John Lydon does not approve of the upcoming Sex Pistols compilation.
This week, Universal Music Group announced a 20-track collection, dubbed ‘The Original Songs’, is being released as a companion to the Disney+ series ‘Pistol’, which the former frontman – who used the stage moniker Johnny Rotten during his tenure in the iconic punk rock group – took his bandmates to court over the use of their songs in the drama.
And now, the 66-year-old rocker has issued a statement confirming he “does not endorse or support” the release.
The Facebook post read: “Universal Music Group have announced the release of a new Sex Pistols compilation entitled ‘The Original Recordings’.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, John Lydon has not approved this compilation and does not endorse or support it. He has not approved the artwork or tracklisting.
“He and his team were not involved in producing this compilation and consider it substandard compared to previous Universal releases since 2012.”
In celebration of Danny Boyle’s six-episode limited series on the streaming service, the notorious punk rockers are releasing 20 of their recordings from 1976 to 1978 for the first time in more than two decades on May 27.
The release includes the hits from 1977’s highly influential ‘Never Mind The B*******’ LP; ‘God Save The Queen’, Anarchy in the UK’, ‘Pretty Vacant’, and ‘Holidays in the Sun’.
Last year, Lydon lost a High Court battle after he claimed his former bandmates, Steve Jones and Paul Cook, could not use the tracks without his consent, however, the pair argued that an agreement formed in 1998 – a band member agreement (BMA) – means that a majority basis settles any decisions regarding licensing of Sex Pistols music.
And in a ruling, it was decided that they were entitled to invoke majority voting rules against the singer in relation to the use of the material in the series, under the terms of that longstanding band member agreement.
In response, Lydon called his ex-bandmates “greedy and nasty”.
‘Pistol’ is released on May 31.