Unknown Soldier

Basically, they could`ve dragged anybody up there to take over Glen Matlock`s role. Despite not being able to play bass properly, he was pretty much as useless as they come. His saving grace was that he kind of looked good and his versions of "Something Else" and "My Way" are memorable.

James

I don't see why he looks good either, and those covers are memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Ska Lagos Jew Sun Ra

What I mean to say is that as a Sex Pistols, his talent was not instrumental skill. Rather, it was fitting the role that was made for him. Obviously, if he didn't, they wouldn't have brought him on.

In essence, the Sex Pistols were not about technical virtuosity. His talent was however supplementing the image, and sound in which they were going for. Didn't say so directly in my rant, but I believe it was implied.

Even if his talent was garnering freak attention and being a scuzzbag, image was EXTREMELY important to the Sex Pistols, moreso than the actual music element they were presenting. Which I guess I can't completely defend but still... he was there for a reason.

Taking in what the Sex Pistols were, and what they needed, he was rather fit for the job.

Unknown Soldier

The unkept image of punk, black spiky hair, pale white skin all goes well with a black leather jacket.

The covers are memorable, because the singing was bad as only Sid Vicious knew how. For that reason, they are disticntly memorable and unmistakingly his.

Urban Hat€monger ?

I wouldn't even say it was his image that benefited the pistols. The image stuff came much much later.

It was his unpredictability, his spontaneity. The fact that you never knew what he was going to do next. He bought tension & explosiveness to their gigs.
So what if he couldn't play, you think I'd want to see the Happy Mondays without Bez? or Hawkwind without Stacia?

Worrying about musicianship is something you need to do for albums, when it comes to playing live it's all about the performance & Sid for all his faults never failed on that aspect.

__________________

Percy Thrillington

I may have misunderstood what you mean about the Sex Pistols being able to drag anyone up there to replace Glen Matlock, but if you mean he was just a bass player and he had no creative input you'd be very wrong. Matlock came up with most of the tunes on Never mind the Bollocks, I know we tend to think of Lydon as the front man and thats the image we have when you think about the Sex Pistols and of course Lydons memorable lyrics, but it was Matlock that came up with most of the tunes and he was probably the most talented musician in the band. The SP were finished when he left or they sacked him which ever it was, I think history proves that.

I agree Sid Vicious was talentless.

Unknown Soldier

Matlock came up with most of the music whilst Lydon came up with most of the lyrics, so yes they were the two most important members of the Pistols but far more people remember Sid Vicious than they do Glen Matlock. The Sex Pistols were all about image and attitude, and despite Sid`s creative shortcomings he fitted into the image and attitude boxes, and for that reason more people will remember him than they will ever remember Glen Matlock.

As for how the Sex Pistols would`ve continued after "Never Mind the Bollocks" nobody will ever know, as the vast majority of the stuff on "The Great Rock n Roll Swindle" were mostly covers or songs sang by somebody else and there was never ever any real follow up album to Never Mind the Bollocks.

I think Steve Jones had some talent and some of the best songs off "The Great Rock n Roll Swindle" were written by him and the song "Lonely Boy" is probably his best. He also put out one or two good songs in his day with the Professionals a long forgotten band he`d formed with Paul Cook.