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When I started the Sniffin’ Glue fanzine back in July 1976, little did I know how important and influential it was to become. It was an essential ingredient in the UK punk scene, less by design and more through being in the right place at the right time.

Before punk happened I was basically living the same sort of life as any other teenage music fan. Having being born in 1957, the early Seventies rock stars provided the soundtrack to my teenage years. The first gig I went to was The Beach Boys at the Royal Festival Hall in 1971 and from then on I went to as many gigs as possible. I was obsessed with rock music and spent most of my money on either records or concert tickets, much to the displeasure of my parents. My dad’s cry of “turn that racket down!” is ringing in my ears even now. I used to read all the music papers at the time – Melody Maker, Sounds, Disc and, especially, New Musical Express. I hung on to every word of writers like Mick Farren and Nick Kent.

I loved Glam Rock – David Bowie, T. Rex, Roxy Music, Mott The Hoople etc – and by 1973 I could be spotted stumbling about in silver stack heeled boots, purple loon pants, stripey tank top, brown satin jacket and shoulder length hair. This is only time in my life that I’ve dressed remotely outrageous. Even during the punk years, I never looked quite so silly. At the time I lived with my parents in a council flat in Deptford, in south east London, and I remember feeling quite nervous walking about. Most of the kids in our area were skinhead types or soul boys, and I once got beaten up outside Lewisham Odeon for looking like a ‘poof! The good thing about living in London was that you could easily jump on a bus up to the West End, so a lot of my time was spent in the records shops of Soho. Most Saturdays I would be up there, even after school sometimes. I left school in 1974 and started working for William & Glyns Bank, first in the City and then in South Kensington. There seemed to be plenty of jobs going back then but it was a pretty limited choice, either the building trade, factory work or banking. I choose the latter because it seemed like the easiest and cleanest option! My mum was quite happy because she thought I’d end up being a bank manager. I hated it, it was boring. I was perfect punk material!

Early in 1976 I started reading in NME about a new ‘punk’ scene which was developing in New York. Like London’s pub rock scene, it revolved around small venues such as CBGBs and Max’s Kansas City. The NME writers made it all sound new and exciting and I could sense that this was not an R&B scene, which is basically what the UK pub rock scene was all about. The band that really caught my imagination was The Ramones – Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny and Tommy. Nick Kent wrote about their first album and as soon as I read his review, I couldn’t wait to hear it.

I bought the first Ramones album on import and it completely blew me away. I’d never heard anything so exciting. The tracks were only about two minutes long and they were singing about sniffing glue, baseball bats and chainsaws, with song titles like ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ and ‘Beat On The Brat’. They played at breakneck speed with a basic line up of vocals, guitar, bass and drums. It was as if progressive rock had never happened. I was completely sold on it.

In early July 1976, The Ramones came over to Britain for the first time, supporting The Flamin’ Groovies. I saw them at the Roundhouse and Dingwalls and they were even more exciting live. The energy was amazing.

At the gigs I met other like minded kids, such as Shane McGowan and Brian James. Brian told me about his new group, The Damned. I began to realise that these people were starting to call themselves punks and I felt that this was the start of something important.

A few days after the Ramones gigs, I asked the guys at Rock On record stall in Soho Market, one of my regular haunts, whether there were any British publications covering the new music because, apart from the New York magazine Punk, I had seen nothing. He jokingly said I should start one up myself. I obviously took his suggestion seriously because I went straight home and started typing the first words of my magazine – Sniffin’ Glue and Other Rock ‘n’ Roll Habits. I pinched the title from the Ramones’ song ‘Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue’. I thought that if anything summed up the basic approach of the new music, it was this lowest form of drug taking.

I put the magazine together with the same ‘back to basics’ approach as the music that it was to feature. The main text, if you could call it that, was typed out on an old children’s typewriter that my parents had bought me as a Christmas present when I was about 10. The ‘headlines’ and limited ‘graphics’ I scrawled out in black felt tip pen. It was raw but it put across the punk message perfectly. It celebrated the DIY ethic but was also the very best I could do at the time. Even in the first issue I identified punk as a scene separate from the established rock scene but, because of my openness, it included reviews of old favourites Blue Oyster Cult alongside the obvious ravings about The Ramones.

