A piece of pure pop history has just resurfaced — and it’s every bit as joyful as fans hoped. Newly discovered 1976 footage shows the Bay City Rollers in the recording studio, laughing, dancing, and goofing around as they laid down vocals for their smash hit “Bye Bye Baby.” The never-before-seen clip, shot on a Super 8 camera by a former crew member, captures the band at the peak of Rollermania — all tartan, smiles, and unstoppable energy.
The short video, uploaded by the cameraman’s family after decades in storage, shows the five young Scots in their element. Les McKeown sways dramatically at the microphone, Derek Longmuir taps a drumstick against a stool in rhythm, and guitarist Stuart “Woody” Wood breaks into a dance between takes. “They couldn’t stay still,” the videographer laughs in a brief voiceover. “Even when the red light was on, they turned the studio into a party.”
For fans, the clip is more than nostalgia — it’s a rare glimpse of the Bay City Rollers unguarded and free. Between their TV appearances and the tidal wave of fame that followed, the public rarely saw them as the teenagers they still were: mischievous, full of laughter, just trying to make music that made people happy.
Music historians point out that “Bye Bye Baby” became one of the band’s most iconic tracks — topping charts across the U.K. and becoming an anthem for an entire generation of fans in tartan scarves. “You can feel the innocence in that song,” says pop culture writer Alison Hart. “This footage proves that energy wasn’t staged — it was who they really were.”
In the video, between bursts of singing, Les shouts, “Come on, let’s do one for real this time!” prompting laughter from the others. At one point, Alan Longmuir pretends to conduct an invisible orchestra, while Eric Faulkner spins in his chair, nearly knocking over a mic stand. “That was the Rollers,” said their former tour manager. “No ego, no polish — just five lads having the time of their lives.”
Fans flooded social media after the video’s release, calling it “a time capsule of pure joy.” One comment summed it up: “They weren’t just recording a song — they were recording happiness itself.”
Nearly fifty years later, the spirit of that moment still shines through — unfiltered, spontaneous, and irresistibly human. Watching the Bay City Rollers laughing their way through “Bye Bye Baby” feels like stepping back into a world where pop was simple, music was magic, and every chorus felt like the start of something beautiful.
In an era before digital perfection, this lost reel reminds us what made the Rollers unforgettable: not just the songs, but the joy behind them — five young dreamers dancing their way into history.