LIVE RECORDINGS
Live Recordings
Information Resource by Dino Everett.
Updated by Hervé Labyre, Steve PILHead and Phil Singleton
The guide was originally compiled during the era of cassette trading. Online digital sharing and YouTube have made many of these recordings easier to access
Latest update 2024: Kristinehamn, Club Zebra, Sweden, 19th July 1977
Part
Two: 1977 |
Jan 6, 1977 - Paradiso Club, Amsterdam, Holland Trt
- 40:49
Number of Songs - 11
Format - cassette, vinyl LP
Sound Quality - noisy,
static filled audience recording
Rating - 6
Official/Semi Official Release - Anarchy In Paradise vinyl LP REVIEW
While it isn’t one of the greatest sounding gigs it is Glen’s last (not
counting the reunions) and for that alone it should be sought out. It is the last
time you will hear “Substitute” played live, as Sid could never tackle
that one. A pretty well played gig all in all but not played with the ferocity
of some of the earlier September '76 gigs. In addition to the playing, Glen’s
back-ups will also be sadly missed as Steve’s tend to almost be delivered
in a joking manner and Sid’s are that of a football chant. During “I Wanna
be Me” Johnny yells out “EMI” acknowledging the fact that the band
already knew the company would release a statement the following day as to the
termination of their contract. A relatively short set this time but this would
become the norm until the end of the year when they will play some of their longest
ones. “God Save The Queen” is quite an interesting version with Johnny
and Steve ad-libbing parts throughout. All in all worth it as the overall mix is
nice and balanced and helps to overcome some of the sonic interferences. DRAWBACKS
There are some minor sound modulations and it is a generally noisy sounding tape
with lots of static. The very first few seconds of “Anarchy” have been
clipped but not very bad you probably won’t notice it. The beginning of “Satellite”
sounds a bit abrupt but doesn’t really sound like there is an edit, but there
does sound like a sonic change after “God Save The Queen”, which may
have just been a quick edit to flip the tape. SETLIST
Anarchy In The UK
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
Satellite
God Save The Queen
Substitute
No Feelings
Pretty Vacant
Liar
Problems |
April
3rd, 1977 - Screen on the Green, Islington Trt
- 38:19
Number of Songs - 12
Format - cassette, vinyl LP
Sound Quality - average
audience w/ some modulation, static
Rating - 1-10 (7) 11,12 (6)
Official/Semi
Official Release -
Sid's Debut vinyl LP
Video - GSTQ (2 versions) & bits of Seventeen, New
York, Liar and Pretty Vacant in Don Letts’ Punk Rock Movie.
REVIEW
Overall this is a pretty good audience tape but it does suffer at times from a
bit of modulation in levels, which sounds like the taper either moving in the
crowd or fiddling with the recorder. Historically this is an important gig since
it marks Sid's debut. At one point during “Pretty Vacant” John
shouts, “How many notice the fucking difference?” Well I can..This shows
what was to be the beginning of some very loosely played gigs as far as the music
is concerned. Sid is trying at this point, you can tell, but he still manages a
few bum notes most notably the intro to “Satellite”. This gig marks
the live debut of the song “EMI”. There are actually a couple of versions
of this tape, one is more complete and runs all the way from a few bits of the
opening showing of the “Sex Pistols No. 1” film through to “Anarchy” although it is cut at the end. The better quality tape however fades
after “No Feelings”. An interesting note on “I Wanna Be Me”
John's voice cracks like a little kids at one point. The encore version
of “GSTQ” actually comes from the Punk Rock Movie.
DRAWBACKS
The fact that once again the gig seems to be split over two versions
is definitely a drawback. Also this isn’t the best gig the band ever played.
It is very loose and there are a couple of false starts, etc. As for sonically
there are no real cuts to speak of with the exception of the cutting of the end
of “Anarchy”, but the modulation does occur throughout and there is
some interference during ‘Satellite”. The final version of “GSTQ”
taken from the video of the Punk Rock movie is unfortunately clipped in the middle. SETLIST
Intro film “Sex Pistols no. 1”
God Save The Queen
I Wanna Be
Me
Seventeen
New York
Satellite
EMI
Liar
Pretty Vacant
Problems
No Feelings
Anarchy In The UK (cuts)
God Save The Queen (edited
in middle) |
June
7, 1977- River Thames Boat Trip Trt
- 38:19
Number of Songs - 6 (fake version) / 3 (dub off video)
Format - cassette
Sound Quality - video film is excellent
Rating - 8
Official/Semi
Official Release - Never Mind The Bollocks Super Deluxe Boxset Video - The DVD included in the 2012 NMTB boxset featured film of Anarchy, Pretty Vacant, and Problems. REVIEW
The video is excellent. Beware the audio tape claiming to be the full set. It is basically a cut and paste bootleg of a bootleg. Only the audio from the video exists and the supposed first three songs on the tape seem to be edited from elsewhere, especially GSTQ which sounds suspiciously like a recorded version. The first Anarchy doesn't even sound like Sid.
