''It's a Game'' is an album by the Scottish group

Bay City Rollers The Bay City Rollers are a Scottish pop rock band known for their worldwide teen idol popularity in the 1970s. They have been called the "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh" and one of many acts heralded as the "biggest group since the Beat ...

, issued in the summer of 1977.

Background

''It's a Game'' was the band's fifth original studio album, and featured production by

Harry Maslin Harry Maslin is an American record producer, recording/mixing engineer, and studio owner/designer. In the mid-1970s, he engineered No. 1 hits for Barry Manilow ("Mandy"), and Dionne Warwick & The Spinners (" Then Came You"). As a producer, his ch ...

, fresh off of success with

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

. Despite receiving a

Gold Album Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

certification in the US, the group's popularity had waned considerably since their initial burst of fame, and this and subsequent albums would see diminishing success. In the US the track "

You Made Me Believe in Magic "You Made Me Believe in Magic" is the title of a 1977 international hit single by the Bay City Rollers, taken from their album '' It's a Game''. The recording, a mid-tempo disco-styled pop tune featuring strings and horns, had its greatest impac ...

" was issued as lead single reaching No. 10 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' in August 1977. Outside the US, the track "It's a Game", which had originally been a single in 1973 for British group

String Driven Thing String Driven Thing are a Scottish folk rock band, formed in Glasgow in 1967 and led by married couple Chris and Pauline Adams, with the electric violin of Graham Smith. History Formation String Driven Thing formed in Glasgow in 1967 as a three ...

, was the usual first single off its parent album with Top Ten status achieved in Australia (#9), Austria (#9), Germany (#4), Ireland (#6) and Switzerland (#6) also reaching No. 21 in New Zealand and No. 16 in the UK; in the UK "It's a Game" was the twelfth Bay City Rollers chart hit and the first single of that twelve to peak below the Top Ten. "You Made Me Believe in Magic" was released as a second single in the territories where the "It's a Game" single had been a hit, with "You Made Me Believe in Magic" proving significantly less popular than the precedent single, the relevant peaks for "You Made Me Believe in Magic" being Australia – No. 36, Germany – No. 25, New Zealand – No. 39 and the UK – No. 34, with no chart placing in Austria, Ireland or Switzerland. "You Made Me Believe in Magic" marked the Bay City Rollers' final UK chart appearance. Another track off the ''It's a Game'' album: " The Way I Feel Tonight", was issued as a second single in the US where it marked the Bay City Rollers' final Hot 100 appearance peaking at No. 24; outside the US "The Way I Feel Tonight" was the third single off the album charting in Australia (No. 56) and New Zealand (No. 38). Guitarist Ian Mitchell, present on the ''

Dedication Dedication is the act of consecrating an altar, temple, church, or other sacred building. Feast of Dedication The Feast of Dedication, today Hanukkah, once also called "Feast of the Maccabees," is a Jewish festival observed for eight days fr ...

'' LP, had quit the band in late 1976, to be replaced by Pat McGlynn. McGlynn toured with the group and participated in initial sessions for ''It's a Game'', but was soon dismissed from the band. The finished product showed the Rollers as a four-piece band, McGlynn's contributions apparently not making the final cut. The band would expand to a quintet again in 1978 as founding member

Alan Longmuir Alan Longmuir (20 June 1948 – 2 July 2018) was a Scottish musician and a founding member of the 1970s pop group, the Bay City Rollers. He played the bass guitar in the band whilst his younger brother Derek Longmuir was drummer. Biograp ...

re-joined the fold. ''It's a Game'' was reissued on CD with three bonus tracks in October 2007 ("Are You Cuckoo", "Dedication (Les McKeown Version)" and "The Way I Feel Tonight (single version)".

Track listing

Side One

#"It's a Game" ( Chris Adams) #"

" (Len Boone) #"Don't Let the Music Die" (Eric Faulkner, Stuart Wood) #"Love Power" (Teddy Vann) #" The Way I Feel Tonight" (Harvey Shield)

Side Two

#"Love Fever" (Faulkner, Wood) #"Sweet Virginia" (Faulkner, Wood, Derek Longmuir, Les McKeown, Pat McGlynn) #"Inside a Broken Dream" (Faulkner, Wood, McKeown) #"Dance, Dance, Dance" (Faulkner, Wood) #"

Rebel Rebel "Rebel Rebel" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released in the UK in February 1974 by RCA Records as the lead single from the album ''Diamond Dogs''. Written and produced by Bowie, the song is based around a distinctiv ...

" (

)

Personnel

Eric Faulkner Eric Faulkner (born 21 October 1953 as Eric Falconer) is a guitarist, songwriter and singer, best known as a member of the Scottish pop band, the Bay City Rollers. Faulkner was born at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, Scotland. As a ...

– Guitar, vocals *

Derek Longmuir Derek Longmuir (born 19 March 1951, Edinburgh, Scotland) is a Scottish former drummer and a founding member of the 1970s pop group, Bay City Rollers. His elder brother, Alan Longmuir, played bass guitar in the group. Biography Longmuir was bo ...

– Drums, vocals *

Les McKeown Leslie Richard McKeown (12 November 195520 April 2021) was a Scottish pop singer. He was the lead singer of the Bay City Rollers during their most successful period in the 1970s. Early life McKeown was born in Broomhouse, a suburb close to the ...

– Lead Vocals * Stuart "Woody" Wood – Bass Guitar, vocals

Charts

Singles

References

{{Authority control Bay City Rollers albums 1977 albums Arista Records albums