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When the Screaming Stops: The Dark History of the Bay City Rollers by Simon Spence
This unflinching book exposes the sinister undercurrents and dark truths behind ‘Rollermania’, the pioneering boy band fad that gripped the UK in the seventies and spread across the world as the Edinburgh lads scored number one international hits.
For the first time, former lovers, band members, and record industry insiders have been interviewed to build up the shocking story of the boy band that became immersed in the cult-like world of their Svengali, Tam Paton, a man who oversaw a culture of stalking, sackings, routine sexual abuse and career-furthering prostitution.
Former band leader Paton controlled his charges and promoted them as clean-living teetotalers while subjecting them to various forms of sexual abuse. In Paton, the industry cliché of the manipulative and venal pop manager found its most grotesque expression.
Dazzled by sudden global fame and corrupted by Paton’s unquenchable sexual appetites, The Bay City Rollers soon became part of his world of depravity, victimhood, crime and psychosis.
Tragedies bedevilled every aspect of The Bay City Rollers' career. A 12-year-old girl was left brain damaged in an accident outside Paton's fortified home. A 15-year-old was shot in the head at the home of the lead singer, Les McKeown, who only months earlier had knocked over and killed a woman while behind the wheel of a super-charged sports car he could barely control. Homes were burned down, a policeman killed, a fan committed suicide and two band members claimed that Paton raped them. Nervous breakdowns and suicide attempts were commonplace. One band member was convicted of possessing child pornography and accused of sex with a 13-year-old.
Band members became hooked on drugs, and their fall was almost as rapid as their rise, leaving them penniless and emotionally destroyed. Three years after they fired Paton in 1979 he was finally imprisoned, convicted of gross indecency with teenage boys.
Predictably, the millions of pounds promised by Paton simply disappeared. The band spent a decade in litigation with Sony Records. Paton, who died in 2009, emerged from eventual imprisonment for gross indecency to become a major gangster who ran a huge drug business. The legacy of one of pop's cruellest scandals is still being felt. When The Screaming Stops – a milestone of relentless investigative writing and uncompromising exposure – is hardly a comfortable read but today more than ever it's an essential one.
That such exploitation could have happened to one of the world’s most famous boy bands is a brutal reminder that conspiracies of silence about sexual exploitation were once the norm in the music and entertainment business.
When The Screaming Stops is a no-holds-barred exposé of sex, drugs and financial mismanagement based on over 500 hours of interviews with many of The Bay City Rollers’ closest associates, including former band members.
* Includes previously unseen photographs
‘An impressive work with some truly fantastic set pieces’ Johnny Rogan, author, Starmakers and Svengalis
‘Unrelenting behind-the-scenes darkness’ Bookseller
‘Lifts the lid on the squeaky clean 70s teenyboppers’ Writing
For the first time, former lovers, band members, and record industry insiders have been interviewed to build up the shocking story of the boy band that became immersed in the cult-like world of their Svengali, Tam Paton, a man who oversaw a culture of stalking, sackings, routine sexual abuse and career-furthering prostitution.
Former band leader Paton controlled his charges and promoted them as clean-living teetotalers while subjecting them to various forms of sexual abuse. In Paton, the industry cliché of the manipulative and venal pop manager found its most grotesque expression.
Dazzled by sudden global fame and corrupted by Paton’s unquenchable sexual appetites, The Bay City Rollers soon became part of his world of depravity, victimhood, crime and psychosis.
Tragedies bedevilled every aspect of The Bay City Rollers' career. A 12-year-old girl was left brain damaged in an accident outside Paton's fortified home. A 15-year-old was shot in the head at the home of the lead singer, Les McKeown, who only months earlier had knocked over and killed a woman while behind the wheel of a super-charged sports car he could barely control. Homes were burned down, a policeman killed, a fan committed suicide and two band members claimed that Paton raped them. Nervous breakdowns and suicide attempts were commonplace. One band member was convicted of possessing child pornography and accused of sex with a 13-year-old.
Band members became hooked on drugs, and their fall was almost as rapid as their rise, leaving them penniless and emotionally destroyed. Three years after they fired Paton in 1979 he was finally imprisoned, convicted of gross indecency with teenage boys.
Predictably, the millions of pounds promised by Paton simply disappeared. The band spent a decade in litigation with Sony Records. Paton, who died in 2009, emerged from eventual imprisonment for gross indecency to become a major gangster who ran a huge drug business. The legacy of one of pop's cruellest scandals is still being felt. When The Screaming Stops – a milestone of relentless investigative writing and uncompromising exposure – is hardly a comfortable read but today more than ever it's an essential one.
That such exploitation could have happened to one of the world’s most famous boy bands is a brutal reminder that conspiracies of silence about sexual exploitation were once the norm in the music and entertainment business.
When The Screaming Stops is a no-holds-barred exposé of sex, drugs and financial mismanagement based on over 500 hours of interviews with many of The Bay City Rollers’ closest associates, including former band members.