DRAWBACKS
The fact that basically this is just audio off the video and people feel the need
to create what doesn’t exist by pasting together hard to distinguish versions
of songs and say it is a rare live tape, which it isn't. Too bad the real versions of the other songs
they played that day haven’t turned up. SETLIST
Anarchy In The UK (FAKE)
God Save The Queen (FAKE)
Holidays In The Sun
(FAKE)
Anarchy In The UK
Pretty Vacant
Problems
|
July
13, 1977- Daddy’s Dance Hall Copenhagen, Denmark Trt
- 44:18
Number of Songs - 11
Format - cassette, vinyl LP
Sound Quality - muddy
audience recording
Rating - 6.5
Official/Semi Official Release - Spewing Charisma In Copenhagen vinyl LP
REVIEW
This is the first night of the Scandinavian tour and actually only Sid's
second or third real gig with the band (4th if you count the March Notre Dame
Halls TV gig and the Thames Boat party). This is also the last time they will play
“Satellite” live which is too bad. This gig also marks the proper debut
live of the song “Holidays In The Sun”. The sound does suffer at times
from various amounts of feedback. This is one of those important ones if only
because it is the first night of the tour. Johnny speaks here and there which
makes it easy to spot as legit, and Steve does say "See ya tomorrow" after
“God Save The Queen” ensuring that this is the first nights tape. DRAWBACKS
The overall sound of this tape is terribly muddy. There are two versions floating
around one is quite clear (no static) but is very boomy, and the other one has
a good deal of the heavy generated tape hiss but somehow that has softened the
bassy quality of the tape and tends to be the one I listen to more often. Both
versions seem to suffer from a common problem of the 70’s recorded tapes
which is the microphone being used seems to get overloaded once the music starts,
so it will sound really clear and perfect until the music starts and then it sounds
almost like someone covered your speakers with a blanket giving you a muffled
sound. Also the guitar drops out slightly on “I Wanna Be Me” and some
versions have a weird edit after “Pretty Vacant” where Steve’s
talking bit is repeated. SETLIST
Anarchy In The UK
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
Satellite
No Feelings
No Fun
Holidays in the Sun
Problems
Pretty Vacant
God save The Queen |
July
14, 1977 - Daddy’s Dance Hall Copenhagen, Denmark Trt
- 35:05
Number of Songs - 10
Format - cassette, vinyl LP
Sound Quality - average
audience recording
Rating - 6.5
Official/Semi Official Release - Cultivating Hatred In Copenhagen and Live Daddy's Dance Hall Copenhagen Denmark 14.07.77 vinyl LPs REVIEW
Another decent gig with the band playing quite well, and there doesn’t seem
to be the sonic problems of the previous night. They have dropped “Satellite”
for good and replaced it with the newer “EMI”, also they don’t
play “Holidays” at this gig or it is just not on the tape. A decent
gig. DRAWBACKS
Well there is the fact that this gig is shorter in length than the previous night
and there is a cut in the tape before “God Save The Queen” which could
have been where “Holidays” might have been played, or perhaps the taper
just flipped sides and didn’t miss anything. There are also some pretty regular
sound fluctuations throughout the tape but the overall quality is average at best
so that does detract. SETLIST
Anarchy In The UK
I Wanna be me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
No
Feelings
Pretty Vacant
Problems
God Save The Queen
No Fun |
July 15, 1977
- Beach Disco, Halmstad, Sweden Trt
- 33:56
Number of Songs - 9
Format - cassette, vinyl LP
Sound Quality - slightly
bassy audience recording
Rating - 7
Official/Semi Official Release - Tour
Of Scandinavia, Power Of The Pistols, Sweden vinyl LPs and others.
REVIEW
This is a gig where you can definitely tell the SID that was to come as he is
pretty high in the mix on this tape and plays ….well terrible, just listen
to “No Feelings” .P….U. Although on “Problems” you can
hear his two bass licks..Ha ha..Thankfully this is one of the gigs that has come
out on many bootleg LP’s so it is pretty easy to come by and it’s fairly
decent quality considering. The recording for the most part is fairly clear. The
band with the exception of Sid plays well. Hell it seems Paul always played well
doesn’t it? John says a few noticeable things to document the gig. Before
they start he says, “We’ll begin with Anarchy”, then before “EMI”
he says “This is about EMI after they sacked us. Also before “Pretty
Vacant” he says “Our new single”. All these can help you pinpoint
this gig but usually this one is labeled correctly. DRAWBACKS
The sound quality is unfortunately a drawback as the bassy tone is unfortunate,
and obviously Sid’s fuck ups. Thankfully there are
no real edits or cuts and sonically it stays the same. SETLIST
Anarchy In The UK
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
No
Feelings
Pretty Vacant
Problems
God Save The Queen |
July 16, 1977- Mogambo Disco, Helsingborg, Sweden
Trt – 26:43
Number of Songs - 9
Format - cassette, CDR
Sound Quality – pretty good audience recording
Rating – 7.5
Official/Semi Official Release – none known for this version
REVIEW This upgrade surfaced around 2013.
The 'old' tape has been doing the round for years and was used on the
vinyl bootleg Scandinavian Tour 1977 (TMQ) which surfaced around 2005.
