From Horizontal to Vertical Perspective: A Comparative Analysis of Different Recordings of ‘No Feelings’

This chapter considers the Sex Pistols’ prestigious Wessex studio session in early 1977 as a watershed moment in the evolution of their musical aesthetic. This session marked a significant turning point, particularly when guitarist Steve Jones took on the unexpected task of recording the bass guitar – a role he had never played before – following the sudden departure of bassist Glen Matlock, who had been regarded as the most musically competent member of the band. Encouraged by the experienced and ‘elite’ producer Chris Thomas, who made this spontaneous and unconventional decision, Jones delivered simplified bass lines, primarily restricted to the root notes of the power chords he played on guitar. This approach stood in stark contrast to Matlock’s rockabilly-inspired, dynamic ‘active bass’ lines, which had previously led their songs prior to the Wessex session. However, the sonic impact of Jones’s minimalistic bass playing was skilfully augmented by Bill Price’s high-quality mixing.
More importantly, this process redefined the Sex Pistols’ music from a new perspective: shifting from a horizontal orientation—characterized by melodic and rhythmic continuity – to a vertical orientation, in which immediacy and intensity became focal. Matlock’s bass line reflected a more conventional musical logic, with structural coherence unfolding progressively over time, typically across multiple bars and through pitch variation. This temporal unfolding was replaced by a vertical approach privileging percussive immediacy and homogenous sonic blocks. The resulting aesthetic shift – centred on immediacy, repetition, and sonic intensity – not only defined the Sex Pistols’ new recording style but also established a blueprint that would profoundly shape the sound of punk rock.