* Includes previously unseen photographs
‘An impressive work with some truly fantastic set pieces’ Johnny Rogan, author, Starmakers and Svengalis
‘Unrelenting behind-the-scenes darkness’ Bookseller
‘Lifts the lid on the squeaky clean 70s teenyboppers’ Writing
- GenresMusicBiographyNonfiction
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1765
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 30, 2024
I started out life as an ardent Beatles fan (because of my older brother), but as I grew older I discovered some bands on my own. My next musical crush was the Scottish band The Bay City Rollers. In the late seventies I was transitioning to high school and connected with some new friends who were also Rollers fans. Coincidentally, they were also Beatles fans. We would buy all the teen publications like 16 Magazine and Tiger Beat that had color pages and posters of The Bay City Rollers to hang on our bedroom walls. We all had our favorite band members. Mine was Eric Faulkner, the lead guitarist who had the most arresting, large blue eyes rimmed with thick dark lashes. I still think he's the most handsome guy I've ever seen. My other two friends liked the lead singer, Leslie McKeown. I still remember walking to my local small record shop to buy the album "Dedication" on release day, excitedly bringing it home. My brother indulged me and let me come down to his inner sanctum in the basement where he had a top notch stereo system to play it. The Rollers had a new Irish band member named Ian Mitchell who was on the cover. Later on, I would find out that the Rollers had albums released in the United Kingdom that varied from the US versions with totally different songs and album names. Of course, I went back to my little record shop and had them order those imports for me, gladly handing over my meager savings from my part-time job at a five and dime store. Eventually, my girl friends and I transitioned once again into focusing on another band....KISS! But in truth, I never lost my love for the music of The Bay City Rollers, or for ERIC. I still have all my original Bay City Rollers albums, and in some cases have duplicates because when one of my friends moved away to get married she unloaded her BCR record collection on me. I also have their entire record catalogue on CD and put them on my iPods. When I first became a BCR fan I purchased a biography written by their manager Tam Paton, a paperback from around 1976 which I still have. Before the advent of kindles in my life, I also purchased and read BCR singer Les McKeown's autobiography plus a great memoir written by a fan, Caroline Sullivan, who wangled her way into their inner circle and even one of the Rollers' beds. But, I've never read a mammoth BCR biography like this one. It really dug into the weeds of their whole story, delved so deeply into the evolution of the band's lineups, recordings, touring, business lawsuits, and the sexual depravities of their band manager Tam Paton. I owned this biography on kindle for several years, but finally decided to read it as a "comfort read" when I was frustrated with some books I was reading. This was a bedtime read that I dipped into every night where I didn't have to keep track of fictional characters or follow storylines. However, it became less of a comfort read at times because The Bay City Rollers story is actually a tragic one when you consider how they were massively ripped off financially (much like Badfinger) after giving so much of themselves as performers. This was a very detailed, deep dive into business dealings, lawsuits, and their disgusting band manager who would lure young boys/teenagers into his home, make drugs and alcohol readily available, and prey upon them sexually. Late in life lead BCR singer Les McKeown finally admitted that Tam Paton raped him and he tried the same on a brief BCR band member Pat McGlynn who repeatedly tried to file charges against him in the Scottish legal system. This has to be the most comprehensive book I've read to date about The Bay City Rollers.
October 24, 2016
I am not a fan of the Bay City Rollers though I have always had a soft spot for their classic singles, and I was a young teenager during the glory years of Rollermania. The thought that they had a “dark history” hadn’t really occurred to me. I enjoy music biographies and, what I’d discovered about 'When the Screaming Stops: The Dark History of the Bay City Rollers' by Simon Spence convinced me it was worth a read.
It’s easy to forget just how massive the Rollers were. The prologue relates a BBC Radio 1 fun day on 18 May 1975, that sounds anything but fun, and which took place at Mallory Park racetrack near Leicester. The event was inundated with hysterical fans of the Bay City Rollers who ran across a race track whilst a race was in progress and then plunged into a lake to try to get to the band who were in a boat. Needless to say it was not always so. Simon Spence does a good job of covering the early years during the 1960s and early 1970s when manager Tam Paton tried to get the Rollers (and a few other bands) off the ground. Paton worked tirelessly on getting gigs and driving the group all over Scotland and England.
The hard work finally paid off and the band were soon one of the biggest in Britain, and across the world. The Rollers were one of the few British bands of the era to achieve notable success in the USA. The band were at their commercial peak between 1974 and 1977, and this era was characterised by a punishing work schedule and manager Tam Paton exerting a tight control on every aspect of the group’s day-to-day life.
Manager Tam Paton, was a very controlling manager, strong and scary, and a homosexual with a penchant for teenagers and young men. Paton tightly controlled the band and promoted them as clean living teetotalers while subjecting them to various forms of sexual abuse. His managerial shortcomings did not end there. He was hopelessly out of his depth when it came to contracts and finances, which resulted in he and the band only earning a fraction of what should have been due to them.
Three years after the Rollers fired Tom Paton in 1979 he was also finally imprisoned, convicted of gross indecency with teenage boys. The final section of this book covers Paton’s post Rollers years during which he was an Edinburgh landlord and drug dealer. Since his death in 2009 he has also been accused of being part of a paedophile ring which also included a celebrities, politicians, judges, police etc. The final focus on Paton was overlong and went into unnecessary detail. He was a key figure in the band’s history but, as his direct involvement stopped in 1979, the wealth of detail on his life during the 1990s and 2000s felt far less relevant to the story of the Bay City Rollers.