Once I’d finished putting the mag together I got some copies printed up on a Xerox machine (in my girlfriend’s office) and took them to the Rock On stall. They could hardly believe that I had gone away and actually put a magazine together. They bought the copies I had printed and gave me some more money in advance to get some more printed in a proper copy shop. Rock On also helped me distribute it to other shops like Compendium in Camden and Bizarre in Paddington. Once people saw it, the shops had no trouble selling it. It seemed that there were plenty of kids, like me, who were eager to read about the emerging punk scene. It was still small but it was growing all the time.

By this time, August 1976, I started hearing more about the new British bands, groups like The Sex Pistols, The Vibrators, The Damned and The Strangles. I started making a lot of new contacts through the fanzine. I also got invited to gigs on the guest list and also went ‘on the road’ with Eddie & The Hot Rods, which was a big deal for me at the time. This was the first time I really saw myself as a journalist because I ended up in the back of the van to Hastings with Caroline Coon from Melody Maker and Jonh Ingham from Sounds. My life was changing very rapidly.

The second issue of Sniffin’ Glue came out in late August 1976. I felt much more confident with the magazine now and I realised that I could keep it going as long as I wanted. I was getting so much positive feedback. I started knocking around with Caroline Coon and my relationship to what I saw as my previous life was getting more and more strained. By September, I’d left my job at the bank and shocked my parents by hacking off my long hair with a Woolworths DIY hair cutter and started sticking safety pins through my clothes.

Caroline took me to see The Sex Pistols at the 100 Club and my life was changed forever the moment the band took the stage. They looked and sounded like nothing I’d ever seen before. Stunning but disturbing at the same time. Less a celebration of the rock ethic, more like a nail in its coffin. The club was only half full but the atmosphere was electric. I flung myself in and jumped up and down at the front of the stage. My satin jacket was ripped to shreds. Goodbye to glam rock!

At the gig I met up with Brian James again and arranged to interview The Damned for the next issue. Brian became Sniffin’ Glue’s first cover star. Yes, issue three had photos, which we had no problem getting hold of. By this time the magazine was so hip that loads of people wanted to contribute and, most importantly, didn’t want paying. Also, by this time, an old school friend, Steve Mick, was helping out with some of the writing. Later, I got another school friend, Danny Baker, involved.

The 100 Club Punk Festival took place in late September and we responded a few days later with a special issue – issue / three and a half. We only printed a few copies which were quickly snapped up. Because of our basic DIY approach we could get things on the street very quickly.

Issue four followed in October 1976 and featured the first ever interview with The Clash, a band which was quickly establishing itself as the most important punk band in the UK. After talking to them, I realised that this wasn’t just about music anymore but an attitude that went beyond clothes and fashion. Sniffin’ Glue was at the heart of it all and from now on it was as though we had a mission to spread the punk word. You certainly couldn’t read about Blue Oyster Cult anymore!

In November, Harry T Murlowski joined the team, as ‘staff’ photographer and general business manager. Up ‘til now, I had worked from my tiny bedroom in my parent’s council flat. With Harry joining, we moved the whole ‘operation’ to a backroom in the Rough Trade record shop in North Kensington. It was our first real office. We felt like a proper magazine! Later, in February 1977, we moved again, to an office at Dryden Chambers, Oxford Street which Miles Copeland let us have. Because of my position and influence as Sniffin’ Glue editor, Miles offered me the chance to have my own record label and Step Forward was born. Within six months I’d gone from bored bank clerk to magazine editor and record label boss! Only in punk rock! Also in a short time, the Glue itself had gone from being a homemade fan letter to a firmly established part of the growing punk scene.

