28 Inches of Punk Rock Part 4 (4x 7” Vinyl)

01-01-2025: Originally these four 7” EPs or Singles were posted separately between September 17 and September 18 back in 2014. While updating the entries from my original blogspot I thought it would make much more sense to combine them into one entry and call it 28 Inches of Punk Rock, something I shall continue in the future.

Sex Pistols - Screen on the Green Cinema, Islington on 29-8-1976 EP

Label: Unknown; Year: 2007; Format: Vinyl 7"

An interesting little platter here from the good ole' Sex Pistols. When I put it on for the first time I was dreading that the sound quality would be beyond listenable, as with many Pistols bootlegs, but to my surprise I discovered that the three songs on this EP are actually of decent sound quality and are taken from a gig in 1976 in north London. (Don't Give Me) No lip, an original by Dave Berry makes up for a great cover version and is one of the tracks found here, amongst 'Submission' and 'No fun'. I do believe that there is a second EP from the same gig floating around, but I am not a die-hard collector of the Pistols, and will leave that up to the Rotten Army. Not a bad boot at all if you can find it somewhere cheap.

Update January 2025: Having a closer look at where these recording could have been pulled from I came across a Sex Pistols box set, where Disc 3 includes the full recording of the ‘Live at Screen on the Green’ gig. I can only assume that the bootlegger used said box set for herein reviewed EP.

Poster for the ‘Screen on the Green’ show, heavily promoted by Malcolm McLaren at the time.

Cock Sparrer - Still A Teenager At Heart EP

Label: Unknown; Year: 1994; Format: Vinyl 7"

Cock Sparrer have become a world wide phenomenon in the last fifteen to twenty years, entertaining an ever growing fan base at festivals around the world, and surely making a good buck doing so (not begrudging them). I don't think they have seen a single penny from this release though as this obscure bootleg EP of early demo recordings came out well before they became everybody's darlings in the new era of the band. While I have never been a huge fan of 'the Sparrer' I must say that the Decca years songs do appeal to me, and this EP contains six songs from said era including smashers like 'Sister Suzie', 'Running Riot', and especially 'Run for Cover', an unbelievably good song. The difference between the Decca years songs and the later material is that the glam/hard rock influence in the early songs add something special and unique whereas later releases increasingly lose that edge and evolve into more standard and frankly uninspiring Oi-Punk. That's at least the way I have always felt while many of you might see it very differently. I think you ought to be a die-hard Sparrer collector to chase this EP down, but if you do see it somewhere laying around for a good price then don’t hesitate picking it up as you won't regret it.

The Sconeheads - Larry Grayson is a Gestapo Agent EP

Label: Nailed On; Year: 1999; Format: Vinyl 7”

Larry Grayson was a well known English TV presenter, famous for hosting BBC's series 'The Generation Game'. I can only assume that the Sconeheads from Cumbria in North England were not particularly fond of Mr. Grayson and made a Gestapo Agent out of him. All three songs on this EP were released posthumously and were originally recorded in 1981. The title track is my personal winner on this EP, being an excellent primitive pogo smasher with really aggressive drumming, just loving it. The other two tracks are by no means bad and can at best be described as sing along drunken punk rock in a real DIY way. This EP will most likely appeal to people who like bands such as The Shapes for instance. Not an absolute must-have but definitely worth discovering.

Lime Spiders - Out of Control/Save my Soul 7" Single

Label: Citadel; Year: 1985; Format: Vinyl 7"

The Lime Spiders are one of the heavy weights when it comes to the '60s garage punk revival that hit the ‘80s and apparently Jello Biafra once referred to them as 'the best time-warp '60s garage revival band' he's ever heard. This single boasts two great songs with one original and one '60s cover version. 'Out of Control' is a powerful '60s garage influenced stomper, and maybe the Aussies are just the world champions at this sort of thing. Absolutely great! On the B-Side you will get an excellent cover version of 'Save my Soul', originally recorded by British Psychedelic Rockers Wimple Winch in 1966. More Lime Spiders entries to follow in the future!