Here We Go!
Time for Part 2 of my Sex Pistols collection showcase!
And this time, it just has to be this track — no way around it.
The legendary anthem that marked their first release on Virgin Records:
God Save The Queen (VS181)
Today I’ll be spotlighting a UK original first pressing of this iconic single.
The sleeve’s in pretty rough shape 😓 — and yep, someone scribbled notes on it too!
🧷 Basic Specs:
- Title: God Save The Queen
- Artist: Sex Pistols
- Format: 7-inch Single (45RPM)
- Release Date: May 27, 1977
- Label / Catalog Number: Virgin VS181
- Sleeve: Picture Sleeve
🧷 Tracks:
- A-side: God Save The Queen
- B-side: Did You No Wrong
🧷 Pressing & Variation Details
✔️ Matrix Numbers (Runout Etchings):
- VS-181-A-1 / VS-181-B-1
✔️ Label Differences:
- First Press: Silver text on blue background (both sides)
- Second Press: A-side has white text, B-side silver text
- Third Press: White text on blue (both sides)
✔️ Anti-Slip Ring (Ridge Design):
- First Press: Sharp-edged, angular texture
- Later Pressings: More rounded in shape
💡 The anti-slip ring is a raised edge that prevents the record from slipping on the turntable, helping ensure stable playback and accurate needle tracking.
✔️ Sleeve Design:
Designed by Jamie Reid, the artwork famously obscures the Queen’s eyes and mouth.
They say she’s “The Queen of Singles”… though honestly, I’d never heard that nickname before 🤔
Maybe that’s just my lack of knowledge — sorry if it’s a well-known thing 🙇♂️
💡 The Queen image with the safety pin through her lips (seen on tons of t-shirts) is actually a different design entirely — known as the “Safety Pin Queen.”
🧷 Sound Quality:
Personally, I love the warmth of analog here — though I don’t think the vinyl sounds that much different from the CD, not like with Anarchy.
The beat-up condition of the record kinda adds to the charm though 👍
🧷 Collector’s Notes:
Originally set for release via A&M Records, the band’s deal with them was scrapped, and God Save The Queen finally saw official release through Virgin as catalog number VS181.
Roughly 50,000 copies of the UK Virgin first pressing (matrix A1 / B1) were made, which makes it relatively easy to find compared to other vintage punk releases.
My copy’s definitely a first press — matrix A1 / B1 — but the center’s been punched out into a donut shape (NOC = Not Original Center).
And the punching? Super rough 😭
💬 Note: There are legit UK NOC pressings, but the label text is trimmed on those — which mine isn’t. So this was probably done manually after the fact.
I’m guessing it was modified for jukebox use, but back when I got it, I didn’t even realize it wasn’t standard — I was honestly shocked when I found out 😭
Well… maybe it’s “rare” in its own way 😅
Thankfully, I later picked up a proper solid center version too — though that one also has a few quirks. More on that next time!
💡 Fun Fact: The A&M Version (AMS 7284)
Before the Virgin release, the band had recorded this for A&M — but the deal was canceled last-minute.
Only a tiny number of A&M pressings ever made it out (reportedly under 100 copies exist!), making it one of the rarest punk records in the world.
At a 2024 auction, one fetched a record-breaking £24,320 — that’s nearly ¥4.7 million 😱
🔜 Coming Next:
Next up, I’ll be showcasing another copy of “God Save The Queen” — also on Virgin VS181, but with a different twist!
Stay tuned!
byebye 👋
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