For those who don't know,
Spunk is a bootleg album by the Sex Pistols suspected by many to have been masterminded by Malcolm McLaren for... reasons. It was recorded roughly the same time as
Never Mind the Bollocks, released one month earlier, and has many of the same songs, making it sort of a de facto co-debut album.
So how does it stack up to the official debut, brosephs?
I can never decide tbh. NMtB either gave more time for Johnny Rotten to get his parts right or they were recorded later after he'd developed his persona further because he's noticeably sharper and more commanding than on
Spunk, which is a big win since Rotten is such a large part of the band's appeal.
But
Spunk wins mostly on the music and production. I know when recording
Bollocks that the producer wouldn't let the band members play at full volume and to make up the difference they layered the instrumental parts to give them more oomph, leaving them feeling stiff and kind of weird, whereas
Spunk sounds like how the Sex Pistols probably should have sounded on wax.
And musically
Spunk also wins due to the presence of original bassist Glen Matlock. There's a noticeable swing and energy to the songs on the bootleg which is reduced on
Bollocks which was recorded with guitarist Steve Jones. Surprisingly enough it seems that taking out a band's main songwriter has a negative effect on that band's sound.
The last consideration is the track listing. Aside from track order the albums are very similar, but with
Spunk you're missing out on "Holiday in the Sun" and "Bodies", the first of which is a fine Pistols tune but not quite top shelf, but "Bodies" is fantastic and a real loss if you go with the bootleg. But
Bollocks is missing "Satellite" and "Just Me", both of which are pretty fantastic, so I guess that's a slight win for
Spunk (especially if you're listening to the 11-track version of the debut that's missing "Submission").
And so I'm left stumped again. Do I love Johnny Rotten's insanity more than I love the rest of the band? I mean I definitely do tbh, and I have way more nostalgia for
Never Mind the Bollocks, so I guess I'll skip the coin flip and just go with that. It's a close call though.
Spunk - Spotify
Never Mind the Bollocks - Spotify