Customer Reviews

Professionals

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Professionals (1980) was supposed to released but a dispute with the original bass player (Andy Allen) kept this from being released in 1980. So Cook and Jones had to find some new bandmates and re-record most of these tracks for the official release I Didn't See it Coming. The songs were called demos and not professionally produced. I say hogwash. The songs are raw and filled with energy. It's more of a punk album than the official release. Fifteen years later the legal issues were settled and it was finally released by Virgin records on CD.

If you like the Sex Pistols then you should get this album. Don't listen to John Lydon and others who have slagged this disc. It rocks hard and has that distinct Sex Pistols sound and guitar crunch. Better than "I Didn't See it Coming".

Steve Jones (Vocals, Guitar) Paul Cook (Drums, Vocals)

Andy Allen (Bass).

Highly recommended.

Factoid: Andy Allen was an unofficial member of the Sex Pistols, he played on bass on several studio tracks (Black Leather, Here We Go, My Way).

Just as the last reviewer stated, this was never officially released as the first album, but better late than never. I agree that these recordings are superior to those on "I Didn't See It Coming"... which is a fine album itself. The Professionals' career lasted about the same amount of time as the Sex Pistols, but was far less chronicled or heralded. It's a shame too... because the music stands right up there with that of the Pistols and is a great continuation of that "big" sound. It's undeniable that Jones and Cook had chemistry. Steve Jones' guitars sound huge, yet raw enough (on this album) to retain that magic they had on "Bollocks"... and Paul Cook has perfected his style of meat-and-potatoes drumming on these recordings. The result is a perfect example of big, raw, anthemic mid-tempo Punk rock at it's finest. The "alternate" versions of the songs that appeared on "I Didn't See It Coming" get a more proper treatment here, with more spirited execution and a more appropriate raw production.

If you've never heard the Professionals before then I would recommend starting with this album first.

The back story to this album from guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook was a music industry nightmare as they attempted to leave the drama and implosion of the Sex Pistols behind.

Slated for release in 1980 - a record company promotional "sampler" album actually showed this cover in anticipation of it soon reaching the marketplace - it was shoved back into the vault due to a dispute with bassist Andy Allen.

The band's debut - I Didn't See It Coming - was issued in 1981, but The Professionals gathered dust until 1990, when it was released on a small label and in this "official" form in 1997. Both have different track listings than what was slated for the original album.

With punk rock still flowing through the arrangements, Jones plays fast and hard on Little Boys in Blue; 1-2-3; Mods, Skins, Punks and Kick Down the Doors. Paul Myers (b) and Ray McVeigh (g) appear on Join the Professionals and Has Anyone Got an Alibi.

Timing is everything and the delay found The Professionals in a post-punk landscape where performance art shoved aside the pounding three-chord electric guitar. A debut in 1980 would have given Jones and Cook a fighting chance for the band, which ultimately disbanded in 1982.

This album rocks from start to finish and is up there with Never Mind The Bollocks. Some say that Johnny Rotten was the heart and soul of the Sex Pistols. I say "bollocks to that." This album proves that Cook and Jones were the musical heart and soul of the Sex Pistols (ok, and Glen Matlock too). To me, Public Image`s music is garbage. P.I.L`s first album did have a few good rockin songs, but those Metal Box, Flowers Of Romance, etc... albums are just garbage. Even Steve Jone`s 1989 solo album, called Fire And Gasoline, rocked as well, but John Lydon/ Rotten has produced nothing but weak music since he left the Sex Pistols. This Professionals album sounds (music wise) very much like the rock`n`roll sound of the Sex Pistols. It`s brilliant. I also know for a fact that Richard Branson of Virgin records tried to get Johnny Rotten to sing these songs for the album, but Rotten refused to sing them. And guess what? I`m glad that Rotten didn`t end up singing these songs anyway. Steve Jones does a better job singing, and Rotten`s high pitched post Pistols P.I.L sounding vocal style would have ruined these great Professionals songs. I would love to see The Professionals reform, record another album and do some touring.

OK, so I read the other reviews and it sees to be a clear split in opinion. Some people think I Didn't See It Coming is the better album, and others like me think this one is far better. I do like the other one, but I think the reason I prefer this album so much more is that it is the sound of the Pistols, which is how I got into this band (and I imagine a lot of others did too). This album is the 3-piece band, with Steve Jones on guitar and singing. I'm biased because I'm a guitar player, but I'll say that his tone is much better on this album (it's the Pistols "Panzer Division" guitar/bass sound as producer Chris Thomas described it) - hard driving Les Paul and snarling amp with the bass following along. On top of that, I like Steve Jones' voice much better than the singer on I Didn't See It Coming. "IDSIC" is very poppy and polished and this album is raw and heavier. Like I said, people are on one team or the other on this one, but my vote is definitely for this album and if you love the sound of the Sex Pistols, this album has that sound. IDSIC is good, it just lacks the power and feel of the first album.

Being the quintessential fan of 70s punk rock and especially the Pistols, it mystifies me how the existence of the Professionals escaped me until I found the 45 "1,2,3" and relished it. Jones and Cook were excellent musicians, as Jones wall of guitar noise in "Little Boys in Blue" and the melodic "Just Another Dream" definitely demonstrate. Anthemic British punk rock would be the best description of this music, not all the songs deliver but the ones that do deliver BIG time and in spades, making this a must-hear for fans of this era of punk rock.

I usually don't write reviews, but I feel the need to set the record straight. The release of "The Professionals" self titled album is quite an event for any Sex Pistols fan. But as great as it is, it's a good thing that it was shelved in favor of "I didn't see it coming". That album simply has stronger songs and better production than this one. It has been said in reviews that "I didn't see it coming" sounded more "New Wave" than punk. This simply is not true. Both of these albums sound musically like the Sex Pistols. I just don't want somebody thinking they can just buy the first self titled CD and skip the second one. That would be a huge, huge mistake, especially since the "I didn't see it coming CD has ALL of the songs (albeit slightly different versions" from "The Professionals CD that aren't already appearing on the main album. YES, you should buy this CD - without question, but maybe you should buy "I didn't see it coming" first. Anyway, in closing I will say that this album does INDEED sound more "raw" than the subsequent release without sounding like Demos (I actually bought an LP of TRUE professionals "Demos" back in the 80's which were most definitely inferior to the versions on "I didn't see it coming". I was afraid at first that this album would be those same demos on that LP, but I am happy to report that this is NOT this case..). Please read my review of "I didn't see it coming" for the truth about The Professionals and thier relation to the Sex Pistols.

All right, first off. This album is AS GOOD AS "I Didn't See It Coming", but it's certainly not better or worse. The main difference is the raunchier, murkier mixes of "Kick Down The Doors" and "Little Boys In Blue", but I personally prefer the poppier versions on the larger album.

Besides, along with the re-recorded mixes of these songs, "I Didn't See..." also contains a number of b-sides and covers, though there are a few more rarities missing. "1-2-3", "Join The Professionals", "Kamikaze", and "Mods, Skins, and Punks" all sound identical to the other album.

If you're thinking of which to buy, it's not really worth buying this one if you have the other.