The 20th of February 1974
Official U.K. Singles Chart results from Sunday the 17th to Saturday the 23rd of February 1974
Cut-off for sales figures was up to the end of Saturday the 16th of February
Results counted from Sunday the 17th,
published on Tuesday the 19th,
and broadcast on B.B.C. Radio 1 on Sunday the 24th of February 1974.
Bay City Rollers
Remember
At No.18, on the “The Top 50 U.K. Singles Chart”, the week of my 2nd Birthday, are the Bay City Rollers with Remember.
I come now to one of my sister Susan’s,..
…and also my cousin Sharon’s, favourite groups of the time (along with the Osmonds).
The house I was living in wouldn’t be far away from reverberating to the sound of the Bay City Rollers; although those two best cousins, aged around 11 and 13 at this time, were most probably only now being introduced to them, just like the rest of the UK at this point.
Although this was the Roller’s second single,..
…to chart successfully, it was the first to have the (almost) complete line-up which would become known as the “classic five”.
Since their first chart appearance back in 1971, there had been a lot of changes in the band, leading the casual fan to find the initial line-up almost virtually unrecognisable to the group the British public would eventually know and grow to love. Back then, they still had the core founding members of the Longmuir brothers Alan and Derek, but that’s where the familiarity ends.
Billy Lyall, their keyboardist around this time, would later move on to another Edinburgh based band “Pilot“; Eric Manclark on guitars would, in due course leave and be replaced by another Eric (Faulkner); John Devine had been the original guitarist; and Gordon “Nobby” Clark used to be the vocalist.
Gordon actually stayed long enough…
…to record the vocals for this current single. However, due to his growing dissatisfaction with the musical direction of the group, he walked away. So, with a swift change to take over as a lead singer, new recruit Les McKeown was promptly escorted into the studio to replace the vocals previously laid down by Gordon.
In fact the only member of the classic five who was now missing when the single went to the presses, was Stuart “Woody” Wood who, can you believe, was only 16 years of age at that time. He joined just as the single was climbing into the chart, and so didn’t initially attend the first appearances with the band when they began to promote the song on TV (which I’m unfortunately unable to find for this post, with existing footage at present taken from when they played the song on their own TV show “Shang-A-Lang” a short while later).
The single…
…had entered the the UK Chart at No.47 at the beginning of this month, and then began its steady climb. This week it breaks the Top 20.
From here,..
…the climb will continue, and next week it breaks into the Top 10, landing at No.8. This is followed a week later by the single rising to its peak position of No.6 as it enters the spring month of March. Although the song climbs no higher from this point, it still manages to stay in the Top 10 for the most of that month; only dropping further during March’s final week.
In fact, the single will almost tick off another month, accumulating a grand total of 12 weeks altogether, before it leaves for good, but with something for their ever-growing legion of new fans to remember, after the 27th of April.
The “A” Side
The “B” Side
Bay City Rollers – Remember (“Shang-A-Lang” TV Appearance)
Bay City Rollers – Remember (“Shang-A-Lang” TV Appearance)
Bay City Rollers – Remember (“Shang-A-Lang” TV Appearance)
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