Paton’s abuse and mismanagement was just the start of decades of negative consequences for the Bay City Rollers. Just as you could argue that Pete Best probably has had the happiest life of all The Beatles, so it is with the members of the Rollers who got turfed out before fame (with the exception of original singer Nobby Clark who was dispensed with as the Rollers were on the cusp of fame. Clark drifted into drug and gambling addiction though is happily recovered now).
Tragedy was never far away for the Bay City Rollers. A 12 year old girl was left brain damaged in an accident outside Paton's fortified home. A 15 year old was shot in the head at the home of the lead singer, Les McKeown, who only months earlier had knocked over and killed a woman while behind the wheel of his new sports car. Drummer Derek was convicted of possessing child pornography and accused of sex with a 13 year old Portuguese boy. Band members became drug addicts, and their fall was as rapid as their rise, leaving them penniless and damaged.
It’s an absorbing and well researched book however I have three criticisms:
I’ve already mentioned the first, the overlong final section on Tam Paton’s drug dealing and sleazy post-band life.
The second is the lack of proof reading - there's numerous typos, and a number of the quotes get used more than once, presumably because Simon Spence forgot he'd already used them before. I have the impression of a well researched book that was written in a bit of a hurry. And, little things, like Ian Dury getting called Ian Drury is just plain sloppy.
Thirdly, I'd take issue with Spence's complete dismissal of the Voxx, Ricochet and Elevator albums, at least in terms of any comment on the quality of the music. I'm amazed by these albums. Unrecognisable from the "glory years". As Dave Thompson states in his Allmusic review of Voxx, the Rollers had thoroughly reinvented themselves, someplace between classic Raspberries and the reborn Searchers; tight melodies and driving harmonies are their stock in trade, courtesy of an in-house writing machine that will astonish anyone who drifts into this stage of the band's career by mistake. He's spot on. I'm not suggesting they're classics, but they show there was genuine writing talent in the band and, as part of the narrative is how the band were trapped in their teeny bopper image, this is worthy of serious exploration, instead of which Spence barely mentions it and those remarks he does make are very dismissive.
Overall, 'When the Screaming Stops: The Dark History of the Bay City Rollers' is a fascinating book but the numerous errors, repetitions, and the overlong final section on Paton, let it down.
It’s easy to forget just how massive the Rollers were. The prologue relates a BBC Radio 1 fun day on 18 May 1975, that sounds anything but fun, and which took place at Mallory Park racetrack near Leicester. The event was inundated with hysterical fans of the Bay City Rollers who ran across a race track whilst a race was in progress and then plunged into a lake to try to get to the band who were in a boat. Needless to say it was not always so. Simon Spence does a good job of covering the early years during the 1960s and early 1970s when manager Tam Paton tried to get the Rollers (and a few other bands) off the ground. Paton worked tirelessly on getting gigs and driving the group all over Scotland and England.
The hard work finally paid off and the band were soon one of the biggest in Britain, and across the world. The Rollers were one of the few British bands of the era to achieve notable success in the USA. The band were at their commercial peak between 1974 and 1977, and this era was characterised by a punishing work schedule and manager Tam Paton exerting a tight control on every aspect of the group’s day-to-day life.
Manager Tam Paton, was a very controlling manager, strong and scary, and a homosexual with a penchant for teenagers and young men. Paton tightly controlled the band and promoted them as clean living teetotalers while subjecting them to various forms of sexual abuse. His managerial shortcomings did not end there. He was hopelessly out of his depth when it came to contracts and finances, which resulted in he and the band only earning a fraction of what should have been due to them.
Three years after the Rollers fired Tom Paton in 1979 he was also finally imprisoned, convicted of gross indecency with teenage boys. The final section of this book covers Paton’s post Rollers years during which he was an Edinburgh landlord and drug dealer. Since his death in 2009 he has also been accused of being part of a paedophile ring which also included a celebrities, politicians, judges, police etc. The final focus on Paton was overlong and went into unnecessary detail. He was a key figure in the band’s history but, as his direct involvement stopped in 1979, the wealth of detail on his life during the 1990s and 2000s felt far less relevant to the story of the Bay City Rollers.
Paton’s abuse and mismanagement was just the start of decades of negative consequences for the Bay City Rollers. Just as you could argue that Pete Best probably has had the happiest life of all The Beatles, so it is with the members of the Rollers who got turfed out before fame (with the exception of original singer Nobby Clark who was dispensed with as the Rollers were on the cusp of fame. Clark drifted into drug and gambling addiction though is happily recovered now).
Tragedy was never far away for the Bay City Rollers. A 12 year old girl was left brain damaged in an accident outside Paton's fortified home. A 15 year old was shot in the head at the home of the lead singer, Les McKeown, who only months earlier had knocked over and killed a woman while behind the wheel of his new sports car. Drummer Derek was convicted of possessing child pornography and accused of sex with a 13 year old Portuguese boy. Band members became drug addicts, and their fall was as rapid as their rise, leaving them penniless and damaged.
