Category: Bands

When one thinks back today on the late, great Robert Palmer, who died suddenly in 2003, its inevitably of the suave crooner in the 3-piece suit, fronting a band of fashion models in his classic mid 80’s music videos.  But Palmer should be remembered for more than this and, in fact, a good example of his broad musical range can be seen in his sole appearance on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.  It was 1980, and Palmer was on tour in support of his latest album Clues.  Don Kirshner’s on-screen introduction helps to fill in the back story:

“Rock and Roll seems an unlikely profession for one who received his education at the British Naval School.  But it never seemed odd to Robert Palmer, and he’s been proving it over and over again with a dedicated audience that has never left his side.   Now with his hit single ‘Bad Case Of Loving You,’ Robert Palmer has grown from a cult figure to an important influence in the rock industry.”

Performing underneath the massive Rock Concert logo, Palmer and his 4-piece band opened their televised set with the aforementioned hit single, which had hit the top 20 the previous year.  Shockingly for those familiar with his now famous image, here he just wore a simple grey t-shirt and jeans, matching his appearance on the Clues album cover.  On this song he was even playing electric guitar, something he would rarely do on stage in later years. 

For their second song, they performed “Not a Second Time” from Clues, a semi-obscure Beatles tune which Palmer updated to reflect then-current new wave influences.  About a half hour later, after the home viewer had enjoyed sets by The Manhattans and The Tremblers, Palmer returned to perform two more songs from Clues: the single “Johnny and Mary” and the hard-rocking “Sulky Girl,” which showcased Palmer’s distinctively powerful rock & roll vocal skills. 

As it turned out, Clues was not a huge seller in the US, peaking at #59 on the Billboard album chart, which was quite a ways off from the #19 peak of his previous album Secrets.  Follow-up albums Maybe It’s Live and Pride both failed to reach the top 100, but success lay just ahead in the form of The Power Station, Palmer’s massively-successful team-up with John Taylor and Andy Taylor from Duran Duran in 1985.  This collaboration was immediately followed by Palmer’s double-platinum album Riptide, which spawned the #1 single “Addicted To Love.”  Palmer continued to score big hits into the 90s, and was recording and performing right up to his untimely demise. 

Never content to stay with one style of music for too long, Robert Palmer’s Rock Concert appearances show him in the early stages of the winding road of his musical journey.

One of the biggest bands of the seventies, Electric Light Orchestra appeared on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert three times during the show’s illustrious run. Their first appearance was in 1974, while the band was still in its early stages, with lead singer/ guitarist/songwriter/producer Jeff Lynne refining the sound and approach of ELO. Through their melding of rock styles with a live string section, the band’s sound gravitated less toward pop radio and more toward progressive rock.

In their first appearance, the British band was filmed performing three songs on a soundstage with no audience. The songs came from their then-current LP On The Third Day: “New World Rising,” “Dreaming of 4000,” and their new single “Ma-Ma-Ma-Belle,” which remains a fan favorite.

By the time ELO reappeared on Rock Concert in 1978, they were firmly established as one of the biggest bands in the world thanks in part to their unique live performances. This fact was not lost on Don Kirshner in his on-screen introduction: “ELO now resides at the pinnacle of rock stardom, still growing, still musically innovative, and still one of a kind.”

The show then aired four performance videos from the band’s latest album Out Of The Blue: “Sweet Talkin’ Woman,” “Turn To Stone,” “Wild West Hero,” and the immortal “Mr. Blue Sky.” This was the year of ELO’s biggest-ever concert tour, where the band performed underneath a giant spaceship, similar in design to the ship seen on Out Of The Blue’s album cover.

ELO returned to Rock Concert the following year, and Don once again sang the band praises saying, “The Electric Light Orchestra’s big hit ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’ will keep you up, and it looks like it could go all the way. Their album Discovery is now in the top ten. In a category all their own, ELO continues to blaze trails, rather than copy yesterday’s heroes.” “Don’t Bring Me Down” was followed on the show by the video for “Last Train To London,” which would be a top 40 hit for them later in 1979.

Jeff Lynne had chosen to not have the band tour at all in support of Discovery. Perhaps to make up for the lack of touring, all 9 songs from Discovery had performance videos made for them. These videos were the last time the band was to perform with a 3-man string section, as the group’s violinist and 2 cellists were let go soon afterwards. Even though violinist Mik Kaminski would return to the band in time for their next concert tour in support of 1981’s classic Time album, ELO’s days of being known as “the English guys with the big fiddles” were in the past.

Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert truly traces ELO’s evolution from up-and-coming progressive rock artists to the height of their mainstream rock/pop success, and to this day, ELO remains an iconic band.

“In my opinion, next to The Beatles they’re the most influential band in history…” – John Kalodner, Geffen Records

As one of the best-selling and most highly regarded bands in the world, Led Zeppelin’s legendary stature in music history has yet to wane even slightly since the band’s conception over four decades ago.   Led Zeppelin raised the bar in the early 70’s and set a new standard for rock and roll that would leave generations of musicians much to live up to.  Over the years, Led Zeppelin has received numerous accolades and honors for its many achievements including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, 4 Grammy Hall of Fame Awards, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the No. 1 slot on both VH1’s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and Classic Rock’s 50 Best Live Acts of All Time, to name just a few.   

Although they never appeared live on the show, footage from Zeppelin’s 1976 film, The Song Remains the Same, was aired on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert on September 29, 1976.  Featured selects included performances of “Rock and Roll”, “Bring It On Home”, “Wear Flowers In Your Hair”, “Black Dog”, and “Dazed and Confused.”  The astounding 25 minute performance of “Dazed and Confused” showcased some of the band’s wildest stage antics, particularly Jimmy Page’s technique with a violin bow.    

Today, many view the film as an important piece of Zeppelin history and an early glimpse at the band’s raw talent.  All told, Led Zeppelin released nine studio albums, all of which reached Top 10 spots on the Billboard.  They performed together from 1968 to 1980, officially disbanding following the death of drummer John Bonham.