Looking more like a businessman than a rocker, Sugarman pitched a rock and roll variety show to NBC TV and his idea was to feature the hottest music acts and comedians in the industry. The pilot aired on August 19, 1972 with ratings beating the ever-popular The Tonight Show. With NBC's final approval, The Midnight Special debuted on February 2, 1972 running on a Friday night timeslot of 12:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. EST from 1972 to 1981.
Against the concerns of many, stars not only showed up, but performed live to the delight of a packed-out audience (seated on the floor) before three stages set up for the artists. The soothing and recognizable voice of DJ Wolfman Jack became the show's announcer and the show was hosted by different stars, the first shows featuring John Denver and Helen Reddy.
This 6-DVD set of The Midnight Special includes performances by Aerosmith, Bee Gees, The Doobie Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, Daryl Hall & John Oates, with Peter Frampton, Jim Croce, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Linda Ronstadt, plus many more. There are exclusive interviews with Frampton, Alice Cooper and Loggins & Messina; and featurettes entitled Wolfman at Midnight; Star-Studded Stage Fashion; No Safety Net: Live on TV; I Am Woman: Helen Reddy as Host; and the History of The Midnight Special.
The sound and video is, of course, from the '70s, and hasn't been remastered, but the experience of viewing these artists in their original form is spectacular and so intoxicating, you'll be left with a craving for more and more and more of The Midnight Special's original performances. This show was a doorway to volumes of televised videos.
Included in this 6-DVD set is a booklet introduced by Burt Sugarman and outlining the disc air dates and episode numbers with the star's song titles. Some of the artists' bonus songs includes Crystal Gayle's "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue;" "Jesus Is Just Alright" by the Doobie Brothers; Jim Croce's "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown;" "Can't Get It Out of My Head" by the Electric Light Orchestra; Aerosmith's "Dream On;" Village People's "Y.M.C.A;" and, of course, sexy Barry White's "Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up", plus so many more that you'll remember and love.
We're so thankful that Burt Sugarman created the spectacular show, The Midnight Special, and now Star Vista Entertainment and Time Life have brought us The Midnight Special for us to play over and over to our heart's content. While my review covers the 6-DVD Collection of The Midnight Special, there is also an 11-DVD set which sells at a higher price point, but offers a great bit more of content, including the many comedy acts of the day. The 6-DVD set is a great way to start up your Midnight Special collection, because this is definitely a golden nugget for your musical library, but hardcore fans may want to consider the more in-depth version.
