10. Sex Pistols God Save The Queen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtUH2YSFlVU From the sublime to the ridiculous in terms of musicianship, but thats what made the music of the decade so amazing. The Sex Pistols were the natural heirs to the anger and angst of The Who. They had a ludicrous name, were a gang with an almighty mouth singing and writing the words plus a mix of inept and pub rock musicianship, but somehow managed to trigger a bidding war of unseen proportions among A&R men. The reason for this was simple; they channeled Buddy Holly, Led Zeppelin and Guy Fawkes and people were falling over themselves to hear such a combination of contradictions. Given the insularity of the 70s, the snarling sarcasm of John Lydons "We mean it man, there is no future and Englands dreaming", was the honest nihilism many were seeking, but The Sex Pistols were much more than a punk band, they were anarchists, anti-royalists, and with God Save the Queen, they brought politics screaming back onto the agenda of rock and roll. Of all the punk bands they were without a doubt the most interesting and truest to the cause. They came, they saw, they conquered and then promptly buggered off before anyone could get bored.
Ed Nash
Contributor
What makes music fantastic? Star quality, amazing music, breathtaking lyrics and the ability to bring something new to the table, even if that means a new take on the classics. That's what I love to listen to and write about.
As well as writing for What Culture, I occasionally write a blog http://tedney.blogspot.co.uk and sometimes use Twitter, but sparingly @TedneyNash
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Ed