Who watched “The midnight special” during the 1970s?

They had some incredible musical acts on that show and some awesome life performances. Sure like to buy those on DVD...

Share your memories and post some youtube videos from that TV show.

Here's one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMy8GzeHBGk

What a great set of pipes Linda Ronstadt had, and still has.  She could sing the phone book and it would still sound amazing.

Who watched “The midnight special” during the 1970s?


I was 3 when it went off the air, so no lol

I have watched many clips of it, and what I liked about it was many of the songs the artists sang were hits, but not in the North American Top 40, like Tom Petty doing American Girl or Cheap Trick doing Surrender.  Of courses, those artists were probably on that show as promotion in the hopes those songs would make the Top 40.  Weekly live music shows have always been a favourite of mine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqB9lhHqmsE

You would have loved the show, Jason.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rtY-2ZOt8fM/S1tMEp3rSvI/AAAAAAAAJiM/LkvJbFqsBic/s640/,0000.jpg

I am positive there is a huge market out there for people around my age that would buy lots of these DVDs if available. Even DVDs of each episode, not just "the best of". 
So many of the best acts of the 1970s were on this show.   

You would have loved the show, Jason.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rtY-2ZOt8fM/S1tMEp3rSvI/AAAAAAAAJiM/LkvJbFqsBic/s640/,0000.jpg

I am positive there is a huge market out there for people around my age that would buy lots of these DVDs if available. Even DVDs of each episode, not just "the best of". 
So many of the best acts of the 1970s were on this show.   




There are Best Of sets out there.  I see them in Sam the Record Man all the time.  Complete seasons would be nice

I don't remember The Midnight Special I wasn't even born when it debuted on television and I was 7 years old when it ended.

Here is Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac performing "Rhiannon" back in 1976.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsOkqdRHhoc

What was the reason that Midnight Special had ended in 1981?  ???

What was the reason that Midnight Special had ended in 1981?  ???

According to wiki

"The series was canceled by NBC at the request of Dick Ebersol as part of a deal for him to take over then-ailing Saturday Night Live"

According to wiki

"The series was canceled by NBC at the request of Dick Ebersol as part of a deal for him to take over then-ailing Saturday Night Live"


you mean Saturday Night Live was dying too? ???

you mean Saturday Night Live was dying too? ???


I'm thinking this was just after Belushi, Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman left. That is quite a lot of talent to lose just like that. Then a whole new cast was brought in. Transition period. Things picked up after Eddie Murphy & Joe Piscopo were brought in.

Good topic!

I watched the show once in a great while, but not often.  The Midnight start time was a little late for me most of the time, even as a teenager.  When I did get to watch I enjoyed it a lot.

I have several of the DVDs.

Who watched “The midnight special” during the 1970s?

They had some incredible musical acts on that show and some awesome life performances. Sure like to buy those on DVD...

Share your memories and post some youtube videos from that TV show.

Here's one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMy8GzeHBGk

What a great set of pipes Linda Ronstadt had, and still has.  She could sing the phone book and it would still sound amazing.

I watched it once in a while (when i could sneak downstairs without waking my parents up) I enjoyed it!

I watched it once in a while (when i could sneak downstairs without waking my parents up) I enjoyed it!


We had to watch it in the same manner, when my parents went to bed.

I remember the show but don't ever recall watching it. I'm sure I did a couple of times. I always got the Midnight Special mixed up with Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. It was the same thing-I didn't watch on a regular basis but I'm sure I saw it a couple of times.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DksGi7B5BdM



Cat

I remember the show but don't ever recall watching it. I'm sure I did a couple of times. I always got the Midnight Special mixed up with Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. It was the same thing-I didn't watch on a regular basis but I'm sure I saw it a couple of times.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DksGi7B5BdM



Cat

Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, that's another one I was only able to watch once in a great while.

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Crazy On You - Heart

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Crazy On You - Heart


What a gem! Heart back in 1977.

Couldn't they have continued Midnight Special with 80's music groups? Wasn't Solid Gold around at this time? ???

Couldn't they have continued Midnight Special with 80's music groups? Wasn't Solid Gold around at this time? ???


I think you asked this already...looking for the post. You must have deleted and reposted today.
My answer is : I don't know.

This is what I wrote earlier ""The series was canceled by NBC at the request of Dick Ebersol as part of a deal for him to take over then-ailing Saturday Night Live""

What was their final music group before the show was canceled? ???

Peter Frampton...Show me the way!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_ESRNU-7GY

I think Wolfman Jack was the host, Am I right?  ???

I think Wolfman Jack was the host, Am I right?  ???


He was the host sometimes, and the announcer. Helen Reddy also hosted it.

What was their final music group before the show was canceled? ???

I looked up episodes and the last one I found was 3/27/81...the show continued till the end of the summer.
Yarbrough and Peoples - "Don't Stop the Music" & "Easy Tonight"

Fleetwood Mac ~ RHIANNON

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZI62qNmScc

"This is a song about a witch" - Stevie Nicks  :)

I looked up episodes and the last one I found was 3/27/81...the show continued till the end of the summer.
Yarbrough and Peoples - "Don't Stop the Music" & "Easy Tonight"


What took it's place in the Fall of 1981? ???

Couldn't they have continued Midnight Special with 80's music groups? Wasn't Solid Gold around at this time? ???


Well, the 1980's was a very different period when it comes to music.

Yes, Solid Gold was already around, but it was not really about live performances.  I used to watch that all the time, and I can't think of a single live performance on it, it was either the singers lip-syncing their songs (normally cut down), or dancers dancing around to edited versions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9XFJd1GulI

Sorry, echo effect, sounds just like the record, singing perfectly away from the microphone, fade-out at the end, obviously the record and not live.

And this was also the start of the "Music Video" era, and the birth of MTV.  Why watch some crappy live performance, when you could see orchestrated and choreographed music videos?  Where the songs sounded just like the record, and were perfect every time.

You can just tell when a song is live.  It just sounds to perfect, none of the little changes that made it sound different then the record.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOTr_4Zs_Us

Other factors were probably the death of pretty much all variety shows, as well as the "Disco Backlash".  During the late 1970's Midnight Special went almost all disco, and I think that legacy remained after disco died.  And interestingly enough, when it was cancelled it was replaced by a music video show.

I do remember Rock Concert as well.  Mostly because it was on our local ABC affiliate (Channel 6), so you could tune the FM radio to 87.75 MHz and hear the sound in stereo.  I also often used this trick when watching "ABC Sunday Night Movies".

...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOTr_4Zs_Us
...


This Doobies' performance is on the "1973" best-of DVD of the series.  Here's another one from that DVD:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5fYPz8dKbg

and one more for good measure:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvYODVTHC2I

What took it's place in the Fall of 1981? ???

The series was canceled by NBC at the request of Dick Ebersol as part of a deal for him to take over then-ailing Saturday Night Live.

Two years later, after the conclusion of a run of the Canadian import SCTV Network, The Midnight Special was eventually replaced by the music video show Friday Night Videos, also produced by Ebersol.