Golden Earring - Radar Love (The Midnight Special, July 5, 1974 - when lead singer Barry Hay had laryngitis)

[highplainsdem]

Somehow I overlooked this when it was uploaded to The Midnight Special's YouTube channel last October (election worries then). I had posted poorer quality video of the appearance from a fan's account a few years ago, but that was taken down.

From what I read on fan sites, Barry Hay had laryngitis when they taped this, so guitarist George Kooymans, whose high backing vocals on tape you can hear, helped Barry out with the lead vocal, which he usually didn't do. One fan site said George was really nervous, but I don't know if they got that from an interview or just his appearance here.

I caught this when it aired - first time I'd seen them on TV. Loved the song, and how cute they were.

[Clouds Passing]

1. I saw it too. Loved Midnight Special

[highplainsdem]

6. Same here. So glad they started uploading videos to their own YouTube channel a couple of years ago.

[ProfessorGAC]

2. Pretty Cool

I'm digging that kitschy bass the guy is using. It's an old Danelectro Longhorn.
Had super deep cutaway and has a 3/4ths scale neck. Super light, too. I'm guessing he changed the pickups because Danelectro pickups were pretty poor.
Barry is definitely struggling so I believe the laryngitis story.
I do think, however, they are singing live to a prerecorded track.
The horns in the muddle section, the organ we can hear in the choruses and the end of tge prec, and there are times when the guitar we're hearing isn't what George is playing. In the third verse, there are 2 guitars playing leads with only one player. And, that Moog thing at the end with nobody playing it.
That's not typical of the Midnight Special because most of the shows were actually played live.
Makes me wonder why.

[highplainsdem]

3. They'd had guitarist Eelco Gelling playing (slide) with them when they recorded the song, and he

toured with them at times. But they played that song live countless times without him.

I wonder if George was so worried about having to help Barry with the lead vocal - apparently a last-minute decision, before their first major TV appearance in the US - that he felt they'd need the backing track so he could focus more on singing.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. That's Very Possible

The recording without the vocals would be something that would come from the band, not the show.
So, it very well could have been a band decision

[highplainsdem]

13. Just realized you've probably never watched their 1982 Rockpalast concert, which I posted in

reply 11 here.

Wondering what you'd think of George's guitar solo starting at 43:02, the two-minute outro for Vanilla Queen.

(Love seeing these old videos. Hate that he's been battling ALS for years.)

[highplainsdem]

5. I just checked a Golden Earring fan site that I thought might've been the one with the info about how

nervous George was during that TV appearance, but it wasn't. Not sure where I read that.

I did find out that Barry's laryngitis might've gotten worse as they toured the US that summer, though. That TV appearance was filmed in early July (aired in August). They returned to the Netherlands on the 23rd and were supposed to open for Rick Wakeman in England at his first solo concert on the 27th, but had to cancel for health reasons.

Wakeman wasn't doing very well, either. From Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Wakeman

On 27 July 1974, Wakeman headlined the Crystal Palace Garden Party concert, performing selections from Six Wives and Journey in its entirety.[82] By this time, his excessive smoking and alcohol consumption, a lack of sleep five days prior to the show, and a wrist injury from a fall, took a toll on his health, and he needed morphine injections to get through the performance. Soon after the show, he suffered a minor heart attack.[83]

[Clouds Passing]

7. Wakeman was amazing in concert. Saw him with Yes either 73 or 74

[highplainsdem]

14. Brilliant musician. Hey, did you ever see this thread and videos? A little-known chapter in his history:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/103485626

[Clouds Passing]

17. Rick is proud of being a Earwig 😀

I can see why “Oh baby” never made it on the charts. Universal Love could possibly have been a hit with some catchy vocals.

The variety of artists experimenting together, then going their separate ways, created the diversity in the music of our era.

[highplainsdem]

22. Loved that video he did about it.

Last edited Fri Mar 21, 2025, 06:47 PM - Edit history (1)

I can see why “Oh baby” never made it on the charts.