It’s an absorbing and well researched book however I have three criticisms:
I’ve already mentioned the first, the overlong final section on Tam Paton’s drug dealing and sleazy post-band life.
The second is the lack of proof reading - there's numerous typos, and a number of the quotes get used more than once, presumably because Simon Spence forgot he'd already used them before. I have the impression of a well researched book that was written in a bit of a hurry. And, little things, like Ian Dury getting called Ian Drury is just plain sloppy.
Thirdly, I'd take issue with Spence's complete dismissal of the Voxx, Ricochet and Elevator albums, at least in terms of any comment on the quality of the music. I'm amazed by these albums. Unrecognisable from the "glory years". As Dave Thompson states in his Allmusic review of Voxx, the Rollers had thoroughly reinvented themselves, someplace between classic Raspberries and the reborn Searchers; tight melodies and driving harmonies are their stock in trade, courtesy of an in-house writing machine that will astonish anyone who drifts into this stage of the band's career by mistake. He's spot on. I'm not suggesting they're classics, but they show there was genuine writing talent in the band and, as part of the narrative is how the band were trapped in their teeny bopper image, this is worthy of serious exploration, instead of which Spence barely mentions it and those remarks he does make are very dismissive.
Overall, 'When the Screaming Stops: The Dark History of the Bay City Rollers' is a fascinating book but the numerous errors, repetitions, and the overlong final section on Paton, let it down.
Read
May 18, 2017bummer, man
May 15, 2021
I lived through Rollermania, was an ardent fan, lived the hype. This book has wiped out the dream and shows how a fantasy is woven.. Its clear that what was going on was pretty clear yet nothing was done about it, how did Paton get away with what he did? As for the Rollers, the rose coloured glasses are off, I absolutely loved Woody, who proved to be a tell tale and a crawler. I admire the Rollers who spoke out, never really like Les but he did speak out. The swindle was abominable but basically after all the lies and deceit, it seems like a form of karma. The female fans were disrespected, Paton used them little or no care for if they were injured, in fact it was often set up, for publicity purposes. By no means is this a rare case , I believe this goes on. Many cases paid off by high profile money speaks kind of people. The legendary casting couch has another slant in this business. My love affair with the Bay City Rollers is at an end, to think I was deceived by this sordid set up Bye Bye Rollers.
October 6, 2016
I was a huge BCR fan in the late 70's and if I read this book as THAT young fan, I can honestly say that I am horrified at all the stuff that was going on behind my young 14 year old back! I remember seeing the Rollers at the CNE show in Toronto on August 22, 1977 and how fascinated and enthralled I was by it all and by them. But now, reading this book, I was obviously clueless about all the pain, all the stupidity and all the drugs and sex my "heroes" were obviously living through. I am happy that I was so innocent about them back then (thank god there was no Internet to remove my rose colored glasses) because I can think back on that time with fondness, unlike the Rollers apparently.
Having said all that, reading this biography as an adult has brought out a variety of emotions in me. Firstly, I guess I have to say that I cannot believe just how manipulated and used the Rollers ended up being. I mean, these guys had the most horrific luck with the people they met- it seems every single person in their path was out to cheat them. I never realized just how bad it truly was. These guys made millions and saw very little of it.
However, over the years, I had heard that they had NO money at all, but this is obviously not true as they did benefit (somewhat) from their fame - trips around the world, buying properties and cars and tons and tons of drugs. Granted, considering how popular they were, they should have been beyond rich - if they hadn't been cheated, but what money they did have - they simply let slip through their fingers, especially when they were trying to "rekindle" their dead careers (living in hotels for month on end), etc. when they clearly should not have been doing it.
For me, the saddest part of this story is definitely how they kept trying to find ways to resurrect their dead careers and nothing ever worked - I admire how dedicated they were, yet, at the same time, what else were they going to do? its not like they had any other skills.
Finally - and this is, of course, the "spoiler" parts that we had only heard bits and pieces of through the years - the drugs, the sex with each other, as well as groupies and the sexual identify. The author does go on quite a lot about these big reveals and can I just say Tam was a friggin PIG! You have to wonder if the Rollers discovered their sexuality on their own or because of the horrendous things Paton did to them. What followed was a nightmare for all of them that even addiction could not help.
As for the book itself - Spence has an odd way of writing - it feels almost robotic and is not helped by the fact that none of the Rollers were willing to speak with him for this book. So, the story is full of very well researched facts (which I have no doubt are real), but it lacks any kind of warmth. We get to hear about the abuse, the drugs, the manipulation, but it sits there on the page strangely without emotion. I guess that is a problem with biographies -vs- memoirs. At least, with memoirs, you will find text such as "my thoughts at that moment were or my feelings for this event were" - there is none of this in this book.
This book is a brick (over 500 pages) and at times, it feels as though it repeats, while at other times, it feels like it doesn't go into enough detail. There are also some crucial missing points - we go from Les being "single" to several pages later hearing mention of his wife and young son. Really? I would have liked to hear about Les meeting his future bride, where/how? There is nothing. For a biography on the band, there is strangely very little "personal" information on them. I still don't even know if Eric is married, divorced, has kids.....there are some important facts missing here.
