The Sham Pistols were a short-lived
punk rock supergroup composed of guitarist
Steve Jones Steve or Steven Jones may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Steve Jones (English presenter) (born 1945), English musician, disk jockey, television presenter, and voice-over artist
*Steve Jones (musician) (born 1955), English rock and roll guita ...
and drummer
Paul Cook
Paul Thomas Cook (born 20 July 1956) is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He was also called "Cookie" by his friends on the punk music scene.
Early life and career
Cook was raised in Hammersmith and atte ...
of the
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
, with vocalist
Jimmy Pursey
James Timothy Pursey (born 9 February 1955) is an English people, English rock musician. He is the founder and frontman of the punk rock band Sham 69, which he has performed with since 1976, along with releasing material as a solo artist.
Early ...
and bass player Dave Tregunna of
Sham 69
Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry". The ...
. Although now referred to as The Sham Pistols no name had been decided upon at the time. There was the possibility that they may have been called the
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
.
Formation
After the break up of
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
in January 1978 guitarist
Steve Jones Steve or Steven Jones may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Steve Jones (English presenter) (born 1945), English musician, disk jockey, television presenter, and voice-over artist
*Steve Jones (musician) (born 1955), English rock and roll guita ...
and drummer
Paul Cook
Paul Thomas Cook (born 20 July 1956) is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He was also called "Cookie" by his friends on the punk music scene.
Early life and career
Cook was raised in Hammersmith and atte ...
were looking to form a new band. Various names were put forward as new bandmates including
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof (; born 5 October 1951) is an Irish singer-songwriter, and political activist. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s as lead singer of the Rock music in Ireland, Irish rock band the Boomtown Rats, who achieved ...
who had sung live with the
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or some ...
/Cook/Jones band The Greedies but it was vocalist
Jimmy Pursey
James Timothy Pursey (born 9 February 1955) is an English people, English rock musician. He is the founder and frontman of the punk rock band Sham 69, which he has performed with since 1976, along with releasing material as a solo artist.
Early ...
and bass player Dave Tregunna from fellow punk band
Sham 69
Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry". The ...
who were recruited. Pursey and Jones had previously joined together to guest on a song with
The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...
in July 78 at London's Music Machine.
Steve Dior of
The London Cowboys
The London Cowboys were a rock'n'roll band who performed from 1980 to 1987. Formed by Steve Dior (vocals) and Barry Jones, formerly of The Idols, the band was somewhat of an enigma. Although these two remained constant and wrote the material, ...
and The Idols stated in the liner notes for
The London Cowboys
The London Cowboys were a rock'n'roll band who performed from 1980 to 1987. Formed by Steve Dior (vocals) and Barry Jones, formerly of The Idols, the band was somewhat of an enigma. Although these two remained constant and wrote the material, ...
CD Relapse that he jammed with Cook and Jones at Denmark Street with the idea of forming a band. He stated that "When they started to consider Jimmy Pursey for the vocal spot I decided to leave. At the time we were called The Bollock Brothers". Paul Cook told
Gary Bushell
Garry Bushell (born 13 May 1955) is an English newspaper columnist, rock music journalist, television presenter, author, musician and political activist. Bushell also sings in the Cockney Oi! bands GBX and the Gonads. He managed the New York C ...
of
Sounds
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
in July 1979 "Jim (Pursey) is the only person who's come along who we can get on with. E's the same as us, see". At what was intended to be Sham 69's final concert at the Glasgow
Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London. on 29 June 1979 Jones and Cook had joined Sham onstage for the encore of "
Pretty Vacant
"Pretty Vacant" is a song by the English punk rock band the Sex Pistols. It was released on 2 July 1977 as the band's third single and was later featured on their only album, ''Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols'', released during t ...
", "
White Riot
"White Riot" is a song by English punk rock band the Clash, released as the band's first single in March 1977 and also included on their self-titled debut album.
Versions
There are two versions of the song: the single version (also appearin ...
", "
If the Kids Are United
"If the Kids Are United" is a song by English punk rock band Sham 69. The single, backed by the B-side "Sunday Morning Nightmare", was a success and reached number 9 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1978. The song was also featured on their 1980 ...
" and "What Have We Got".
In July 1979, Pursey told the
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
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 may refer to:
Places
* Silly, Belgium, a town
* Silly Department, a department or commune of Sissili Province in southern Burkina Faso
Music
* Silly (band), an East German rock group from the 1970s
* The Sillies, an American punk roc ...
", "Lonely Boy", "Submission" and "Pretty Vacant" from the
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
and "Joey's on the Street" and "If the Kids are United" from
Sham 69
Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry". The ...
. In the liner notes to the CD ''The Complete Professionals'' Phil Singleton states that songs run through in the studio on 6 and 9 August included "Some Play Dirty", "Natural Born Killer", "Silly Thing", "Here We Go Again" "1-2-3" and "Kamikaze".
Sham 69
Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry". The ...
were still contractually bound to deliver a further two albums for Polydor and with Cook and Jones signed to Virgin this meant Virgin coming to an arrangement with Polydor. Pursey had wanted to use the name 'The Sex Pistols' while Paul Cook later stated that he and Jones had no intention of using the name. Pursey had told
Gary Bushell
Garry Bushell (born 13 May 1955) is an English newspaper columnist, rock music journalist, television presenter, author, musician and political activist. Bushell also sings in the Cockney Oi! bands GBX and the Gonads. He managed the New York C ...
"Now I feel that the Pistols can be a band that have something to say. We're not digging the name up just to make money out of it like Virgin did with Vicious". Simon Draper, Managing Director of Virgin Records told
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
"Whoever joins Cook and Jones will be part of the Sex Pistols".
