Sex Pistols - "Live: The Broadcast Archives" DVD Review (IMV Blueline)

As dozens of poorly labeled or incorrectly labeled Sex Pistols' archival releases have hit the market over the last twenty years, it always takes a bit of detective work to figure out exactly what material is covered on any new archival release.

This new DVD from the Sex Pistols, “Live: The Broadcast Archives” (how’s that for a descriptive name?) is a great addition to the band’s catalogue as it captures a full concert from the band on their 1996 Filthy Lucre reunion tour. The show was filmed toward the end of the tour (as opposed to the Filthy Lucre Live CD which captures the band at the start of the tour) at Budokan Hall in Japan on 11/16/1996. This concert was originally released on VHS in Japan and this is a pro-shot, crystal-clear show that is MTV/TV-broadcast quality.

“To be honest, I thought we'd be playing to empty halls. I didn't care if no one even came. The aim was to resolve certain issues within the band, which we did. All the old animosities came out. By the end of a nine-month world tour, we knew we really did despise each other." - John Lydon (The Times UK)

For anyone who missed the band’s 1996 tour, this disc captures the experience perfectly. There is no comparison in how the band’s musicianship had improved since their 1978 show at Winterland (the band’s previous concert video). Appearance-wise, Glen Matlock and Paul Cook have aged well but Steve Jones looks like he got lost somewhere on the Sunset Strip and ended up in Tracii Gun’s wardrobe closet. As for Mr Lydon…he has a red and green Mohawk and comes on stage dressed in a Swiss mountain climber’s outfit. While he slips in the occasional zinger (i.e., he pulls a banana out of his trousers during one song and later hands it to the audience, has "A Load of Sex" written on his thigh in what appears to be magic marker and briefly plays with his nipples during the later part of the show), Johnny is actually fairly restrained with his audience baiting as compared to some of the PiL shows that I saw in the 80’s. All-in-all, the Sex Pistols have become a ‘serious’ musical outfit and Matlock and Cook are particularly outstanding.

As the Sex Pistols have just one studio album along with a handful of non-LP singles, the set list on the 1996 tour was 90%+ same each night. At Budokan, the band played:

01. “Bodies”
02. “Seventeen”
03. “New York”
04. “No Feelings”
05. “Did You No Wrong”
06. “God Save the Queen”
07. “Liar”
08. “Satellite”
09. “Steppin Stone”
10. “Submission”
11. “Holidays in the Sun”
12. “Pretty Vacant”
13. “EMI”
14. “Anarchy in the UK”
15. “Problems”



John Lydon closed the Pistols’ final show in 1978 with the now immortal phrase “Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?". In the case of this DVD, I rather enjoyed it.

Links:
Sex Pistols

Earache Records Presents 'Smell the Glove' Tomorrow Night at St. Jerome's (155 Rivington)

Earache Records and Brooklyn Ski Club present "Smell The Glove" tomorrow night - the second installment of NYC's only hair metal, hard rock, and glam punk party. The party is at St. Jerome's (155 Rivington) and starts at 9PM. Admission is free - 21+ to drink.

The evening starts at 9PM with free PBR and a listening party for the new disc from Ratt, Infestation (which hits stores tomorrow). There will also be giveaways, go-go girls, DJs (with Cauldron and White Wizzard on the playlist) and more.



Links:
Smell the Glove @ Twitter

Sid! By Those Who Really Knew Him CD/DVD Review (MVD)

This release combines a well put-together 80-minute documentary on Sid Vicious with a 10-song live CD from one of Sid's solo shows at Max's Kansas City.

Starting off with the CD, this is an audience recording but it is one of the better sounding recordings from Sid's four solo shows at Max's Kansas City. Sid Sings (Virgin) was predominately composed of tracks from Sid's 9/28 and 9/29 shows at Max's. This disc contains the entire first set from the 9/30 show which is Sid's last known live performance.

For this show, Sid was backed by the Idols ("Killer" Kane, Jerry Nolan and Steve Dior) and played a mix of predominately Sex Pistols, Stooges and NY Dolls/Heartbreakers songs along with the obligatory "My Way".

Here is the track list:
1) Search and Destroy (Stooges Cover)
2) Chatterbox (NY Dolls cover)
3) Something Else (Eddie Cochran cover - studio version on The Great R n' R Swindle)
4) Belsen Was a Gas (Sex Pistols cover)
5) I Wanna Be Your Dog (Stooges cover)
6) Stepping Stones (Monkees Cover - studio version on The Great R n' R Swindle)
7) Take A Chance With Me (Heartbreakers Cover)
8) Don't Give Me No Lip, Child (Dave Berry Cover - studio version on The Great R n' R Swindle)
9) Chinese Rocks (Ramones/Heartbreakers Cover)
10) My Way (Sid's solo single - studio version on The Great R n' R Swindle)

Moving over to the DVD, this documentary is refreshing as it focuses on Sid's life before the Pistols and his story is told by his childhood friends. This disc also stands out from past pieces on Sid as it paints a balanced picture of both his foibles (which have been the predominate focus of past pieces on Sid) and his sweet side. At the extremes, the narrative retelling of Sid's life range from Caroline Coon's gushing adoration to Marco Pirroni's dismissal of Sid as a punk rock moron. There is some balance between these two extremes with commentary from boyhood friend Jah Wobble, 100 Club promoter Ron Watts (who tells the story of Sid beating Nick Kent, throwing the glass at the 100 Club Punk Festival that blinded a girl, etc.) and friend/band mate/occasional roommate Viv Albertine (The Slits).

Together, all of the personal narration does a great job of humanizing Sid and breaking through the image of the strung out junkie who toured the States with the Pistols in early '78.

Links:
A Guide to Sid Vicious' Live Recordings