Cheap Definitive Collection (Music) (Bay City Rollers) Price

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Customer Reviews of Definitive Collection

S-A-TUR...DAY Night!
Having a questionable propensity (Howard Cosell reference) toward gushy pop, I went to see BCR during their "It's A Game" phase. Being, at the time, older than the average BCR fan, save for a few moms and pops, myself, and my bold friend, Larry, left somewhat convinced of their ability to pull it off before an American audience. In subsequent releases, as BCR, and later, as the Rollers, I found myself thinking that these guys were allright, and earning respectablity in the States, especially after all of the hype, was, indeed, a very hard road to hoe. Having good producers and material, BCR left an indelible mark in the pop partition of my musical consciousness. And, having now learned how to separate paragraphs in my Amazon reviews, I can proclaim Arista's "Definitive Collection" a winner, as the sound and song choices represent BCR at their apex.Stateside fans might be puzzled at the first few selections on the disc, as BCR was largely a UK sensation until "Saturday Night." However, fans throughout the world will recognize the presence of the single versions on this compilation, and say "Gotta have it."

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Men In Plaid
Before introducing the Bay City Rollers for the first time to an American sudience on "Saturday Night Live With Howard Cosell" in 1975, Cosell posed the question: "Is it hype? Is it hope?" In hindsight it was probably both. For those who were led to believe this was the second coming of the Beatles, it was certainly the former. But after a string of successful U.S. hits, it gave hope to record buyers that yes there is life after disco.

This latest compilation succeeds on several levels:

1. The twenty tracks doubles the number of songs on 1991's Greatest Hits. Except for the most devoted fans, this is all you'll ever really need.

2. Unlike the previous Greatest Hits package, The Definitive Collection does not focus exclusively on the Rollers stateside career. They had six Top Ten singles and two No. 1 albums in England dating back to 1971--four years before they charted in America! So you get their lively cover of the Gentrys' hit "Keep on Dancin," such uptempo numbers as "Remember (Sha La La La)," "Shang-a-Lang" and a remake of the Four Seasons' "Bye Bye Baby."

3. The sound on this CD is excellent and the liner notes are thoroughly done.

The Rollers only topped the U.S. charts once with their million-seller "Saturday Night," but this and other power pop hits like "Money Honey, "Rock and Roll Love Letter" and a cover of the Dusty Springfield classic "I Only Want To Be With You" were infectious songs.

By 1977, however, they began drifting into Barry Manilow territory with string-laden songs like the Top Ten "You Make Me Believe In Magic," but the lush ballad "The Way I Feel Tonight" peaked at No. 24 and would be their last hit on either side of the Atlantic.

While critics almost unanimously dismissed them, I'm reminded of a quote from former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne: "A critic is someone who comes in after the battle is over and shoots the wounded." While Rollermania may not have caught on in a huge way in the U.S., they left behind a number of terrific pop singles. This CD is a reminder of just how fun pop music should be. RECOMMENDED

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Shang O Bloody Lang
Goodness graciouse me I really have to add to this debate.This group was really bad, but the 5-10 year old girls liked em. The only half decent single they did was I only want to be with you. I rememember all the 5-10 year old teeny boppers wearing thier T shirts with a star on them like Woody was wearing.The group never even played thier own instruments at the start except for the old fart from the original line up.This was probably one of the worst bunch of posers ever to record a tune. At least the monkeys made some great songs, these boys just produced sickly garbage. I'm off for me Vindaloo and popadoms, tara.