Today’s
generation can joke about the fact that MTV once played music videos without
much gravity, mostly because there are endless opportunities to see music
videos and live performances on the internet. We have grown accustomed to
having multiple media options for fandom at all times, so it is difficult to
imagine what the impact must have been in 1972 when the late-night music
performance show was born with “The Midnight Special.” The oddest thing about
the series wasn’t the smash success it was for music fans all over the country,
but the fact that it started at 1:00 a.m. rather than midnight.
This in itself
was a daring move for the network, NBC, in the early 1970s. Another modern
change in television has been the constant broadcasting at all times, while the
stations used to go off of the air at a certain point at night. It was a risk
to air anything this late at night, even if it was on Friday with some amazing
performances from popular bands. There was no lip-synching, and the show
offered complete freedom to the artists in their performances. They could play
their hit single, or choose to introduce fans to a new song. There were even
three stages, so that there was no delay in jumping from one live performance
to the next.
This six-disc
set includes a range of appearances from artists that performed on the show,
from the 1972 pilot with John Denver to a 1979 episode featuring Alice Cooper.
The collection of episodes are clearly meant to represent the variety of talent
that appeared on the show, including such legends as Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers, The Doobie Brothers, Peter Frampton, the Bee Gees, Fleetwood
Mac, The Cars, America, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Aerosmith, Barry White,
AC/DC, Marvin Gaye and the Village People. There are also bonus interviews with
many of the performers, and extras for the episode specific hosts. There were
often famous comedians and performers chosen to host each episode, providing
even more reason that this innovative show has great historical significance.
Additional
extras on the DVDs include featurettes on the history and making-of “The
Midnight Special,” along with plenty of bonus interviews with performers
included in the set. There are excerpts from 21 episodes of the show, along
with tons of bonus performances and interviews, so that this is the ultimate in
concentrated moments from the series run. A more extensive collection is also
available for the more die-hard music fans.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical
Significance: 9/10
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