Search - Sex Pistols :: Mini-Album

An irresistable invitation to re-evaluate punk's origins.

Bacca Gamma Tea | Sunna, New Jersey USA | 09/22/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Originally issued as "SPunk", a legitimate release that claimed to be a bootleg, "The Mini Album" is alternative versions of Pistols classics. While the performances may be perferable to some, the sheen of "Never Mind The Bullocks" is left off. This leaves the Sex Pistols exposed as they really were: an incredible, experimental rock band. Progrockers like Yes tend to be credited with widening Rock's boundries; the Pistols ignored the limits entirely. It sounds as though it never even occured to them that they would be changing rock and roll forever."

Dirty, dirty rock n' roll

M. Aranda | planet earth, dimension 4 | 03/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First thing's first: The Tracks...1. Submission: I think a lot of Pistols fans will be surprised by this one, and it's a great opener for that reason. As any educated fan knows, Lydon/Rotten went on to form the post-punk band Public Image Ltd and this song sounds like an early formulation of his ideas. I once heard him say that he and Sid went into the studio to remix this song; as he told it the end result was less musical that what appeared on the album so I can't help but wonder if this is it. The song is much spacier; Lydon's tounge rolls are all over the place, the guitar playing is looser and, well, not as developed. Very enjoyable, my second favorite track.2. Seventeen: About the same as other versions I've heard.3. Satellite: You may disagree, but I've never like this song in any version. It's a cover, I think. Anyway, if you like the song I'm sure you'll like this version. I usually skip the song on the album so I can't really say how different it is.4. I Wanna Be Me: The same version can be found on the "Pretty Vacant" disc. A great song with heavily distorted Ramones-ish guitar tones, strong beat, and great Lydon ranting. One of their best songs.5. Anarchy In The UK: Ah, another great addition to your Pistols collection. Lydon couldn't sound snottier and the band couldn't sound more punk than on this recording, which sounds like it was recorded in a basement rather than a studio. Vocals are way up front, guitar is rather tinny but great...oh but that's not all. This version features alternate lyrics. This is a great drinking song.6. No Feeling: Snottier than the album version with that same tinny greatness. About the same as what appeared on "Nevermind the Bollocks".With so many compilations and bootlegs out there, this is a Pistols release that actually matters. And for the price, you can't really argue. Although, my girlfriend stole this CD for me, so I can't really say THAT much about the price. Enjoy!"

Interesting collection of demos

K. Bentley | Stratford, CT United States | 08/06/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Sex Pistols' Mini Album is a pretty good collection of demos, recorded in July 1976. Most of these songs appear on Nevermind the Bollocks, but the versions of the songs here are different from the ones on the album in terms of sound: the guitars are cleaner, and Johnny Rotten's vocals aren't nearly as snotty or as abrasive as they were on Nevermind the Bollocks. "Submission," "Seventeen," "Anarchy in the UK," and "No Feelings" are the songs from Bollocks included here. The other two songs are rare songs that are just as good: "Satellite," with rather romantic (for punk) lyrics and more of a hard rock feel to it, while "I Wanna Be Me" has the attitude of the stuff they were legendary for, and gives a big middle finger to conformity and whatever was going on in music at the time. This is for diehard fans of the band, and punk rock worshippers essentially, but for a casual fan, it might not be as interesting as Bollocks was."