Albion FANZINES - Past & present

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

I remember the excitement when Gulls Eye was launched - so subversive. Used to read it cover to cover on the North Stand. I don't suppose the younger users of NSC can even imagine what it was like before the internet when news came from The Argus and even the Mid Sussex Times, SCR, Teletext and The Seagull Line (??) over the phone. It was all the same news, pretty much controlled by the club. Fanzines came along - And Smith Must Score came out a while after Gulls Eye - and gave a whole new, non-club controlled view.

I know it's been covered before on here - but I'd recommend younger fans reading around the subject - it's fascinating.

Any old writers/editors prepared to come on here and tell us what it was like back then? I recall the Gulls Eye boys getting banned many a time.

 

[steward 433]

I remember the excitement when Gulls Eye was launched - so subversive. Used to read it cover to cover on the North Stand. I don't suppose the younger users of NSC can even imagine what it was like before the internet when news came from The Argus and even the Mid Sussex Times, SCR, Teletext and The Seagull Line (??) over the phone. It was all the same news, pretty much controlled by the club. Fanzines came along - And Smith Must Score came out a while after Gulls Eye - and gave a whole new, non-club controlled view.

I know it's been covered before on here - but I'd recommend younger fans reading around the subject - it's fascinating.

Any old writers/editors prepared to come on here and tell us what it was like back then? I recall the Gulls Eye boys getting banned many a time.

Didn't they settle a lawsuit out of court as well?

 

[cannedheat]

I have issue one of Scars and Stripes, with the classic picture on the front cover of a Hereford fan giving it large after they took went 1-0 up, and printed under the picture is, WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?

Still makes me smile.

 

[house your seagull]

Fanzines came along - And Smith Must Score came out a while after Gulls Eye - and gave a whole new, non-club controlled view.

i'm doing an article on 'and smith must score' for the next TSLR and they claim they were the first albion fanzine - 'gulls eye' was a follower.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

That might be right. I recall reading Gulls Eye avidly and read ASMS less often - so it might be my skewed memory. They were both certainly launched at the time when fanzines and fan power were really taking off and were regarded as pretty much best of breed by fans of other clubs.

 

[Timbo]

Gulls Eye was definately the 1st.

Wasn't there another one that didn't last long? Possibly a reference to Tony Towner in the name?

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I'm currently on holiday in France, so i can't check now, but i am pretty sure i've got one of each copy of scars, as well as many original gulls eye and smith must score.

to add to what dave said, bozza was also on the team for scars, so if may be able to help, when he gets back from florida.

 

[Dandyman]

I've got a variety of these knocking around. Always make instructive reading, especially when you see the people who originally welcomed Bellotti and Archer to the club...

 

[Storer68]

i'm doing an article on 'and smith must score' for the next TSLR and they claim they were the first albion fanzine - 'gulls eye' was a follower.

Without trying top be too precious about it
err, as I wrote some of it, edited it, got it printed, sold it outside the Goldstone, came up with the name, thereby giving Gordon Smith grief for years anbd years, which he has always been very good about., might I be allowed to ask "Who" is claiming that ASMS was the first? Certainly not me and persoanlly I couldn't care less if we were first or last.

For the record, the idea of doing ASMS was inspired by coming across the Leyton orienteer . and the quote comes from the BBC Radio commentary done by Peter Jones. The full quote is someting like " Robinson charging forward, he's in the penalty area, he finds Smith. And Smith Must score,.... and he hasn't.... and Bailey has saved it And there's the final whistle. Oh that would have won it

I think we put the first one out sometime around 1988 (can't recall off the top of my head - it was 20 years ago FFS!!!!)

 

[Mr Banana]

I have got quite a few Scars And Stripes, Seaside Sagas, Build A Bonfires, Gulls Eyes and Gulls Eyes 2s. Most of the Keep The Faiths have been burned out of morbid embarrassment. I'll have a dig for you if I ever get time, they're shared between my toilet, attic and top of my wardrobe...

