In the Spring of 1976 Rock On and Bizzarre record shops started advertising in the Record Mart section of Sounds. Back in the day, what caught my attention was the listing of Flamin’ Groovies discs. I’d not heard of them but here they were getting lumped in with the Stooges, the MC5 and, most importantly to me at the time, Eddie and the Hot Rods, so it didn’t take much prodding to jump on board

As May turned into June, armed with their debut single and some effusive write ups in the music press, Eddie and the Hot Rods were fast becoming an obsession. I’d already made one trip into to London to see them, but failed to find the venue. I finally got lucky on June 12 when they played a University College, London, ‘Superball’, which advertised the band alongside a Punch and Judy show and Morris dancers. I can’t recall seeing either of those attractions but watching the Hot Rods was like looking into a mirror: same age, same dress-style, same class, same aspirations – all of us out for a real good time. For this 18 year-old, the Hot Rods were the ultimate pent-up energy release valve. For real, 1976 began here – blast off!

Giovanni Dadomo, Sounds, (May 1 1976). Michael Beal pic

Writers like Giovanni Dadomo made the links and connections between bands like the Groovies and the Hot Rods, but the adverts by Rock On and Bizzarre amplified them and, I reckon, set something of the agenda. Chiswick’s Count Bishops EP, Gorillas and 101’ers releases were an important part of the story and in the ads for the two shops they got linked to rock n’ roll revivalists, British R&B groups and American psychedelic punk, all of which I punched straight into my mainline. A connoisseur’s taste for the rarified was fast being acquired and these two shops fed my growing appetite for the sound of speed.

Dadomo\s Punks Rool! singles column; four pieces of vinyl perfection

It wasn’t just about the music, it was also about the stance you took and the clothes your wore — the fad for well-dressed singles began here. Copies of ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ and French Hot Rod’s debut, purchased for a premium price and maximum credibility at Rock On, were among my highest acts of discerning consumption in those penniless days.

The arrival of Stiff in the Summer took things altogether to another level with Nick Lowe’s ‘So It Goes’, followed by Lew Lewis’ mighty ‘Boogie on the Street’ starting a run that culminated in ‘76 with the Damned’s ‘New Rose’.

Whatever the impact these shops did have on the scene, one thing is for certain, they helped turn record buyers into record collectors – pic sleeve singles a pop equivalent of Panini football stickers or Batman and Monkees bubblegum cards. There would be no going back . . . Hello RSD

August 21 1976 and the French Flamin’ Groovies 45s still holding their own even at double the cost of a standard UK release

For a couple of weeks in October Bizzarre placed quarter page ads in *Sounds*. They were obviously feeling more confident about things.

The Sex Pistols finally appeared in Bizzarre’s inventory just as Chiswick hit snags with supplying demand. Meanwhile, Rough Trade, who had imported around a hundred copies of the Saints’ 45, are now acting as promotion agents for its UK release

If this is where the year ends with the Saints and Rough Trade, here’s where it began with a profile of the Count Bishops in Sounds (January 10 1976). Bizzarre’s mainman, Larry Debay, was their manager at this point. He was someone with major connections back into France, the Open Market, Skydog records and Marc Zermati who, at this point in time, was, without doubt, the hippest man in the world [HERE] and [HERE}

The stories of Stiff, Chiswick/Rock On and Rough Trade are all well known, but Larry Debay’s contribution to the nascent punk scene with his Bizzarre shop, distribution and mail order business, still flies under the radar, just like the records he once hawked.