Continuing the sounds purchased when they came out series (singles or albums) there is this . . . . Disillusioned by what was going on in rock with Zep and Phil Collins et al, and even McCartney & Wings with Venus and Mars where I left them, the whimsy being too much and the smugrock being too over produced and self satisfied, mt earlier rock heroes having become middle of the road, there came a new sound on the block bubbling up from the streets. I bought the first album (Never Mind The Bollocks . . ) with a free single of 'God Saves . . .' inside or with it and no it's not the A&M version but the Virgin one . . . . . . it is still a really fine album and with Matlock on bass and Steve Jones and Paul Cook they made arguably one of the finest loud power houses of punk theatre there ever was . . . . . . Pretty Vacant was good too. TURN IT UP! F@*K iT!

On this day in music history: May 27, 1977 - “God Save The Queen” by The Sex Pistols is released. Written by Paul Cook, Steve Jones, John Lydon and Glen Matlock, it is the biggest hit for the seminal English punk rock band fronted by lead singer Johnny Rotten. Written and recorded shortly after The Sex Pistols are unceremoniously dropped by their first label EMI Records, the song takes its title from the national anthem of the United Kingdom. It is the last single by the band to feature bassist Glen Matlock, before he leaves the band in February of 1977 and is replaced by Sid Vicious. Issued as their first single for their new label Virgin Records, after A&M Records signs then quickly drops the band before releasing the song. “Queen” is strategically released to coincide with the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation, and immediately sparks controversy. To promote the record, The Pistols stage a performance on June 7, 1977, playing aboard a boat not so coincidentally called the Queen Elizabeth on the River Thames near the Palace Of Westminster. The band, manager Malcolm McLaren and several members of the Pistols entourage are arrested after the boat docks. Both the BBC and the IBA ban it from any radio airplay or television exposure, feeling that it is disrespectful and a direct assault on the monarchy. But the ban does not prevent the single from being a huge seller right out of the gate. It peaks at #2 on the UK singles chart despite the ban, though it is widely disputed that the single was indeed the #1 selling record in England at the time. Rod Stewart’s “I Don’t Want To Talk About It/The First Cut Is The Deepest” is listed as the number one single on the official charts. The singles picture sleeve artwork is designed by artist Jamie Reid and features a portrait of the Queen with the song title and band name covering her eyes and mouth. Copies of the original withdrawn A&M pressing of “Queen” are now valued at between £500 to £13,000 / $785 to 20,387 in US dollars, with only a small handful of legitimate copies known to still be in existence. In 2012, Virgin Records reissues “God Save The Queen” for its thirty-fifth anniversary, in tandem with the Diamond Jubilee Of Queen Elizabeth II. Lead singer John Lydon openly voices his displeasure at the re-release, feeling that it undermines the original intent and message of the song. The reissue of “Queen” peaks at #80 on the UK singles chart.