasn't", he replied. "But thank you for saying so".
Pete admitted tearfully though, that this was probably Reg's last show with the band, and that they will most likely continue as a three-piece from now on. It took a minute or two to sink in: Reg Presley, one of the last great front men of one of the last great Rock bands, has probably performed his last not-so-great-show.
Furthermore, T.Rex drummer Paul Fenton (he played with Marc Bolan for chrissakes!) delivered a speech in honour of Reg which left no one in attendance untouched and brought a somber - if not altogether sober - conclusion to the precedings.
The clean-living, often odd UFO enthusiast can hopefully now bow-out gracefully, safe in the knowledge that he, much like his namesake from Memphis, TN., has given Rock and Roll his all.
Ladies and gentlemen, Reg Presley has left the building...
Reg Presley in Essen Dec. 3rd 2011.
PS: If this sounds too much like an eulogy I do apolgise. Reg is still very much among the living and this is merely my meager tribute to him.
I would like to thank Pete Lucas - a true gentleman - for sharing with me his time and thoughts. I do hope he will not be cross with me for quoting him here without permission, but at the time of our conversation I had not planned to write about it. Afterwards, however, I felt COMPELLED to do so.
A very special thanks also to "Wizzo", an avid Troggs fan from Sweden, who set me straight on a couple of things. Tack!
This writer (left) with Reg Presley (right) in October 2008.
What excactly is that thing above Reg's head there? Cue The Twilight Zone intro...
