Sid Vicious could actually play bass...kinda.

[bassrich]

Came across this today I love Sids rendition of "I don't wanna go down to the basement" As one of the commenters says: This is pure gold !!!

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Lemmy wrote that Sid didn't know his way around a bass, but he was more Punk than any of the other members of the Pistols.
Lemmy considered The Damned to be the real Punk act in England.

 

[descendent22]

Sid wasn't as bad as people make out, but it is convenient to say he was terrible as it allows The Sex Pistols, and punk in general, to be filed away as a band/genre.

Punk has some of the best musicians and bassist out there. The punk name itself can at times get a bad rap. Sid sucked, plain and simple. Anyone can pick up a bass hit a g,c, and d note and call themselves a bass player. Their is a difference from a bass player or a person who plays bass and a bassist. The instrument itself is an art just like piano, or guitar, harp, or even opera vocals. You can never convince me that Sid was a decent player. He had the image, could strum with a pick and hit single nots but the technicality of the instrument, I don't think he knew one bit about it.

 

[Son of Wobble]

Listen to the "Sid Sings" recording. He was learning how to play by the time of that performance & singing at the same time. It's poor quality but I enjoy the heckling drunk dude inbetween trax, the obnoxious audience & Sid banging away on a P bass through a SVT.

Sid didn't play bass at those gigs, Arthur Kane did.

 

[Son of Wobble]

This recently unearthed soundcheck from the Sex Pistols last show at Winterland in '78 surprised me, not only in terms of the sound quality but also the fact that a) I could actually hear the bass and b) Sid is actually (mostly) hitting the right notes during songs ...

Didn't hear the tape yet, but I've seen footage of the actual gig, and used to have a Warner Brothers compilation LP that featured the version of "No Fun" with which they closed the gig, and, yes, Sid is pretty much hitting the notes (although his playing is still flat-footed, and Jones and Cook are as usual doing all the heavy lifting). The Winterland gig was of course the last of the tour, so Sid benefitted from the experience he gained earlier on the tour, and this is definitely the best he ever played or sounded. I used to have vinyl bootlegs of other shows on the tour, and the show at Randy's Rodeo in Texas boasts some of the worst bass playing ever committed to disc. Thankfully, someone eventually turns off his amp (or perhaps Sid pulled his own cord by hopping about).

 

[Son of Wobble]

You can never convince me that Sid was a decent player. He had the image, could strum with a pick and hit single nots but the technicality of the instrument, I don't think he knew one bit about it.

I was a massive Pistols fan, and a Sid fan too, but yeah, my dog plays better.

 

[Son of Wobble]

Note: Johnny does yell "Turn Sid down!" several times, but I think that's more because he's simply too loud in the monitors. Sid is definitely flubbing some notes now and then and just thumping the roots, but on the whole I was quite surprised how well he kept up, given his reputation.

I think your interpretation here is too generous, for John tells the sound board operator, "Turn Sid down, he's putting me off" (10:37), right after Sid has served up his fifth or sixth clam in a row -- this in the first 90 seconds of the song ("Pretty Vacant"). I don't think Johnny was 'put off' by the monitor level but by Sid blowing every major change. Just awful. Consider how Sid bungles his initial entrance in the same song, fumbling the downbeat and costing Jones and Cook all the tension they've built in the intro.

I don't think this tape builds a case for Sid as a passable bassist, but rather reinforces my belief that he was best enjoyed with amp off.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Apparently Sid slept on Lemmy's couch for a while, while he was dating a gal from "The Slits".
I'm surprised he didn't learn anything during that time.

