The Best Of Steve New and Stella Nova

Steve New auditioned at age 15 (fresh from the London Jazz Orchestra) to be the Sex Pistols' second guitarist. That didn't work out, but in 1977 he and Midge Ure (McLaren's first choice for Sex Pistols singer) joined Glen Matlock's new band, Rich Kids. 

Midge, Glen, Steve, and Rusty

Steve New played drums on Steel Leg vs. The Electric Dread, and keyboards on the PiL song "Pied Piper". As a guitarist, he backed Sid Vicious,  Johnny Thunders, Iggy Pop, Pearl Harbour, Barry Andrews and Gary Twinn (him again?) Pearl Harbour said, "Steve had the most unique guitar sound & his solos were from another planet."

Pulling faces with Pearl Harbour

Steve New played lead guitar on the Gen X single "Dancing With Myself". Billy and Tony James reportedly wanted Steve to be their new lead guitarist, but were concerned about the severity of his heroin addiction. There are long periods of silence in the Steve New discography.

From 1996 until his death in 2010, Steve New was a member of Glen Matlock's Philistines. Steve also led his own musical projects Lude, The New, and Beastellabeast (the latter two with Beatrice Brown). He worked with Lawrence on the Go-Kart Mozart album Tearing Up The Album Chart.

Stella Nova and Beatrice Brown

Beastellabeast was the first group where Steve embraced his identity as Stella Nova. Previously his transvestism had been kept hidden. The two albums by Beastellabeast are musically adventurous and worlds away from the Rich Kids and Philistines. There's some extraplanetary guitar work, stuttering rhythms and musique concrète in the songs of Beastellabeast and The New. Stella Nova had a fine singing voice, and it's a shame that we didn't get to hear more of it. 

Stella Nova died of cancer in 2010, less than six months after a Rich Kids reunion show. Phil Singleton's description of the show makes me wonder if any recordings exist from that night. Rest peacefully among the stars, Stella Nova.

Post Pistols pt. 2 (A Singles Chronology)

October 1979: PiL's "Memories" b/w "Another".

November 1979: Metal Box is released.

December 1979: PiL's first Peel Session is broadcast, and Sid Sings is released (a compilation of live recordings from September 78 in NYC).

July 1980: The Professionals debut, "Just Another Dream" b/w “Action Man". Jah Wobble leaves PiL.

October 1980: The Professionals “1-2-3” b/w “White Light White Heat” and “Baby I Don't Care”. The b-sides are covers, and the a-side is a rewrite of "Second To None" by The Avengers (who opened for the Pistols at Winterland, and worked with Jonesy on their 1979 EP.)

November 1980: "Black Leather" b/w "Here We Go Again" (recorded during the 1978 Swindle sessions) is released as part of a six single set called Pistols Pack. The Professionals Peel Session is broadcast.

March 1981: “Flowers Of Romance” b/w “Home Is Where The Heart Is” (non-LP b-side recorded with Wobble before he left PiL.)

April 1981: Flowers Of Romance LP is released.

June 1981: “Join The Professionals" b/w “Has Anybody Got An Alibi”

November 1981: The Professionals I Didn’t See It Coming LP is released. The band retires in 1982. Cook and Jones appear as members of The Looters in the 1982 film Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains.

Sir Not Appearing On This Compilation:  Glen Matlock's band Jimmy Norton's Explosion (with Budgie and guitarist Danny Kustow) made a 1979 Peel Session but never released any records. 

Matlock and Kustow (ex-Tom Robinson Band) then formed The Spectres. Kustow, Steve Jones, Steve New, and John McGeoch were the guitarists on the 1981 Gen X album Kiss Me Deadly.

Matlock and Steve New played on Iggy Pop's 1980 album Soldier, but most of Steve's guitar tracks were erased by Iggy after Steve hit David Bowie.

Don't forget Stinky's terrific compilation, The Best Of Steve Jones (Post Pi$tols)! Photo by Richard Young.

Post Pistols: A Singles Chronology

Three of my favorite bloggers are posting music again: AJ (Themes From Great Cities), Ape Mummy (Primitive Offerings), and my brotherman Nathan (Nothin' Sez Somethin'). 

