It’s the kind of story that feels almost too good to be true — a piece of musical history thought to be gone forever, rediscovered half a century later. But this time, it’s real. After 50 years, a lost Bay City Rollers recording has been found — and when fans finally heard its opening notes, many couldn’t hold back their tears.
The discovery was made by accident in early 2025, when a former sound engineer in Edinburgh began sorting through boxes of old studio tapes from the 1970s. Hidden among them, unlabeled and covered in dust, was a reel marked only with the initials “BCR — ’74.”
“I almost threw it away,” the engineer admitted. “It looked like just another rehearsal tape. But when I played it, I froze. I knew that voice instantly — it was Les McKeown.”
What the tape contained left everyone stunned: a never-before-heard studio recording from the Rollers’ early days — a full, finished song that had never been released, never even mentioned in their discography. The track, now confirmed by music historians to be titled “Until the Music Ends,” was recorded shortly before the band’s meteoric rise to global fame.
The song is unmistakably Bay City Rollers — the bright guitars, the handclaps, the soaring harmonies — but there’s something hauntingly different about it. Les’s voice, raw and tender, carries an emotion that feels almost prophetic. The chorus, repeating the line “Don’t let the music fade away,” hits especially hard knowing what would happen years later — the band’s sudden fall, the bitter splits, and the tragic passing of its beloved frontman.
When the recording was officially unveiled online, fans across the world tuned in together. Within minutes, social media filled with messages like “I’m crying right now,” and “It feels like Les is singing straight from heaven.” One longtime fan wrote, “It’s like they’re all back together again — young, alive, and unstoppable.”
Even former band members were overcome with emotion. “I’d forgotten we even did that session,” said guitarist Stuart “Woody” Wood. “But hearing it again… it’s like stepping back into a time when everything was magic. You can hear the youth, the hope — the joy before fame got complicated.”
Plans are now underway to remaster and officially release the track later this year as part of a tribute collection celebrating the band’s legacy. The project, titled Forever Rollers, will also feature rare interviews, photos, and behind-the-scenes memories from their golden years.
For fans, though, this rediscovered song is more than a rare gem — it’s a gift. A bridge across decades. A voice from the past reminding them of who the Bay City Rollers were — and why they mattered.
Because in those long-lost three minutes of melody, the world heard something they thought they’d never hear again:
Les McKeown and the boys — young, wild, and alive — playing their hearts out one last time.