It definitely wasn't one of Marc Bolan's better songwriting efforts, and doing the lead vocal himself wouldn't have saved it.

I agree with what you said about the B side, and the music scene then.

[ProfessorGAC]

15. Same Here

Either the "...Topographic Oceans" or "Relayer Tour".
I was such a big fan of the live Yessongs album, I couldn't wait to see them.
Given the aircraft hanger we saw them in, it was a very good show. The audio was pretty good given the situation, and they played great.

[Clouds Passing]

16. Tales is a favorite...

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/yes/1974/hersheypark-arena-hershey-pa-bdf2d52.html

I was wrapped in the sound. Rick Wakeman with his signature gold floor length cap swirling around the keyboards. Greg Lake with his velvety voice. Chris played the bass like a guitar. It was heaven.

Then in 77 Going For The One tour

[ProfessorGAC]

18. Greg Lake?

Did you mean Jon Anderson?
I wasn't a guitar player back on those days, so Wakeman was my guy.
I liked Howe's playing but it never popped for me.
Later, becoming a good guitar player myself, I figured out why. His tone is sterile.
That's probably why I thought "Mood For A Day" was great. It's 100^ acoustic.
And, it's why Yessongs was so good. The guitar has more power & presence than in studio. Still not a tone I would use but better.

[Clouds Passing]

19. So funny I got ELP mixed up with Yes DOH!

Jon Anderson’s voice was definitely not velvety like Greg’s more like boy’s choir voice never changed, but that was a thing like Geddy Lee and Roger Hodgson.

Saw them both twice. OMG Keith Emerson! They were amazing!

Thanks for pointing that out Prof. I got a good laugh at myself this morning. Senior moments

[ProfessorGAC]

20. I Saw ELP, Too

Pure luck. They were playing in SoCal, we were on a vacation visiting my dad's family and my 2nd cousins bought tickets.
I missed the show in Chicago but got to see them anyway.
Keith is still my favorite keyboardist of the rock era because he has more jazz influence & I was a jazz piano kid early on.

[Clouds Passing]

21. Keith is definitely my favorite in ELP and as a keyboardist.

‘74 Brain Salad Surgery Tour, Someone Get Me A Ladder

[Think. Again.]

4. One of the best pure rock and roll pieces ever (after their "Twilight Zone").

[highplainsdem]

9. I agree. And Twilight Zone is my favorite Golden Earring song. Especially love this performance,

a concert for Rockpalast, taped before they'd recorded the song and had the final title (but airing after the song was recorded and released so you see "Twilight Zone" on the screen).

[Think. Again.]

10. Wow, that's an excellent version.

Imagine having never heard that song before and then being there hearing live like that?

Mind-blowing.

[highplainsdem]

11. You're going to love the entire hour-and-a-half concert in the video below

Last edited Fri Mar 21, 2025, 03:19 AM - Edit history (1)

and probably get a laugh out of the German TV company showing the title of the first song, Candy's Going Bad, as Candy's Going Home (typos happen even on TV shows, and Rockpalast was a great one, judging by all their videos on YouTube).

Setlist/Times below the video:

01 Candy's Going Bad 00:42
02 Leather 04:30
03 No For An Answer 09:43
04 Heartbeat 14:34
05 Save Your Skin 18:46
06 Future 27:35
07 Vanilla Queen 34:36 (Inc Guitar solo (George Kooymans) @ 43:02)
08 Twilight Zone 45:35
09 Bass Solo (Rinus Gerritsen) 53:52
10 Radar Love 56:54 (Inc Drum Solo (Cesar Zuiderwijk) @ 01:02:47)
11 The Devil Made Me Do It 01:08:20

Encore 01:13:47
12 Slow Down 01:14:04
13 Buddy Joe 01:18:29
14 Back Home 01:22:03

2nd Encore 01:27:14
15 I Need Love 01:27:30
16 Just Like Vince Taylor 01:31:53

[Think. Again.]

12. Thanks! There's my evening's viewing for tonight!

True Rock & Roll.