Ep 11 - The Midnight Special | April 13, 1973 

How the hell have I never heard of Fanny before today? They are great!

I'm not sure there was a better period for American music than the late 60s/early 70s period. Just wow.

I watched all these shows in real time back in the day. The 70's was a great time to be a teenager.

I'm here because of UltraMag7..Thank you for putting me on to this.

Great performance by Steely Dan!

I found Fannie a couple years ago and will jump on the chance every time to listen to them.

Becoming one of the best parts of my week.

Billy Preston was just fantastic especially the second song.

Ursalena with your Washing Machina, sounds like a Zappa tune, love it!

Waylon, the song's so good it sent shivers up my spine.

I love the variety of music acts on this show. No barriers, just great live performances. I would love to see this in 2023.

Fanny were pioneers when it came to girl groups performing rock music.

Good to see Fanny again on the Midnight Special. The girls were excellent players should have hit it big

Props to Taj Mahal for showing that clip from Sounder. That scene always makes me tear up. Too bad the music industry did not know what to do with Fanny.

What I love about these M.S. videos is that it brings these legacy acts back to life for the millennials who might wonder what it was like back then. The fact that so many greats like Billy Preston, Wolfman Jack and Walter Becker are no longer here makes watching this all the more poignant. Great video!

I was only two years old when these aired on TV so I am so grateful that I'm able to watch them now thank you midnight special

❤Love Waylon Jennings on this! Thank you for sharing

Another great episode. The Midnight Special always brought in such a variety of the best artists around. Something great no matter what your taste. Love seeing ol' Waylon sounding so good and Billy Preston, incredible.

I'm enjoying these so much Midnight Special! Thank you so much!

On this date fifty years ago (7/8/73) Billy Preston had the number one song with “Will It Go Round In Circles” and after his performance, he deserved it. Incredible talent and showman. He is missed!

Thanks for posting Midnight Special ✌

Never heard of Fanny prior to this. I always thought the Runaways were the original all female rock group. Awesome surprise!

Billy Preston = Pure joy!

Still enjoy listening to Steely Dan.

It is such a shame that Fanny did not become huge. If you take the time to listen to their catalog, you will not be disappointed. There are a few live performances of Fanny on RU-vid.

I been viewing these while on my treadmill. Keeps me moving. I never watched them the first time due to my work schedule back then.

Great show, TMS! Thanks so much! These are all a part of music history to be preserved and shared with the world.😊✌️

Billy Preston and Sly Stone, two great showmen.

It's a shame Fanny is not better known. One of the tightest ensembles you'll ever hear. Their musicianship complemented each other and allowed for smart and effective arrangements. Great group!

Taj is the reason I bought a banjo. And the thumb up goes to Fanny. I only came across them on YT a few years ago. Absolutely great group. Add Don Frank Brooks harp playing with Waylon to my list.

The Pointer Sisters doing backup on "Texas Woman Blues." Eager to rewatch the later episodes featuring them on their songs.

Fanny is amazing, just learned of them today.

Billy Preston... WOW!!!!

Billy Preston came with the FY-AAAAHHH!!🔥🔥🔥

Really love to see this episodes, they take me back to days I never knew... Thanks for uploading them in full, the efforts that go into this are deeply appreciated.

Fanny is a new favorite. I knew their crushing version of ‘Hey Bulldog’ by The Beatles, but there are even better than I realized. More should know their name.

These pretzels are making me thirsty Bill…got anything to drink??? OH NO HE DIDN’T!!!

The Brothers Johnson backing Billy Preston 👍🏽👍🏽

Fanny, completely underappreciated in the history of women in rock. Trailblazers.

A most sincere THANK YOU for this latest installment.

I can't explain it, but Bill Cosby has a way of putting me to sleep...

Fanny - The most underrated band ever!

Steely Dan!!!! Thanks!

First time l ever heard Fanny! Wow there guitar has THE best tone, and her leads told a story, funny l never heard of her!

Thank you once again for this wonderful walk down memory lane!!

Six days before this on April 7, 1973, I saw Billy Preston and Uriah Heep Live at EMU's Bowen Field House in Ypsilanti, MI. I was 13 at the time... Billy Preston always had a tremendous influence on me, musically.

Wow the talent in this show alone. Just wow.

Bill Preston. I’m speechless. Pure, raw talent.

Even though I was 13 when this aired I had never heard of Fanny until a couple weeks ago. They were a great sounding band.

Fanny is an outstanding talented band, who actually put some other bands to shame..💙

THE OUTLAW! Love it! 😃🎸🎶

Found a new/old show to binge watch, thanks so much for these!

So good

Waylon is the MAN!

Fanny...the first real all girl rock band. They were badass.

Regardless of Bill Cosby, this is a great Midnight Special showcasing the best in live music

If Bill Cosby creeps you out, skip over his parts and enjoy the rest of the show. There's some great stuff here. It was GREAT to see Steely Dan and Waylon Jennings.

I wonder how many people know that Billy Preston was occasionally referred to as "The Fifth Beatle'.

Taj was always cold , Billy the best and Steely wow ! thanks for putting another great show

Amazing! 🙏🤗🍺cheers

Love all the performances! Can you also give credit to the Pointer Sisters in the episode description as they are prominent supporting Taj Mahal on “Texas Woman Blues?”

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

If this episode wasn't to your liking for any reason, the one that was on the following week sounds okay. The host for it was Doc Severinsen. The other performers on the show were Henry Mancini, Hoyt Axton, Jerry Butler, Dobie Gray, Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, and Country Joe McDonald and his All-Star Band.

