Bay City Rollers Yesterdays Hero Midnight Special

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[@rherchenreder]

A gutsy live performance. This shows the musicianship of this band and the vocal commitment from Les. I appreciate this performance!

[@1970sGirl]

I remember watching this LIVE! Had to stay up till 1 a.m. but TOTALLY worth it. Remember ... no VCRs back then to record any tv!

[@ZolenaB]

They were just kids when they started out and matured a lot by the late 70's. I've heard live concerts of them that are great. Don't tell me Eric Faulkner couldn't play.

[@jftjoan]

I remember I was 14 y.o, standing in line at NBC for most of the day waiting to get into the show! I was there for this show! It's amazing that nearly 30 years I was the BIGGEST BCR fan, I followed them everywhere here in LA. Such great memories, thanks for getting this out of the vaults, haven't seen it in many many years.

[@MsJans411]

I was THERE to, the greatest time in my lifetime.. Singing there songs all day, talking to the security guard...that was a big thing back then when yr 14 year's old..Hotel, Eat, Sleep(maybe) AND REPEAT! was oN Woodys side.wanted to be closer to Eric💋 WAS AND STILL AM THERE BIGGEST FAN💗

[@3KkAaSsHhMmIiRr3]

Tracey from Costa Mesa..huge BCR fan😊

[@bcrscba1927]

I totally agree! There were so many bands around the time of the Rollers, but none left the imprint that the Rollers left on US that knew them! We don't need to prove their worthiness to anyone... they did that themselves over 30 years ago, and still today. They ALL played musical instruments and all bar Derek could sing! But he played the drums so he's cool... How many bands were that talented or creative? Stay positive & focused Roller fans :))))))

[@LilLeisa1968]

My Mum always said if you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all! Negative comments spoil it for those who want to enjoy watching and reliving the memories, feelings and emotions that it brings on. I have loved this band since I was 6 years old and nothing said about the boys playing or singing ability will change that. Now all I have left to say is.....................OMG WOODY I STILL THINK YOUR'E THE HOTTEST THING EVER!!!! XXXX

[@QUEENAHIDEKINGFISHER]

I remember a rock journalist saying that Eric Faulkner would easily get in to any rock band on earth.And i agree.Magnificent lead guitarist,violinist & mandolin player.Neil Fisher.

[@ladyofkasnova]

Still listening in 2019 ❤

[@dahooliii]

I remember this song. It was a Top 20 Hit here in Germany in 1977.

[@Heatherhoney61]

I love you, Eric!!!!!!

[@rebelrebel1721]

I remember this show like it was "yesterday". I was 16 and I had to force myself to stay awake to see the whole show because it was on so late. And it was worth every minute I stayed up. And Eric in those shorts, OMG! Also, I know there were several reasons for Ian and Pat leaving the group.

[@ritaluster655]

Just ran across this and vividly recall staying up to watch.

[@CanadaNS]

MR.Eric Faulkner, I love you!!

[@yesiownfrodo]

I know Eric Faulkner (who I had a MAJOR crush on!) is still around - plays mostly acoustic guitar now. I wonder if he remembers the outfit he wore on this!!! I remember watching this show on my little black and white TV but I had forgotten the shorts and leg warmers!!!! LOL! That's great. LOVE, love, love the BCR! Roll on! :*)

[@phillygirl06]

now this song is about them. I miss this band but I was very young in the 70's....

[@TheDiamondtwins]

Thanks for the memories guys!

[@sweetpea74403]

scot says they were not musicians? Well, there are more than one video of them in concert playing the instraments themselves, one of my favs is rock and roll honeymoon, and they sound great! Just an fyi

[@CanadaNS]

Eric and those groovy socks! my my!!!

[@allisonbergeron1929]

I'm really tired of all the comments saying they had no talent. They lip synced etc. I'm sure on some tv shows they lip synced. Who didnt??? Seriously. I've seen a lot of their videos etc this one obviously where they were live. Plus they did actually play their instruments. Eric can play guitar so awesomely. Plus other instruments. He wrote a lot of songs. Woody too. So enough with the trash talk. Please!!!!!