Also, the author seems to back off, at crucial moments in the book. He mentions SEVERAL times how "some" of the Rollers were found with Paton in bed, etc. Yet, he never comes clean and mention names. This is a tell all book - so alluding to situations and then chickening out at the eleventh hour is not appreciated. Ditto, other events he "teases" about, but never seems to find the guts to fully disclose.
The author does an amazing job of describing the music world - he is obviously very comfortable in that environment and he helped me better understand all the situations the Rollers were put in.
Finally, this book made me angry - in some ways, I felt for the Rollers, I really did and in other ways, I wanted to smack them upside the head and tell them to "get their shit together". The Rollers were and STILL ARE their own worst enemies. Huge egos, lack of a true understanding of their talent and limitations and a slew of other issues are preventing them STILL TODAY from putting their differences aside to capitalize on the fact that they are still loved by many and that their music is still floating around.
Its hard to feel too sorry for the Rollers in the end.
Having said all that, reading this biography as an adult has brought out a variety of emotions in me. Firstly, I guess I have to say that I cannot believe just how manipulated and used the Rollers ended up being. I mean, these guys had the most horrific luck with the people they met- it seems every single person in their path was out to cheat them. I never realized just how bad it truly was. These guys made millions and saw very little of it.
However, over the years, I had heard that they had NO money at all, but this is obviously not true as they did benefit (somewhat) from their fame - trips around the world, buying properties and cars and tons and tons of drugs. Granted, considering how popular they were, they should have been beyond rich - if they hadn't been cheated, but what money they did have - they simply let slip through their fingers, especially when they were trying to "rekindle" their dead careers (living in hotels for month on end), etc. when they clearly should not have been doing it.
For me, the saddest part of this story is definitely how they kept trying to find ways to resurrect their dead careers and nothing ever worked - I admire how dedicated they were, yet, at the same time, what else were they going to do? its not like they had any other skills.
Finally - and this is, of course, the "spoiler" parts that we had only heard bits and pieces of through the years - the drugs, the sex with each other, as well as groupies and the sexual identify. The author does go on quite a lot about these big reveals and can I just say Tam was a friggin PIG! You have to wonder if the Rollers discovered their sexuality on their own or because of the horrendous things Paton did to them. What followed was a nightmare for all of them that even addiction could not help.
As for the book itself - Spence has an odd way of writing - it feels almost robotic and is not helped by the fact that none of the Rollers were willing to speak with him for this book. So, the story is full of very well researched facts (which I have no doubt are real), but it lacks any kind of warmth. We get to hear about the abuse, the drugs, the manipulation, but it sits there on the page strangely without emotion. I guess that is a problem with biographies -vs- memoirs. At least, with memoirs, you will find text such as "my thoughts at that moment were or my feelings for this event were" - there is none of this in this book.
This book is a brick (over 500 pages) and at times, it feels as though it repeats, while at other times, it feels like it doesn't go into enough detail. There are also some crucial missing points - we go from Les being "single" to several pages later hearing mention of his wife and young son. Really? I would have liked to hear about Les meeting his future bride, where/how? There is nothing. For a biography on the band, there is strangely very little "personal" information on them. I still don't even know if Eric is married, divorced, has kids.....there are some important facts missing here.
Also, the author seems to back off, at crucial moments in the book. He mentions SEVERAL times how "some" of the Rollers were found with Paton in bed, etc. Yet, he never comes clean and mention names. This is a tell all book - so alluding to situations and then chickening out at the eleventh hour is not appreciated. Ditto, other events he "teases" about, but never seems to find the guts to fully disclose.
The author does an amazing job of describing the music world - he is obviously very comfortable in that environment and he helped me better understand all the situations the Rollers were put in.
Finally, this book made me angry - in some ways, I felt for the Rollers, I really did and in other ways, I wanted to smack them upside the head and tell them to "get their shit together". The Rollers were and STILL ARE their own worst enemies. Huge egos, lack of a true understanding of their talent and limitations and a slew of other issues are preventing them STILL TODAY from putting their differences aside to capitalize on the fact that they are still loved by many and that their music is still floating around.
Its hard to feel too sorry for the Rollers in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2017
Heartbreaking
I have been a Rollermaniac since I was 13 and I still love them. Over the years finding out the hell they went through is heartbreaking and horrific. I never liked Tam Paton and this book proves me right. What a horrible man that took his greed over his responsibilities as a manager. The Rollers got their fans but lost out in millions of royalties. There is no true justice in this world but the Rollers deserve it. To know that they suffered this turmoil just to make music is so unfair. I have loved them since SATURDAY NIGHT and always will!! To understand how their lives have changed from being Scottish lads to adult men who are traumatized from people who were supposed to protect them and inner turmoil in between group members that couldn't or wouldn't get along is so sad. They had it all and lost it all because they trusted the wrong people. I hope that one day their story changes into a happy ending story for they truly deserve it. What a wonderful book. It makes you appreciate your life, I know it did mine. Long Live the Bay City Rollers!!!