Ahhhhh, the 70's!

Lovely to see Bill Cosby and Ray Charles bouncing off each other, is so incredible, and the show is incredible too with wonderful special acts of gold to suit every musical genre and taste.

Waylon-- already in his outlaw bag--but nobody knew it yet!!!!

I watched these with my siblings when I was a kid.

Loved all the performances but especially Fanny and Billy Preston working the Clavinet with the wah peddle. Fanny should have been huge. You can see and hear that in a live setting they were stellar. The band though was mostly frustrated with their studio albums which seemed to tone down their hard rock sound. The Todd Rundgren produced album has his typical production techniques. "Dream I Had Last Night" sounds much better here. Always great seeing rare live Steely Dan. The best aspect of The Midnight Special is seeing true live performances instead of lip synced miming.

tag mahal was amazing.

Sad ending for Bill Cosby, he was truly a funny man in his day. Spent a lot of Saturday mornings watching his cartoon show. Fanny as a band never got the respect they deserved, they are a great band.....even better than Joan Jett and the Runaways. These gals are on the same level as the Wilson sisters of Heart. And in this episode, you can't go wrong with Waylon Jennings- I've loved his music since I was a little kid in the late 70's. Couple great covers here in the medley he did. I am also a huge Kris Kristofferson fan, and his music and all the songs he's written in those days. I like to think that Waylon, George Jones, Conway Twitty were among the original "crossover" artists between country and rock-n-roll.

Gee, the Bill Cosby/Ray Charles banter resonates differently decades later, doesn't it? "I'll let you abuse me, and misuse me, and try to confuse me...anything you want to do to me tonight is alright!" Oh dear..

Taj Mahal w the Pointer Sisters! So good

Guess I'm the only one to notice that Steely Dan's performance of "Reeling in the years" was a rerun from Ep.2 Feb. 9 1973 with Johnny Rivers hosting.

I'd like to see Dancing In The Moonlight from King Harvest from June 29th 1973

All four Pointer Sisters, uncredited! And Fanny at their absolute best. I didn't know Fanny ever played on this mainstream US show.

I'm liking this because I don't believe any of the bad stuff that has been said about him.

36:34 Waylon Jennings 3 songs in 5 minutes.

I came here for the comments

Steely Dan performance is a rerun of Episode # 2 (hosted by Johnny Rivers).

It's interesting to hear Ray Charles cover Harry Nilsson's song Early in the Morning from Nilsson's album Nilsson Schmilsson.

Fanny rocked..bill cosby omg. All those women he attacked how sad..

That's the Brothers Johnson (Louis and George) on bass and guitar behind Billy Preston! and the Pointer Sisters singing along with Taj Mahal!

It is very important to have any and ALL historical documents, audio recordings, and video recordings available in their full context, easy to access, and free for all citizens of the world. This is now we learn from the past and plan for the future. This recording is clearly identified with the identity of a convicted criminal. That person is not receiving any monetary or other benefit from this video recording, and his victims or others sensitive to viewing this person can simply not watch the content. The world should not be in the business of censoring all access to history to make it more palatable for anyone, including the victims of crimes. The specific details and actions or even the physical presence of evil persons are easily hidden behind warnings and details such as shown here. We do not eliminate recordings of mass murders, genocidal dictators, or other horrifying persons of history, nor should we. The call for total elimination of all mass media content related to famous criminals is both misguided and a huge misunderstanding of what the proper course of action is, the goal is to shield sensitive persons from specific or accidental exposure, not simply wiping every atom of information of the existence of evil from history. This particular recording is important in many ways to many people, and should not be edited, censored, or blocked in any way. Thank you Mr. Sugarman and current Midnight Special staff for doing the right thing and presenting your content in full, with participants fully identified, for mature persons to view and process as they need. This is the only moral and proper course of action - full and free information for all. Of course any and all opinions regarding Mr. Cosby are perfectly acceptable as responses to his history and/or this recording. Those also should be freely recorded and not edited or blocked. It’s called free society and it works for the most part.

Fanny was amazing

Good episode. Taj Mahal was great. Just wish the camera man knew witch guitar player to be on during Steely Dan.

FANNY!!!!

Fanny rocks

The brothers Johnson before they were the Brothers Johnson

I have every episode of this show on DVD

STEELY DAN WHOO HOO

ROOTS was a trip!

Billy had a fine solo career, plus was the only guy to play as part of both the Beatles and the Stones. He was on the rooftop, and you can see video of Keith allowing him to do his own number as part of the band's set at the Forum.

Thats Bill and his band that is sampled by A Tribe Called Quest on the song called Can we get down. Midnight Marauders album. BILL GET SKILLS!!!!!

10:13 Ah yeah! That famous classic New Orleans restaurant. 😎

The Dan ,Steeley Dan looked like DEER in the headlights stand n play but as eh we all know they are now the gods of music RIP Mr Becker

Bill Cosby and Fanny - the clues were there decades ago we just chose to ignore them.

What time are the Live Feed premiers?

Got Fanny "First Time In A Long Time: The Complete Reprise Recordings" (1970 - 1973) & "Rock And Roll Survivors" (partial album because the last song on Side 2 "From Where I Stand" has been cut) (1974) downloaded on Apple iTunes!! I do not have their comeback from 2017 though.

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Whatever you do , dont let Cosby mix any drinks !.........