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Shang-a-Lang: The Albums of the Bay City Rollers (Thanks to the not-too-long-ago-reissued-in-England quartet of Bay City Rollers CDs, Roller Mania is once again rockin’ and rollin’ ‘till all hours of the day and night. Kenny Cruz (The Bobbies) is, in my estimation, the most deeply-committed Rollers fan on the face of planet Earth. A couple of years ago, back when I was publishing the Pure Pop website, I asked Kenny to put together a comprehensive review of the Rollers catalog. He did so, and it was well received. Since it has been unavailable for so long, I thought it would be useful to republish it here. Part three appears below. It’s a marathon, useful work, and a lot of fun to read. Kenny, how about a similar feature on the Sweet or Slade?-Alan Haber) The Works of Ian Mitchell REARRANGED This release is a compilation of Ian's post Rollers career and primarily draws from his 1980 LP Goin' Crazy and Batchelor of Hearts' 1983 LP On The Boulevard. The material is catchy and enjoyable and some of this has a strange resemblance to the kind of europop that Leif Garrett was doing in 1980, and I mean that in a good way. Of special note are the Carole King-penned ballad "Goin' Back" and the Phil Wainman stomper "Put the Light On," which was originally recorded by Brownsville Station back in 1977 under the title "Lady Put the Light On Me." My rating *** The Works of Pat McGlynn PAT McGLYNN This self-titled album represents the first official solo release by a Roller (not counting Alan's 45) and is chock full of period era bubblegum. Leading off with the excellent "Mi Amigo," this song sets the tone. Produced by Miki Anthony (who wrote most of the songs), this LP has some somewhat wimpy moments, such as "Holy Roller" and "Hang Loose," but these are offset by strong songs like "A Bunch of Fives,""Baby I'm Yours," and an excellent cover of The Turtles' "She'd Rather Be With Me." All in all, not a bad record. My rating *** The Works of Les McKeown ALL WASHED UP This LP pretty much sets the tone for Les's solo career of electronic, pseudo-new wave and dance music. Les's music enjoyed chart success in Japan and Germany, and I have to admit that although I'm not a big Les fan, I enjoy much of his music and I consider this LP to be the strongest of his Egotrip releases. Co-produced and co-written by Les and Scobie Ryder, "All Washed Up" features uptempo grabbers like "Shall I Do It (One More Number One)," "Kings Road Chelsea," and the title song. My favorite is the hit single "Long Distance Love." My rating **** THE FACE OF LOVE I remember reading in Billboard magazine that this album and All Washed Up won Ampex Golden Reel awards for recording excellence. I have to admit that they do have excellent sound (and good songs, too). Backed by Egotrip, standout songs include "Manhattan Mafiosa,""Dedicate this Record,""Sayonara" (not the song in the Marlon Brando/Red Buttons movie), and "Down Home." My rating *** THE GREATEST Nothing more and nothing less than a greatest hits LP (I'm sure you gathered that from the title), comprising all the Japanese hits from the first two LPs and various 45s. Rounding out the collection are live versions of "You Made Me Believe In Magic" and "The Way I Feel Tonight." Not a bad way to go if you don't want to go through the trouble and expense of getting all the LPs. My rating **** SWEET PAIN Still continuing the Egotrip sound, standout songs include "Nice Try,""U.R.A. Star," the ballad "What Does She See In Me," and the title song. The overly disco "Get Up And D.A.N.C.E." may be a little hard for some to take. My rating *** IT'S A GAME My rating **** GREATEST HITS By this time Les had lost his court battle over the Rollers name, therefore the use of the rather unwieldy name that you see above. The first of Les's BCR re-recordings, this release is a scaled-down midi and drum machine-based production not dissimilar to Eric's BCR first re-recordings package (except that Eric, Woody and Alan play instruments on it). Along with all the usual BCR hits, there is a Megamix included as well. Not too bad for its relative simplicity. My rating *** LEGENDARY BAY CITY ROLLER Having changed the name of his band to the more unwieldy Leslie McKeowns' Legendary Bay City Rollers, and having toured the U.S. in 1995 and 1997 (this was before I had Internet access, so I didn't know about these shows), the fan club released this cassette compilation of Les's solo career up to this point. In addition, a new song, "Open Your Heart," is included, as well as a redundant remake and rearrangement of "Saturday Night." My rating **** ULTIMATE BCR LIVE This CD was recorded at various shows during Les's 1997 world tour and showcases the talents of his outstanding backing band. Most of the BCR hits have been rearranged and updated to drive this point home and new songs--"Killin' the Blues,""Say," Without Love," and "Open Your Heart" have been included as well. My rating **** BYE BYE BABY-THE VERY BEST OF LES McKEOWN'S 70'S BAY CITY ROLLERS Originally recorded in 1995, this compilation of re-recordings differs from the 1993 package in that this was done with the band, rather than with Midi. Ian Mitchell was in the band at this time and does a duet with Les on "Dedication." Aside from the hits, new songs"M.O.N.E.Y.,""Holding On," and "Heart's On Fire" are thrown in. This is a worthwhile purchase. My rating **** Well, this wraps up my Bay City Rollers retrospective and boy, are my fingers tired. If after all this, you've become a fan, congratulations! Love and flowers,
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