DRAWBACKS
The biggest drawback being the end of Problems is cut and the 1st part
of No Feelings too. The song starts on Steve's guitar solo which makes
a total running time of 1:21. Johnny seems to have some problems with
his microphone at some points of the set, you can't hear him very well
during Anarchy and Steve sounds louder. Same in the first seconds of
Seventeen. There are sound modulations at the start of I Wanna Be Me.
SETLIST
Anarchy In The UK
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
Problems (cut)
No Feelings (edit)
Pretty Vacant
God Save The Queen
Previous review of version circulating prior to 2013 upgrade.
July 16, 1977-
Mogambo Disco, Helsingborg, Sweden
Trt
- 29:46
Number of Songs - 9
Format - cassette, vinyl LP
Sound Quality - average
audience recording
Rating - 7
Official/Semi Official Release - Scandinavian Tour 77 vinyl LP
REVIEW
Overall this
is a pretty decent audience recording and a nice one to hear since there are quite
a few famous photos & posters from this gig out there. This also contains
what I call the Sid bass solo after “EMI”. Most of the gig goes along
pretty decent but something seems to happen around “EMI” as the announcer
comes out and says something and then they launch into “Problems”.
DRAWBACKS
The biggest drawback about this tape is there seems to be a series of cuts starting
at “Problems” which is actually cut off affecting also the beginning
of the next song “No Feelings”, then that finishes, there is another
cut. “Pretty Vacant” plays along and the sound gets a tad muffled, then
another cut, then “God Save The Queen”. It seems to all sound linear
sonically but man was it the taper or the trader that added all those breaks in
the tape. Very Annoying…! !
SETLIST
Anarchy In The UK
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
Problems
No Feelings
Pretty Vacant
God Save The Queen |
July 19, 1977 – Club Zebra, Kristinehamn, Sweden
(added to guide March 2024)
Trt - 60:00
Number of Songs - 9 (gig) + 8 (soundcheck)
Format - vinyl LP
Sound Quality - Soundboard
Rating - 9
Official/Semi Official Release - Looking For A Kiss In Kristinehamn vinyl LP
REVIEW
Double bootleg LP surfaced February 2024, it includes the live set and the soundcheck along with unreleased radio advert, J Rotten interview in Vaxjo and 2 unreleased songs from Trondheim. It is the first time ever a genuine recording of the Kristinehamn gig has come to light. Recorded via the mixing desk the LP comprises 9 songs from the gig plus the 8 captured at the soundcheck. The quality is fabulous as are the Pistols themselves, with a mixture of aggression and humour; listen carefully for Sid responding to a shout for Anarchy; "We've already played it you fucking idiot!" The soundcheck itself is fascinating, as 8 songs are the musicirenhouans only and highlight the band in different ways, Paul starring on Liar, Steve on EMI, Sid is solid throughout doing some Anarchy bass lines unaccompanied. The pick of the bunch however is when John joins in for Holidays: "That sounds really bad... bad, bad, bad. Sorry to be awkward!"
DRAWBACKS
GSTQ fades at the end although it sounds complete. However, the recording of the song cut out on the original tape and has been spliced with the ending from the song performed in Trondheim (included on Side Four of Looking For A Kiss In Kristinehamn double LP).
SETLIST
Anarchy In The UK I Wanna Be Me Seventeen New York EMI No Fun No Feelings Pretty Vacant God Save The Queen
Soundcheck: Anarchy In The UK Bodies (part) Pretty Vacant Liar Problems EMI No Feelings Holidays In The Sun
|
July 20, 1977- Pingvin Club, Oslo, Norway
Trt – 41:01
Number of Songs - 10
Format – cassette, CDR, vinyl LP
Sound Quality – upgrade version
Rating – 7
Official/Semi Official Release - Keeping It Cool At The Pingvin Club vinyl LP
REVIEW
This is an upgrade that surfaced around 2013 and is said to be a Master
– 1 copy. It sounds clearer than all the other versions that I know and
the running time is a bit longer. The speed is correct, no pitch issues
in comparison to old versions.
Some members of the audience shout "you are crazy" before New York but
the band doesn't seem to care. Before EMI, Johnny says "this is about
EMI, they sacked us" and as the audience shouts, he adds "shut up and
listen". Well, maybe someone didn't like that, because there's a false
start because of an ashtray being thrown. Then the song starts again
after a short break. All in all, it's a good gig.
DRAWBACKS
There's a cut at the start of Anarchy so the very first guitar part is
missing. The bass sounds a bit too loud for a few seconds before the
break on I Wanna Be Me which makes it sounds a bit noisy. There
are also some sound modulations here and there, during EMI, at the end
of Pretty Vacant and at the start of God Save The Queen, and the tape
is damaged at 2:03 during the guitar solo. Again, Johnny seems to have
some problems with his microphone (like at Helsingborg).
SETLIST
Anarchy In The UK
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI (false start)
EMI
No Fun
No Feelings
Problems
Pretty Vacant
God Save The Queen
Previous review of version circulating prior to 2013 upgrade.