Recordings
Time was spent recording at
Manor Studios in Oxfordshire where "Natural Born Killer" was produced. This was later reworked as
The Professionals
A professional is someone who is skilled in a profession.
Professional or professionals may also refer to:
* Professional sports
Music
*The Professionals (band), a British punk rock band formed in 1979
* ''The Professionals'' (The Professionals ...
' "Kick Down the Doors". Another song "Some Play Dirty" was quoted with lyrics by Pursey in an interview with
Nick Kent
Nick Kent (born 24 December 1951) is a British rock critic best known for his writing for the ''NME'' in the 1970s, and his books ''The Dark Stuff'' (1994) and ''Apathy for the Devil'' (2010).
Early life
Kent, the son of a former Abbey Road Stu ...
in the NME of October 1979. "Some Play Dirty" was later reworked as The Professionals' song "Mods, Skins, Punks" which appeared on the later to be abandoned LP recorded with Andy Allan but which didn't make it on to their debut LP proper, ''I Didn't See it Coming''. The studio recordings of "Natural Born Killer" and "Some Play Dirty" didn't see the light of day for over 30 years, but the encore at the
Glasgow Apollo
The Apollo was a music venue at 126 Renfield Street in Glasgow city centre, Scotland. The Apollo operated from 5 September 1973 until closure on 16 June 1985 and was Glasgow's leading music venue during this period. The Apollo was a re-brand o ...
was released on ''Sham's Last Stand'' and ''Sham 69 Live in Glasgow 1979''. The latter mistakenly credits 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".
In January 2010, a bootleg vinyl album emerged entitled ''Sham Pistols - Natural Born Killer''. This includes four studio tracks said to be recorded by the Sham Pistols in June 1979 at
Manor Studios but only Natural Born Killer is by the Sham Pistols. The vinyl album also included the previously released encore at the
Glasgow Apollo
The Apollo was a music venue at 126 Renfield Street in Glasgow city centre, Scotland. The Apollo operated from 5 September 1973 until closure on 16 June 1985 and was Glasgow's leading music venue during this period. The Apollo was a re-brand o ...
.
In October 2015 the Sham Pistols tracks "Some Play Dirty" and "Natural Born Killer" were released on the UMC/Mercury triple CD set "The Complete Professionals". Although Pursey wrote the lyrics to these tracks he is not listed on the songwriting credits.
Breakup
On 19 August, Cook walked out of a recording session with Jones saying "It's worse than working with
Johnny Rotten
John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and agai ...
". Jones had told
Smash Hits
''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...
in the July 79 edition that "We couldn't believe it when we met him (Pursey). He was all mouth and he cried - stuff like that. He's too emotional. All he wanted to do was be a Sex Pistol". He added "We thought that we'd get a load of money for doing something that wasn't too bad. We could have made a load of money but he just put us off it".
Smash Hits
''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...
, 10–23 July 1979 Jones wrote in his autobiography Lonely Boy "When me and Cookie gave Jimmy a try, it was never going to be the Sex Pistols in our minds, we always thought of it as a new group. The odd thing about it was that we liked him, but when we got together to try and write some songs in a studio out in the country, he couldn't fucking come up with anything. His cover was blown - he didn't have the talents or intelligence that Rotten did, nowhere near". Pursey stated "It was absurd, the difference between us, when we got into the studio. Then I knew it could never work out". In July
Sham 69
Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry". The ...
guitarist
Dave Parsons
David Guy Parsons (born 1964) is a British rock musician who is best known as the original bassist for English grunge band Bush.
Life and career
Before joining the grunge band Bush, was a member of punk band The Partisans, and alternative r ...
had prophetically told
Gary Bushell
Garry Bushell (born 13 May 1955) is an English newspaper columnist, rock music journalist, television presenter, author, musician and political activist. Bushell also sings in the Cockney Oi! bands GBX and the Gonads. He managed the New York C ...
"I don't think it's gonna last that long cos Jim always likes to be 100% in control". After the dissolution of the band, Cook and Jones went on to form
The Professionals
A professional is someone who is skilled in a profession.
Professional or professionals may also refer to:
* Professional sports
Music
*The Professionals (band), a British punk rock band formed in 1979
* ''The Professionals'' (The Professionals ...
and Pursey moved on to solo projects, later reforming
Sham 69
Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry". The ...
.
Discography
''Sham Pistols - Natural Born Killer''
;Studio Side:
*"Natural Born Killer"
*"You & Me" (Sham 69)
*"Trainspotter" (Sham 69)
*"Individual" (Sham 69)
(
Manor Studios June '79)
;Live Side:
*"
Pretty Vacant
"Pretty Vacant" is a song by the English punk rock band the Sex Pistols. It was released on 2 July 1977 as the band's third single and was later featured on their only album, ''Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols'', released during t ...
"
*"
White Riot
"White Riot" is a song by English punk rock band the Clash, released as the band's first single in March 1977 and also included on their self-titled debut album.
Versions
There are two versions of the song: the single version (also appearin ...
"
*"
If the Kids Are United
"If the Kids Are United" is a song by English punk rock band Sham 69. The single, backed by the B-side "Sunday Morning Nightmare", was a success and reached number 9 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1978. The song was also featured on their 1980 ...
"
*"What Have We Got"
(
Glasgow Apollo
The Apollo was a music venue at 126 Renfield Street in Glasgow city centre, Scotland. The Apollo operated from 5 September 1973 until closure on 16 June 1985 and was Glasgow's leading music venue during this period. The Apollo was a re-brand o ...
June '79)
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
* ''The Complete Professionals - The Professionals'' - UMC / Mercury 5363279
References
;Books
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{{Authority control
English punk rock groups
Musical groups established in 1979
Musical groups disestablished in 1979
Sex Pistols