GOD SAVE THE QUEEN - SEX PISTOLS

With the jubilee celebrations just around the corner a storm appears to be brewing and with the slightest sense of déjà vu it concerns the Sex Pistols and their God Save The Queen single. 

Back in 1977 the Sex Pistols were courting controversy left right and center and the release of their now infamous single, timed to coincide with the silver jubilee celebrations, did nothing to discourage the column inches.  The single reached number 2 on the official charts kept off the number 1 slot by Rod Stewart’s ‘I Don’t Want To Talk About It’.  It’s widely thought that the single sold enough copies to be number 1 and this led to accusations that the UK Singles Chart as used by the BBC, who in addition to the Independent Broadcasting Authority denied the single any airplay effectively banning it, had fixed the chart.

There have been suggestions in recent weeks that the single should be re-released to tie in with the diamond jubilee, prompting a call for all the ageing punkers (and no doubt their children, maybe even grandchildren) to get behind this movement and ensure the single gets to number one, thus righting 35 years of injustice.

It now looks as if Universal Records, who now own the rights to the Pistols back catalogue, are going to release God Save The Queen as a single in the last week of May. 

This in itself is causing a mini backlash with shouts of corporate sell out threatening to drown out the cries of No Future.

So what do I think? I think that most of us bow down to corporate pressure most of the time, sometimes because it's the only option, mostly because it's the easy option.  I agree with John Robb on his Louder Than War blog, God Save The Queen is truly one of the greatest rock 'n' roll songs of all time,  ands wouldn't it be wonderful just to stir things up a little bit once again, especially for the likes of Peter Whittle writing in the MailOnline who seems to be getting a little hot under the collar already.  Sorry Peter, just because you didnt like punk doesn't mean it went away.

So at a time when the charts are widely acknowledged as being insignificant I urge everyone to dig deep and spare a few pounds to ensure the jubilee is celebrated with a bang - and it is still a fantastic record.

And I'll tell you what I think - NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS - HERE'S THE SEX PISTOLS!

SEX PISTOLS - GOD SAVE THE QUEEN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtUH2YSFlVU&feature=related

Check out what John Robb had to say about the Pistols release as well as lots of info on new bands on his Louder Than War blog here:

http://louderthanwar.com/sex-pistols-to-re-release-god-save-the-queen/