July 20, 1977- Pingvin
Club, Oslo, Norway
Trt
- 36:06
Number of Songs - 10
Format - cassette
Sound Quality - slightly
below average audience recording
Rating - 6.5
Official/Semi Official Release
- None from this tape
REVIEW
This is a tape that recently popped up in a “complete” form, which oddly
enough sounded exactly like my old version only now there was an extra cut in
it after “Anarchy”. The new version was however slightly, and I do mean
slightly sonically clearer. To be precise it was brighter, but still just as filled
with static and hiss. There are versions out there that seem to be at an incorrect
speed as well. The old version while being somewhat clouded sonically was at least
at a normal speed. This new one has the band playing a million miles per hour.
The gig is notable because during “EMI” someone throws an ashtray and
it hits John, who promptly stops the song. They do resume but not before a scolding
and warning from John. There is also a guy screaming ‘Anarcheee” throughout
which makes it easy to spot as well. A pretty decent gig altogether.
DRAWBACKS
Depending on which version you have there are different drawbacks. The sped up
version is one continuous drawback as it is hard to listen to the Chipmunk Pistols
and trust me this wasn’t their first gig as the Chipmunk Pistols. All the
versions seem to have a series of cuts near the end. The first big one comes after
“No Feelings” then again after “Problems”. Others I have found
have a weird radio/tape interference in the middle of “Problems” and
a tape skip during “God Save The Queen”, but not all. Also some people
list this as having 11 songs due to the stopped version of “EMI” so
make sure you ask them what the 11 songs are.
SETLIST
Anarchy In The UK
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI (false)
EMI
No Fun
No Feelings
Problems
Pretty Vacant
God Save The
Queen |
July
21, 1977- Studenter Samfundet, Trondheim, Norway Updated March 2024
Trt
- 29:55
Number of Songs - 10
Format - CD, 2 tracks on vinyl LP only
Sound Quality
- average soundboard recording
Rating - 8
Official/Semi Official Release
- Live In Trondheim July 21, 1977 bonus CD with Kiss This boxset / Never Mind The Bollocks Super Deluxe Boxset GSTQ (complete) and Pretty Vacant on Looking For A Kiss In Kristinehamn vinyl LP REVIEW
Well this was one of those nice little surprises that popped when the Kiss This CD set was released. A soundboard recording from the Scandinavian tour. The gig is pretty good but soundboard gigs with Sid will only sound so good you know? The nice difference is you can hear what the band members say to each other. It
is great also that you can clearly hear John’s vocals. The version of “Problems”
seems quite good. Overall a pretty good gig. DRAWBACKS
None since February 2024 when the final two songs appeared complete on 'Looking For A Kiss In Kristinehamn' double vinyl bootleg in soundboard quality. SETLIST
Anarchy In The UK
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
No
Fun
No Feelings
Problems
God Save The Queen
Pretty Vacant |
July 23 1977 – Barbarella's, Vaxjo, Sweden.
Trt – 37:58
Number of Songs - 10
Format – mp3, wav., CDR, internet (youtube 2014), vinyl LP (see the bootleg vinyl guide for details)
Sound Quality – Very good audience recording
Rating – 7.5
Official/Bootlegs – Dance To The Sex Pistols LP, & Never Mind The Rumours, This Recording Exists! 2x10" vinyl LPs.
REVIEW
The best review available is the one posted by the bootlegger himself
on Youtube. I can't write anything better than him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7coWb_RAooM
As with all the concerts of the Scandinavian Tour, the set is short and
the band plays really well. In the beginning, Johnny says something
like "turn the lights up right, I wanna see all cunts". The band
soundchecks a little bit like in Halmstad but it's shorter, and starts
Anarchy In The UK. Before No Fun, Johnny asks if anyone remembers this
song. After No Fun the audience asks for God Save The Queen. Johnny
replies "Bollocks, you'll have to wait". Before God Save The Queen he
says it is the last number, but the band returns for Pretty Vacant.
Between the last songs you can hear the announcer of the club talking
to the audience in Swedish.
DRAWBACKS
There is a small sound modulation on Anarchy in the UK, and the tape is
a bit damaged in the end of Seventeen. No major problem apart from that.
SET LIST
Anarchy In The UK
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
No Fun
Problems
No Feelings
God Save The Queen
Pretty Vacant
|
July 28, 1977- Happy House, Student Karen, Stockholm, Sweden
Trt – 42:07
Number of Songs - 11
Format - CD, vinyl LP
Sound Quality – very good soundboard recording
Rating - 9
Official/Semi Official Release – Never Mind The Bollocks Super Deluxe Boxset /
Never Mind the Bollocks 35th Anniversary Edition (double LP)
REVIEW
This is the official version taken from the 2012 boxset. It seems to be
taken directly from the master and obviously the sound quality is
better than the previous copies in circulation. Moreover, No Feelings
and No Fun are complete and there are more chats, comments etc
inbetween songs.
DRAWBACKS
No major drawback for this recording apart from the fact the vocals are
sometimes a bit too loud, nearly saturated, like all the other versions
doing the rounds. Nothing else apart from that. All in all, it's a
great recording and at last we get the complete show.
SETLIST
Anarchy In The UK
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
Submission
No Feelings
Problems
God Save The Queen
Pretty Vacant
No Fun
Previous review of version circulating prior to 2012 upgrade.
