It seems hard to believe now, but there was actually a time not so long ago that none of the Big Three television networks had programming on after 1:00 a.m., simply signing off after the final program of the day. That changed in when producer Burt Sugarman introduced The Midnight Special. The idea was to feature popular musical acts (and occasional comedians) of the day performing live, which was unusual since most performers of the era were expected to lip sync on television

Hosted by a variety of famous personalities—though singer Helen Reddy (“I Am Woman”) served as the regular host from July 1975 through March 1976—and featuring raspy voiced DJ Wolfman Jack, the show proved immensely popular with young people when the pilot aired on August 19, 1972. After nearly a decade, the final episode aired on May 1, 1981, just three months before the arrival of MTV.

This month, StarVista Entertainment/Time Life will release The Midnight Special on DVD in three different configurations: the 11-Disc Collector’s Edition available to order exclusively from MIDNIGHTSPECIALDVDS.COM, and two retail configurations, available September 9: a 6-disc set (which I was sent for the purposes of this review) and a single DVD.

Aired on NBC at 1:00 a.m. on Friday nights, each episode presented an eclectic group of acts. In the pilot, guest host John Denver sings his hit (“Take Me Home) Country Roads” among others, and is also joined by ‘Mama’ Cass Elliott for “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” Other musical guests include Argent and Harry Chapin. For the most part, those behind The Midnight Special seemed to believe that variety was the spice of life. It certainly made for a fun and fascinating 90 minutes. Most of the popular acts of the day appeared on the show. The multi-stage setup in the studio allowed the hosts to move from act to act, with little filler, making for a concert like atmosphere.

Among the many highlights in this set are Paul Anka teaming up with Captain and Tennille on “Love Will Keep Us Together,” a special live concert episode featuring Marvin Gaye performing “Let’s Get it On” and “What’s Going On?” in a packed Atlanta stadium. While it’s wonderful to see Jim Croce perform “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” it also serves as a reminder that he was truly one of the greats, taken too soon. Croce had such an easy way about him, watching him on stage; I couldn’t help but think that if he hadn’t died in 1973, he might have gotten his own television series. Beyond that, The Midnight Special was a real time capsule, Ted Nugent in an unfortunate leotard; bell bottoms everywhere and collars that could be mistaken for wings.

The set contains some amazing performances from AC/DC, Alice Cooper, The Bee Gees, The Cars, Fleetwood Mac, Linda Ronstadt, Marvin Gaye, Robert Palmer, Peter Frampton, Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and many more. Unfortunately though, none of the collections offer a complete episode of the show. In the case of the 6-disc set, we are given selections from 20 different episodes from between 1972 and 1979. For two episodes, half of the original acts are included (six for one, seven for the other) but we never often left out of the episodes as presented, in what was probably a rights issue, or perhaps money constraints. One major example of massive editing is the January 31, 1975 second-anniversary episode include here. While performances by Gladys Knight, B.B. King, and a duet between Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles are fabulous, when you realize that performances by Joan Baez, The Byrds, Bobby Darin, The Doobie Brothers, Joan Baez, and David Bowie have been edited out, it’s a serious bummer. It boils down to this: once again, Time-Life has delivered an impressive product, but die-hard fans of The Midnight Special will likely be left wanting more.

Packaged in a double-width keepcase with an eight-page episode guide and an embossed holo-foil slipcover, the set includes six discs. The full-frame footage doesn’t look bad at all, considering its age. Black levels are fairly solid and while it would be a stretch to say the colors are vivid, they don’t have a washed out look. There isn’t much in the way of fine detail, but it’s all perfectly watchable. The occasion compression artifact does pop up here and there, but it doesn’t affect the overall viewing experience.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks do a good job with what was originally a mono presentation. The results are clean and highly listenable, just don’t expect the depth available on more modern audio tracks. There’s no real distortion, but I thought I detected an occasional ‘pitchy’ sound during louder performances.

There are no audio options or subtitles, but closed captioning is included.

The following extras are available:

*The set labels several songs as bonus material, but when you don’t get full episodes in the first place, taking one song from an existing episode and calling it a ‘bonus,’ seems a bit of a stretch. As a result, I consider that additional episode content.

  • New Interviews: All of the musicians interviewed discuss what it was like appearing on The Midnight Special, the honor of being asked, audience reaction, the era, etc. Peter Frampton (9:53), Alice Cooper (7:50), Loggins and Messina (9:46)
  • Wolfman at Midnight (11:57) Creator Burt Sugarman as well as several musicians who appeared on the series through the years share their memories of the late DJ, Wolfman Jack.
  • Star-Studded Stage Fashion (8:39) Some of the biggest stars of the ‘70s poke fun at the ridiculous clothes thought to be fashionable at the time.
  • The History of The Midnight Special (10:36) Sugarman and several musicians reflect on the development, success and everything that went into the series. Musicians offer up several reflections on why they wanted to appear on the show.
  • No Safety Net: Live on TV (7:42) Musicians discuss the challenges and benefits of performing on live television.
  • I Am Woman: Helen Reddy as Host (7:16) Reddy and others discuss her abilities as host.