Sham Pistols
| Company type | Supergroup |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Founder | Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Jimmy Pursey, Dave Tregunna |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Punk rock music |
The Sham Pistols emerged as a short-lived punk rock supergroup composed of guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook from the Sex Pistols, joined by vocalist Jimmy Pursey and bassist Dave Tregunna of Sham 69. Although they were later referred to as The Sham Pistols, no formal band name was established, and there remained a possibility of continuing under the Sex Pistols banner.
Formation
Following the breakup of the Sex Pistols in January 1978, Steve Jones and Paul Cook aimed to create a new ensemble. Several potential collaborators were considered, including Bob Geldof, but ultimately vocalist Jimmy Pursey and bassist Dave Tregunna from the punk group Sham 69 joined the lineup. Prior to this, Pursey and Jones had worked together on a track with The Clash in July 1978. Steve Dior of The London Cowboys mentioned that he jammed with Cook and Jones before Pursey’s arrival led to his departure from the project.
By July 1979, Pursey declared that they had laid down ten tracks—seven originals plus three covers—and intended to embark on a tour by September. Their setlists featured Sex Pistols songs such as "Silly Thing", "Lonely Boy", "Submission", and "Pretty Vacant", alongside Sham 69 numbers like "Joey's on the Street" and "If the Kids are United". Recording sessions in early August included tracks like "Some Play Dirty", "Natural Born Killer", and "Kamikaze".
Complications arose due to contractual commitments: Sham 69 owed two albums to Polydor Records, while Cook and Jones were signed with Virgin Records, necessitating negotiations between labels. Pursey advocated for retaining the 'Sex Pistols' name, but this was opposed by Cook and Jones. Pursey emphasized his intention to genuinely revive the Pistols' spirit rather than exploit their reputation commercially. Simon Draper, Managing Director of Virgin Records, asserted that anyone joining Cook and Jones would effectively be part of the Sex Pistols.
Recordings
Sessions at Manor Studios in Oxfordshire produced "Natural Born Killer," which was later adapted into The Professionals' "Kick Down the Doors." Another track, "Some Play Dirty," mentioned by Pursey in a 1979 NME interview, evolved into The Professionals' "Mods, Skins, Punks" on an unreleased album recorded with Andy Allan; this track did not appear on their debut album, I Didn't See it Coming. Studio recordings of both "Natural Born Killer" and "Some Play Dirty" remained unreleased for more than three decades. Nonetheless, the encore performance from the Glasgow Apollo was featured on Sham's Last Stand and Sham 69 Live in Glasgow 1979, although in the latter release the Sham song "George Davis is Innocent" was mistakenly credited as the Sex Pistols' "No One is Innocent."
In January 2010, a bootleg vinyl entitled Sham Pistols - Natural Born Killer appeared, containing four studio tracks purportedly recorded by the Sham Pistols at Manor Studios in June 1979; among these, only "Natural Born Killer" has been confirmed as their work. The vinyl also included the previously released Glasgow Apollo encore.
October 2015 saw an official release of "Some Play Dirty" and "Natural Born Killer" on the UMC/Mercury triple CD compilation The Complete Professionals. Although Pursey authored the lyrics, he did not receive songwriting credits.
Breakup
On 19 August, Cook unexpectedly walked out of a recording session with Pursey, describing the experience as "worse than working with Johnny Rotten." Earlier, in July 1979, Jones expressed to Smash Hits their dissatisfaction with Pursey’s overly emotional style and lack of professionalism, noting that Pursey’s attempt to imitate the Sex Pistols ultimately limited their financial success. In his memoir Lonely Boy, Jones admitted that although they had a personal fondness for Pursey, he did not possess the songwriting ability or insight that Rotten had. Pursey himself recognized significant creative conflicts during the studio work, which made effective collaboration unattainable. Prior to this, in July, Sham 69 guitarist Dave Parsons had foreseen the band’s brief existence due to Pursey’s desire to maintain control. Following the breakup, Cook and Jones established The Professionals, while Pursey embarked on solo ventures and eventually revived Sham 69.
Sham Pistols - Natural Born Killer
- Studio Side
- "Natural Born Killer"
- "You & Me" (Sham 69)
- "Trainspotter" (Sham 69)
- "Individual" (Sham 69)
(Manor Studios June '79)
- Live Side
- "Pretty Vacant"
- "White Riot"
- "If the Kids Are United"
- "What Have We Got"
(Glasgow Apollo June '79)
Other
- Sham's Last Stand (1993) – Dojo DOJOCD95 & Snapper SMMCD 540
- Sham 69 Live in Glasgow 1979 (2001) – Sanctuary Records CMRCD351
- Sham Pistols Natural Born Killer (2010) – PunkClassics PCLP57016
- The Complete Professionals - The Professionals – UMC / Mercury 5363279
References
- Books
- Savage, Jon. England's Dreaming. Faber & Faber, 2002
- Scrivener, Tony. Agents Of Anarchy. Kingsfleet Publications, 1992
- Gimarc, George. Punk Diary 1970-1982. Backbeat Books, 2005
- Jones, Steve. Lonely Boy. William Heinemann, 2016