Studio Side: Natural Born Killer You & Me Trainspotter Individual (Manor Studios June 79) Live Side: Pretty Vacant White Riot If The Kids Are United What Have We Got (Glasgow Apollo June 79)

Way back in 1979, the “merger” of the Sex Pistols with Sham 69 caused, for a brief moment, a great deal of excitement. With Johnny now in PiL and Sid dead, both fans and the press waited eagerly for news on Steve and Paul's next move. By May '79 it seemed the answer was known. The boys would be joined by Sham 69's Jimmy Pursey and Dave “Kermit” Treganna. Known for the time being as the Sham Pistols – until a name could be settled on - they went into Manor Studios, Oxford, to lay down some tracks. By August the group was in tatters.

Little was known about these tracks, until now. Four songs have now emerged: Natural Born Killer, You & Me, Trainspotter, and Individual.

So how do they stand up? What did we miss?

I really didn't know how to approach these recordings. Perhaps I was fearing the worst, or perhaps expecting too much? When the needle dropped onto the vinyl, I admit, my heart rate increased somewhat. This is what I found.

Natural Born Killer. First up is the strongest song from the set. Although it doesn't start off sounding like The Professionals' Kick Down The Doors, it soon develops into the very same tune. It's the strangest feeling. Those spine tingling licks are all present, including the wonderful climax. However, this time Pursey's on lead vocals singing a completely different set of lyrics. He does a good job as well.

We can assume Pursey's responsible for the lyrics on all four songs. One thing is clear; he had an obsession with place names at the time, as all the songs here testify. As for the chorus, it goes as follows: “I'm a natural born killer, swimming in the deep blue sea. I'm a new beginner, so what you've got to do with me?” Not his best chorus, but strangely catchy due to the strength of the tune. Lyrically the verses are much stronger. Basically it's The Professionals; Pursey's Professionals!
This would have been a big hit, of that I've no doubt. How annoying it didn't see the light of day. If they'd released only one single, this would have done. Damn.
Place name: Cambridge.

You & Me. This one has grown on me. A touch poppy, it's still got that meaty Jonesy guitar chugging along. Jimmy's written a witty set of lyrics which work well and suit the pace of the song. “You're talking like there's a You & Me , I'm only waiting for a cup of tea,” goes the chorus with the help of the backing vocals. It sounds corny, but it works. The “cup of tea” line metamorphosises into “Waiting for some anarchy.” Let's face it; we're all suckers for lines like this. This would have made a fabulous B-side. Love it.
Place names: Paris, London, Spain.

Trainspotter. This is more Sham 69 than Professionals, largely due to Pursey's Cockney vocal style. Lines like “You're such a fuckin' bore”, “You're gonna give it up”, “I wish you'd all shut up”, are punctuated by shouts of “Trainspotter!” The weakest song of the four, but it's still a decent enough effort boasting some solid punk rock chords to pogo along with.
Place names: Brighton, Newbury.

Individual. This is the story of Sarah. I wonder who she was? Apparently she was “Sexual, criminal, what an individual.” This has some wonderful Jones guitar. Delightful. Once again, Jimmy has tried to write an interesting, story telling set of lyrics, rather than resort to the gobby anthems associated with Sham 69. He deserves a pat on the back for that.
Place name: Turkey.

So, my conclusion. There's no preaching, no cries for revolution... thank God. As a taster, these recordings are full of possibilities. Sure, the band may have struggled with the weight of expectation, and there will be many who will condemn these tracks. Put all that to one side, and just listen to the songs. For the group's first foray into the studio, it was a sterling effort.

It took over 30 years for these songs to emerge. Enjoy them. I'm not ashamed to admit, I do.

As for the vinyl pressing itself, the quality of the recordings is very good, if slightly muddy.

Who knows what may have become of this group? Could they have brought about a resurgence of punk rock as many hoped they would? The document here doesn't prove it one way or another. But do you know what? I would like to have seen them try.

Many theories have been given as to why the group fell apart. During an interview I conducted myself with Paul Cook, Paul told me; “Well, we were looking for singers at the time, me and Steve as a band, but not as the Sex Pistols. I think it was all in Pursey's imagination, thinking he was going to be the next singer of the Pistols. There's no way we would have carried on using the Pistols name, which is why I think that all folded soon enough. That didn't work out at all, it wasn't going to work.”

Side two adds weight to this. Recorded live at Glasgow Apollo, when Steve and Paul appeared for Sham 69's encore in June ‘79, Pursey can be heard bigging himself up, ranting that he told Steve and Paul to get rid of McLaren then he would sing for them, alongside his tales of how he's in the newspapers every day. Unfortunately, Jimmy, you weren't in the papers for long. (Note: the tracks on side two have been released previously on Link and Sanctuary Records. The quality on this release is excellent).

The whole Sham Pistols episode had a detrimental effect on both camps. After the band fell apart, Pursey went on to reform Sham 69 but with limited success. Steve & Paul went into limbo before emerging a year later as The Professionals.

To return to the unreleased tracks themselves, I'm delighted that the wait of over 3 decades is finally over. I wasn't disappointed.