Bay City Rollers

The Bay City Rollers (Short form: BCR) was a Scottish musical group from Edinburgh.

  • 3.1 Singles
  • 3.2 albums

Development

Foundation

The Alan and Derek Longmuir brothers formed the band in 1965 "Ambassador", participated in the course on various other band members and called themselves since 1967, " Saxons ". Her first appearance, they brought in Cairns Memorial Youth Club of Edinburgh. In 1968 another name change, now it appeared as " Bay City Rollers ". The band's name allegedly caused by the indiscriminate throwing a dart at a map of the U.S. that here to the city Bay City, Michigan, USA, showed. The breakthrough they achieved in 1971 with the song Keep on Dancing. 1972 Eric Faulkner came to the band, 1973 Leslie McKeown and finally in 1974 then Stuart Wood, whereby the tape reached the composition with which were associated the greatest successes. In 1972, the group used the title Mañana at the Grand Prix RTL International the first place. It was followed by several tours, which led the group in the U.S., Japan and Germany.

Scooter Mania

In England, the Bay City Rollers were often compared with respect to the then-known sympathies with the Osmonds, musical set, however, they can be taken on a par with The Sweet. Cult status reached the band especially among female fans, which is why the press at that time spoke of the "Roller Mania ". Concerts and television appearances were often characterized by an emerging mass hysteria among fans. For astonished lack of understanding among the parents of the fans created the often repeated confessions of the scooter, as the band members were now called, that they basically did not wear underpants. In addition, they almost always wore their jackets open on bare skin.

Raged between the mainly female fans of Rollers and The Sweet, fueled by teen magazines such as Bravo, over several years, a rivalry. It was taken for granted, to profess to only one of the two bands and not to both.

Identifying the scooter fans

Both the band members and the fans could be seen by a matching fashion. Typical were cut parallel 4/5tel-Hosen whose seams were filled with strips of tartan ( tartan ), and tartan scarves, most of which were attached as accessories to your belt or wrist. Also, polo shirts, jackets, and even kimonos were trimmed with tartan strip.

Through the band also came a voluminous blow dry called " Tufty " (English tufty " tufted " ) in fashion. When styling a Tuftys the bangs and the top coat so hochgeföhnt that the hair in the approach has as much status, and tends towards the tips in a gentle curve to the outside. A good basis for a Tufty a fully graded layered cut of about 10-15 cm in length. The most pronounced Tufty wore Eric Faulkner, who had the idea for this hairstyle.

Image and Reality

Outwardly, the scooter appeared, unlike, say, The Sweet, spared of scandals. That the true world of the scooter looked different, was in a suicide attempt by Alan Longmuir, who then left the band. Eric Faulkner also caused a negative headlines, as he would have died allegedly at the home of band manager almost an overdose of sleeping pills.

Dispute, separations, and several formations

The cult status of the band faded as in the fall of 1978, singer Les McKeown left the band and started a solo career. Although the band is not is still considered dissolved, but she could never able to return to the success before 1978.

In the course has seen many name changes, such as 1979 in "The Rollers" as a sign of a new beginning with the new South African singer Duncan Faure, who celebrated in his home country great success with the band Rabbitt. In May 1982, the band then their greatest successes with Eric Faulkner, Leslie McKeown, Stuart Wood, Derek Longmuir Alan Longmuir and stepped back into the formation, in 1983 also met Ian Mitchell and Pat McGlynn, who were already in the 70s, the band temporarily, added before 1984 Derek initially and then again through 1985, Eric left the team. Eric Faulkner subsequently founded his own band named " The New Rollers" so that sometimes there were also two Bay City Rollers formations simultaneously.

For 2000, the band in their native Scotland City of Edinburgh were among the original members (except for drummer Derek Longmuir ) a final 20 minute concert. In spring 2000, still a live CD came on the market, whose bands had guitarist Eric Faulkner found while cleaning the garage. The fact that the band scattered directly after the Millennium concert in all directions and the live CD was only sold almost 500 times ( before the licenses were distributed to other record labels ) and disappeared Eric Faulkner from the scene, leaving all hopes for a successful reunification dry. Singer Les McKeown brought his 2003 memoirs in book form on the market. In this book he leaves nothing to rail against his former bandmates.

To date, there are always individual concerts and smaller tours in different occupation, but the successful occupation Faulkner, McKeown, Wood, Derek and Alan Longmuir is considered at odds in their entirety and is not present at the performances over and over again at least a musician.

The lack of royalties

In spring 2005, reports the magazine published in Germany musicians that record companies would refuse the band members for over 25 years, the payment of outstanding royalties. This could not be paid out of the music industry considers that, since it was not clear which band member would get what proportions. The scooter contradict this view and refer to contracts that were concluded in 1979 and 1980, with which the distribution question is clearly defined. Only a check for 456,330.67 dollars was issued in early 2005, but the record sales alone would cover the years 1997 to 2003.

Discography

Singles

Albums

Awards

Swell

  • Rock band
  • Scottish band
Singing Electronic keyboard Bass guitar Bay City (Michigan) Layered hair Media-Control-Charts Billboard 200
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