Tim Carder is probably your man.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Without trying top be too precious about it
err, as I wrote some of it, edited it, got it printed, sold it outside the Goldstone, came up with the name, thereby giving Gordon Smith grief for years anbd years, which he has always been very good about., might I be allowed to ask "Who" is claiming that ASMS was the first? Certainly not me and persoanlly I couldn't care less if we were first or last.

For the record, the idea of doing ASMS was inspired by coming across the Leyton orienteer . and the quote comes from the BBC Radio commentary done by Peter Jones. The full quote is someting like " Robinson charging forward, he's in the penalty area, he finds Smith. And Smith Must score,.... and he hasn't.... and Bailey has saved it And there's the final whistle. Oh that would have won it

I think we put the first one out sometime around 1988 (can't recall off the top of my head - it was 20 years ago FFS!!!!)

I have the first copy of ASMS in front of me, dated August 1988 at the then extremely good value price of 40p (or 5 Albanian Lek - whatever a Lek is/was) with the cover feature "Will the World Cup Come to Albania?".... to which the answer proved sadly to be "No".

No idea who the first BHA fanzine was though...

 

[attila]

I have the first copy of ASMS in front of me, dated August 1988 at the then extremely good value price of 40p (or 5 Albanian Lek - whatever a Lek is/was) with the cover feature "Will the World Cup Come to Albania?".... to which the answer proved sadly to be "No".

No idea who the first BHA fanzine was though...

Chris, remember that one well! Just after we'd gone to Albania for the England qualifier...
As far as I remember GE and ASMS were pretty much contemporaries, though of course GE lasted longer GE had to settle a lawsuit in early 1990s - writ from Campbell was delivered on the day of Harty's wedding I seem to remember......first in a long line of fundraisers! Little did we know what was to come....

 

[bhafc]

got some fanzines for sale on ebay, if anyones interested.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

ASMS was also featured in The Guardian of 3 September 1988 Soccer Diary p13 where it was described as "the best title I have come across" by Ian Ridley, "fills a void in the market south of London", and "particulaly enjoyable"

 

[Braders]

Hiney i'll have a RUMMAGE through my boxes of Albion fanzines and what nots and knock them onto you at some point (if theres much that is of any interest )

 

[Kenhead]

I've got a fair few you can have, i've been meaning to sort them out for years...

I have got:
Keep the faith Issues 1 to 10 and 11 and 12
Come over the dyke 1 and 2
Scars and stripes Issues 20 to 26
Build a Bonfire Issue 19
Gulls eye2 Issues 1 to 16.

I also have load of old programmes that i don't need which are all from 'The Withdean Years'
Just home ones up until 2003 then a fair few away ones aswell.

 

[The History Man]

Here's a list of fanzines that we produced for the Collectors' and Historians' Newsletter in Spring 2004. I've updated it to include recent issues (and in the hope and expectation that The Seagull Love Review is a regular issue):

Regular fanzines
And Smith Must Score – 16 A4 numbered issues August 1988 to May 1991. Nos.1–14 numbered on pp2–3, no.15 on p18, n16 on p20.

Gull’s Eye – 100 A5 numbered editions August 1988 to April 1997. No.1 (“Lead by Example”) not numbered. No.3 (“Well Mr Digweed ...”) not numbered. No.19 (November 25th 1989) was wrongly numbered 20. Nos. 27–29 appeared as Gull’s Ear (see below). No.84 had main title “Swiz”. 1 special edition (not numbered) appeared September 27th 1989 between nos.16 and 17. The apostrophe in the title first appeared on issue 30. Blue covers first appeared on issue 40.

Gull’s Ear – 3 A5 numbered (1–3) issues September 1990 to October 1990. These correspond to issues 27–29 of Gulls Eye; see above.

Nine-Nil – probably 23 A5 numbered issues published for each away league game in 1990/91. There appears also to be an issue (numbered 1) for the home Zenith Data Systems Cup match v Crystal Palace February 1991. The Society’s collection is incomplete.

On The Up – 11 A5 numbered issues August 1995 to October 1996. First issue not numbered. Became ...
Seaside Saga – 25 issues numbered 12 (November 1996) to 36 (April/May 2000). Note that issue 14 was wrongly numbered 13 (Feb 1997). No.16 (April 1997 “Final Issue”) not numbered. No.17 (“I’ll get home one day!”) not dated or numbered. There were also two Seaside Saga Summer Special editions for subscribers only (1998 and 1999).

