Filthy Lucre (Live)

With the punk-rock seeds they sowed 20 years earlier finally bursting into the mainstream, the Sex Pistols return to cash in. We don't mean that as a knock; we're quite sure, in fact, that's exactly what the Pistols themselves would tell you if you asked. And besides, this document of their 1996 London show (released barely a month after the actual gig) finds the Pistols' original intensity undiminished. Playing all the songs that made them infamous, Johnny Rotten (nee Lydon) and company actually sound more aggressive and driving than they did in their '70s heyday. They're a million miles (and a few singing lessons) from the Las Vegas punk nostalgia act some feared.

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With the punk-rock seeds they sowed 20 years earlier finally bursting into the mainstream, the Sex Pistols return to cash in. We don't mean that as a knock; we're quite sure, in fact, that's exactly what the Pistols themselves would tell you if you asked. And besides, this document of their 1996 London show (released barely a month after the actual gig) finds the Pistols' original intensity undiminished. Playing all the songs that made them infamous, Johnny Rotten (nee Lydon) and company actually sound more aggressive and driving than they did in their '70s heyday. They're a million miles (and a few singing lessons) from the Las Vegas punk nostalgia act some feared.
On classics like "Holidays In The Sun", "Pretty Vacant" and "Anarchy In The UK", the Pistols lay it down with an authority that leaves no doubt as to the authenticity of their reunion. Fans of modern-day punks such as Rancid, Green Day and Offspring will instantly recognise the roots of their heroes in this collection of seminal punk played with all the spirit one could hope for.

Rolling Stone (9/19/96, pp.80-82)
- 3-1/2 Stars - Good/Excellent - "...Complaints that the Pistols have sold out their principles are...as wrongheaded as the idea that the group had any in the first place. The lyrics are unambigious: 'We're pretty vacant...and we don't care' The great rock & roll swindle continues..."

Musician (11/96, p.88)
- "...To abuse the Pistols would be to abuse my Inner Child....Jones, Cook, and Matlock sound as devestating as they ever did. Johnny Rotten can't snarl like he used to, but what the hell, I can't either. He compensates by adding some whines and trills..."

Q (10/96, pp.171-172)
- 3 Stars - Good - "...both ironic pantomime and glorius celebration....All this and robust audience participation too. It's enough to make you proud to be British."

NME (8/3/96, p.42)
- 7 (out of 10)
- "...every song, oddly enough, still sounded as downright mean, full-blooded and nasty as it must have done when Malcolm [McLaren] was there, smirking in the wings. With just a bit of comic schmaltz thrown in..."

Entertainment Weekly (8/16/96, pp. 59-61)
- "...provides a good idea of what the 1996 Sex Pistols sound like....Comprising all of the songs from BOLLOCKS, plus a couple of rarities...LUCRE LIVE is a worthy souvenir for those inclined to treasure such things..." - Rating: B