[@ThatsClassicalMusic]

good song of this fantastic band who has sold more than 75 million albums around the world!

[@patriciafonda8482]

my absolute favorite song from them, but with Ian🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@netekay]

WOW...remember this like it was yesterday!! Thanks for posting this!

[@armandgallanosa]

Soooooo awesome soooooo live 😎 gotta be a better, clearer version of this SOMEWHERE? !

[@raindogred]

"yestedays hero' was written by Vanda and Young. George Young was in the easybeats and was the older brother of Malcolm and Angus young of AC/DC. great song..

[@3KkAaSsHhMmIiRr3]

I was in this audience too! MANY moons ago!

[@darleneyoung9987]

Wow what a pair of legs love the socks.

[@SunnBurn]

This song was written by Harry Vanda and George Young (as in related to Angus and Malcom Young of AC/DC). I always thought it their best effort. BCR were kind of like the Raspberries in that they could play, had some great vocals but were pigeon holed into the teeny bopper image.

[@barbaralane326]

I love this song!! Reminds me of high school!!

[@MissMahalo10]

Les is my guy, but I just LOVE Eric in those shorts.

[@deathleprachan13]

i was there !!!!!! great memories !

[@bcrscba1927]

You go girl! I'm with you 100% BCR #1

[@Ian2861]

Superb record. I remember someone else issuing it as a single in the 70s but can't remember who, and it never gor anywhere sadly.

[@blondiemom42]

Nice to see them play live. Like the painted on skin tight jeans too.....yea!

[@kristiekor6623]

Eric in them spank me shorts , Les is sounding good here.

[@yupdee]

I love you BCR you are my hero forever

[@LittleDragon2000]

My original statement was that the Rollers were being hailed as the biggest thing since the Beatles. Which is true. And the comparison was not being made by screaming teenies, because they were too young to remember Beatlemania. The comparison was being made by DJs who were old enough to remember both.

[@iamatwat]

oh and you came back again....as i say Bless!

[@lesabeaty7415]

Remember watching this when it originally aired. Loved Woody then, and still do. He looks so freaking hot in this vid!! Thanks for sharing. :)

[@sherryhollis2637]

Just today I found my old cassette tape of this and many other bcr shows I recorded, destroyed by mold !!!

[@ZolenaB]

You know, that's true. I'm not so sure anyone else could've pulled that off. But on Eric, well, it's just sexy.

[@CatapultYourMom]

That's what rock 'n' roll is all about, ScotRanger.

[@quacker1964]

Never knew Clapton was in the Beatles, learn something everyday ;-)

[@sharoncooper7732]

Leslie looking damn fine here!! :-* :-* :-*

[@ververgaert]

My sister and her friends dressed in plaid all the time and worshipped these guys all those years ago. Now its the Jonas Brothers for the latest generation.

[@mndandy]

I don't have any strong emotions about the Rollers, then or now- but this is a seriously kickass performance that only suffers from the dodgy audio of the clip itself. Don't remember seeing them as a 4 piece back in the day. This version really benefits from Eric's raunchy leads, sadly not on the studio version. Great Vanda & Young tune!

[@teresatorres3760]

I too was these shows and if I remember correctly this was also about the time the Los Angeles Police was on high alert looking for the hill side stranglers.I now think would we moms now that were young girls back then let our daughters do that as we did back then we really loved these guys to take such a chance if only they knew. I will say this for the girls that were there all those years ago if you needed a way home some would give you a ride back to your home even if it was out of their way bless them all.

[@blueycarlton]

Original version by John Paul Young charted in USA.

[@LittleDragon2000]

I wasn't a teeny bopper and was considered "too old" to be a Rollers fan. But these guys were good, played good rock n roll and were being hailed as the biggest thing since the Beatles. Bad management and too many personality changes ruined it for them, I think.

