16th August 2012

Sex Pistols iTunes Artwork © courtesy iTunes Picture Richard E. AaronSEX PISTOLS: ANARCHY IN THE UK / PRETTY VACANT
2007 Guitar Hero Re-Recordings
October 16th 2007 (updated September 4th 2008)

The Sex Pistols 2007 re-recordings of ‘Pretty Vacant’ and ‘Anarchy in the UK’ are now available to download via iTunes. Both tracks were re-recorded especially for use in the ‘Guitar Hero’ video game.

The Pistols legendary 1977 album ‘Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols’ also gets its first ever official North American download release, also via iTunes.

‘Pretty Vacant’ and ‘Anarchy in the UK’ are available for the first time ANYWHERE as individual downloads exclusively via the iTunes store worldwide. They are also released in high quality DRM-free audio format.

After being approached for inclusion in ‘Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock’ it was discovered the original multi-track masters for ‘Pretty Vacant’ and ‘Anarchy in the UK’ had been misplaced; Activision then invited the band to re-record them instead.

In June 2007 – virtually 30 years since they last recorded together – John Lydon, Steve Jones and Paul Cook; along with original producer Chris Thomas – entered The Boat studios in LA to record live studio versions of the tracks. To help maintain the classic sound of the original recordings they utilized an analogue sound-desk (circa 1969); first built for George Martin at Air Studios, London.

Speaking of the re-recordings in summer 2007 John Lydon commented: “Guitar Hero is a humorous look at the wonderful world of music, and I think it sits in very well with the Sex Pistols ethos… We re-recorded the tracks very quickly with our usual aplomb! It sounds great. It really does. It sounds really great fun…”

‘Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock’ video game – featuring the new re-recorded version of ‘Anarchy in UK’ is set to be released in the States on October 28th 2007; with a European release following on November 9th 2007. The game is available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, PC, Mac. And can now be ordered via the Guitar Hero website.

September 4th 2008 Update:
The re-recorded version of ‘Pretty Vacant’ will appear in the new edition of the game: ‘Guitar Hero World Tour’; due for release fall 2008.

Previews of the tracks can be can heard via the links below. Please note you will need iTunes software installed.US iTunes StoreThe Sex Pistols - Anarchy In the UK (Guitar Hero Version) - Single Anarchy in the UK

The Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant (Guitar Hero Version) - Single - Pretty Vacant (Guitar Hero Version) Pretty Vacant

UK iTunes Store

The Sex Pistols - Anarchy In the UK (Guitar Hero Version) - Single - Anarchy In the UK (Guitar Hero Version) Anarchy in the UK

The Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant (Guitar Hero Version) - Single - Pretty Vacant (Guitar Hero Version) Pretty Vacant

Please check your country of origin for further availability.