THE BAY CITY ROLLERS Show. Les, Woody and the Longmuirs played their hits to a box full of screaming girls in a very small studio. They also invited some of their pop pals along too. C’est tout.
Shang-a-Lang
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Lee James Turnock
April 26, 2013 at 2:48 pm
There’s a really awkward moment when the Goodies turned up to perform ‘Black Pudding Bertha’ and Oddie did a non-starting sketch where he was trying to give them an elocution lesson – “Saki’s dress is purest white and set with precious stones” or something like that. Les deadpanned “Perhaps if I ignore him, he’ll go away”.
THX 1139
April 24, 2021 at 7:49 pm
“Where’s ma fuckin’ money?”
They were terrible at presenting, so heaven knows what their American TV show was like. RIP Les, you didn’t deserve to go from the biggest band in the world to the biggest losers in the world. It’s a really awful showbiz story.
Droogie
April 24, 2021 at 9:28 pm
It’s a heartbreaking story. I warmed to the Rollers a bit more when I realised The Ramones were big fans and stole their chant intro for Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio from the Rollers song Saturday Night. Their unspeakable manager was one of the vilest characters in rock ‘n’ roll.
Richardpd
April 24, 2021 at 11:06 pm
There have been been many ripped off in the music industry but the early 1970s it seemed to happen a lot.
According to a member of Mud (I think) they could only afford to live in a council flat even after their records were selling well, but their management would send a limo round to pick them up whenever they needed to make a public appearance.
Luckily 10CC & Queen were smart enough to get out of bad contracts early on.
I heard their American show was a big chaotic because they were supposed to perform to chorography & soften their accents, all while they were beginning to fall out with each other.
Droogie
April 24, 2021 at 11:14 pm
There’s a wonderful clip of The Rollers at their peak performing Saturday Night with the wonderful Ann-Magret to an audience of elderly people. The old folk are loving it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHgME-U-9wU
THX 1139
April 24, 2021 at 11:55 pm
That’s a fantastic clip, thanks! That documentary from about 20 years ago had Les confronting the manager, who was visibly better off by a few million quid than Les was. I guess we can see where some of that money went.
Glenn Aylett
April 25, 2021 at 6:28 pm
The Rollers were like a post glam rock act, becoming big as glam rock was fading out, and having a Slade like stompalong hit, Shang A Lang, and a glam tartan image. I never minded them and a shame they were ripped off and went out of fashion in the late seventies. RIP Les.