Sid Vicious - Sid Lives

These are the live recordings at Max’s Kansas City from which (Born To Lose and half of My Way aside) the ghoulish 1979 LP Sid Sings was culled. Presented here in their entirety are four full sets from 26 and 30 September 1978. The splurge of so much rough-ass punkistry adds very little to that original live-based album release. It’s not that Sid’s vocals aren’t very evocative and full of personality. They’re great. And it’s not that the band of Steve Dior and New York Dolls Arthur Kane and Jerry Nolan aren’t solid and fizzing. They are. But this is an exhausting listen even for the most ardent Viciousista. Sleevenotes are by Dior himself and discuss Whether Sid Did It, as well as tantalising and prodding mischievously at the reader, not least with the revelation that Mick Jones was originally on guitar duties for this band, dubbed the Music Industry Casualties. “Sid didn’t like Mick’s playing,” explains Dior, “so that was the only show he did… wasn’t recorded.” Ooh, you little tease. Whether any recordings exist of Mick and Vicious together is still lost to history.