[@CatapultYourMom]

On the other hand, the easily outsold all the bands you mentioned, except, perhaps, Van Halen. So, from a career/business standpoint, the advice made sense.

[@blueycarlton]

Written by ex-Easybeats Harry Vanda and George Young (Angus' brother) for John Paul Young,(no relation.) JPY's original version, charted April 1975, No.1.

[@LittleDragon2000]

And I'll grant you that in some video performances, it looks like some of the members can't play. But they did play live in Toronto all those years ago Anyway, just found this on Wikipedia and it seems to say what I originally said. "Next best thing" ruined by bad management and too many personality changes. Of course, I said that in 1977 too... and no-one believed me Peace

[@pyrmontbridge]

I never know the Bay City Rollers covered this song. And this is within a year of the original. Strange then that Vanda and Young wrote for AC/DC and BCR, two very different icons of the 70s.

[@太田晴代-n9s]

Todays Hero.

[@ChuckieInMT]

Luv how the guy on lead 's wearing leggings - I HAD a pair of those white bells once, too -

[@QUEENAHIDEKINGFISHER]

Ace!

[@Hyacinth000]

Leslie had a very sexy sounding voice and there is no denying it.

[@TomDavisVideo]

Written by John Paul Young of the Easybeats- Angus youngs (ACDC) brother

[@ThatsClassicalMusic]

the original is from John Paul Young... but this cover is very very GOOD!!!

[@JustaSideOrderOfLove]

this one is a bit better than the other one..the sound is a better! great vids though :-)

[@TomDavisVideo]

OH YEAH. my mistake on writing credit. Must have had Friday On My Mind !!

[@SunnBurn]

The John Paul Young version came out first. The Vanda/Young songwriters on this track should ring a bell for all fans of the Easybeats.

[@bluesky-pb9di]

Where's the fifth member? Is this when Ian left the band? I didn't hear the sound track with the D.J telling the fans to get back. I like that part.

[@BCRconcert]

this is a live performance after Pat left. The part you like was dubbed into the studio mix

[@blackmore4]

Blimey! Though many boys bought into their short-Oxford-bags and skinny tops look, this bold yet beautiful hot pants and thigh length socks ensemble seems to have been a male sartorial option missed. What a shame.

[@quacker1964]

Fair comment fella. I guess I'm just a teenybopper who never grew up. Plaintive pop is how I once described it as. Harmless - at least they had some "interesting" marketing and fashion compared to the blandness of today. Perhaps we all become defensive of what was around in our own day?

[@cowhanson]

@65wendym ...so did I...but I had to sneak down to the basement and put my tape recorder in front of the speaker... Just one of the memories growing up in Roseville Minnesota

[@armandgallanosa]

Whoaa who said they couldn't play

[@quacker1964]

Let's get it right. In the beginning they didn't need to play. They improved as documented by producer Phil Wainman. From a trivia point of view, i'd like to know what sessions and where you recorded. Must have been early days?

[@4712star]

This song was a clasic for GENE PITNEY - amd he still we`ll a legend of this song. But... tjis is a OK version...

[@LittleDragon2000]

At their height, the Rollers were selling more records than anyone since The Beatles. And certainly the world had not seen the "mania" they caused since The Beatles. Which is why Howard Cosell (famed American broadcaster) wanted the Rollers -- and not The Bee Gees or anyone else -- on his LIVE show. Of course, I expect you to disagree.

[@quacker1964]

PS would you care to advise which sessions & recordings you were involved with - I am genuinely curious - no malice or anything ;-)

[@LittleDragon2000]

Of course I understand I was around then too. And I'll grant you that most of their TV appearances esp. in UK were either lip-synched or sung over recorded tracks... (which was nothing new for bands on TV, sadly) so we can't know how good or bad they were at THAT moment.

[@quacker1964]

only 75 million. I heard it was at least 100 million - Les McKeown reckons it was even more. One thing I do know is record sales are notoriously difficult to calculate. Could be anywhere between 30 million and 150 million!

