The Midnight Special.

At Mojo, I have the illuminating task of perusing video clips, culling from my own taste to whip up something suitable for the Mojo reader. I call upon all of my favorites (as spell check tells me, "favourites!"), including diving through the lofty archives of The Old Grey Whistle Test. Last week led me to another vast catalog(ue) of seventies greatness... The Midnight Special. On this side of the ocean, The Old Grey Whistle Test was lapped up feverishly, as was Don Kirshner's Rock Concert and Midnight Special in the States. Running from 1973 to 1981, the series was created and produced by Burt Sugarman, airing on NBC after The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Sugarman had the distinct pleasure (at least that's what I'd call it!) of being engaged to Ann-Magret in 1962, and produced Celebrity Sweepstakes and The Richard Pryor Show. Still, its his ninety minute musical variety program which I most covet. Named after the traditional folk song, most famously interpreted by Leadbelly, with the show's theme a 1965 Johnny Rivers version of the classic. Music programs had traditionally seen acts lip-sync to prerecorded music, or record live vocals over prerecorded tracks. Midnight Special boasted live performances from a dizzying list of acts, spanning genres while perfectly capturing an era. To even attempt to illustrate Midnight Special's illustrious history would be a task, but I've scoured YouTube for a few of my favourites.





1974 was a make it or break it year for Aerosmith. They had recorded their sophomore release, Get Your Wings, and set off to the road. By 1975, with the release of Toys in the Attic, Aerosmith were a full-blown success story. 1974 saw them striving to reach that point and this clip shows them in action. The band look sensational (Joe Perry's tanned chest, adorned with a bedazzled jean jacket and drug paraphernalia dangling from his neck!) and the performance, while a condensed version of the song, shows why they became what they did.






Though I don't find this particular performance terribly stimulating, the extreme effectiveness of Marvin Gaye's creative output is undeniable. Ed O'Brien of Radiohead and I recently bonded over the incredible, unrivalled brilliance of What's Going On, and just a few weeks ago, I called up Let's Get It On to wind me down after a heady work day. However, what makes this a clip of note is its kitschy allure. The bedazzled jean jumpsuit (taking a page out of Joe Perry's book on the bedazzled jean?) and the leisure-suited backing singers leave me indebted to seventies fashion and the Midnight Special for immortalising such magic.






Though Lowell George's untimely death occurred just two years after this clip was recorded, the Feats are undeniably caught in their prime here. 1969 to 1979 was an incredible time for the band, particularly Lowell George... Better yet, here they're joined by Emmylou Harris (who doesn't seem certain on the words, but flails her arms enthusiastically to overcompensate), Bonnie Raitt and Robbie Robertson protege Jesse Winchester.






In the vein of pretty ladies who can croon, 1973 saw Linda Ronstadt hit Midnight Special with a shattering rendition of Long, Long Time. I've always felt the country-tinged ballads were the best showcases of her vocal capability in her early career, when she so frequently immersed herself in spunky covers and Eagles-esque "country rock". 






Oh... JB, JB, JB. Wolfman Jack gives a glowing introduction to the man himself and accurate it damn well is. This performance does not even come close to encapsulating the near manic energy of a great James Brown performance (I would slay to see the man in his day), but the combination of James Brown and Midnight Special is particularly grand. Follow this up with a savage YouTube/James Brown party, as I just did.






Here the Faces tackle Rod's solo hit You Wear It Well. He and Ronnie Wood do a bit of endearing gymnastics, but still, if I'm not mistaken, this is the last Faces concert. It does succeed in capturing the band's primal yet infectious attitude. Don't you totally want to party with the Faces? Except maybe Tetsu?






I have such an affinity for crazed and simultaneously genius musicians. Sly Stone lives that stereotype to a T. This is 1973, he has not even reached his full wild potential, but when he breaks into devious laughter and mindless mumbles, you know you're getting the full Sly experience. The strange similarities between Sly and Jimmy Page's dress sense are just dawning on me. Sparkly cosmic goodness.




I love blatantly dated video clips. Next up, Playboy After Dark?
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