I have been a Rollermaniac since I was 13 and I still love them. Over the years finding out the hell they went through is heartbreaking and horrific. I never liked Tam Paton and this book proves me right. What a horrible man that took his greed over his responsibilities as a manager. The Rollers got their fans but lost out in millions of royalties. There is no true justice in this world but the Rollers deserve it. To know that they suffered this turmoil just to make music is so unfair. I have loved them since SATURDAY NIGHT and always will!! To understand how their lives have changed from being Scottish lads to adult men who are traumatized from people who were supposed to protect them and inner turmoil in between group members that couldn't or wouldn't get along is so sad. They had it all and lost it all because they trusted the wrong people. I hope that one day their story changes into a happy ending story for they truly deserve it. What a wonderful book. It makes you appreciate your life, I know it did mine. Long Live the Bay City Rollers!!!
July 10, 2018
Not a fan of the rollers in the slightest but I’m old enough to remember them. Always classed them as a naff group. But this book is a complete eye opener. I never paid any attention to the rollers whenever they were in the news over the years. But this book is a complete education on how a group of young lads were used and abused and completely ripped off by the monsters in the music world. Parts of the book are a little tedious but in equal measures shocking and enthralling. It’s not really a surprise in this day and age but back in the day really horrendous how many predatory disgusting individuals who are very powerful people get to ruin people’s lives
January 15, 2017
Tam book?
More about Tam Paton than about the Rollers. Interesting in parts, disjointed in others. A Roller fan may enjoy it, or may be sorry they spent so much time reading about Tam.
More about Tam Paton than about the Rollers. Interesting in parts, disjointed in others. A Roller fan may enjoy it, or may be sorry they spent so much time reading about Tam.
January 15, 2017
shocking read
June 11, 2017
The definitive book on Tam Paton, but still not the definitive book on the BCR.
October 11, 2021
Having been a fan of the group as a youngster, this book actually set a few things straight for me that I had heard over the years through third parties, fans who got close to individual band members, and things I sort of had a "feeling" about. A great many things cannot be blamed on the individual band members as they suffered a great deal at the hands of a man who should have been jailed years ago for the things he said and did, but at the same time, choices by all involved were made and good or bad, things happened. I doubt very much that the vast majority of things that happened back then would be allowed to happen in this day and age, but then again, who's to truly say?
I feel for each member who suffered the mental, physical, and psychological abuse under Paton's "watch". Each one should have had some sort of help from a medical professional in order to properly deal with it at some point in their lives. (Where was Dr. Phil when they could have used him?) But I think it's the scandalous swindling and underhanded robbery of the band members' portion of royalties that is alarming. Paton was clearly a dirty, rotten scoundrel and a con man at his best. A lying pedophile at his worst. If you can actually label such traits in a 'best' or 'worst' category. I quite frankly find him a disgusting human being for what he did. Such a shame nothing could have been done to bring him to justice so much sooner.
I feel for each member who suffered the mental, physical, and psychological abuse under Paton's "watch". Each one should have had some sort of help from a medical professional in order to properly deal with it at some point in their lives. (Where was Dr. Phil when they could have used him?) But I think it's the scandalous swindling and underhanded robbery of the band members' portion of royalties that is alarming. Paton was clearly a dirty, rotten scoundrel and a con man at his best. A lying pedophile at his worst. If you can actually label such traits in a 'best' or 'worst' category. I quite frankly find him a disgusting human being for what he did. Such a shame nothing could have been done to bring him to justice so much sooner.
June 22, 2025
What a Read
I grew up a Bay City Roller fan. My first concert was in Portland, August 1977. It was during the It’s a Game tour. I also saw them in the 80’s at The Roxy when they played three nights in a row. That was when Duncan was the lead singer and I cried hearing the song Life on the Radio from the album Voxx.
I remember the music fondly, still listen to it and even at the time, we fans knew something was going on within the band. Rumors about the manager were everywhere.
To read this broke my heart. While we knew about a lot of it, there was a lot we didn’t know. The abuse, the terror they endured.
I was fortunate to have met them during The Roxy shows and they were all kind and friendly.
Later, during the Karu days, I was fortunate to have attended shows at the numerous L.A. clubs like The Palomino and The Rum Runner in Redondo Beach. Duncan and Woods were friendly and accommodating. Some of my best memories ever that I’ll always cherish. Both gentlemen.
I bought this book wondering if I should, knowing I’d be reading about things I maybe didn’t want to know. After reading it all in one day, I’m glad I did. Not for the faint hearted.
I grew up a Bay City Roller fan. My first concert was in Portland, August 1977. It was during the It’s a Game tour. I also saw them in the 80’s at The Roxy when they played three nights in a row. That was when Duncan was the lead singer and I cried hearing the song Life on the Radio from the album Voxx.
I remember the music fondly, still listen to it and even at the time, we fans knew something was going on within the band. Rumors about the manager were everywhere.
To read this broke my heart. While we knew about a lot of it, there was a lot we didn’t know. The abuse, the terror they endured.
I was fortunate to have met them during The Roxy shows and they were all kind and friendly.
Later, during the Karu days, I was fortunate to have attended shows at the numerous L.A. clubs like The Palomino and The Rum Runner in Redondo Beach. Duncan and Woods were friendly and accommodating. Some of my best memories ever that I’ll always cherish. Both gentlemen.
