SAME OLD BOLLOCKS
4 CD Box Set

Same Old Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (Coda Records CPLCD301) 4 x CD Set Disc 1: Monumental, Santiago, Chile 7th December 1996 Disc 2: Zenith, Paris, France 4th July 1996 Disc 3: Curva Stadio, Rome, Italy 10th July 1996 Disc 4: Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 4th November 1996

Recent times have seen an explosion in unofficial releases of live broadcasts from artists right across the spectrum. A look at Coda Records catalogue show they specialise in such releases, which usually claim to be radio broadcasts. I can only assume there is some legal loophole that allows broadcasts of a certain vintage to be put out in such a fashion. Anyway, anyone reading this will be more interested in the contents than the legalities, so let’s take a look. The fold out wallet is actually quite smart and compact with all discs designed to match. As for the discs themselves, there are four, each containing a show from the Filthy Lucre Tour of 1996. All the shows in this collection can also be found in one form or another on the ‘Best of the Sex Pistols Tour 1996’ CD bootleg box set from a few years ago, although that was limited to 1000 copies. Disc 1: Monumental, Santiago, Chile 7th December 1996 This is sourced from the well circulated FM radio broadcast. However - and this becomes a theme with this collection - there is some minor editing between songs, so, for example, we lose John’s shout of “Salute!” after God Save The Queen. For whatever reason, there does appear to be an attempt to tighten up all the shows in this CD set by removing delays between the songs. Totally unnecessary, although Virgin did much the same with their Filthy Lucre Live album. Sound wise, it is superb - no complaints on that front. Coda have also put this out as a yellow vinyl LP, minus Seventeen and Liar. Disc 2: Zenith, Paris, France 4th July 1996 There is no radio broadcast to utilise, so that claim is incorrect. There are two recordings in circulation for this show, one a bootleg CD entitled Sir (run time 68 minutes), the other a slightly longer 71 minute soundboard recording. Needless to say, this is shorter than both of them and is taken from the Sir CD. It was too much to hope that the soundboard tape had been used. The bulk of the missing time is due to the editing of the crowd waiting for the two encores. The shortening of the length of time between some songs means chat such as John’s “you got rid of your monarchy centuries ago” remains, while Steve’s “Hello how are ya?” is a casualty of the culling. Coda also have a silver vinyl offering in the pipeline. Disc 3: Curva Stadio, Rome, Italy 10th July 1996 The first question. Is this actually taken from an FM broadcast? There was an FM broadcast of this show, but it was ruined by a radio announcer talking briefly during each song, a practice usually confined to South American broadcasts. The recording used by Coda is - in my opinion - from the audience tape which is available in trading circles. It’s a very, very good recording which could almost be passed off as broadcast quality. Almost. In fact, the sound on this disc is the best I’ve heard for this show. My conclusion as to the source of the recording is based on the ‘fixing’ of a glitch during Satellite which was present on the audience recording. It’s been skilfully done, but proves beyond doubt its origin. I’ve mentioned editing before, and this show suffers the most. The current recording in circulation for this show comes in at over 50 minutes. This runs to 37. The final two songs, EMI and Anarchy In The UK, are missing which accounts for some of the time. What is instantly noticeable is the absence of John admonishing the bottle throwing crowd before the show starts. As stated previously, there seems to be a desire to present these shows as no-frills, no controversy gigs, with the focus purely on the music. To be fair, if you didn’t know any better, all the discs work on this level with the songs rattling along one after the other, bang, bang, bang. For connoisseurs however, this excuse doesn’t satisfy. Coda have also put this out as a ‘snot green’ vinyl LP. Strangely, it suits this format and is a throwback to the days of live vinyl LPs when the aim was to squeeze as many tracks on each side as possible. Disc 4: Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 4th November 1996 (allegedly) Tokyo? Is it? The recording is the same as the A Cellarful Of Noise bootleg CD, and that claims to be from 19th November ‘96 at Club Citta, Kanagawa, Kawasaki. The 4th November Tokyo show was captured on the Culture Days bootleg CD. There’s been a mix up. This is not a broadcast recording but along with the other discs in this set, the sound is impressive. Again, edits are rife. This 67 minute recording now clocks in at 52. Audience interaction is stripped back to a minimum. This practice does have its occasional merits, such as removing 9 minutes of the crowd waiting for the encore and a couple of minutes of crowd noise after the show, although this does mean John’s “would you like a banana” quip is lost. John’s “make noise” speech before Pretty Vacant has also got the chop along with security getting tough after God Save The Queen. Oh, and Steve messing about before Bodies kicks off is no more. Coda also have a vinyl offering in the pipeline. Summary: So, is it worth getting? On balance, for the price it is - even if there’s only a couple of the recordings that float your boat. The cost aside, the excellent sound was a pleasant surprise, and if you are a casual fan, rather than hardcore, there’s plenty to enjoy. However, if you have the ‘Best of the Sex Pistols Tour 1996’ CD bootleg box set there probably isn’t a lot of point. Just be aware, this has not been sanctioned by the band, and any foraging into unofficialdom is fraught with danger and potential disappointment. Oh, I almost forgot, the Sex Pistols perform magnificently throughout! Review by Phil Singleton

©Phil Singleton / www.sex-pistols.net 2018
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God Save The Sex Pistols ©Phil Singleton / www.sex-pistols.net 2018

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