Sid Vicious ‘Sid Lives!’  A limited edition 2LP in blood-splattered coloured vinyl for the UK’s RSD Black Friday. A double-LP of four of Sid’s last ever shows, featuring 39 tracks. Sure, the quality is mixing desk minus and I’m sure the purists have already called the punk rock police on me for daring to even give platitudes to such a record. But, and that’s a bit, but it is so much more a document of the end of Sid and what might have been sure, there might be some Steve Dior shenanigans with overdubs, but the original material isn’t the best quality anyway. Be grown up and put that to one side. What I will say is this is a fascinating document of a snapshot in time about one of the most iconic punks of the first wave, and a moment in time that is a fascinating story, regardless of it being a cartoon or done to death, it’s still a fascinating story.

The gatefold sleeve has a comprehensive, detailed 8,000-word Sid timeline together with Steve Dior’s eyewitness Sid story. and whilst the font might be small fo rold punk rockers eyesight these days its well worth a read, and let’s be honest the band he assembled were world class and had they been able to mature or ferment, they might well have come up with some remarkable music becuase one fact is that Sid could hold a tune much better than he could play th eBass guitar and the likes of Nolan holding down the rhythm in the engine room he was in exceptionally good hands. Killer Kane might have been the only Bass player to hold a candle to Vicious. The songs they chose to cover were real top pop picks, and whatever the purists say about old Sidney, he had exceptional taste in music.

You get thirty-nine tracks for your RSD bucks, and the essay on the inner sleeve sadly just twelve days after these shows in NYC, Nancy’s life was ended in mystery and Sid’s life was thrown into the blender, which he never recovered from. As a snapshot of time and a record of what might have been, this is well worth having. A shambolic ‘Something Else’ married to a snotty ‘Belsen Was A Gas’ is worth it alone. Ramones, Stooges and Thunders tunes a plenty were the staple of Sid’s repertoire and what a trio of bands to borrow from. Rest in peace, Sid. May this be the definitive record of a moment in time. Now to barricade myself in before the punk police arrive.

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