I bought this book wondering if I should, knowing I’d be reading about things I maybe didn’t want to know. After reading it all in one day, I’m glad I did. Not for the faint hearted.
June 11, 2020
According to my ebook reader, I was about 23% of the way through this book when I gave up. Way too long and confusing, slow, too many names and false starts, to little sign of any narrative. I liked the Bay City Rollers when I was 6 or 7 - they were the first band that I was ever aware of - so I have some nostalgia for them, but my interest was strong enough to carry me through this mess of a book. I don't know if it got better, but unfortunately, I will never know.
February 24, 2020
There was just too much information in this book which read more like a series of salacious complex tabloid articles. The comings and goings did my head in recorded did my head in and I kind of lost the plot. It did give me some insights into the genesis and life of the band and what I suspected was the reality behind the scenes but it was a hard read.
April 10, 2021
This book was so, so long. I've never read so many pages and walked away with more questions than answers. And far too much Tam Paton. Nearly 70 pages of his life after the BCR fired him, the last 25 of which I skipped. The Rollers lack of getting paid for their work was part of their story but their finances played far too big a role in this book. Disappointing read.
July 27, 2021
I was an avid fan of the Bay City Rollers as a teen. Their music (an the guys themselves) got me through some rough times. I made friends that I still have today. I am not sure how I feel about this book. The author did not interview any of the Rollers themselves. I’m not impressed. I guess to each his own. I prefer to hang on to the memories I have.
November 13, 2017
This was a pretty good read. Lots of stuff I never knew about that wasn't covered in Bay City Babylon. It did get a bit long on the manager Tam Patton. I came for the Rollers, not the manager.
October 11, 2022
One of the saddest books I have read. The Rollers were the next band after The Osmonds to attract a huge teenage girl following, although I liked them- and so did The Ramones. Of course, they had proven hit song writers in Martin & Coulter, and a good strong lead singer. The others didn't even play their instruments on the records and when they toured, well no-one could hear anything with all that screaming. Ripped off from start to finish, they unraveled at warp speed: a cautionary tale for all those simpletons who thought Cowell & Co were on their side. Spoiler alert- they're not....
August 19, 2019
Having recently finished Alan Longmuir's memoir ("And I Ran With the Gang"), I was in a nostalgic/BCR frame of mind :) & so I immediately plunged into another BCR-related book in my to-read pile.
"When the Screaming Stops: The Dark History of the Bay City Rollers" by Simon Spence is indeed a much darker book. At almost 600 (!!) pages, it is a detailed history of the band (perhaps almost too detailed -- it could have used a good edit) -- from its beginnings in the Longmuir family's living room to the present (the book was published in October 2016). Gigs, tours, recording sessions, television appearances and business deals are described in sometimes exhaustive (and sometimes repetitive) detail.
It's also the rather lurid story of the band's potato salesman-turned-musician-turned manager/Svengali, Tam Paton, and the abuse -- emotional, psychological and sometimes physical (including rape or attempted rape) -- that he inflicted on the band members and others.
It was... interesting -- certainly a very different story from the one I absorbed as a teenager. I've heard some of the stories and accusations about Paton in recent years, and I know the band members have fought bitterly among themselves in recent years. This book brought back some good memories, but also a lot of sadness -- that reality differed so dramatically from the happy image we were presented, that things turned out the way they did, that the band members have so little to show for the millions of records they sold and all they endured. You can't blame them for being bitter, but I'm sad, for them & for us, their fans. All of us deserved better.
A great read about the Rollers, from a fan's perspective, that I read several years back (sent to me by a British penpal from those BCR days!): "Bye Bye Baby: My Tragic Love Affair with the Bay City Rollers" by Caroline Sullivan.
"When the Screaming Stops: The Dark History of the Bay City Rollers" by Simon Spence is indeed a much darker book. At almost 600 (!!) pages, it is a detailed history of the band (perhaps almost too detailed -- it could have used a good edit) -- from its beginnings in the Longmuir family's living room to the present (the book was published in October 2016). Gigs, tours, recording sessions, television appearances and business deals are described in sometimes exhaustive (and sometimes repetitive) detail.
It's also the rather lurid story of the band's potato salesman-turned-musician-turned manager/Svengali, Tam Paton, and the abuse -- emotional, psychological and sometimes physical (including rape or attempted rape) -- that he inflicted on the band members and others.
It was... interesting -- certainly a very different story from the one I absorbed as a teenager. I've heard some of the stories and accusations about Paton in recent years, and I know the band members have fought bitterly among themselves in recent years. This book brought back some good memories, but also a lot of sadness -- that reality differed so dramatically from the happy image we were presented, that things turned out the way they did, that the band members have so little to show for the millions of records they sold and all they endured. You can't blame them for being bitter, but I'm sad, for them & for us, their fans. All of us deserved better.
A great read about the Rollers, from a fan's perspective, that I read several years back (sent to me by a British penpal from those BCR days!): "Bye Bye Baby: My Tragic Love Affair with the Bay City Rollers" by Caroline Sullivan.
