Bilbo Baggins - Dance To The Band (1978)

Bilbo Baggins were formed in Edinburgh in 1972, and included Colin Chisholm on lead vocals, Jimmy Devlin on bass, Gordon Liddle on drums, and Brian Spence and Gordon McIntosh on guitars. They were mostly known by many through their connection to the Bay City Rollers, and they shared the controversial Tam Paton as their manager, but they were in fact a completely different style of band, with their music leaning a lot more towards rock, with a more funky and fuller sound. The Roller connection did initially give them some good openings, but it really was a double-edged sword, as the serious music press did not warm to them, and they were often not included on radio playlists, although local radio stations and Radio Luxembourg were a lot more supportive. Their first few singles stayed frustratingly outside of the Top 50, probably due to lack of national radio play, which meant they did not get to appear on Top Of The Pops and gain the exposure of the then most important music show on TV. After their final split from Tam Paton management they were left with contractual disputes, and 1977 became a very difficult year for them as they tried to get back on track. By 1978 they were signed to Lightning records, but the tide of musical taste had turned away from pop and was embracing punk and New Wave, and so despite a change of image it was now too late for the band to achieve the commercial success they really deserved, although their 1978 single, 'She's Gonna Win', did peak at No. 42 on the UK Singles Chart. In total they released five singles on Polydor between 1974 and 1976, before shortening their name to Bilbo in 1978, and issuing a further four singles for Lightning Records. The band eventually split in 1979, and a 2014 re-union was thwarted by the UK's Intellectual Property Enterprise Court and the Saul Zaentz Company in the United States, which owns the rights to the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, and who objected to their name, saying that it "did not differentiate it clearly enough from the famous hobbit Bilbo"! Hopefully this collection of all their recorded music, bar a forgettable disco version of their last single, will reignite interest in the career of one of the forgotten glam-pop bands of the early 70's.  

Track listing

01 Saturday Night (single 1974)
02 Monday Morning Blues (b-side of 'Saturday Night')
03 The Sha-Na-Na-Na Song (single 1974)
04 Run With The Devil (b-side of 'The Sha-Na-Na-Na Song')
05 Hold Me (single 1975)
06 Dance To The Band (b-side of 'Hold Me')
07 Back Home (single 1976)
08 What's Goin' On (b-side of 'Back Home')
09 It's A Shame (single 1976)
10 Please Sir (b-side of 'It's A Shame')
11 I Can Feel Mad (single 1978)
12 Dole Q Blues (b-side of 'I Can Feel Mad')
13 She's Gonna Win (single as Bilbo 1978)
14 You Wanna Be Your Lover (b-side of 'She's Gonna Win')
15 America (single as Bilbo 1978)
16 He Mustn't Know (b-side of 'America')
17 Don't Blame It On Me (single as Bilbo 1978)