July 28, 1977-
Happy House, Student Karen, Stockholm, Sweden
Trt
- 38:00
Number of Songs - 11
Format - cassette, vinyl LP
Sound Quality -
below average soundboard recording
Rating - 7.5
Official/Semi Official
Release - Bad Boys LP, Anarchy in the UK Live LP, Stockholm 1977 LP/CD.
Video - Anarchy,
I Wanna be me, Seventeen, New York, Problems, No Fun available on various video
comps. REVIEW
This is one gig that everyone should have in decent quality at this time.
While not as good as the Trondheim gig this is one of the better Scandinavian
tapes, as it was apparently from a radio broadcast. Most people recognize this
from Johnny's opening "This I Like" comment. The performance is pretty
good for the most part and great that 6 of the songs played that night can be
viewed from the video that exists. The sound does run a bit hot sonically but
is still quite listenable. The tape version from the radio broadcast contains
the whole set, where as the LP's leave out "No Feelings" & "No
Fun".
DRAWBACKS
There is an edit in the middle of "No Feelings",
so either that is why it was left off the LP's or a trader down the line has edited
it to make sure no one gets a complete version. There is a break before and after
"No Fun" but it still sounds longer than the video version. The recording
is very hot which depending on which version you get can make it either decent
or almost unlistenable. Also some LP versions are at a lightning fast speed, which
again makes them sound like the Chipmunk Pistols. There does seem to be some glitches
on most versions most notably a small flutter on "Anarchy" and a weird
radio glitch on "God Save The Queen" but other than that it runs pretty
smooth.
SETLIST
Anarchy In The UK
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
Submission
No Feelings (on radio version only)
Problems
God Save The Queen
Pretty
Vacant
No Fun (on video & radio version only) |
August
24, 1977 - Outlook Club, Doncaster Trt
- 42:50
Number of Songs - 11 songs
Format - cassette, vinyl LP
Sound Quality
- below average bass heavy audience recording
Rating - 7
Official/Semi
Official Release - The Tax Exiles Terror Incognito vinyl LP REVIEW
This is the gig I affectionately refer to as the Sid gig since you can hear Sid
very loud on this tape, louder than the vocals, louder than everything. That should
give you an indication as to whether you would want to pull this tape out and
listen to it on a regular basis. Sid is still trying at this point for the most
part and even spends some good quality time after ‘Seventeen” to tune
up. Historically it is very important since it is really the only recording from
the SPOTS tour. This gig they were billed under the name the Tax Exiles. After
the first song you can hear someone from the club yelling “Keep back”,
the band was really getting popular at this point since this mini tour were the
first UK gigs in four months and really only the 3rd or 4th (if you count the
March 21st gig) ALL YEAR. So the enthusiasm was growing with a whole new crop
of fans. The mix notwithstanding the band seemed to play decent enough. This also
begins the permanency of the song "Holidays in the Sun" appearing in
all future live recordings. DRAWBACKS
The overall sound quality is a definite drawback even if you are a big Sid fan.
It is just too bass heavy. That unfortunately makes a few of the songs just sound
horrible. Check out "EMI” ohhh myyyyyy. Tape wise it seems to be pretty
unaltered, however there are some incomplete versions out there. There is a break
after the song “Problems” and the sound quality changes mainly the volume
drops a bit, my guess is it may have been a tape flip. There is also some slight
modulation at times most notably on “No Feelings” SETLIST
Anarchy In The UK
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
Holidays
In The Sun
No Feelings
Problems
Pretty Vacant
God Save The Queen
No Fun |
September 1, 1977 - Winter Gardens, Penzance, Cornwall
Trt - N/A
Number of Songs - 3 songs Format - DVD / vinyl single
Sound Quality - solid, from film recording
Rating - 9
Official/Semi Official Audio Release - none
Official Video - Never Mind The Bollocks Super Deluxe Boxset. Problems and Anarchy later appeared on bootleg vinyl 7"
REVIEW The DVD included in the 2012 NMTB boxset featured three songs recorded at the Winter Gardens, Penzance, during the SPOTS tour. These had never been seen before. It's hard to fault the performance of the Pistols, it is epic stuff.
DRAWBACKS A pity nothing else from the gig exists.
SETLIST Problems No Fun Anarchy In The UK |
December 9, 1977 - De Effenaar, Eindhoven, Holland
Trt - 50:52
Number of Songs - 13 songs Format - download / CD-r / vinyl LP
Sound Quality - boomy with low vocals
Rating - 7
Official/Semi Official Release - De Effenaar, Eindhoven, Netherlands, December 9th 1977 2 x 10" pressing (2017 release), Holland Was A Gas vinyl LPs
REVIEW A great recording to turn up in it's 40th Anniversary year. This one surfaced
late January, early February 2017.
The music is boomy and the vocals are low, quite undiscernable in a lot
of places.
There's a few comments from Sid between some songs and not much from
Lydon. This is a very loud performance. The venue sound is not great
(maybe its the taper's equipment, I dont know).
DRAWBACKS
There's a slight cut at the beginning of Belsen, this could be from a tape flip. Lydon's vocals can be hard to hear
due to the boom of the music, especially in the first few songs. But for a 40 year old cassette, I cant complain too much.