AJ recently shared the Great Rock & Roll Swindle soundtrack, and I've been listening to the Rich Kids (while prepping a Steve New primer). A thought occurred: what was it like for the true blue Pistols fans, who followed the music press and bought each record as it came out in the aftermath of the US tour?  With the help of Fodderstompf, Rockmine, and Phil Singleton's Cook And Jones website, a timeline was assembled.

Rich Kids: Matlock, Midge Ure, Steve New

January 1978: Rotten walks off at Winterland.  "Rich Kids" b/w "Empty Words" is released. 

June 1978: "No One Is Innocent" b/w "My Way" is released. 

August 1978: Ghosts Of Princes In Towers is released, and the Vicious White Kids (Sid, Glen, Steve New, and Rat Scabies) play a one night stand in London.

October 1978: Nancy Spungen is found dead, and "Public Image" b/w "The Cowboy Song" is released.

December 1978: First Issue is issued, and PiL plays London on Christmas and Boxing Day.

Oi! Where's the money?

February 1979: Sid dies. Lydon goes to court against McLaren. The Swindle soundtrack is released, followed by four singles with various singers (Sid, Jonesy, Ronnie Biggs, Edward Tudor-Pole and Whispering Malc).

April 1979: Ultravox reforms with Midge Ure as singer. (Rich Kids had broken up sometime in 1978, before Midge and Rusty Egan started Visage.  Matlock and Steve New will join Iggy Pop's band before year's end.)

June 1979: "Death Disco" b/w "No Birds Do Sing". Stay tuned for Part 2...

The Best Of Steve Jones (Post-Pi$ToLs)

 

Many guitarists will cop to stealing licks from famous musicians, but Steve Jones actually stole their guitars (and amps) as he learned to play.

After the Pistols petered out, Steve Jones and Paul Cook formed The Professionals. They split after one LP (but Cook and singer-guitarist Ray McVeigh made a new Professionals album without Jones in 2017 called What In The World).

Cook and Jones also played on Johnny Thunders' album So Alone and singles by The Lightning Raiders and The Greedies (the latter with members of Thin Lizzy). They partnered with Jimmy Pursey and Dave Tregunna as the Sham Pistols. Cook and Jones co-produced and played on Joan Jett's first single.

Steve Jones did some session work for Gen X, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and the NYHC band Kraut. Jonesy and Paul Simenon even played on a Bob Dylan record! Jones, Cook and Simenon also appeared as members of The Looters in the movie Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains.

Jones' next band was Chequered Past (a group that included former members of Blondie), which ended when frontman Michael des Barres left to replace Robert Palmer in the Power Station.

Steve Jones made two solo albums in the late 80's, while writing and playing on Iggy Pop's albums Blah-Blah-Blah and Instinct, as well as Iggy's classic theme for the movie Repo Man. Jones contributed to solo albums by des Barres, Andy Taylor (Duran Duran, Power Station), and the actor Don Johnson. Steve has also done production work (beginning with 1979's self-titled Avengers EP and The Wall's second single). He also hosted a longstanding radio show called Jonesy's Jukebox.

In the 90's, Jones jammed at the Viper Room with P (Gibby Haynes, Flea, and Johnny Depp) and The Neurotic Outsiders (GnR's Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum, Duran Duran's John Taylor). Cook and Jones reunited in 1996 with John Lydon and Glen Matlock for the "Filthy Lucre" tour. 

After the Professionals' reunion in 2017, Steve Jones wrote an autobiography (Lonely Boy, 2019). His book is the basis of an upcoming TV miniseries about the Sex Pistols (who are suing each other again).

Stinky has compiled a superlative set of songs from The Professionals, Steve's solo work, Chequered Past, and The Neurotic Outsiders; plus his collaborations with fellow punk and pre-punk luminaries Iggy Pop, Joan Jett, Johnny Thunders, Chrissie Hynde, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Sham 69, and Thin Lizzy. Ladies and gentlemen, Stinky LePew presents the fabulous Steve Jones!