Sex Pistols: Sub-marine Mission & Show # 335

In 1977, The Sex Pistols were recording what was to become their only official full length album and ultimate statement, Nevermind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols. One song in particular on this album was "Submission". The song was written after Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren told the band to write a song called "Submissive". Instead Rotten suggested a song about a sub-marine mission which generated the song "Submission", with the first line being "I'm on a submarine mission for you baby". The whole band is credited on this track (Cook, Jones, Matlock, Rotten) it was written rather early in the bands career. Drummer Paul Cook stated in the linear notes to the 2002 Sex Pistols Box Set: "Submission' had a classic riff that's been done millions of times before. We slowed it down. It was similar to that Doors riff in ‘Hello I Love You’, The Who’s ‘Can’t Explain’, and the early Kinks. We made it more subversive."

"Submission" was recorded numerous times in the bands career, but there are three definite versions that fans have come to identify with. The first being the album version found on Nevermind The Bollocks which was recorded at Wessex Studios in 1977, the second being found on the infamous Spunk bootleg album featuring original Pistols bassist Glen Matlock on bass, the third version is referred to as "Submission (Version # 1). This version is a more experimental version that was in fact mixed by Rotten himself and it features Sid Vicious on bass. While he was the Pistols bass player after Glen Matlock was kicked out of the band, guitarist Steve Jones recorded almost all the bass tracks for the album. Sid is credited as playing bass on the song "Bodies", while Glen Matlock, plays bass on "Anarchy in the UK". "Submission" was originally found as a B-side on the 1992 single release of "Pretty Vacant", but can now be found on the Sex Pistols Boxed Set. The album version also appeared as a B-side on the US release of the single "Pretty Vacant" in 1977. Another interesting note on the song "Submission" is that initial copies of Nevermind the Bollocks did not feature this song. About 50,000 copies were printed without the "Submission" track, but included a free one sided 7" single with the album containing the song and a poster upon the bands insistence. All future pressing of the album would have twelve tracks, featuring "Submission".

This week's play list:

1. Undertones - More Songs About Chocolate and Girls
2. Jerry Nolan - Take A Chance With Me
3. Quinn Marston - Can You Hear Me See Me Now?
4. Twilight Hotel - Ham Radio Blues
5. Lonesome Lefty - River Blues
6. Meat Puppets - Plateau
7. Broken Records - Modern Worksong
8. Jonathan Richman - These Bodies That Came to Cavort
9. Johnny Cash - Luther's Boogie
10. The Weirdies - DIY Lobotomy
11. The Ex-Boyfriends - Still Kicking the Slow Birds
12. Cut Throat Brivita - Pink Pills
13. The Mongrels - Play My Guitar
14. 14th Wray - Let It Out
15. Johnny Kannis - King of Surf
16. Guided By Voices -Teenage FBI
17. Radio Birdman - I-94
18. Soundgarden - Never Named
19. The Doors - Land Ho!
20. Nick Lowe - I Love My Label
21. Bob Dylan - Tombstone Blues (Alternate Take)
22. Bob Dylan - It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry (Alternate Take)
23. Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant (1976 Denmark Street Demo)
24. Sex Pistols - Submission (Version #1)
25. Deja Voodoo - Call Link Wray

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 18. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.