February 18, 2017
This was a difficult book for me at times. I was as big a Bay City Rollers fan as you could get in 1977 Germany, considering my parents wouldn't allow me to travel to any of the gigs. I had their music playing nonstop, their posters plastered all over the bedroom, I read BRAVO backwards and forwards and was head over heels in love with Woody who would obviously wake up and see and marry me and live happily ever after. Reading this book now makes me realise that on ever such a small scale I contributed to the life described here, and it does make me feel guilty to a certain degree. Yes, they signed up to it, and all that, but sign up to rape? A lot of the book is about the money and how they've been taken to the cleaners, but if you sit back and look at the whole spectre you must realise how broken they must have been after all that, and maybe still are. Definitely mixed feelings at the end!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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November 12, 2016I'm a second-generation fan of the Rollers, having been introduced to them from a young age by my mom, who was a fan in the 70s. Therefore, I never experienced "Rollermania"...and frankly I don't think I could have handled it!
I will admit I didn't read every word of this book. It lacked a personal feel, since none of the band members actually contributed to it directly; as a result it reads like a behemoth research essay rather than a memoir. I skimmed much of it, stopping to read chunks of information throughout. By all means, it's a tragically sad account of what went on behind the scenes...the things that the band members endured and experienced were horrifying. I appreciate the author's attention to detail, although I think he could have been a little more objective when talking about certain people. I can't say I recommend it, per se; it isn't exactly enjoyable weekend reading. However, if you are or were a fan, and you're curious about what actually went on behind all the glitz and glamour, you'll find out more than you ever wanted to know from this book.
I will admit I didn't read every word of this book. It lacked a personal feel, since none of the band members actually contributed to it directly; as a result it reads like a behemoth research essay rather than a memoir. I skimmed much of it, stopping to read chunks of information throughout. By all means, it's a tragically sad account of what went on behind the scenes...the things that the band members endured and experienced were horrifying. I appreciate the author's attention to detail, although I think he could have been a little more objective when talking about certain people. I can't say I recommend it, per se; it isn't exactly enjoyable weekend reading. However, if you are or were a fan, and you're curious about what actually went on behind all the glitz and glamour, you'll find out more than you ever wanted to know from this book.
November 12, 2016
I was too young to remember the Bay City Rollers, but my cousin was obsessed by them. Obsession seems to have been a common theme as this book analyses and dissects every event and fact with an obsessive glean.
Yet the book is all the better for it, as it tracks the fame and despair, the glamour and the depravity in minute detail. More importantly, it makes you know and learn about the main players as they whirl through the book. An outstanding contribution to recording this brief history in time.
Yet the book is all the better for it, as it tracks the fame and despair, the glamour and the depravity in minute detail. More importantly, it makes you know and learn about the main players as they whirl through the book. An outstanding contribution to recording this brief history in time.
December 11, 2023
What a nightmare these lads went through.
This book is alarming to read and I skipped a few chapters at the end that focused on Tam Paton's sexual depravity.
It is a lurid saga of sex, drugs, greed and non stop screaming fans.
If you read this book your memories of a cute boy band with mega hits will be gone for good.
Their "career" was a shambolic mess from start to finish with emphasis on sham.
You feel sorry for them at times but their own egos made them very unlikeable people.
This book is alarming to read and I skipped a few chapters at the end that focused on Tam Paton's sexual depravity.
It is a lurid saga of sex, drugs, greed and non stop screaming fans.
If you read this book your memories of a cute boy band with mega hits will be gone for good.
Their "career" was a shambolic mess from start to finish with emphasis on sham.
You feel sorry for them at times but their own egos made them very unlikeable people.
March 18, 2017
Lots of facts not much insight. This basically reads like an extended dirt dishing article from a tabloid, trying to be salacious without giving enough information or depth to make the reader care about any of the characters. On a personal note, I think I've read enough about paedophiles from the 1970s. Ugh, please leave my childhood alone.
April 13, 2017
Absorbing
A throughly researched, incredibly well written journey back in time to the Bay city rollers beginning...covering the last 40 years..every sordid nook and cranny turned over. It is one of the most extensive and well researched books I have ever read on any band. I'm not a big bay city rollers fan, but have a fondness for the halcyon days of the seventies..this was such an eye opener..and very sad to think so many youngsters were being exploited by the evil Patton. I was most impressed as to the balanced way the author laid the facts bare without resorting to sugary sentimentality. A difficult book to read at times, but the skill of the authors writing made me continue with it. Fascinating read!
A throughly researched, incredibly well written journey back in time to the Bay city rollers beginning...covering the last 40 years..every sordid nook and cranny turned over. It is one of the most extensive and well researched books I have ever read on any band. I'm not a big bay city rollers fan, but have a fondness for the halcyon days of the seventies..this was such an eye opener..and very sad to think so many youngsters were being exploited by the evil Patton. I was most impressed as to the balanced way the author laid the facts bare without resorting to sugary sentimentality. A difficult book to read at times, but the skill of the authors writing made me continue with it. Fascinating read!
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May 23, 2017Dark and insane journey thru pops murkier side...gripping yet horrific
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January 27, 2018As the title says, very dark, particularly the sexual and psychological impact of their
overbearing/bullying mentor and manager Tam Paton.
overbearing/bullying mentor and manager Tam Paton.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews