Sex Pistols anthem top of the punks
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Your support makes all the difference.The once outrageous Sex Pistols track "God Save The Queen" was named yesterday as the greatest recorded single in punk music.
The sneering anthem – the biggest-selling track in the week of the Queen's Silver Jubilee of 1977 – is one of four tracks by the ground-breaking band in a top 100 compiled by Mojo magazine. The track is seen as a rock classic, summing up the frustration of the era and the backlash to the celebrations of the monarch's reign.
But, at the time, it gave the band's label, A&M, a bout of jitters. A&M dumped them weeks after the group had signed a deal in front of Buckingham Palace. Virgin Records stepped in and released the track in time for the Jubilee. It was kept off the No 1 spot by Rod Stewart, but chart compilers have been accused of massaging the figures to stop the track from reaching the top after it had become the week's biggest seller.
The Sex Pistols drummer, Paul Cook, said: "I see it as the pinnacle of our career. It all came together at exactly the right time, Jubilee week, the fuss that surrounded it."
Mojo writers placed the band's "Holidays In The Sun" at No 13 in their punk top 100, with "Anarchy In The UK" at No 44 and the Sid Vicious-sung track "My Way" at No 97.
The Ramones, whose leader, Joey, died earlier this year, were runners-up in the list with "Blitzkrieg Bop", known for its "Hey ho, let's go" intro.
Third in the list were the Damned with "Neat Neat Neat". Their 1976 track "New Rose" is hailed as the first UK punk single, but only managed a placing of No 26.
The Clash, who arguably became Britain's biggest punk export, made only two entries in the compilation with "White Riot" at No 4 and "Complete Control" at No 37.
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