Sex Pistols: The Week That Was

31 years ago this week.
March 9, 1977: The Sex Pistols sign with A&M Records. Having played their first official gig just 18 months ago and already terminated from one recording contract with EMI, Malcolm McLaren negotiates a deal with A&M. The EMI deal lasted only 3 months and goes south after a number of public incidents, including the groups famous first television appearance when they curse host Bill Grundy (pictured below) on live TV and cause a drunken disturbance prior to boarding a plane to Amsterdam.
March 10, 1977: To generate press, A&M schedules a press conference in front of Buckingham Palace, announcing the deal. This would be the first public appearance of new bass player Sid Vicious. A reception at a nearby hotel follows where the band members fill up on the free bar and begin insulting the journalists in attendance. The "party" spills out to a nearby recording studio where a fight ensues. Sid Vicious somehow cuts his foot and Paul Cook leaves with a black eye. A&M, for some reason, has the band come to A&M Headquarters for a meeting to discuss the b-side for the labels inaugural single God Save The Queen. McLaren's plan is to have the single released to correspond with the Queen's Silver Jubilee, marking the 25th anniversary of her accession to the throne. Vicious and Steve Jones proceed to destroy the offices and terrorize staff members. The meeting is adjourned.

March 11, 1977: Johnny Rotten appears before the court and is fined £40 for a previous charge on possession of amphetamines.


March 12, 1977: Vicious and cohort Jah Wabble (future bass player for Public Image Ltd.) terrorize BBC Radio 1 and Old Grey Whistle Test host Bob Harris (at right) at a local club. Pressure on A&M begins immediately to drop the Pistols due to their anti-social behavior.

March 16, 1977: Bowing to the pressure, as well as realizing they were never going to control the band, A&M terminates their contract with the Sex Pistols. A settlement is reached, paying the band £75,000 for their trouble. All copies of God Save The Queen are destroyed. The bands goal of having the song released for the queen's jubilee is in doubt.


The Sex Pistols would go on to find another record label willing to deal with them, signing to Virgin Records several months later. Vicious could not attend the much more toned down news conference announcing the deal, he was in the hospital with hepatitis caught from his now burgeoning heroin habit. He would be dead within two years. McLaren (at left, with Vivienne Westwood) and the group did see God Save The Queen released in time for jubilee. A scathing incitement on the Royal Family and the Queen herself, the band attempted to interrupt the celebration at the height of the festivities on June 7th by playing the song from a boat on the River Thames. After a brief scuffle with police they were arrested before they could ever get the boat launched. Despite radio stations being under strict orders not to play the song, enough copies were sold during the week to send it to #2 on the UK charts (the Pistols contended more than enough records were sold but that political pressure kept it from being #1).