God Save The Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks: The Complete UK Guide. Full Story

NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS HERE'S THE SEX PISTOLS
The complete UK guide.
A God Save The Sex Pistols' world exclusive!

The sole & unique album of the Sex Pistols, NMTB is a very rare event in rock music history indeed. Despite the controversy that started many months before its official release - the bass player couldn't play a single note, the band couldn't play a gig, aggression against the band's members, press campaign against the Sex Pistols, and so on - never before did a record encounter so many troubles in it's conception, making & distribution. This is our point of view about one of the best selling rock albums in the world.

UK V2086: from the First Pressing to summer 1978
Official release date: Even a simple event like the official release date is not simple with NMTB. Officially scheduled the 4th November '77, Virgin Records needed to advance the release by one week, to 28th October '77, because the unexpected French Barclay pressing softly flooded the UK market without warning in the middle of October.

28th October '77 was now the official release date for every NMTB new pressing but it seems the Virgin staff forgot what happened on this very day. Early in the morning several UK distributors notified Virgin Records that they had stopped all NMTB distribution in the shops one hour after its release due to offensive contents & some trouble about the album title… After some heavy brainstorming a very bothered Richard Branson decided to completely delete the release 2 days later on Sunday 30th October '77, only in some Virgin Stores, despite the British law about the shops closing every Sunday (see Dennis Morris pix with the young kid to refresh your memory.) 27 years later nobody knows if Virgin Records was fined for this unusual opening of its shops on Sunday.

Important thing to know about UK V2086 First Pressing
A variation within a pressing is not a different pressing per se in most cases. As all heavily pressed records, the making of NMTB's cover is not free of misprints. Because several pressing machines used different plates set & worked at the same time, there were a lot of variations about the matrix numbers but it is still part of the same pressing.

For a question of simplification it's better for everybody to make a difference between a real pressing (like the 11 tracks version and the 12 tracks versions) and the variants (like blank back, Belsen misprint, 11 & 12 tracks listing, sky blue or green/red labels, and so on.)

All plain black titles letters on the front cover show some printing mistakes mainly in 'T', 'B' and 'S' large letters. It's funny to see that all those so-called errors willingly made by Jamie Reid were all rectified in some countries like USA and France for example.

What to know about the Blank Back Version
Between the end of August '77 & September '77, members of the Sex Pistols could not decide if the record was going to be released with or without 'Submission'. To speed up the band Richard Branson decided to press an 11 track version without 'Submission', and non-featuring - on purpose - a back cover without any titles. 1000 copies were pressed but the band changed their mind and finally decided to include the song on the record.

Rather than send the whole batch to the bin, Branson decided to recycle the copies exclusively on the promotional circuit, but the Barclay release caused him to change his masterplan again and Virgin Records sent most of the copies to France in order to counter attack Barclay on its own playground, although some copies were also sold in the UK, Sweden and USA, and possibly others countries as a single album without any single or poster bonus.

The best way to know if you have got one of the rare real first 1000 copies is the matrix number: V2086 A1/B1 or V2086 A3/B3. Why use 2 different matrix numbers for the same pressing? Because the manufacturer used several pressing machines at the same time. It was also a good way to test all the different sets of plates. A third plates set V2086 A2/B2 was also manufactured but it seems it wasn't used for the first 1000 NMTB. As we couldn't find any copy with this matrix number we can't say for sure it really exists so check your copies!!

Update March 09: Paul Killbe: "I bought a copy of NMTB with the blank back sleeve, and the stamp on the groove on each side is A2 & B2."

Update May 10. David Moss: "I have a copy with A2/B2 matrix numbers on the run out grooves. It is an 11 track LP with the 7" single, full size poster, and the back cover is blank. The poster has more folds than the SPOTS1 version."

Update May 10. George from Austria: "My copy of NMTB has blank back sleeve, V2086 A5/B6 matrix number, 12 track sky blue labels with no timing, and Sid Vicious credited on 'EMI' in place of Glen Matlock. Production credits Chris Thomas OR Bill Price. Bought in Cambridge at a church flee market (!) in 1987."

Update July 12. Robert Koller: " My copy of the 11 track blank back version has A2 /B1 matrix! The matrix is hand etched. I bought this copy 2nd hand on a record fair way back so no idea if poster and single was ever included."

Unfortunately for people collecting NMTB variations, 2 others blank back 11 track versions surfaced in October during the making of the SPOT001 version, although the number of covers is unknown. Fortunately there is a way to identify these 2 misprints: one comes with correct sky blue label with timing & correct credits same as the original first 1000 blank back batch under the matrix number V2086 A1/B3. The second one gets the same labels under the matrix number V2086 A3/B1. Except for a few A3/B1 copies these 2 blank back versions come without the bonus of a single & poster.

The blank back cover was also used with the 12 tracks version on 4 different occasions with different matrix numbers like A7/B5, A5/B7, A7/B6 & A9/B9 (some with freebie & poster.)

