Sham Pistols
Encyclopedia
The Sham Pistols were a punk rock
band composed of guitarist Steve Jones
and drummer Paul Cook
of the Sex Pistols
, and vocalist Jimmy Pursey
and bass player Dave Treganna of Sham 69
.
on June 29, 1979 Jones
and Cook
had joined Sham onstage for the encore of "Pretty Vacant
", "White Riot
", "If the Kids Are United
" and "What Have We Got". This was to be the start of the new band. Time was spent in the studio where at least four songs were produced - "You & Me", "Trainspotter", "Individual" and "Natural Born Killer" (which was later reworked as The Professionals
' "Kick Down the Doors"). Another song "Some Play Dirty" was quoted with lyrics by Pursey in an interview with Nick Kent
in the NME of October 1979.
that they had recorded 10 songs — seven originals and three cover versions — and that they would be ready to tour by September that year. Among the songs the group were planning to play live were "Silly Thing
", "Lonely Boy", "Submission" and "Pretty Vacant" from the Sex Pistols and "Joey's on the Street" and "If the Kids are United" from Sham 69. However contractual problems with both Virgin and Polydor, problems around deciding the name of the new group (Pursey favoured using 'The Sex Pistols') and arguments within the band meant that it was not to be. On 19 August Cook and Jones walked out of a recording session with Jones saying "It's worse than working with Rotten". Pursey stated "It was absurd, the difference between us, when we got into the studio. Then I knew it could never work out".
The studio recordings didn't see the light of day for over 30 years, but the encore at the Glasgow Apollo was released on Sham's Last Stand and Sham 69 Live in Glasgow 1979. The latter miscredits the Sham song "George Davis is Innocent (also known as "The Cockney Kids are Innocent" and "Everybody's Innocent") as the Sex Pistols' "No One is Innocent".
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band composed of guitarist Steve Jones
Steve Jones (musician)
Stephen Philip "Steve" Jones is an English rock guitarist, singer and actor, best known as guitarist and founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols.-Childhood:...
and drummer Paul Cook
Paul Cook
Paul Thomas Cook is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band Sex Pistols.-Early life and career:...
of the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
, and vocalist Jimmy Pursey
Jimmy Pursey
Jimmy Pursey is an English singer and record producer. He was the founder and frontman of the English punk rock band, Sham 69 from 1976 to 1980, and from 1986 to 2006.-Biography:...
and bass player Dave Treganna of Sham 69
Sham 69
Sham 69 is an English punk band that formed in Hersham in 1976.Although not as commercially successful as many of their contemporaries, albeit with a greater number of chart entries, Sham 69 has been a huge musical and lyrical influence on the Oi! and streetpunk genres. The band allegedly derived...
.
Formation
At what was intended to be Sham 69's final concert at the Glasgow Apollo TheatreThe Apollo (Glasgow)
The Apollo was a music venue in Glasgow, Scotland, operating from 1973-1985. It was opened by Unicorn Leisure, in September 1973, after acquiring a lease from the owners George Green Ltd. The venue's debut live performance was by Johnny Cash on 5 September 1973. While in operation, it hosted the...
on June 29, 1979 Jones
Steve Jones (musician)
Stephen Philip "Steve" Jones is an English rock guitarist, singer and actor, best known as guitarist and founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols.-Childhood:...
and Cook
Paul Cook
Paul Thomas Cook is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band Sex Pistols.-Early life and career:...
had joined Sham onstage for the encore of "Pretty Vacant
Pretty Vacant
"Pretty Vacant" is a song by the English punk rock band The Sex Pistols. It was released on 1 July 1977 as the third single from their only album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. The song marked the band's only appearance on the British music show Top of the Pops...
", "White Riot
White Riot
"White Riot" is a song by English punk rock band The Clash, released as the band's first single in 1977 and also featured on their debut album. There are two versions: the single version , and a different version on the UK album...
", "If the Kids Are United
If the Kids Are United
"If the Kids Are United" is a song by Sham 69. The single, backed by the B-side "Sunday Morning Nightmare", was a success and reached number 9 in the UK Singles Chart on July 1978...
" and "What Have We Got". This was to be the start of the new band. Time was spent in the studio where at least four songs were produced - "You & Me", "Trainspotter", "Individual" and "Natural Born Killer" (which was later reworked as The Professionals
The Professionals (band)
The Professionals were an English punk rock band in the late 1970s and early 1980s formed by ex-Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones and drummer and Paul Cook after that band's demise.-Career:...
' "Kick Down the Doors"). Another song "Some Play Dirty" was quoted with lyrics by Pursey in an interview with Nick Kent
Nick Kent
Nick Kent is a British rock critic and musician.-Career:Along with writers including Paul Morley, Charles Shaar Murray and Danny Baker, Nick Kent is seen as one of the most important and influential UK music journalists of the 1970s. He wrote for the British music publication New Musical Express,...
in the NME of October 1979.
Recordings
In July 79, Pursey told the NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
that they had recorded 10 songs — seven originals and three cover versions — and that they would be ready to tour by September that year. Among the songs the group were planning to play live were "Silly Thing
Silly Thing (song)
"Silly Thing" is a song by the Sex Pistols that was released in 1979. It was the 3rd single released in promotion of the film The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. It was written by drummer Paul Cook and guitarist Steve Jones, and recorded after the band's original lead singer, Johnny Rotten, left the...
", "Lonely Boy", "Submission" and "Pretty Vacant" from the Sex Pistols and "Joey's on the Street" and "If the Kids are United" from Sham 69. However contractual problems with both Virgin and Polydor, problems around deciding the name of the new group (Pursey favoured using 'The Sex Pistols') and arguments within the band meant that it was not to be. On 19 August Cook and Jones walked out of a recording session with Jones saying "It's worse than working with Rotten". Pursey stated "It was absurd, the difference between us, when we got into the studio. Then I knew it could never work out".
The studio recordings didn't see the light of day for over 30 years, but the encore at the Glasgow Apollo was released on Sham's Last Stand and Sham 69 Live in Glasgow 1979. The latter miscredits the Sham song "George Davis is Innocent (also known as "The Cockney Kids are Innocent" and "Everybody's Innocent") as the Sex Pistols' "No One is Innocent".
Breakup
After the dissolution of the band, Cook and Jones went on to form The Professionals and Pursey moved on to solo projects, later reforming Sham 69. In January 2010, a bootleg vinyl album emerged titled Sham Pistols - Natural Born Killer. This includes four studio tracks recorded by the Sham Pistols in June 1979 at Manor Studios as well as the previously released encore at the Glasgow Apollo.Sham Pistols - Natural Born Killer
Other
- Sham's Last Stand (1993) - Dojo DOJOCD95 & Snapper SMMCD 540
- Sham 69 Live in Glasgow 1979 (2001) - Sanctuary Records CMRCD351
- Sham Pistols Natural Born Killer" (PunkClassics 2010) - PCLP57016
External links
- sex-pistols.net (philjens.plus.com)
- Sham Pistols - Natural Born Killer (philjens.plus.com)
- The Paul Cook 'N' Steve Jones Site :
- Vive les Sex Pistols (thesexpistols.co.uk)
- Sham69 - History (Part 3) (punk77.co.uk)