Here We Go!
Presenting another gem from the Sex Pistols collection!
This time we’re featuring the soundtrack title track single from The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle –
The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle / Rock Around The Clock (VS290)
Here are two UK original pressings:
- one with the purple label
- and the other with a yellow label featuring a recorded telephone conversation with an American Express lawyer.
🧷 Basic Info
- Title: The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle / Rock Around The Clock
- Artist: Sex Pistols
- Format: 7-inch single (45 RPM)
- Release Date: 12 September 1979
- Label / Catalogue No.: Virgin VS290
🟣 Purple Label Version
- Sleeve: Picture sleeve
🟡 Yellow Label Version
- Sleeve: Black die-cut company sleeve
🧷 Tracks
🟣 Purple Label Version
- A1: The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle
- B1: Rock Around The Clock
🟡 Yellow Label Version
- A1: The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle
- A2: American Express Lawyer Telephone Conversation
- B1: Rock Around The Clock
Side A features the chaotic ensemble title track from the film soundtrack, with multiple vocalists.
Side B is a punk cover of Bill Haley & His Comets’ Rock Around The Clock, sung by Tenpole Tudor.
More information available here!
Click here for more details
🧷 Pressing / Variant Notes
✔️ Matrix Numbers (Runout Etchings)
- Purple: VS 290 A3 Ʊ Λ / VS 290 B3 Ʊ Λ
- Yellow: VS290 A4 / VS290 B4
✔️ Sleeves
The original artwork was a parody of an American Express card designed by Jamie Reid, which was withdrawn after legal complaints.
Subsequent copies came in plain company sleeves.
▼ Recalled Sleeve
A look at the withdrawn picture sleeve parodying the American Express card, which prompted legal action.

▼ Black Die-Cut Sleeve
This is the plain black die-cut company sleeve that replaced the recalled version.


The yellow label copy shown here comes in a black die-cut sleeve without the Virgin logo.
✔️ Labels
- A-side: Swindle colour picture label (same on both versions)
▼Purple Label

▼yellow Label

- B-side:
- Purple: Solid purple label
- Yellow: Solid yellow label with added audio of the lawyer
▼Purple Label

▼yellow Label

🧷 Collector’s Notes
✔️ Withdrawn Sleeve
Though the record itself is not rare, the withdrawn AMEX parody sleeve makes early copies more sought-after.
It’s estimated that 80,000 copies were pressed, but how many were recalled remains uncertain.
✔️ Label Differences
The purple label edition was cut at Utopia Studios (marked by the “Ʊ” symbol in the runout).
The more common pressings tend to be the “Porky” cuts.
The yellow label includes a short phone call with a solicitor representing AMEX, who issues a legal notice to Virgin Records.
A rarer red label version also exists with the same matrix – extremely hard to find!
✔️ Unofficial Releases
In 2004, Discogs lists a set of five unofficial pressings in white, blue, red, green, and clear vinyl.
Notably, the B2 side of these pressings includes Love Is A Song, which was only available on the Japanese Nippon Columbia version.
A detailed explanation of Love Is A Song can be found in this article!
Click here to learn more about Love Is A Song
✔️ Dave Goodman
In his book My Amazing Adventures With The Sex Pistols, Dave Goodman claims to have played bass on both tracks.
They were recorded at Rampart Studios, 115 Thessaly Road, SW8, in June 1978.
The book is not available in Japanese, but can be found on sites like eBay.
🧷 Transcript: American Express Lawyer Call
My name is Hugh Stubbs.
I’m a solicitor and partner in a firm of solicitors called Freshfields, and we are the solicitors to.We will be applying against Virgin Records for an injunction tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 in respect of breach of copyright, trademark infringement and trade liable arising out of the sale and promotion of the record The Great Rock and Roll Swindle.
Thank you.
You can contact Freshfields on 6866677.
🔜 Next Up
Our final entry in the TGRRS-related single series will be Who Killed Bambi / Rock Around The Clock (Virgin VS443).
Stay tuned!
byebye 👋
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