To sum up the blank back story, if you got A1/B1 & A3/B3 you got one of the first exclusive 1000 copies and all the others pressings are just misprints.

Update Jan 10: Peter Granstrom: "My copy came with the blank back sleeve, it's an 11 track version with Submission single and poster, and it's got matrix plates A1/B2."

11 Track Version
Because the French copy was sold in the British shops, Branson needed to react very quickly & decided not to wait for the making of the 12 tracks pressing. For this reason a lot of the 11 track version with 11 tracks listing on the back were sold in the record shops with V2086 A5/B6 and V 2086 A7/B6 matrix number without single or poster. All the records got the same sky blue label with good timing & correct credits. The productions credits are Chris Thomas & Bill Price. For all the rest see SPOT001 story. We spot 4 pressings - V2086 A3/B1, V2086 A1/B3, V2086 A2/B3 and V2086 A3/B2 - with blank back misprint. Some come as SPOT001, with only freebie or just as single LP (what a mess!)

There is a funny thing to know about NMTB original inner paper sleeve: it comes from exactly the same batch as the original Spunk bootleg inner sleeve released without any cover some weeks before the official NMTB UK album. Both have the same code number ! After that no one can say Spunk was not 'made in England' !

SPOT001
11 tracks LP + Shrink-wrap + one sided free 7" + poster 25.5" X 39" + sticker
Very soon after the release date Virgin put a special version with freebie and poster on the market. This stuff is better known by the code name SPOT001 & is now very hard to find in its complete form. According to Virgin, 50,000 SPOT001 were made but others sources quote a number of around 10,000 copies because of the quickie 12 track version release. As time went by, most of the posters were lost in action because their owners didn't think they'd grow old enough to become boring record collectors (but that's another story, folks!) Although a few thousand copies came in the shops with a shrink-wrap & an orange or green sticker, most of the SPOT001 were customized for records shops where freebie & poster were given free apart from the LP to each NMTB customer by the dealer, but even then, not in every case… In Paris, for example, we know a dealer who sold the freebie & poster separately. Virgin Records sent posters and freebies to all records shops that were already selling the 11 tracks LP version with an instruction sheet notifying dealers to use it as give away for the existing NMTB stock. Some dealers didn't fold the poster properly and gave it crudely rolled. If you got a non-folded poster it doesn't mean it is a fake, like some of the copies printed in Paris in 1978.

All SPOT001 copies got the same V2086 A3/B1 matrix number except a few five legged sheep on which customers got the surprise to find 12 tracks version with V2086 A7/B7 and V2086 A9/B9 matrix numbers. This mistake made at the factory shows how quickly the 12 tracks versions were made while SPOT001 was still in the making.

The collage poster designed by Jamie Reid is 25.5" X 39" but a few are a little bit larger. It seems promo poster copies were given away by retailers in place of normal free posters.

The freebie single comes with A1 or A2 matrix # and no number for the B side!

Note: Some French and Belgian dealers received an unusual orange circular sticker to seal customized SPOT001 on its opening side. People needed to tear it up to play the record and only one copy is in existence in Belgium but there is no picture available. This item is as difficult to get as the giant yellow and pink obi that came with the first pressing of the French Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle 2 LP set. 75% of all complete SPOT001 we have in hand are V2086 A3/B1. The A3/B1 single LP version could be SPOT001 without the bonuses, lost in time.

12 Track Version
This version was available in the shops at the beginning of November. Once again the LP has several back covers with blank, 11 tracks and 12 tracks listings. With this 12 tracks version came the new green & red labels in the course of summer 1978. All 12 track sky blue labels versions come with no timing & Sid Vicious credited on EMI in place of Glen Matlock (however see also Mark Baker update below). The green & red label shows no timing but correct 'EMI' credit. In both cases the production credits are Chris Thomas OR Bill Price.

Here are all the 10 versions we've spotted : V2086 A5/B5, V2086 A5/B7, V2866 A5/B10, V2086 A7/B, V2086 A7/B5, V2086 A7/B6, V2086 A8/B6, V2086 A9/B9, V2086 A9/B7, V2086 A9/B11 and V2086 A9/B12U-1-1-1.

Note: other configurations must be in existence. A9/B9 and A9/B7 could be incomplete SPOT001 versions.

Update May 2010: Mark Baker: "I have a copy of Never Mind the Bollocks sky blue labels version. V2086 A8/B7. It has no timings on the label, yet it has Glen Matlock credited to EMI. It has Submission on it and the back sleeve shows 11 songs."