 

[mpdd]

i think at certain points on the tour he was probably in withdrawal and not feeling so fly

 

[thomcat79]

I think it was all about image with Sid, and the fact we're talking about him all these year's later it's fair to say it worked

 

[descendent22]

Sid was a poser. The fact that he tried to be a punk makes him a poser. He's nothing more then a mascot for a punk. A true punk is the guy that could be wearing regular Levi jeans and a white t shirt that stands for what he believes in and rebels and doesn't give a crap who or what likes it. A punk is gunna do what they want despite future consequences. Being a punk isn't a guy with a Mohawk, or a person that wears leather jackets, or a person that cuts themselves on stage lookin for attention. Yeah people talk about Sid and other then his name and the fact that he was part of the sex pistols, I think he was just nothing more then a statistical dead junkie.plain and simple. That my opinion and I know people will disagree but I said my peace

 

[JimmyM]

Sid was a poser. The fact that he tried to be a punk makes him a poser. He's nothing more then a mascot for a punk. A true punk is the guy that could be wearing regular Levi jeans and a white t shirt that stands for what he believes in and rebels and doesn't give a crap who or what likes it. A punk is gunna do what they want despite future consequences. Being a punk isn't a guy with a Mohawk, or a person that wears leather jackets, or a person that cuts themselves on stage lookin for attention. Yeah people talk about Sid and other then his name and the fact that he was part of the sex pistols, I think he was just nothing more then a statistical dead junkie.plain and simple. That my opinion and I know people will disagree but I said my peace

You're one of those "rules for punk" types, eh? Boring.

 

[descendent22]

You're one of those "rules for punk" types, eh? Boring.

Um actually, if you read my post it's quite the opposite. Rules of punk? I woulda never said anything.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I love how people jump into a thread with an artist's name clearly in the title, just to bash them.
Yeah, Sid wasn't so great on bass, and he was definitely being made a poster child by Malcolm McClaren, but even the Ramones had an image they cultivated.

 

[barach713]

Sid was never really a true "bass player" the band needed a bassist because glen Matlock quit and they needed a bassist quick and Sid stepped up but didn't know how to play but he got a bass and took a whole load of speed and listen to a ramones record on repeat and learned the basics of the instrument. But in the studio he rarely played. Normally in live performances he would have to turn down to the point where there was no bass at all. But hey he was the most punk out of any of them.

nope, he actually started playing bass before joining pistols...its dumb how everyone think he saw bass guitar first time when he joined the band...sid and nancy movie doesnt help...he actually wanted to play and he learned ramones songs by ear..but problem is his heroin addiction, if that was not the case he would be much better, however for a punk band pistols were he was pretty awesome, also without him i wouldnt be where i am today...rest in peace sidney(oh besides, there was some gig in sweeden or somewhere north, he was loud and sounded pretty spot on even doing fills, so i guess when 'clean' he could rather do the job well, he bumps couple of notes here and there due to his jumping around but still, he played pretty much like any begginer today yet he didnt have net to look it all up)

 

[Callused Finger]

Love them for the noise they created but I didn't know tuning a bass to a guitar could be so hard.

 

[barach713]

I was a massive Pistols fan, and a Sid fan too, but yeah, my dog plays better.

this dog tho ahahha so cool

 

[barach713]

Actually, I think it's the session bassist playing behind the curtain, as the Pistols were rumoured to have done.

When you watch the vid, the bass keeps playing while Sid flourishes his hand away from the strings. Embarrassing.
Check this out, around 18:17:

I think Johnny wanted Sid's vox turned down when he called out to the sound man. Cuz Sid couldn't sing either.

i doubt it...watch the whole show..if someone played it for him it would be impossible to know when he is going to stop or bump yet the sounds are correct for his movement...thats him playing, noone else

 

[barach713]

Didn't hear the tape yet, but I've seen footage of the actual gig, and used to have a Warner Brothers compilation LP that featured the version of "No Fun" with which they closed the gig, and, yes, Sid is pretty much hitting the notes (although his playing is still flat-footed, and Jones and Cook are as usual doing all the heavy lifting). The Winterland gig was of course the last of the tour, so Sid benefitted from the experience he gained earlier on the tour, and this is definitely the best he ever played or sounded. I used to have vinyl bootlegs of other shows on the tour, and the show at Randy's Rodeo in Texas boasts some of the worst bass playing ever committed to disc. Thankfully, someone eventually turns off his amp (or perhaps Sid pulled his own cord by hopping about).

there is one better playing, sweeden or norway not sure anymore but he was loud and audiable doing fills here and there and actually sounded spot on...but he is more audiable on winterland so most people refer to that as proof he actually played

 

[barach713]

but his singing was pretty good, i love 'come on everybody'