[@extrememinerals]

These guys were much better than that other group! Who were the Beatles anyway???

[@scarefaceR18]

who sung this first, Bay City Rollers or john paul young??

[@MB412]

The Rollers had no choice BUT to perform live cuz every musician/band had to perform live on The Midnight Special during its run. And yes, the Rollers sounded pretty good live. Too bad they did too many "fake" shows including their own show toward the end of the 1970s on NBC.

[@allisonbergeron1929]

I think they regretted doing that show.

[@shokid95]

Who says they don’t play live

[@yellowrose62274]

Why are u watching them if you dont like them?

[@KellieHorn13]

@Lmsargent100 I agree with that one.

[@Lmsargent100]

People who constantly trash BCR videos seem to be watching alot of them. How strange?

[@anne3362]

cant understand either, scot is confused!

[@pumkinbreath]

they are no Badfinger .

[@gadfael]

cover of John Pauls Youngs 1975 hit

[@ZolenaB]

Don't forget Frank Zappa . I"m not comparing, but I stand by what I said. To each his own.

[@LittleDragon2000]

It's not saying they were the same, or that Les was the new Paul or that Eric was the new Stu Sutcliffe ;) They were "the biggest thing since" just like -- between 74 and 77 -- ABBA sold more records than anyone SINCE the Beatles. And George Harrison was no Eric Clapton when he started either... come to think of it, neither was Eric Clapton Simple as that ;)

[@fab208athome]

It's obvious from this, even tho the quality aint great, that Les could sing and the band could play. I hate music snobs, bugger off and play with your van morrison records.

[@xtemplarx]

What kinda bass is that?

[@DaphneHarridge]

xtemplarx , it was built by John Birch Guitars UK after being designed by John Birch and Woody. It’s name is the White Knight. 🎶

[@lynnehazard]

to whoever said Eric was the real singer: you gotta be kidding right?! LOL

[@allisonbergeron1929]

What's wrong with eric??

[@quacker1964]

Must have been as a junior/tea boy ? Common knowledge they like a lot of others dubbed the singers (Les's) voice on a backing track. Especially the early bubblegum singles. However, from 75 it was them playing and they were competent. Bye Bye Baby one of the greatest pop singles ever featured only the Rollers. A least be factual. Credit them with a little talent. Listen to some of their later output and compare All of me loves all of you for example to The way I feel tonight.

[@MB412]

Actually, I am a fan but Im stating a fact. If you can't handle the truth, that's your problem, not mine! One of the rare live performances and yes, they sounded very good. Too bad they performed so many "fake" shows, especially when they had that Saturday a.m. TV show on NBC.

[@pyrmontbridge]

John Paul Young.

[@MB412]

I agree. No matter if we agree or not, I have an ex-GF from ffith grade who got me hooked on them. Too bad our relationship didn't last longer; we dated only two weeks! LOL!

[@LittleDragon2000]

Well, I'm Scottish and so are you, so it gives me no pleasure to say this... but I disagree. Let's get one thing clear: It wasn't me who was comparing them to The Beatles. It was the music critics and the music press.

[@anne3362]

emobutterfly I gotta disagree there. Although Eric could hold his own, Les was the real deal, are you trying to say eric wasnt good looking??

[@oldphoque]

This band took some bad advice by going down the Tiger Beat path. I remember hating them. They could rock and were as melodic as the Monkeys. Kinda hard to appreciate a band like this at a time when Cheap Trick, Van Halen, The Runaways, The Pistols and the Clash were all getting US recognition. People were tossing their satin dolphin shorts already.

[@iamatwat]

The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, Led Zeppelin, The Who.......good god....Poof!

[@MB412]

About 60 percent performed live while 40 percent were faking like the Rollers. You need to give up your crush on Les as he has on you!

[@Kind-hearted3564]

Eric was the real singer in the band. Les was a mediocre singer who got by on looks and balls. It was only later as an adult that I realized this. Just like in 2008 everyone knows that Nikki Sixx was a better singer than Vince Neil in The Crue.