OMMA Catalogue Number

OMMA-0052

Artist

Sex Pistols

Title

“Anarchy in the U.K. / I Wanna Be Me”

Release Details

Issued in 1976 as a 7-inch single on EMI (catalogue number EMI 2566), pressed in the United Kingdom and distributed as a promotional radio and disc jockey issue tied to the commercial release.

Edition & Variant Identification

First press promotional edition issued contemporaneously with the commercial release. The present copy corresponds to the early DJ promotional variant that miscredits Chris Thomas as producer on the B-side, a labeling error confined to the earliest tranche of this issue.

Matrix & Pressing Data

Matrix (Side A): EMI 2566 A-1, with the Greek letter zeta etched. Matrix (Side B): EMI 2566 B-2, with the Greek letter zeta etched.

Physical Description

7-inch vinyl single on black vinyl. The present copy is housed in a generic EMI company sleeve of thin paper stock, typical of mid-1970s UK promotional distribution. No inserts are present.

Factory-Origin Characteristics

No factory-origin anomalies are observed on the present copy.

Condition Report

The generic EMI sleeve is graded VG, exhibiting moderate handling and storage wear including surface creasing and ring wear consistent with age. The vinyl surface is graded EX, retaining strong original gloss with only light superficial scuffing, including a single fingernail mark on the A-side visible under reflected light. Labels are graded Mint and remain pristine, showing no spindle wear, writing, stickers, or discoloration.

Provenance

Provenance: eBay (seller: thatspropaganda66), November 2025; subsequently acquired by the Origins of Modern Music Archive.

Photomatching & Verification

Photomatching of label typography, catalogue number placement, and etched matrix inscriptions—including the distinctive Greek zeta character—corresponds precisely with documented examples of the UK first press promotional issue. High-resolution images of the labels and runout areas held in ROSA records confirm the identity and variant attribution of the present copy.

Market Context & Historical Notes

As the Sex Pistols’ debut single, “Anarchy in the U.K. / I Wanna Be Me” is universally regarded as a supernova-sized catalyst in the emergence of British punk. Issued by EMI as the label was actively testing the boundaries of the counterculture, the record confronted society with an aggression that broke with prevailing mid-1970s rock norms. The single’s immediate notoriety gained more headlines than sales, with radio bans and public controversy amplifying its visibility.The miscredit – Chris Thomas as producer on the B-side, later corrected – reflects the hurried, unsettled conditions under which EMI managed the band prior to their dismissal from the label. This single is consistently framed in music histories as a rupturing transition of punk from a local to a nationally visible phenomenon.

Canonical Status in OMMA

This release is recognized by the Origins of Modern Music Archive as the artist’s canonical debut.

References and Source Documentation

Discogs, “Sex Pistols – Anarchy in the U.K.,” EMI EMI 2566 (UK, 1976), release entry and variant history: https://www.discogs.com/release/383191-Sex-Pistols-Anarchy-In-The-UK

Jon Savage, England’s Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond (London: Faber & Faber, 1991).