God save the queen
The fascist regime
They made you a moron
Potential H-bomb
30 years ago The Sex Pistols attempted to commemorate the Queen's Silver Jubilee by sailing a boat called the Queen Elizabeth up the River Thames and performing God Save The Queen. However they were stopped by the police in mid-performance near the Houses of Parliament, despite being granted a license to perform in advance. The band, their manager Malcolm McLaren, and many of their entourage were arrested (after a brief scuffle) when the vessel docked.
During the week of Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee, the Pistols' anti-monarchy single reached number one in the NME chart, but number two in the official UK chart. It was apparently kept off the official top spot by Rod Stewart's I Don't Want To Talk About It. However, many (including this blogger) believed that the chart compilation had been rigged, because it was officially felt that the song might cause offence during the national celebrations. Back then, God Save the Queen was considered "against good taste and decency, likely to encourage or incite to crime, or lead to disorder". It became the most heavily censored record in British history, subjected to a blanket ban by the BBC and all independent radio stations.
Such was the power of Punk back then, that a song could generate such fear and loathing. While Punk rock had a very short time in the limelight, its lasting impact on Britain was to change the face of rock music. It was a shot in the arm (or a knee in the groin) to a music scene that had become tame and bloated.
Punk rock (Wikipedia entry)
A History of Punk
Punk celebrates 30 years of subversion
The fascist regime
They made you a moron
Potential H-bomb
30 years ago The Sex Pistols attempted to commemorate the Queen's Silver Jubilee by sailing a boat called the Queen Elizabeth up the River Thames and performing God Save The Queen. However they were stopped by the police in mid-performance near the Houses of Parliament, despite being granted a license to perform in advance. The band, their manager Malcolm McLaren, and many of their entourage were arrested (after a brief scuffle) when the vessel docked.
During the week of Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee, the Pistols' anti-monarchy single reached number one in the NME chart, but number two in the official UK chart. It was apparently kept off the official top spot by Rod Stewart's I Don't Want To Talk About It. However, many (including this blogger) believed that the chart compilation had been rigged, because it was officially felt that the song might cause offence during the national celebrations. Back then, God Save the Queen was considered "against good taste and decency, likely to encourage or incite to crime, or lead to disorder". It became the most heavily censored record in British history, subjected to a blanket ban by the BBC and all independent radio stations.
Such was the power of Punk back then, that a song could generate such fear and loathing. While Punk rock had a very short time in the limelight, its lasting impact on Britain was to change the face of rock music. It was a shot in the arm (or a knee in the groin) to a music scene that had become tame and bloated.
Punk rock (Wikipedia entry)
A History of Punk
Punk celebrates 30 years of subversion
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