| REX COLLECTIONS THE SEX PISTOLS BY JEFF BENCH September 2005 ISBN 1 -905287-05-4 (£12.99) This was a neat little find detected by Nihilism On The Prowls eagle eyed Belfast correspondent Joe Donnelly. Joe spotted this book in HMV and going for the knockdown sale price of only £4.99 from its official pitch of £12.99. Strange considering the books only just been released, but its worth your time and energy to check out your local HMV before they realise they’ve dropped a bollock! So if you do spot one snap it up fast coz it features 160 pages of high quality shots of the band in action from their late 70s’ hey day, through to their 1996 World tour. Although for main part, this book focuses on their 1976 era. Rex Features in case you were wondering are Britain’s leading independent photo agency so have a massive source to plunder, and they certainly come up with the goods here. What’s so compulsive about this set of shots of the most photographed punk band on the planet is they feature a large array of rare unseen imagery that will make this book a welcome addition even amongst the more renowned Pistols photographic publications like ‘Destroy’ by Dennis Morris or Bob Gruen’s ‘Chaos‘. The accompanying text however is merely a guide through the bands already well documented career and doesn’t get in the way apart from wrongly crediting the Leeds gig to Plymouth, but lets concentrate on those hidden images that make this book a more compelling artefact. There’s an early Damned shot of a youthful looking Bryan James and Dave Vanian from their short lived 'Anarchy' tour stay, and one of the only non Pistols band shots that appear. Another notable image of many, is of Jordan (Westwoods sex shop assistant) and Adam And The Ants manager whose caught in a white ballerina outfit looking suitably moody at the Cannes film festival celebrating ‘Jubilee’s’ premiere, which she also starred in. These alongside some classic chaotic live shots of the Pistols in action circa ‘76 set the tone. The most eccentric of which was Johnny Rotten caught on stage at Leeds Poly strapped in a black flasher mac that had its sleeves removed. You also get some unseen shots of the band slogging away in the studio recording the ‘Anarchy In The UK’ single. Once the Pistols had split in ‘78 we witness a world weary Johnny Rotten marching home to mom in top hat and a truck full of prezzies for the family. There’s also a striking shot of the London Pavilion cinema in Piccadilly circus, which premiered the release of the ‘Great Rock ‘N’ Roll Swindle’ film in May 1980. It comes proclaiming ‘the film that incriminates its audience‘, which it pretty much well did! And on a final note Jah Rotten was proven right when he recently compared Vivienne Westwood to Margaret Thatcher coz if it wasn’t for her stack heels and see through designer garb, the similarities between the two are unnerving. Didn’t really think we could use yet another book on the Sex Pistols, but if they keep on digging up unseen shots of this calibre you just can’t resist peering inside!!!! PETER DON’T CARE |
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