Dave Mason Crusaders, Average White Band, Kiki Dee – Dave Mason/Midnight Special 1975

Even without a hit single, Dave Mason in 1975 was popular enough to fill arenas. The television program “MIDNIGHT SPECIAL” took notice, offering him an appearance in an early 1975 broadcast. This resulted in an episode that could literally be called a “Mason Special.” While Mason’s performance portion of this episode had been uploaded to YouTube in parts, the entire program was only available to the band members. Now that Mason has passed away, there’s a strong desire to see this broadcast in its entirety. The band performing in the February 1975 broadcast featured the same lineup as on “CERTIFIED LIVE,” except for Bob Graab on bass, who would later become Jackson Browne’s long-time bassist. However, Mike Finnegan would temporarily leave the band, and it would take some time before they achieved that formidable lineup. “MIDNIGHT SPECIAL” captures the band at this crucial stage in its entirety. Particularly outstanding are the harmony parts in “Bring It On Home To Me” and “Every Woman,” where the camera work is superb, capturing not only Mason but also Finnegan and Jim Krueger together. Yet, the guitar solos are not as heavily focused on Krueger as in “CERTIFIED LIVE,” and in “All Along The Watchtower” and “Only You Know And I Know,” we get to see plenty of Mason’s signature Firebird lead guitar work. In the first half of the broadcast, it looks strange to see the orchestra waiting beside Mason’s stage, but that’s because in “You Can’t Take It When You Go,” the orchestra joins in for a magnificent collaboration. It seems that “MIDNIGHT SPECIAL” gave Mason special treatment. Furthermore, the other performers are also impressive: Kiki Dee, Average White Band, and The Crusaders with Larry Carlton—a truly magnificent lineup. The fact that the screen was treated to look like a thermal image only during Carlton’s solo-heavy performance of “Stomp and Buck Dance” is a bit dated, though. Naturally, it was Mason who introduced these performers. He introduced each artist with a very relaxed expression. When introducing Kiki Dee, he was a little stumped because it was his first introduction, but he didn’t panic, instead showing great composure by joking around and getting laughs. His hosting skills were so impressive that you might even think, “He could have done a talk segment too!” The video on YouTube is only available to members, so it’s great that we can easily watch it here. Towards the end, the stage returns to Mason, and a guitar battle erupts between him and Krueger during their cover of Little Richard’s “Lucille.” This is a precious live video capturing Mason at his peak, and it’s an extremely rare video that also includes his valuable talk segments, all in the highest quality! Ep 106 7th February 1975 Hosted by Dave Mason with special guest appearances by The Kiki Dee Band, The Average White Band, The Crusaders, and Wolfman Jack. 1. Intro 2. Dave Mason – World In Changes 3. Dave Mason – Bring It On Home To Me 4. Dave Mason – All Along The Watchtower 5. Dave Mason – Every Woman 6. Dave Mason – You Can’t Take It When You Go 7. The Kiki Dee Band – You Need Help 8. The Kiki Dee Band – Little Frozen One 9. Average White Band – Got The Love 10. Average White Band – Work To Do 11. Dave Mason – Only You Know And I Know 12. The Crusaders – Double Bubble 13. The Crusaders – Stomp And Buck Dance 14. Average White Band – Nothing You Can Do 15. Dave Mason – Lucille 16. Dave Mason – Band Introductions 17. Dave Mason – Feelin’ Alright (Closing/Credits) Dave Mason – guitar, vocals Jim Kreuger – guitar Mike Finnegan – keyboard Bob Glaub – bass Rick Jaeger – drums PRO-SHOT COLOUR NTSC Approx.68min.