Johnny Rotten Denounces Sex Pistols ‘Original Recordings’ Compilation Coinciding With ‘Pistol’ Series
Yesterday (March 29) it was revealed that the Sex Pistols-centric series Pistol has received a May 31 premiere date, and it now looks like a Sex Pistols compilation album will be released just as the series is about to begin. But, as you might expect, Johnny Rotten (aka John Lydon), has denounced the release stating publicly that he did not approve nor does he endorse the collection.
The 20-track set is titled The Original Recordings and it's set to be issued by Universal Music Group on May 27, just four days prior to the launch of the Danny Boyle-directed series Pistol for FX Productions that will air on Hulu in the U.S. and via Disney + in international countries. The set also centers on music recorded by the band between 1976-1978.
In a statement posted to his socials, Lydon said, "Universal Music Group have announced the release of a new Sex Pistols compilation entitled The Original Recordings. For the avoidance of any doubt, John Lydon has not approved this compilation and does not endorse or support it. He has not approved the artwork or track listing. He and his team were not involved in producing this compilation and consider it substandard compared to previous Universal releases since 2012."
Last year, Lydon ended up in court in a dispute with fellow Sex Pistols bandmates Steve Jones and Paul Cook over the licensing of the band's music for usage in the Pistol series. Lydon opposed the series in general calling it "disrespectful shit," but was then sued by Jones and Cook in order to gain control of the right to license the music for the series. Pistol is based off Jones' 2017 memoir, "Lonely Boy: Tales From a Sex Pistol," and the guitarist is also an executive producer on the series.
Citing a 1998 licensing agreement among the members that granted "majority rule," in August of 2021, a judge in London's High Court ruled that the agreement was valid and that Jones and Cook would be able to use the band's music in the series. After the court case, Lydon expressed that the court case had left him in "financial ruin," also sharing his concern over what this would mean to him as he continued as the primary care giver for his wife who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
The six-episode Pistol series stars Toby Wallace, Jacob Slater, Anson Boon and Christian Lees as Steve Jones, Paul Cook, John Lydon and Glen Matlock.
As for The Original Recordings compilation, it's available to pre-order at this location. See the artwork and track listing below.
Sex Pistols, The Original Recordings Artwork + Track Listing
1. "Pretty Vacant"
2. "God Save the Queen"
3. "Bodies"
4. "No Feelings"
5. "I Wanna Be Me"
6. "Anarchy in the U.K."
7. "Submission"
8. "No Fun"
9. "(I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone"
10. "Holidays in the Sun"
11. "New York"
12. "Problems"
13. "Lonely Boy"
14. "Silly Thing'
15. "Something Else"
16. "C’Mon Everybody'
17. "Satellite'
18. "Did You No Wrong"
19. "Substitute'
20. "My Way"