for Granada TV as Manchester’s city Eric Faulkner 70s Brief History centre is invaded every Wednesday by Roller fans trying to get a seat in Joining The Bay City Rollers in 1972, In 1971 Keep on Dancing is the the film studio. multi-instrumentalist Eric soon group’s first hit for the Longmuir Give A Little Love, the band’s second became the driving force behind the brothers and original singer Nobby UK Number 1, is followed by Eric's band. Clark. The follow up single, We Can Money Honey, which sits at Number Make Music, flops and Eric Faulkner From dreaming up the iconic tartan 2 behind Bohemian Rhapsody for (guitar) and John Devine (keyboards) image to writing over half of the weeks. The next single to reach the join the band. The group wins The Top 3 is Love Me Like I Love You, band’s recorded catalogue of more Radio Luxembourg Grand Prix Song also written by Eric. Their third than 100 songs he now tours as Eric Competition with Mañana and it goes album, Wouldn’t You Like It?, lands Faulkner’s BAY CITY ROLLERS. on to be a Top 10 hit in Germany in straight in at Number 1 as the group’s Still Rollin’, Eric tells it how it was in 1973, allowing the group to play their second UK tour hits the road. By those halcyon days of Rollermania... first mainland Europe shows. the end of the tour the group is At one with his audience, Eric time- The group’s next UK single, Saturday banned from performing live shows trips to the analogue daze of the Night, just fails to make Top 50 on safety grounds. MPs go large in 70s with a smile, and an energy that peaking at Number 51 – three Parliament, Pravda calls the band “...a belies the past four decades. years later it is a massive Number western plot to subvert the minds 1 in America. At the end of 1973 of the youth…”. The Rollers head for Radio Luxembourg makes the follow Japan and the States and all points in Roller Highlights up single, Remember, a Power between. TV Series Play, which soon enters Radio The first two USA albums are Shang A Lang/ Granada TV, UK. Luxembourg’s Chart. Singer Nobby compilations of the first three UK (Guests included Mark Bolan, Abba, Clark leaves the band and is replaced albums. Bay City Rollers and Rock and Cliff Richard). by Les McKeown. Remember enters And Roll Love Letter both go Gold as The Bay City Rollers Show/ NBC, USA the UK Charts in early 1974. As single Saturday Night, Money Honey and number six, Shang A Lang, charts, Rock And Roll Love Letter are USA hit Movie Songs John Devine leaves the group to be singles. replaced by Stuart ‘WOODY’ Wood. Bye Bye Baby: Love Actually Albums four and five finally see the The next two hit singles, Summer band’s product released on a world Shang A Lang: Filth and the Fury Love Sensation and All Of Me Loves basis. Dedication and It’s A Game Brothers of the Head All Of You, go Top 10 as the group go Gold and Number 1 around Saturday Night: So I Married an Axe continues to play to sell-out crowds the world, along with the singles Murderer across the UK. Dedication, I Only Want to Be With Did You Hear About The end of ‘74 sees the band’s first You, Yesterday’s Hero, It’s A Game, the Morgans? album, Rollin’, released on Bell The Way I Feel Tonight, Don’t Let The Records and the Rollers’ first national Music Die and You Made Me Believe World Number 1s theatre tour. Rollermania dominates In Magic. Bye Bye Baby; Give A Little Love; the headlines as the band’s fans The band is huge in Japan as EMI Money Honey; Saturday Night; Don’t create bedlam in the streets. 1975 nickname their new Tokyo office Let The Music Die; Shang A Lang; I sees Bye Bye Baby fly straight to ‘The Bay City Roller Building’. Two Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart as massive Japanese tours culminate in Only Want To Be With You; Rock and the second album, Once Upon a Star, the band again being banned from Roller. debuts at Number 1 in the Album performing live shows. With award- Chart, demoting their first album, winning record sales in UK, mainland Gold/Platinum Albums Rollin’, to Number 2. Both albums Europe, USA, Canada, South America, Rollin’; Once Upon A Star; Wouldn’t go on to achieve Platinum status, Australia, New Zealand and now You Like It; Dedication; It’s A Game; spawning no fewer than eight singles. Japan, Rollermania can truly be said Greatest Hits; Best 22 (CD) The band stars in its first TV series to be a world-wide phenomenon.