The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle Japan LP – Obi Strip & Artwork Review (Part 1)

Japanese LP of “The Great Rock ’n’ Roll Swindle” by Sex Pistols with green obi strip and vibrant cover art LP
Japanese LP of “The Great Rock ’n’ Roll Swindle” — bold visuals with original obi strip

Here We Go!
A closer look into a key piece from my Sex Pistols collection.

This time I’m spotlighting:

The Original Soundtrack Album to the Film The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle
Today we’re diving into the Nippon Columbia pressing of this iconic release.


🧷 About the Film

The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle Movie

Released in 1980, The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle is a British film directed by Julien Temple.

It’s a mockumentary that tells the story of the legendary punk band Sex Pistols and their infamous manager Malcolm McLaren, portraying how McLaren manipulated the music industry for profit through the Pistols.

If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s definitely worth checking out—even just once.


🧷 Basic Specs

  • Title: The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle
    Japanese Title: ピストルズ栄光の伝説
  • Artist: Sex Pistols
  • Format: 2x LP (33 1/3 RPM)
  • Release Date: June 25, 1979
  • Label: Nippon Columbia
  • Catalog Number: YB-7004~5AX
  • Jacket: Gatefold with obi strip
Front cover of The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle Nippon Columbia LP

Back cover of the Nippon Columbia pressing of The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle
Inside gatefold of the Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle Japanese edition

🧷 Track Listing

Note: Some track titles differ slightly from current standard spellings; these follow the album’s original presentation.

YB-7004-AX / Side 1

  1. God Save The Queen (Symphony)
  2. Johnny B Goode
  3. Road Runner
  4. Black Arabs
  5. What You Gonna Do About It
  6. Anarchy in the U.K.

YB-7004-AX / Side 2

  1. Substitute
  2. No Lip
  3. Stepping Stone
  4. Anarchy Pour Le U.K. (French version)
  5. Belson Was A Gas
  6. Belson Vos A Gasser

YB-7005-AX / Side 1

  1. Lonely Boy
  2. Something Else
  3. Silly Thing
  4. Love Is A Song
  5. Rock Around The Clock
  6. Cosh The Driver (No One Is Innocent)
  7. My Way

YB-7005-AX / Side 2

  1. C’mon Everybody
  2. EMI
  3. Rock and Roll Swindle
  4. Friggin In The Riggin
  5. You Need Hands
  6. Who Killed Bambi

🧷 Pressing & Variation Details

✔️ Matrix Numbers (Runout Etchings)

  • YB-7004-A-1 / YB-7004-B-1
  • YB-7005-A-1 / YB-7005-B-1

✔️ Sleeve Notes

  • Like Katte ni Shiyagare, catalog number appears on the top right.
  • Rear sleeve features a blue-text version.
  • Spine lettering is white.

✔️ Label Design

  • Silver text on blue background.
Record label of YB-7004-AX Side 1 – Blue with silver text

Nippon Columbia labels really are beautiful ✨


🧷 Collector Highlights

✔️ Obi Strip

A wraparound-style obi—more subdued compared to Katte ni Shiyagare.
Note: Though both “Anarchy” and “Belson Was A Gas” are marked as live recordings, only the latter actually is 😅

Close-up of the obi strip showing track details and promo note

It also notes that the first 20,000 copies came with a large poster.
The back of the obi features an ad for PiL’s first album, which was released after The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle.

✔️ Jacket Differences

Inside the gatefold, Sue Catwoman and Sid’s groin area are blacked out—something that was common censorship at the time in Japan.
It’s a nostalgic reminder of the Showa era.
There was even a rumor back in the day that you could rub out the censorship with butter… 😅

Sue Catwoman photo in the gatefold – censored in Japanese edition
Sid Vicious image from inside the jacket – with censorship

Also, the label logo on the right panel is blacked out—likely due to rights issues.

Censored label section blacked out on gatefold

In comparison, the Victor release features Sid and the label intact, though Sue Catwoman still remains censored.

I had hoped to compare it with the original UK pressing, but the only one I have is a 2010 reissue still sealed in shrink.
Instead, here’s a look at the mini LP sleeve CD (VJCP-68853).

Comparison of 2010 reissue and mini LP CD (VJCP-68853)
Left panel of the gatefold jacket – Sue Catwoman image
Right panel of the gatefold jacket – Sid Vicious photo and blacked-out label

✔️ Liner Notes

Liner notes from the Nippon Columbia pressing

Written by Kensho Onuki and Mikio Moriwaki.

Onuki mentions that a book of the same title was released alongside the album, supposedly including a supplement titled “The True Story Of The Sex Pistols.”

I had never heard of this book or its bonus material—if you know more, please drop a comment 🙏

He also notes that the track “Good Ship Venus” wasn’t included on the album, but it actually appears under the title “Friggin in the Riggin” 😊

As for “Love Is A Song,” I’ve watched the film dozens of times and still can’t figure out where it was used… maybe it wasn’t at all? 🤔

✔️ Inserts

Unlike Katte ni Shiyagare, this one didn’t mention a survey postcard on the obi, so I didn’t expect one—but it was included anyway 😅

Survey postcard included with the original pressing

The large poster (also noted on the obi) was in excellent condition with no pinholes—super lucky find 🙌🙌🙌

Poster – The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle

No Sid on the poster, but still looks great.

Fun fact: The photos were supplied by the now-defunct Heibon Punch magazine 😆


🔜 Coming Next

In the next post, we’ll continue with Part 2 of our deep dive into The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle (YB-7004~5AX), including a look at specific track highlights and a closer examination of the mysterious “Love Is A Song.”

👉 [Click here for Part 2]

To be continued…

LPvinyle
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