Album artwork: The Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols album ‘Some Products Carri On’ 1979  is a bold and distinct album cover.  Such like their other ones, bright pink and yellow are used which creates a style and expectations for the audience. The bright pink and yellow is a sign of rebellion and is also a way to stand out. The Sex Pistol use these feminine colours in a way that creates a whole new reputation for them, making them hard, disobedient colours that also almost define the punk generation.  The items used in the album cover are definitive of the members. To the right is a magazine cut out image of Sid Vicious with a swastika top on, to the bottom is a chocolate bar with ‘ration bar’ writing in their iconic font, along with a small burger, sweeties and a doll of Sid in a coffin. To the left are beer bottles, popcorn and an image of a woman with a punk haircut and a doll replica of her. Possibly Nancy? Sid’s girlfriend. 

These concoctions of images form and interesting album cover that allows audiences to look at it over and over again, uncovering more information and the artist. Furth more, as a spoken interview album these images could in some way relate to the dialogue.

To continue, the album name relates a lot to British culture. The word ‘carry on’ (spelt carri) is a reference to the British Carry on films that were widely popular and often-showed nudity. While the spelling of ‘carry on’ is as ‘carri on’ is pun on the work ‘carrion’ which is from the Latin "caro", meaning "meat", referring to carcass (dead animals). This linked with the mages could imply that all the products that are shown are nothing but carcasses and products for scavengers (people) to feed off… beer, chocolate, dolls/ celebrities.

Compared to other albums of 1979 the Sex Pistols album cover shows a move from natural to unnatural colours. Rickie Lee Jones album still uses warm, natural browns and oranges that reflect the laidback culture of the 60’s hippie era and beatniks. While The B-52’s album show a contrast and, like the Sex Pistols a progression into bright and a neon era.