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JUBILEE 
Side One. God Save The Queen / Anarchy In The UK / Pretty Vacant / Holidays In The Sun / No One Is Innocent / My Way / Something Else Record Store Day time. What have we in 2026? Thankfully, Universal have decided to release a Pistols record that's not been on vinyl before. Jubilee was originally released on CD in 2002, a significant year in Pistols history. The band reformed for the famous Pistols At The Palace gig which happened to coincide with Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee. So, as the LP approaches its own Silver Jubilee, it has returned on pink vinyl, which looks rather fetching. The pressing is clean and sounds vibrant. The inner sleeve is nicely designed and retains the track details from the CD booklet. Jubilee is in essence the 1980 compilation Flogging A Dead Horse, rejigged for the 21st century. Fittingly for a record titled Jubilee, it opens with God Save The Queen then runs through all the hit singles released under the name 'Sex Pistols'. The first four songs need no re-evaluation, they are a part of rock music's DNA. In many ways the collection gives cause for a re-evaluation of The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle era. Time has not been kind to the memory of the post-Rotten material, but there is no denying the immense popularity of the Swindle singles, as their chart positions and sales figures testify. Of course My Way is an accepted classic, but even the more perfunctory Sid singles, Something Else and C'Mon Everybody are delivered with typical Pistols swagger, not to mention a distinctive vocal performance from Sid. It makes you wonder what he could have achieved with better guidance. The much maligned No One Is Innocent features terrific guitar by Steve Jones. The Ronnie Biggs fronted track remains tasteless to this day, but that is exactly what it set out to be! Sick, catchy, and funny. The inclusion of the double A-side Friggin' In The Riggin' is welcome, as it never fails to amuse, even though we should know better! Silly Thing remains one of the greatest punk rock singles ever, and yes, it is the superior single version. It still sounds as fresh and dynamic as it did on its release in 1979. The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle boasts a superb Pistols riff, but the bad language ensured a radio ban, and it stalled outside the Top 20. Perhaps a case of one single too many, although Virgin didn't see it that way. Far from it, they subsequently released Stepping Stone for no other reason than the desire for a single to coincide with the Swindle movie's release in 1980. It wasn't the best way to end the group's singles legacy, although the track, lifted from the soundtrack LP, is a solid affair with John on vocals. It took until 1996 before the next genuine single appeared, a live version of Pretty Vacant. I can't help but rue the production job by Chris Thomas; the BBC FM broadcast gave a far better representation of the energy of the Finsbury Park concert. The track reunited the four original Pistols so in some respects this would have been a perfect way to bring the collection full circle. However, the non-single EMI closes the album. This made sense in the CD era when there was disc space to fill, but feels a little odd on the vinyl. Having said that it does give a satisfying 50/50 balance between the Johnny Rotten and post-Rotten material, and John's parting raspberry is preferable to the cash register effect that closed out Flogging A Dead Horse. The release also comes with sleeve notes detailing each release, including listing the personnel on each track, plus chart positions. The market has changed vastly since Jubilee's first release, Any fan, casual or otherwise, will have all the contents at their fingertips. It's to be hoped that those who purchase the vinyl will actually play it and not just file it away. It would be even better if a few young curious punters grab a copy, love it and play it to death. Now that would be Something Else. Review by Phil Singleton (April 2026) © Phil Singleton / www.sex-pistols.net 2026 |
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