The Year Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones Calls ‘the Sweet Spot in Music’
Steve Jones was once a member of the Sex Pistols, one of the biggest bands of the late ‘70s and trailblazers in the punk sound and movement. Some see their time on top as one of the best moments in music history. However, Jones sees a different time period as “the sweet spot in music.”
What does Sex Pistols member Steve Jones call the ‘sweet spot in music?’
Jones served as the guitar player for the Sex Pistols, but before joining the band, he was always a music fan. More specifically, ‘60s rock ‘n’ roll and ‘70s glam rock.
“I was a big fan of Roxy Music and David Bowie, glam,” Jones said in an interview with Forbes. “That was a big thing for me, glam. To me, Rod Stewart and the Faces were like glam, they were colorful.”
Glam rock is a genre of music that came out of the UK in the early ‘70s. The music took a backseat to the outfits, makeup, and hairstyles the bands sported, complete with huge platform shoes and glitter. Hence, the “glam” part of glam rock.
“I loved the Faces, Mott the Hoople, Slade,” the rocker listed. The Faces had hits like “Ooh La La” and “Stay with Me,” while Mott the Hoople reached the top of the charts with the 1972 hit “All the Young Dudes.”
“There [were] a load of bands, that was the best time,” Jones explained. “Around ’72 was the sweet spot in music. I was really grateful and lucky to be a teenager around that time, and that resulted in basically the way I wanted to emulate playing guitar.”
Joens continued, “If you notice, the Sex Pistols tracks, they’re not very fast, they’re played with a lot of angst, but they’re not crazy fast, like a lot of punk bands did after that, you know? They’re basically rock beats on Never Mind the Bollocks. And then of course John [frontman Johnny Rotten], with his spin on it, with his lyrics and style of singing, made it a hell of a lot different, and it was just one of them magic moments.”
Steve Jones’ time with the Sex Pistols
Jones played guitar for the Sex Pistols from the beginning, despite allegedly only being able to play guitar for three months prior to his first gig with the group. After the break-up of the group in 1978, Jones joined the band Chequered Past. He also played for legends like Thin Lizzy, Joan Jett, Billy Idol, and Iggy Pop.
Even though the Sex Pistols only released one album and performed just a few times before they all went their separate ways, Universal Music is keeping the band’s flame alive by re-releasing tracks from the group, especially as the album approaches its 45th anniversary.
How fans are celebrating the Sex Pistols’ album’s 45th anniversary
“Universal is a great label and they’re really doing their homework,” Jones explained. “It’s exciting that we’re getting this big push when it’s been pretty quiet for a long time. We don’t tour anymore — the last time we toured was in 2008. We did 30 shows, but that was it. And I don’t really have any interest in touring anymore. So this is good. It keeps the old brand going.”
Even though Jones looks on a different time period as the “sweet spot” of the music scene, fans around the world look on the time the Sex Pistols were on top as the best time for music and ready to celebrate the milestone anniversary of their album.