As the scene evolved and faced the contradictions of success, Sniffin’ Glue reflected those concerns and, as can be seen in the following pages, was unable to remain unaffected by the need to make money. In a way, once we started taking ads we’d already signalled the beginning of the end. I didn’t want the Glue to become just another magazine, so I ended it on issue 12 in September 1977, just over a year since the magazine first hit the streets. That last issue featured a cover mounted flexi-disc featuring the first single of my band, Alternative TV. We printed 20,000 copies, a far cry from the 100 or so print run of the first issue.

The punk scene hadn’t gone away but there was no need for a magazine like Sniffin’ Glue anymore. When it started it filled a gap in the market but by the second half of 1977 everyone was writing about punk rock. It was no longer an underground scene. Punk bands were signing up to established labels, had singles in the charts and were playing places like the Rainbow and the Roundhouse. The punks, in a way, had become the new establishment. For me the early magic had gone and I felt that most punk groups were playing it safe and had lost that initial sense of adventure. For my part, although no longer editor of the UK’s premier punk fanzine, I continued to have a say through my label Step Forward Records and my band, Alternative TV.

This book collects together every Sniffin’ Glue magazine that I published and is a blow by blow account of the most exciting music scene that Britain has ever produced. Thanks again to all those involved in Sniffin’ Glue, especially Harry, Jill, Erica, Steve and Danny.

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SNIFFIN’GLUE

OPEN UP YOUR EARS AND BLEED

This is not meant to be a definitive guide, just my own favourites of the records that either influenced, defined or captured the spirit of punk.
It’s broken into three parts:

THE ROOTS

PUNK

AND POST-PUNK

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I’ve resisted the temptation of putting Alternative TV in the list although some people insist that our first album ‘The Image Has Cracked’ is essential listening! A lot of the best punk was released on 7 ‘singles and for a brilliant collection of the best of these check out the 5CD boxed set ‘1-2-3-4 PUNK & NEW WAVE 1976-1979’ on the Universal Music label.

In the listing I’ve mentioned the original labels that the albums were released on. With subsequent licensing and CD reissues, some of these may have changed.

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The Ramones were in London this month and to realy get into the fact we've put this little mag/newsletter together. It's a bit amatuer at the moment but it is the first go isn't it, I mean we can't he Nick Kents over night can we. In this issue we lean heavily towards being a Ramones fan letter but later on we hope to bring you pieces on the following: Flamin' Groovies, MC5, Nazz/Runt, Runaways, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Lenny Bruce, Roogalator, Dr.Feelgood, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Earthquake, New York Dolls, Jonathan Richman/Modern Lovers, Mothers Of Invention, '66/68, Count Bishops, Sex Pistols, 101'ers, Stranglers, Raspberries, Television plus any other punks who make and do things we like.

With the Ramones in this issue are Blue Oyster Cult, who have just released a great new album which we review along with all their other pieces of black plastic. The review sections try to tell you about things rather than give boring biased opinions, which we all have but there's no room for it in fanzines. We believe rock 'n'roll, and especially 'punk rock', is about enjoyment and nothing else - leave the concepts to the likes of Yes, Mike Oldfield etc. I hope you enjoy sniffin'(sorry-reading!) our little contribution to the punk culture, it would make us sniff glue if you did!

PAGES 6&7 – REVIEWS, REVIEWS AND MORE REVIEWS! Including-Runaways, Eddie and the Hot Rods, TV, Violent Luck and a load of other punks.

SNIFFIN' GLUE…. is chucked together by Mark P (Me) with help from Rick Brown from Tunbridge Wells (Kents answer to Detroit). Louise (My lovely lady), Rock On-Soho Market (Who supply most of the records and happen to be the best record shop in London), Airfix (Who supply the sticky stuff) and the music itself!

In issue 2 we wanna do something on the Flamin' Groovies and early Mothers ('Wowie Zowie', 'Hungry Freaks, Daddy' ete). I just hope we can get it together.

The ol'Roundhouse just reeked of glue last Sunday night. The Ramones armed with miniture base-ball bats beat the hell out of all contenders for the 'most exciting band of the year stakes'. The Groovies failed, in my opinion, because they stuck to rigidly to the 'Beatles/Thank Your Lucky Stars' format but the Ramones blasted out none stop. It was all modern and hard. The guiatar of Johnny was pounding out riffs at fantastic rate and Tommy, on drums, was incredible-he was so tight it was unbelivable. DeeDee, bass guitar, was weird-every song he counted in one, two, three, four wether it was in that beat or not. Joey was in compleat control of the audience, taking a laid-back stance, has he lean into he's vocals. Everything was right-the clothes, giving away base-ball bats and the music itself. They kick off with 'Loudmouth' in a set which included all their album (I think) and some other songs which I'd just love to hear on plastic. It was all predictable but who cares, it was f'ing fantastic.

A word about the Stranglers-great! I can't wait to see 'em again, their sound is 1976. The Stranglers are a pleasure to boogie too-sometimes they sound like the Doors, other times like Television but they've got a i.d. of their own.

The Ramones are what 1976 punk rock is all about. They are kids, I'm a kid and you are kids-you must be if are reading this shit. The Ramones give me power and freedom and that's what I want. I've had their album for weeks now and yet every time I spin it, it does me in, I can't sit down-I have to MOVEEEEEEE!

They look great-leather, jean and rubber. Each Ramone carries a tube (giant size, of course) and a bat (for beatin' brats). They are REAL PUNKS!

Their music is fast, simple and instantly likable. They hav'nt got much melody but they've got enough drive to make up for it. 'Blitzkrieg Bop' bursts out of the speakers. Everything's full on, wait till your mum and dad are out (or wife if your unlucky) and turn it all UP! 'Beat On the Brat' takes the pace a bit slower with crazed lyrics, next follows 'Judy Is a Punk', then 'I Wanna Ba Your Boyfriend 'and' Chain Saw' with lunatic power-saw intro.

Our anthem, 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue' crashes in and we're of into the stickist song around. Side one closes with 'I Don't Wanna Go Down the Basement' which has a fantastic Bowie- 'Hang On To Yourself' type riff.

Side's rockin' in a flash with 'Loudmouth', everytime ol'Louise goes on a bit I play her this-IT SHUTS HER UP. 'Havana Affair' is great-still moving, still suprising every second. This track features a great 'train going through a tunnel' riff that knocks me head off! 'Listen To My Heart' is good but '53rd & 3rd' is great, smashing senses with it's plodding riffin' chorus. The album ends with three jivers-'Let's Dance', 'I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You' and 'Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World', which ends with a tiny bit of feedback. By this time you're coughing up blood and spitting all over your Led Zeppelin albums.

This gig was lousy… … basically 'cause I'd been thrown out by the time the Ramones were into their third song. It was a good night out though thanks to a few realy good guys who were all PUNKS! It's realy nice to be able to talk to people who are enthusiastic about the punk-rock scene. It's people like these who can make something of the scene instead of posing in flashy clothes and being 'hip'. I'd like to mention Steve Walsh who's one of the most dedicated punks I've ever met and a great band, the Damned, who could realy do things this year. Go and see' em and find out for yourselves (I'm sorry I didn't turn up at the 100 Club, I'm sure you were great)

The music I did hear was as good as the Roundhouse. I hope the Groovies were more raw though, I'd hate to go off of them.

The clever thing about the Cult is the way in which they choose the subject matter for their pieces. They are interesting to listen to lyrically as well has musically-this sets them apart from loads of other heavy-metal bands who seem content with just blowing your head off. Even though they're 'deeper' than other HM bands the riffs come first. They reach for the ultimate in heaviness and they're are always grasping it. In my opinion they're THE heavy band-from the opening riff of 'Transmaniacon MC' to the closing chords of 'Debbie Denise' they're the best band to ever touch a stun-guitar.

An absolute classic They've not matched it for it's freshness. A spacy feel swamps all of the tracks, the harmonys are perfect and the playing is superb. The songs range from the beautiful, 'Last Days Of May', to the shit-kicking, 'Cities On Flame With Rock and Roll'. Simply great Cult.

Tracks: Transmaniacon MC/I'm On the Lamb but I Ain't No Sheep/Then Came the Last Days Of May/Stairway To the Stars/Before the Kiss, a Redcap/Screams/She's As Beautiful As a Foot/Cities On Flame With Rock and Roll/Workshop Of the Telescopes/Redeemed.

This is much heavier, over all, than the first album but just as suttle and melodic when it has to be. Side one is pure rock, it must be the heaviest studio side of an album in rock history. Deep Purple are kicked in the head as 'The Red and the Black' storms out of the speakers… 'O.D'd On Life Itself takes the pace a bit slower (a fantastic song) and then the guitars of 'Hot Rails To Hell' slice out of nowhere, then pull back to a sort of a Hawkwindy type riff with Stun-guitar well on top of the mix. By this time your pulling your hair out with ecstasy. Finally the sidesbrought to a stunning end with '7 Screaming Dizbusters', and chirst side two's on in a flash man! More riffs, solos, great songs and your dead by the end of it all. A Killer!

Tracks: The Red and the Black/O.D'd On Life Itself/Hot Rails To Hell/7 Screaming Dizbusters/Baby Ice Bog/Wings Wetted Down/Teen Archer/Mistress Of the Salmon Salt.

After the sexual experienced gained in listening to the last album this comes oner as more laid-back. This album is the Cult being a bit more serious than before, everything is more thought out. It's big and broad, a monster and probably their best effort so far. There are not so many 'killer riffs' as on the first two, altough it does peak, on 'Dominance and Submission' (Which happens to be my favourite ever Cult track) and 'Harvester Of Eyes', it, is all up there. The songs are all interesting, they have a sense of mystery about them so you just want to play the album again, to try and understand it. A brilliant album.

Tracks: Career Of Evil/Subhuman/Dominance and Submission/ME 262/Cagey Cretins/Harvester of Eyes/Flaming Telepaths/Astronomy.

Realy, I think that they needed this release, so they could sit back and think out their next move. The album has been taken by some to be their best album but it's obvious to anyone who's heard the Cult albums that it's just a great bit of fun. All the killer-riff tracks are here along with a couple of oldies, namely 'I Ain't Got You' and the horrible 'Born To Be Wild'. The recording is near to 'Kick Out the Jams' noise wise that is. No tracks' cut the studio version to pieces except perhaps 'Harvester Of Eyes' which features a great synthesizer riff, which ain't on Tretties'. The drums are mixed far to low so to get the best sound you have to turn the album fall on. It doesn't do your head much good but who cares if they die young listening to the Cult!

Tracks: Subhuman/Harvester Of Eyes/Hot Rails To Hell/The Red and the Black/7 Screaming: Dizbusters/Buck's Boogie/Last Days Of May/Cities On Flame With Rock and Roll/ME 262/Before the Kiss, a Redcap/Maserati GT (I Ain't Got You)/Born To Be Wild.

'Secret Treaties' was aiming to this. 'Agents' is completly different from what Cult have done before. It is a mixture of styles that works very well. The tracks are shorter than before but with much more melody (altough they've never not had that). This is the Cult searching -they don't find on 'Agents' but the next one should be IT. Still 'Agents' is with us now! Side one kicks off with 'This Ain't the Summer Of Love', a great rousing driving song. The popish 'True Confessions' follows with a realy nice vocal from Lanier. Next comes the great '(Don't Fear) the Reaper' Which features the best harmonys the Cult have ever done. This tracks a Cult classic. 'E.T.I (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)' comes in nice with a lovely wavey guitar intro, a nice 'funky' track. Side one ends with the atmospheric 'The Revenge Of Vera Gemini' with Patti Smith helping on vocals-another realy good track.

Side two starts with a couple of out-and-out rockers, 'Sinful Love' and 'Tattoo Vampire' with a shit-kicking drum/guitar speedy intro. More atmosphere follows with 'Morning Final' a story of death and then 'Tenderlion' a great Cult tour-de-force. It all ends with the, almost soft 'Debbie Denise' they almost sound middle-of-the-road in this. An album of moods and experiment, Cult show that they ain't heavy-metal 'dummys' but the can realy perform. More please!

You may be able to pick this up somewhere. It's much better than the official live offering but it is very short and dear. It was recorded in 1972 and realy shows the band at it's best. They're realy tough and biting, even stunning at times and that's something for a bootleg.

It was originally released by CBS as a promotional E.P, that's probably why sound's so good (All this was told to me my some heavy Cult fans one hot night down the Marquee, or was it?) Anyway, it's a great bootleg compared to most.

Tracks (With times): The Red and the Black (4:35)/Buck's Boogie (5:18)/Workshop Of the Telescopes (3:40)/Cities On Flame With Rock and Roll (4:42).

NEXT WEEK (ALRIGHT, NEXT QUARTER) WE SHOULD HAVE A RE-REVIEW OF THE EARLY MOTHERS! I bet you can't wait.

We review things as they come, so albums, singles and gigs are all mixed together to form one very large, very informative review section:

I've always hated girl bands, singers etc. Rock 'n' Roll's for blokes and I hope it stays that way. Girls are good for one thing and for one thing only-going shopping for glue. This album though is an exception. I realy think it's got something.

For a start, it's produced and writen by the wonderful Kim Fowley. He's got a great little band here and it shows as soon as the album kicks off into 'Cherry Bomb' which sets the pace for the whole album. It's tight driving punk rock all the way, there's loads of lovely groans and sighs from the girls (All under 18, by the way) which should move a few punks-all the way to the toilet. They sound a lot like the New York Dolls half the time and it's all right by me 'cause I love' em. Other tracks are 'You Drive Me Wild', 'Is It Day Or Night', 'Thunder', Lou Reed 's' Rock and Roll', 'Lovers' 'American Nights', 'Blackmail', 'secrets' and the Alice Cooper like 'Dead End Justice'.

This albums a lot of fun and so's the cover. It must be the cover of the year-five lovely girls spread over it, as you say girls 'you drive me wild!

This single is fantastic. We've heard about 'em but now were hearing it for ourselves. The song is dead slow but what a killer it just bursts with pent-up enegy. It opens with a strained bass riff and then in comes this out of key guitar, which is a cross between Barry Melton and Frank Zappa, and it's so punky it's brilliant. The voice is pure Lou Reed but even more dead-beat: as side one fades out you can't wait to get it over to 'Little Johnny Jewel' Part 2 and your not disapointed the guitar solo will burst your glue tubes. I can't wait for a f'ing album from these guys, it should be wild to say the least. Go out and listen to this single and tell if I'm wrong!

This is the Hot Rods 2nd offering and it is a great example of the lads style. Side 1 is produced by Andy Mackay and is a good rollin' rendition of the old Pharaohs hit, I don't think they should have let him blow though. Side 2 is the great 'Horseplay (Weary of the Schmaltz)' which kills WB for excitment and power. It obviously comes from the sessions that produced the excellent 'Writing On the Wall'/'Crusin In the Lincoln' single and features a brilliant guitar solo from Dave Higgs along with a tight harp riff from Lew Davies (who's no longer a Rod). I can't help thinking when I listening to this that the Rods were much better with a harp player. It's still great but it could be better. Read on:

This gig came about after Automatic Man had to cancel, and what a gig it was to! I don't know where the hell Violent Luck come from but I just hope I see 'em again as soon as possible. They look like the Stooges, and they sound like a cross between Mott the Hoople, New York Dolls and the Stooges. They hit us with a great set which included a fantastic version of the Groovies 'Slow Death' and many excellent original numbers. The lead singer smashed a mic-stand, climbed the amps, kicked another mic-stand into the audience-actually hitting some kid and insulted three girls, telling them to f'off! The band are realy tight and some the guitar playing was stunning. If anyone's reading this who knows where I can see 'em again get in touch.

After that onslaught the Rods had to realy play and they did to. Barrie Masters was full of enegy as he lead the band through a great set which included all their recorded songs, '69 Tears', 'The Kids Are Alright' and a POWERFUL version of the Stones 'Satisfaction'. Yet another sweaty night with Eddie and the Hot Rods, when will they ever let up? I hope they never do.

This is a realy good song done realy well by a great band. Rock 'n' Roll/boogie-woogie at it's sweaty best. They're not a heavy band, so they rely on sharp and crisp playing. The 101'ers are nice and snappy. Side two is another good song-'Five Star Rock 'n' Roll Petrol' which boogies just as good as 'Keys'.

The Count Bishops also record for this small, but already classic, label and I hope there's a lot more goodies to come from it.

This is not new and it's not easy to get, but what a brilliant performance by the Captain. He pouts, grunts and plays some mouth-harp that will get you high. This is early it's ancient-1964's the year but it doesn't matter. Other tracks are 'Frying Pan', 'Moonchild' and 'Who Do You Think You're 'Fooling?'. It's raw R&B that kicks in the head everything the Captain has done since.

If you wanna buy it get in-touch and I'll give you an address. THE WORLD WILL FINALLY KNOW WHERE?

This was made when Todd was the punk, he's not anymore but who cares when there's stuff like this available. I reviewed it'cause it's only just been made available again and it's realy good. I thought that Todds last four albums were too cold. He seemed to surrounded his self with banks of sound and there wasn't enough of the punk shining through for my liking.

'Runt' was made in 1970 and shows Todd in a exhilerating mood. He is sometimes soft but mostly enegetic. It starts of if with the shuffling and funky, 'Broke Down and Busted' and carries on through 'Believe In Me' and 'We Gatta Get You A Woman', two very melodic 'popish' songs. 'Who's That Man?' takes the pace much faster and features a great Beck-type solo from Todd. Piano rippling and a great driving riff, a classic! 'Once Burned' is soulful and nice but 'Devil's Bite' is real rock in and takes side one too a stirring finish. Side two starts as one finished, with a powerful rocker- 'I'm In the Clique 'with a real rollin' drum-solo. 'There Are No Words' follows and is rotten, sounds like a cross between Dave Crosby and a monastry. Next please. A great medley follows, three great soul tunes with a splash of punk-spirit-'Baby, Let's Swing', 'The Last Thing You Said' and 'Don't Tie My Hands'. The last cut, 'Birthday Carol' is the last thing in concepts not too long, not tooshort, a brilliant mixture of rock styles.

That's what it's all about, right! This thing called 'punk-rock! The weekly music papers gave the Ramones a hard time, didn't they, 'cause they don't f'ing understand that's why. They put down their songs, stances and even their enjoyment. The reviews of the Ramones gig just sums up the whole dumb atitude of the 'best-seller' towards punk-rock. They treat it like some kind of freak-show to be laughed at, I don't know why their bother. One paper's gonna have an 'A-Z Of Punk-Rock' next week just to be hip-why don't they stick to Queen and all that trash that drive around in expensive cars. The weeklys are so far away from the kids that they can't possibly say anything of any importance to punk-rock fans. I can't spell, I wouldn't win any awards for literature but at least I don't write down to yer!

Enough of this talk about shit. Somebody said to me the other day that there's no such thing as punk-rock, ''Todd Rundgren's the only punk!'', he exclaimed. No body can define punk-rock, it's all about rock in it's lowest form-on the level of the streets. Kids jamming together in the dad's garage, poor equipment, tight clothes, empty heads (nothing to do now you've left school) and model-shops. Punk-rock's all those things. Shit, there's something happening in London now. We've had some incredible gigs and great scenes. London's got a scene goin', we don't need New York we've got it Here. The Sex Pistols, Eddie and the Hot Rods, the Damned, Violent Luck (Now calledy Sister Ray), the Stranglers, the Vibrators, and the tasty Roogalator to name but a few.

We've got to make somethin' real happen here. Most British rock is past it now but the punk scene isn't. Let's build our own bands up instead of drooling over the NY scene. I'm not putting that scene down but if we've got somethin 'goin' on here we wanna make it better. We're gonna try to do a bit for the scene but it's all up to you-the kids (and of course, the guys who feel young). London punk is great so let's go!

The Ramones are here, the Ramones are there, the Ramones are f'ing every-where…. well, that's the way it seems at the moment. With the Ramones you've get the style the power and the primitive rhythms. They're what makes us write this piece of bog-paper they're worth it. The Ramones have that cult feel, they'll never be fully excepted and I hope it stays that way. We wouldn't have punk-rock if it wasn't for the cult aspect of it all.

The Ramones are classic, and they are best off being a cult band. Sniffin' glue dosn't make it at Hammersmith Odeon. The Ramones are ours (I'm talkin'to yer, punks!) and by the shits I hope they stay our. 'Beat On the Ingham, beat on the Ingham, beat on the Ingham with a base-ball bat!'

All words are copyright Sticky Situations Productions, except the naughty ones slipped in here and there. If you want to reprint you must be a fool!

Funny, my piece in SG No.1 was realy easy to write. I went on about SG's place in today's society and how we're better for you than the weeklies are. Now, in this second issue I've got nothing at all to talk about. The month ain't been made that great by the departure of two SG helpers, Louise and the denim clad Rick Brown (who didn't do sod all anyway). In comes the great Steve Mick, who's ready to write some brilliant pieces, plus another girl (I'm still trying to choose one) to take Louise's place.

There's been some good gigs most of which you can read about in here. On the record side there's the Jonathan Richman albums which are reviewed and not much else. Also in this issue there's a Flamin' Groovies re-review (after the Roundhouse I thought that we needed one) and a New York page, featuring the Brats and Heartbreakers. I would have chucked a Hammersmith Gorillas bit in but I couldn't get it together. By the way, their new single's great. 'She's My Gal's the A—side and om the flip there's 'Why Wait Till Tomorrow'. They're both realy good tracks. It's out soon.

See I've completed my column it's f'ing easy, once you get going. I hope you like the first issue and I hope you like this one more, if you don't you can go and read the MM or some other shit and die just like 'em! Why don't you do that. Dan-druff or better still, why don't you enjoy yourself!

'SNIFFIN' GLUE…' is stuck together by Mark P with help from… … now let's think. Special thanks to Roger of Rock On, the tall one with the moustache in Rock On (I always forget his bloody nane), Larry of Bizarre, Gloy Glue (Airfix let me down) and the noises themselves.

The next issue gonna be the greatest mag you ever saw, the shit is let loose when you open it! No realy, it's gonna look new, spankin' new if I can help it. It should have-the Damned (if I can get them to do an interview), the Hammersmith Gollys…sorry, the Hammersmith Gorillas and anything else that I can lay me' ands on!

Hastings 'a typical old seaside town: deck chairs, flabby white flesh baskin' in the sun and a pavillion at the end of the pier. When rock 'n' roll cruised into town it headed straight for the aforementioned Pavillion. We left London at 3.00 and were down there by half 6.00, not bad, considering we couldn't find the A.1. I had a right ol'suprise when I found out that one of the guys in the van was Jonh Ingham, who I'd put down a month earlier for his Ramones review in Sounds. He said he doesn't mind the album now, I'd still like to beat him over the head with a base-ball though.

Lovers tiffs apart, it was a great ride down with Barrie Masters, the Rods singer, at the wheel and everybody else shoutin' directions. When we got there the place was empty except for a few liggers and the support band hangin' around the hall. A sound check was tried but not only did the hall have a shity sound but Dave Higgs, lead guitar, wasn't around so everybody went for a walk.

Paul Gray's only young but he's a real drivin' bass player. His main influence, he told me, was Lemmy. Paul first got his playing together jammin' along to his ol' Hawkwind records. He now listens to the MC5 and the Stooges. All the Rods have differant tastes in music, but it all forms together to make the Rods sound. It's a sound that is total enegy. If you've ever seen the Rods you'll knew the buzz you get from 'em, well, it's the same off stage. They are constantly joking and fooling around. Their roadies are great guys to, especially Dean, who was openin' bottles with his teeth! Half a crate in 50 seconds his teeth were fallin' out afterwards but he don't care, rock 'n' roll's all that counts. There's also Ed Hollis, their manager, who's a character and a walkin' 'book of rock '.