The Tommy Cook Report – 6 A4 issues numbered 1–6 Sept 1995 to Feb 1997, and 2 A5 issues (not numbered) December 1997 and February 1998.

Scars & Stripes – 26 A5 numbered issues September 1997 to May 2000. Note that issue 13 is incorrectly numbered 12 (October 1998) on front but 13 (November 1998) on p2.

Build a Bonfire – 19 A5 numbered issues December 1997 to November 1999. Evolved into ...
Gull’s Eye 2000 – 4 A5 numbered (1–4) issues January 2000 to April 2000. Issue 4 has title “Evening Eyegus”. Further evolved into ...
Gull’s Eye2 – 13 A5 numbered (5–17) issues May 2000 to 2002

Keep The Faith – 17 A5 issues. Nos.2-10 numbered. Nos.1 (Aug 2000), 11 (Aug 2001), 12 (Oct 2001), 13 (New Year 2002), 14 (Feb 2002) and 15 (April 2002) not numbered.

Brighton Rockz – 4 A5 issues numbered 1–4 July 2002 to December 2002

Come Over The Dyke – 4 A5 issues numbered 1–4 November 2004 to April 2005

The Seagull Love Review – 1 A5 issue numbered 1 August 2008 (continuing)

Short-lived fanzines
There is a Rat in the Camp – 2 A5 numbered issues December 1990 and April 1991

Seasons of Missed Opportunities –1 A4 issue Spring 1991

Pretty in Pink – 1 A5 issue published January 1991

One F in Falmer – 1 A5 issue March 2004

Other supporters' publications in a fanzine vein
Mose A Tribute! – 1 A5 issue produced by Gulls Eye team in conjunction with Graham Moseley’s testimonial in April 1990

Flying Eye – 1 A4 magazine by Gulls Eye team published August 2001


One note to the above: Keep the Faith - I only have up to the April 2002 issue ("Last ever in Division Two") and am not now certain that there were editions after that. I'm not sure Ben knows either now! But if anyone can tell me for sure that there are or aren't I'd be grateful.


The Collectors' and Historians' Society has copies of all the above which it archives for posterity EXCEPT some editions of Nine-Nil. We have issue nos.1, 3-8, 10-20 and 22. So if anyone has any other copies of Nine-Nil available, I would gladly take them off your hands and even pay for them!

You might like to know that we try to maintain two copies of everything in case anything untoward should happen to the first copy, but if there are fanzine collectors out there we have quite a few spares for sale.

Every year I cart them along to the Collectors' Fair at Withdean, and every year I cart them back home, so I am advertising them here for sale at 10p each, no bulk discount. Add p&p or handover at a match. I have dozens and dozens, from Gulls Eye to rarer ones like Rat in the Camp and Seasons of Missed Opportunities.

On the other hand, I feel it would be great if we could get the fanzines onto the web as a resource for posterity, with the permission of their originators (and perhaps a warning notice about some remarks that were the subject of litigation!). So if anyone has the time to scan in these fanzines to produce decent quality PDF files, I'd be happy for them to have these spare copies free.

If anyone is interested, PM me.

 

[Mr Banana]

One note to the above: Keep the Faith - I only have up to the April 2002 issue ("Last ever in Division Two") and am not now certain that there were editions after that. I'm not sure Ben knows either now! But if anyone can tell me for sure that there are or aren't I'd be grateful.

Hmm, 17 seems quite a low number to me. Think there were more than that. No way I could tell to be honest, it was a pretty bleak period in my yoof (think I aged about a hundred years in 18 months) and I've destroyed the evidence of most of it.

Pop round for that cuppa sometime Timbo, I've still got those pictures you wanted (ooooer missus.........)

 

[Soul Finger]

I'm currently on holiday in France, /QUOTE]

Is Dave the Gaffer with you?

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I'm currently on holiday in France, /QUOTE]

Is Dave the Gaffer with you?

No. Not as far as i knew at the time. He may have been hiding in the vicinity though: the steak was very good locally

Papa