The Sex Pistols may have made only one studio album in their time, but the legacy of Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols remains crucial to the history of punk in the U.K. and beyond. The band was divisive, provocative, and rowdy. But in terms of mainstream fame, they are one of the best-known pioneers of early punk.

It’s a bit of an oxymoron, the term “mainstream punk.” Still, The Sex Pistols got to that point with time and—let’s face it—controversy. Their manager, Malcom McLaren, seemingly cooked up a lot of the controversy. However, the band’s public antics, image, and attitude, combined with the brash and irreverent music, cemented their legacy. (Even after they burned too hot and flared out.)

In 1977, several days before Never Mind the Bollocks was released, the album dr

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