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Product Description
Product Description
"Shang-A-Lang" is the personal story of the rise and fall of the Bay City Rollers. A no-holds-barred account of Rollermania and beyond, the book provides a candid insight into the less savoury aspects of the music industry. In 1973, at the age of 18, Les McKeown became the lead singer of the Bay City Rollers, at that stage a one-hit-wonder pop group on the verge of giving up. His charismatic personality transformed the Rollers into an international super-group and, over the next few years, they consistently reached Number 1 all over the world, selling an estimated 300 million records and gaining a massive following. McKeown was the catalyst for worldwide mass hysteria not witnessed since the days of Beatlemania. By 1975 he was the most adored man on the planet. Four years later he was all washed up, homeless and penniless after quitting the band. "Shang-A-Lang" reveals the fascinating story of the lad from the back streets of Edinburgh whose dream came true, and how that dream was shattered. It tells the truth about the scandalous behaviour of the boy band marketed as squeaky clean, the wrangles that led to Les leaving the band, and traces his subsequent solo career. Les McKeown's life has been one of contrasting extremes: immense wealth followed by near destitution; mass adoration on the one hand and contempt on the other. He lived in a world where fantasy and reality come together and it is sometimes hard to distinguish one from the other. "Shang-A-Lang" takes a revealing journey through the many ups and downs in the life of one of the music industry's bona fide survivors.
About the Author
Les McKeown was the frontman in the Bay City Rollers between '73 and '78. He still performs today in his own right and is also a DJ Before becoming a full-time author, Lynne Elliott was a marketing and PR consultant, and has known and worked with Les McKeown for many years.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shang-A-Lang, Life as an International Pop Idol,
By xzzbzz (Netherlands) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Shang-a-lang: Life as an International Pop Idol (Hardcover)
As an ex-BCR fan (although I must admit that I am once again catching the fever), I really looked forward to reading this book. I treated myself to its serialisation in the Edinburgh Evening News online and once it arrived, I finished Les' story in 2 sittings, burning the midnight oil. Being a fervent former admirer of Eric AND Les, it was a let-down to know that there is no love lost between them. This hit me much harder than the confirmation that the boys partook of sex and drugs in addition to rock & roll. My innocence is definitely gone, although at age 37, I assumed that they were not the choirboys their image made them out to be, and they were actually very naive in many ways. When I was 10-11-12, they seemed so big and grown up to me, when most of them were actually still in their teens and painfully young. This book is a must for fans and any young hopefuls out there who dream of a career in music. Les is very articulate and not at all wary of telling it like it is. His story has many faces and can be poignant as well as funny and sad. Les is a survivor who doesn't take himself seriously and there's an endearing self-deprecating tone throughout the whole book. Enjoy!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shang A Lang My Life as an International Pop Idol,
By wendy peters (Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Shang-a-lang: Life as an International Pop Idol (Hardcover)
I had this book shipped to me from England as it is not available in Australia yet.I thought it was a fantastic read and gave a lot of insight into I thought Les Mac was quite sincere in telling his story and I guess it would be nice to hear the other side also. I was lucky enough to have my book signed by Les whilst he was here touring Oz and to meet the guy and what a lovely person he was. So to any Roller and Les Mac fan out there reading my review go and do yourself a favour and read this book. Cheers All Wendy Peters
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Don't ask, don't tell....,
By Tina "Tina" (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Shang-a-lang: Life as an International Pop Idol (Hardcover)
I, like all buyers of this book, was a HUGE BCR fan. When I found out this book was coming out, I paused before buying to ask myself... "do I REALLY want to know". In the end, I give in and I should not have worried. This book is extremely sugary and glosses over almost everything in the BCR era - with the exception of Les and Eric's intense dislike of each other.A tell-all book about a band should be about specifics concert dates, specific events, specific conversations. This book reads as one long diatribe against ONE member of the group and not much else. Where were the funny stories? (there had to be a few a least?). How about weird experiences with fans (other than "I snuck out of the hotel....), how about "here is how the industry works, etc. I enjoy Les honest portrayal of himself and some of the stories were cute, but after reading this, my teeth hurt from too much glossing over.
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