Also the encore No Fun, cuts in a bit at the start, but nothing that will spoil the track.
SETLIST God Save The Queen I Wanna Be Me Seventeen New York EMI Bodie Belsen Was A Gas Holidays In The Sun No Feelings Problems Pretty Vacant Anarchy In The UK No Fun |
December
10, 1977 - Huize Maas, Groningen, Holland Trt
- 53:05
Number of Songs - 14 songs
Format - cassette
Sound Quality
- below average audience recording
Rating - 6.5
Official/Semi Official
Release - none known REVIEW
John seems to sum up what is to become of the Pistols before the encore of “No
Fun” when he says something like “This song is about what it’s
like being on the road”. A decent enough played gig with the exception of
“New York” which is just awful. The final song “Submission”
is a somewhat of a different version and Johnny really seems to be spewing some
venom at this point. Historical enough since it is one of two gigs from the Holland
tour that are floating around and seems to be the first live recording of “Belsen
Was A Gas”, besides the mystical soundboard tape alluded to in a few books
as the “Dutch” tape, if that ever turns up perhaps that would be the
first recording. DRAWBACK
Basically the level is so low that it has added hiss. The opening song “GSTQ”
is cut off and so is the beginning of “I Wanna Be Me”, also there are
some weird tape edits on “I Wanna be me” as well which sound like the
tape player being turned on and off.. There are quite a few other tape edits one
cuts off the end of “Problems” and the beginning of ‘Pretty Vacant”,
then another one during “No Fun”, and again in between “No Fun”
& “Liar”, and yet again in the middle of “Liar”. There
are some slight sound fluctuations throughout. Basically this tape is a frustrating
one all throughout. SETLIST
God Save The Queen (NOT ON THE TAPE)
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
Bodies
Belsen Was A Gas
Holidays In The Sun
No Feelings
Problems
Pretty Vacant
Anarchy In The UK
No Fun
Liar
Submission
|
December
11, 1977 - Maf Centrum, Maasbree, Holland Trt
- 54:24
Number of Songs - 14 songs
Format - cassette, tracks 11-14 on CD, vinyl LP
Sound Quality
- average audience recording w/ good loud vocals
Rating - songs 1-10 7/ songs
11-14 8
Official/Semi Official Release - Pretty Vacant, Anarchy, No Fun, Liar
were broadcast over Dutch radio and have appeared on Rough Ready Chaotic Live,
Anarchy In The EU LP, Kill The Hippies CD, & others.
Video - EMI, Pretty Vacant, & Anarchy were shown on TV.
REVIEW
Definitely
the better of the two circulated Holland tapes, and quite nice that there is video
available as well. The mix is quite good for an audience tape as you can hear
Johnny’s vocals right up there, so much so that you can hear the soundman
fucking around with the delay from time to time. Sid has begun yelling things
into the mike at this point; my guess would be much to John’s dismay. A good
gig overall but I do miss a lot of the older songs. Johnny yells at the audience
a lot about being boring and not dancing enough. It is nice to hear the soundboard
versions from the radio broadcast, where is the rest of the gig? DRAWBACKS
While the tape is a decent audience it is still at a low level that creates some
hiss and there are slight clips in the songs, one in the middle of “EMI”
and another in the middle of “Holidays”, which also has it’s end
cut off. The prominence of the vocals at times does cause them to distort a tad.
There is some horrible feedback after “No feelings”. Some people have
altered versions adding in the radio versions for the last four songs SETLIST
God Save The Queen
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
Bodies
Belsen Was A Gas
Holidays In The Sun
No Feelings
Problems
Pretty
Vacant
Anarchy In The UK
No Fun
Liar |
December 16, 1977 - Brunel
University, Uxbridge Trt
- 62:10
Number of Songs - 16 songs
Format - cassette, 2 tracks on vinyl LP
Sound Quality
- clear but slightly boomy audience recording
Rating - 7.5
Official/Semi
Official Release - I Wanna be Me & 17 on God Save The Sex Pistols vinyl LP.
REVIEW
This tape
has a very boomy sound to it, which is probably caused by the fact that the band
was playing in a very large hall with a PA that was too small, as the tape is
quite clear sounding. Actually there are two versions floating around that may
be from two different sources. There is a quite bad sounding one w/ lots of hiss
that has a complete version of Anarchy but and incomplete EMI. This one however
has the full EMI but cuts the final 20 seconds off the end of Anarchy. Overall
it is a decent enough gig and nice to have such a long one. Johnny starts the
gig by yelling something about the most disorganized gig ever, and “I’ll
get the cunt responsible”. DRAWBACKS
Well the main drawback on the good tape is the fact that Anarchy is clipped at
the end, but thankfully it is only about 20 seconds. There is also a small ½
second blank spot in the middle of Submission, but other than that the only drawback
is the boomy sound of the tape overall but I feel confident that there is to be
no way around that based on the specifics of this particular gig. The old tape
was quite a bad one with lots of hiss and cuts here and there especially cutting
off half of EMI. SETLIST
God Save The Queen
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
Bodies
Belsen Was A Gas
Holidays In The Sun
Submission
No Feelings
Problems
Pretty Vacant
Anarchy In The UK
No Fun
Liar
God Save The Queen
|
December
17, 1977 Mr. George’s, Coventry Trt
- 33:39
Number of Songs - 8 songs
Format - cassette, vinyl LP
Sound Quality
- average audience recording w/ intermittent phasing
Rating - low 7
Official/Semi
Official Release: Never Mind The Bands vinyl LP
REVIEW
Well the main thing with this tape is this gig was clearly oversold as the thing
you hear the most is Johnny & someone from the club yelling “Please Move
back” they stop the show one time after Bodies to apparently try to fix the
overcrowding problems, but all this seems to do is unite the crowd in an “Off
the Stage” chant.. One look at the pictures in the Dennis Morris books will
clue you in to the mess. Since there are such amounts of down time this gig features
a couple of the Sid bass solos in between songs. Johnny talks to the audience
quite a bit and even slags off the previous nights audience at Brunel University.
A decent gig but due to the version you have and the amount of phasing that occurs
one you may not listen to all that often. DRAWBACKS
Well the fact that the tapes seem to be without the first two songs GSTQ &
I Wanna be me, perhaps they are still out there somewhere. Also most versions
I have found of this tape are horrible, with lots of weird phasing. Sounds like
somewhere down the road someone made a copy on a bad deck and got interference
from the opposite side of the cassette. I do have one however that seems to have
eliminated most of the interference by switching it to one channel and then running
it back through as a mono tape. Although it still pops up from time to time most
notably on Belsen & Holidays. The ending of Anarchy is cut off; also there
is a small clip in the middle of New York. SETLIST
Seventeen
New York
EMI
Bodies
Belsen Was A Gas
Holidays In
The Sun
Anarchy In The UK (end is cut)
Pretty Vacant |
December 19,
1977 - Nikkers Club, Keighley Trt
- 49:15
Number of Songs - 13 songs
Format - cassette
Sound Quality
- below average audience recording w/ excessive hiss
Rating - 6.5
Official/Semi
Official Release: none known REVIEW
Well this seems to be a complete gig however it isn’t one of my favorites
ones, probably just because the recording is poor enough that you won’t want
to listen to it that often. The band plays an average set with a few of the songs
reaching the sloppy territory such as the ending to “Holidays” and the
intro to “No Feelings”. Johnny and Sid speak from time to time throughout
but I haven’t had the patience to really decipher due to the distortion that
occurs when you turn it up. The band also seems to lose it during ‘No Fun”
The crowd seems very enthusiastic, singing along with ‘Anarchy” and
starting a roaring “We Want More” chant thereafter.
DRAWBACKS
The low levels on the various versions of this I have heard would
be the major drawback. Sadly the one with the lowest levels and therefore most
hiss is also the clearest, if that makes any sense. The louder you turn up the
more distorted it gets. There are a few small edits/dropout blank spots throughout
most notably right after “Holidays” then after “Pretty Vacant”
and some versions put “No Fun” to the second side of the tape causing
an edit… Also there is a small muffled bit in the beginning of “Belsen”..Nothing
on the tape sounds altered however. SETLIST
God Save The Queen
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
Bodies
Belsen Was A Gas
Holidays In The Sun
No Feelings
Problems
Pretty
vacant
Anarchy In The UK
No Fun |
December 23, 1977 - The Village Club, Newport, Shropshire
Trt – 62:25
Number of Songs - 15 songs
Format - CDR
Sound Quality - upgrade
Rating -7,5
Official/Semi Official Release: none known for this version.
REVIEW
You can now forget your old copy of “Where Were You In 77”, this
upgrade will help your ears feel better. This is also the complete gig
but it sounds far better than the previous version and the speed is
correct. It starts as the band arrives on stage and the club DJ is
playing some Staus Quo (I think) record and Steve plays along before
starting God Save The Queen. The rest of the set is exactly the same as
the LP, no cuts or differences.
DRAWBACKS
When you have only had the version of “Where Were You In 77” for years,
I would say there's no drawbacks. Everything sounds so clear in
comparison to the old one. The person who provided us this upgrade
should be awarded!
SETLIST
God Save The Queen
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
Bodies
Belsen Was A Gas
Holidays In The Sun
No Feelings
Problems
Pretty Vacant
Anarchy In The UK
No Fun
Submission
Liar
Previous review of version circulating prior to upgrade.
December
23, 1977 - The Village Club, Newport, Shropshire
Trt
- 58:05
Number of Songs - 15 songs
Format - LP/CD (recorded from the LP)
Sound Quality - average but slightly distorted audience recording
Rating
-7
Official/Semi Official Release: Where Were You In 77? LP/CD.
REVIEW
Basically this is one of those gigs you never had to look very far to get as it
came out in the 80’s on an LP called “Where were you in 77” with
the complete gig still intact, a rare occurrence for a Pistols boot. They did
manage to screw up the song listing on the back of the LP. Overall it is again
a decent but not terribly memorable gig. Johnny seems to be definitely losing
his enthusiasm at this point and even states “You must be fucking mad to
come cunts like us”. The band plays through their full Sid era repertoire
including “Liar” which seems to be a once a week inclusion. Johnny seems
to be putting everything he has into “No Fun” each night, which should
have given us a clue as to what was to come. DRAWBACKS
The main one being that for the CD release they recorded it straight from the
LP complete with vinyl pops and everything. Would have been nice if they would
have taken the tape and cleaned it up as it is a bit of a noisy recording. There
are some fade-outs after “No Feelings” (end of side 1 of the LP), and
then again 3 songs later after “Anarchy” which is the end of the regular
set. Also the first song ‘God Save the Queen” fades up missing any sort
of intro. Johnny mentions Christmas during “Submission” which made some
people believe this was Huddersfield, which is incorrect. SETLIST
God Save The Queen
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
Bodies
Belsen Was A Gas
Holidays In The Sun
No Feelings
Problems
Pretty
Vacant
Anarchy In The UK
No Fun
Submission
Liar |
December
24, 1977 - Links Pavilion, Cromer Trt
- 57:42
Number of Songs - 14 songs
Format - cassette
Sound Quality
- below average audience recording
Rating -6-6.5
Official/Semi Official
Release: none known REVIEW
Well this is another one of the somewhat average gigs the band played in December.
Most sound like the band just going through the motions. Listen to this gig and
then pull out one from September 1976 and the notice the difference. In 1976 the
band was really exciting and in contrast at most of the Dec 77 gigs only the crowd
seems excited. They sound frighteningly like regular rock concerts. Oh well, don’t
get me wrong they’re still a great rock band so it’s better than most,
but when you listen to the gigs in a row the change is a lot more noticeable.
Johnny talks a lot throughout the gig but the quality of the tape makes most of
it hard to understand. DRAWBACKS
Well there are two versions of this gig going around neither is totally complete.
The better sounding of the two is missing the last song “No Fun”. The
overall quality of the shorter but better version is sort of muffled and a tad
distorted and has more taper/trader interference. There is a small clip in the
middle of the opening song ‘GSTQ”, and an abrupt break at the end of
“Belsen”, there are also edits before and after “Pretty Vacant”
actually cutting off the beginning of the song. The longer version has the opening
song ‘God Save the Queen” clipped in the beginning and the abrupt ending
to “Belsen” but “Pretty Vacant” is complete. It is a shame
that this longer version is so harsh sounding, definitely not something you would
listen to more than once… SETLIST
God Save The Queen
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
Bodies
Submission
Belsen Was A Gas
Holidays In The Sun
No Feelings
Problems
Pretty Vacant
Anarchy In The UK
No Fun |
December 25, 1977 - Ivanhoe’s,
Huddersfield Trt
- 74:25
Number of Songs - 17 songs
Format - cassette, CD, vinyl LP
Sound Quality
- decent audience recording
Rating -7
Official/Semi Official Release: Fuckin' Xmas 1977 vinyl LP, The Queen's Speech CD, GSTQ and Submission on God Save The Sex Pistols vinyl LP/CD, No Fun and Submission came out on 7". Submission, Belsen and GSTQ released on God Save Us One And All, 7"
Video - the TV Huddersfield retro, The Filth & the Fury! movie
shows some footage from this gig REVIEW
Well this is it the final UK gig that was to occur for 18 ½ years, thank
God it was a nice long one. Johnny starts this off by stating that the crowd should
be drunk just like the band and then “Can you think of a better way to spend
Christmas”. I know I can’t, how amazing would that have been? Christmas
with the Sex Pistols! The set is long and they wind up playing “God Save
The Queen” and “Belsen was A Gas” (probably because of its newness)
twice. For the most part everything is played well and the band seem to be in
great drunken spirits, which seems to add to the relaxed feel of the performance.
Any aggravation they were all feeling or would feel in the next two weeks seemed
to take a back seat for this one evening. The rumor is that the whole gig was
filmed by Julian Temple, which would make for a hell of a DVD release if that
were true, I guess time will tell. DRAWBACKS
There is a weird edit in the middle of “Problems” where they have clipped
in a different version of the song and then it cuts back (could be from an unscrupulous
bootlegger saving the complete version for themselves). At times the sound gets
a bit muffled, most noticeably on the opening GSTQ (just a tad) and then from
“Pretty Vacant” until the ending. Also there is a break after “Anarchy”
when the band left the stage and a small blank spot in the beginning of “No
Fun”. Also on this version it seems they have taken the last two songs from
the vinyl release and there are a couple skips on “Submission”.. SETLIST
God Save The Queen
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
Belsen
Was A Gas
Bodies
Holidays In The Sun
No Feelings
Problems
Pretty Vacant
Anarchy In The UK
No Fun
Liar
Belsen Was A Gas
Submission
God Save The Queen |
|
|
Original author Dino
Everett 2002. Subsequent updates by Hervé Labyre 2015 and Steve PiHead 2017. Latest update 2024 by Phil Singleton. Additional thanks to Mark Taylor, Tony Fouweather, Andy Marshall.
All rights
reserved. Not to be reproduced without permission.
God
Save The Sex Pistols 2024 Phil Singleton / www.sex-pistols.net 2000
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