Never Mind the Bollocks: A Tech-Processual Analysis

Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols was a record made under highly unorthodox circumstances. In this article, four contextual cornerstones of record production study are considered: the recording workplace (studio); recordist(s); the sound recording and production technology; and production processes and techniques. The tech-processual context of Never Mind the Bollocks is considered in full, before a detailed production analysis of the track "Sub Mission." The analysis reveals the extent of the contribution made by recordists Chris Thomas and Bill Price to the overall sonic character and shape of the record. This is not an example of "auteurism," but an illumination of how Never Mind the Bollocks has come to be understood as a quintessentially rock - as opposed to punk - record.