First Belsen Misprint
The first Belsen misprint was not made with the eighties glossy covers but came out very early in 1978 (possibly March-April 1978). The cover is unpolished and the matrix numbers are V2866 A5/B10 with sky blue labels. Some time later 2 other green & red labels pressings V2086 A9/B11and V2086 A9/B12U-1-1-1 were made with the same flat cover. At the end of '77, rumours surfaced about a new Sex Pistols single 'Belsen Was A Gas', but nothing happened because the band broke up in California. Apart from the assumptions of some specialists, nobody knows exactly why this title (+ 'Liar' twice and other songs omitted…) ended on the back cover but we can imagine 'Belsen' was a serious project for Virgin and the Sex Pistols otherwise this title would never have been printed. Other rumours surfaced in the following years as a new song called 'Sod In Heaven' was supposed to be on the B side. In Lee Wood's book, 'Day By Day', the author writes that this song was soundchecked before the Dallas gig but www.sex-pistols.net's contributor Hervé Labyre told us he wrote to a famous US author who claims to have recorded both soundcheck and concert. According to him, the band performed only one song during the soundcheck and that was 'Problems'. As we don't have a copy… But it seems clear for a lot of fans that playing new songs on the January 1978 US tour wasn't the band's cup of tea at all.

Picture Disc Version VP2086
In January 1978 Virgin Records released several different picture discs including Devo's first album & NMTB. All the albums came with the same die-cut cover with different colours and a very high unattractive retail price. The NMTB were very expensive due to the quality of their making, completely different from all the bad quality pressings available everywhere when this kind of pressing became popular. This version sounds like the normal black pressing and came with an unusual back listing where all the titles are in the correct order. Despite the fact that this version is rare, we spotted 4 different matrix # combinations…V2086 A D1/B D2 ; V 2086 A D-1/B-D-1 ; V2086 A D2/ B D1 ; V2086 A D2/ B D2

OVED 136
Cherry on the cake! We even found a couple of OVED 136 with a V2086 matrix number! Maybe this was the first batch before the complete withdrawal of all V 2086 plates and the making of new ones.

Note: OVED 136 was the new cat no given by Virgin when they re-issued the LP in the 1982. It was re-issued with the "Belsen" back cover. This pressing is quite common.

Labels
The original 11 tracks pressing came with red & blue Virgin label (or sky blue) with correct timing and rightful credits. The 12 tracks came with the same label but without timing and wrong credits, like Vicious credited instead of Matlock on 'EMI'. Curiously the 11 tracks version came with 'Chris Thomas and Bill Price' production credits but the 12 tracks version lists 'Chris Thomas OR Bill Price'. In the summer of 1978 Virgin changed their logo and used green & red labels with no timing but correct credits and 'CT OR BP' production credits.

The author would thanks the www.sex-pistols.net connexion for their help & all the many Sex Pistols heavy collectors all around the world. You are all crazy peoples!!! Special dedication to Hervé Labyre, Tony & Rat.

Supplementary information provided by GSTSPs visitors

V2086 A2/B2

Gerry O'Hora: "I have the eleven track version with the matrix number of V2086 A2 on side one and V2086 B2 on side two, could this be the version you said you have not seen any copies off? It came with the one sided submission 7" with the matrix number A2. Unusually, it came in the pink French sleeve similar to the USA version, except with the "includes unreleased Submission" on the front cover. It clearly says "Made in France" on the back cover with the Barclay cat number 941001 on front sleeve. The record has the usual Virgin blue labels and says "Made in England"

Zero Di Nero: "I have a copy of the NMTB V2086 A2/B2 11 track album that I bought at the beginning of 1978, at Woolfie's record store in Stockholm, Sweden. The sleeve looks like the one in the guide (without Submission written on the backside). I remember the guy in the record store said that the song Submission was missing on this record and he thought it was strange - but I bought it anyway. It was the shop's last copy (a promo I think?)."

V2086 A3/B1

Steve: "I have a V2086 A3/B1 with poster and 7", but it was never shrinkwrapped and never had a SPOTS sticker. Mine was bought in our local Virgin."

Update November 2010. Mats Eriksson: "Matrix VS 2086 - A3/B1. 11 track version with 11 tracks listed on the back; correct sky blue label with timing & correct credits, plus bonus of a single & poster.."

12 Track Version

Update May 10. Mark Baker: "I have a copy of Never Mind the Bollocks sky blue labels version. V2086 A8/B7. It has no timings on the label, yet it has Glen Matlock credited to EMI. It has Submission on it but the back sleeve shows 11 songs."

Update March 17. André Folloni: "My NMTB 1st main pressing with 12 songs and blue labels have Matrix V2086 A8/B6.Vicious credited on EMI and producers are Chris Thomas OR Bill Price.

Blank Back Version

Paul Killbe: "I bought a copy of NMTB with the blank back sleeve, and the stamp on the groove on each side is A2 & B2."

Peter Granstrom: "My copy came with the blank back sleeve, it's an 11 track version with Submission single and poster, and it's got matrix plates A1/B2."

Sleeve Variations Examined >

Never Mind The Bollocks Worldwide Index

Written and researched by Géant-Vert

Errors and omissions that may have occurred will make it obvious if an attempt is made to copy the above piece of work, including publishing (or part publishing) elsewhere and claiming authorship. You have been warned.