Rockaria! - ELO | The Midnight Special

ELO performed February 18, 1977
Follow us on Social Media:
/ themidnightspecialtvshow
/ themidnightspecialtvshow
/ themidnightspecialtvshow
/ tmstvshow

[@jtb65t]

This is the lineup that should have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

[@gregoryduncan3067]

Kudos to Kelly Groucutt as the opera singer.

[@StephanieJeanne]

Haha, I was going to ask what his name was. His shirt was cool, too, with those wizard sleeves.

[@gregoryduncan3067]

You can't top the '70s in clothes.

[@romelovesdan]

He Killed it --- "Mike Brady perm" and all.

[@StephanieJeanne]

@@gregoryduncan3067 Well, that's debatable, but yes, there is some great fashion from that time.

[@gregoryduncan3067]

​@@StephanieJeanneWell, in the Rock 🌎 anyway.

[@RodeWerk-Rw]

ELO had a wonderful distinct sound, and the album "New World Record" is incredible. Sadly "Rockaria!" didn't get much airtime where I lived, so I only first heard late at night on a stray FM broadcast. Thank you, The Midnight Special,.

[@daniellaubach7544]

I agree. First bought that on 8 track then eventually on vinyl. Great album from start to finish!

[@TR-vr5pz]

Youre correct - never understood why not more mainstreamed - another ELO classic. Between this and Bohemian Rhapsody my mother wold say "whats that GD opera music you are playing?" Nothing mom just iconic songs from2 of the greatest talents ever...

[@rodmoore1577]

If I remember correctly RockAria was the B side to Sweet Talking Woman or Turn to Stone. I had both singles and it was on one of them.

[@xaviercallobre6822]

My favorite era of ELO, Jeff & company at their best, with "Out of the Blue" arriving 8 months later...and Verdi's always creepin' from her room..😊.

[@danielwriston1848]

kELLY HIT THOSE HIGH NOTES SOOO SWEET 😊

[@bezukhov100]

Y'know, if the guitarist was wearing sunglasses he'd look just like Jeff Lynne.

[@gdj6298]

Just realised, that's the first time in 50 years that I've seen his eyes !

[@KittyGrizGriz]

😝 😜

[@danielfisch389]

Yeah, that‘s young Otis Wilbury lol

[@Drchainsaw77]

He'd probably bump his face on the mic if he couldn't see

[@bobmck7301]

@@gdj6298 Then you wish you hadn't ,, haha ... keep the shades on Jeff ... haha ...

[@karlmadsen3179]

ELO was/is fantastic.

[@StephanieJeanne]

I love this song! That was great! ELO, the gift of my Sunday morning! 🤩

[@lineshaftrestorations7903]

Magical live show. 😂

[@thomasmartin2838]

I remember staying up to watch this episode! Can't wait to see all of the ELO songs from that night!!!

[@pejaguilar30]

Fantastic. Great performance. Thank you The Midnight Special for allowing me to watch these wonderful videos.❤❤

[@lazypokerblues]

@pejaguilar30 Great performance? Hmm . . . let me put it this way: Great song, fun to watch - but I'm sure it was just miming.

[@pejaguilar30]

This was another episode hosted by the Electric Light Orchestra. All performances by the band are 100% live. Livin' Thing opens the show, then Bev comes on stage to say hello and introduce Jeff, following with Jeff introducing the show, mentioning that Santana will be coming on the show later, and getting the audience excited for the "laser beam show" that will be shown during their set. This is then followed by live performances of Do Ya, Telephone Line and Rockaria!. At the end of the show, Bev comes back on stage to thank the audience and other live acts, followed by another performance of Livin' Thing over the show's closing credits. Because this is over the closing credits, it is incomplete, cutting off after beginning of the second verse ("Makin' believe this is what you conceive..."). This was ELO's final original performance on the show. Footage from this show would be repeated many times on later The Midnight Special episodes, with the performance of Telephone Line being used in at least five later episodes, including a much later episode in May of 1980.

[@lazypokerblues]

@@pejaguilar30 You may certainly believe what you will - but if you look close enough, you can spot several points where it's obvious that it wasn't live.

[@Jreb1865]

@@lazypokerbluesYea....Right..lol

[@coinneachmaclellan3121]

This is my favourite ELO song...Kelly Groucutt really makes this song work, trading lead vocals with Jeff Lynne and singing the operatic parts...

[@TheStarclipse]

Perfection ELO at their best! a dream come true for me to see this! thank you Midnight Special you never dissapoint!

[@peggyconley5225]

This is totally awesome, I love it🎉❤ Jeff Lynne is so beautiful and Kelly

[@dondee5439]

LYRICS: Fern wieter in die Ferne Man hört, man hört die Musik Just got back from the downtown palais Where the music was so sweet It knocked me right back in the alley I'm ready, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm ready Whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm ready And I'm really gonna rock tonight Sweet little lady sings like a songbird And she sings the opera like you ain't never heard But she ain't ready No, no, no, she ain't ready No, no, no, she ain't ready And she ain't gonna rock and roll She's sweet on Wagner I think she'd die for Beethoven She loves the way Puccini lays down a tune And Verdi's always creeping from her room Fern wieter in die Ferne Man hört, man hört die Musik Come on I'll show you how to sing the blues Now baby, come on over you got nothing to lose Are you ready, hey, hey, hey are you ready? Ooh, ooh, ooh, are you ready? I wanna show you how to rock and roll Now listen here baby she, said to me Just, meet me at the opera house at quarter to three 'Cause I'm ready, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm ready Woo, hoo, hoo, I'm ready I'm gonna show you how to sing the blues She's sweet on Wagner I think she'd die for Beethoven She loves the way Puccini lays down a tune And Verdi's always creeping from her room Oh, far, far away The music is playin' Well, we were reelin' and rockin' all through the night Yeah, we were rockin' at the opera house until the break of light And the orchestra was playin' all Chuck Berry's greatest tunes And the singers in the chorus all got off on them singin' blues And as the night grew older everybody was as one The people on the streets came runnin' in to join in song Just to hearing the opera singers singing rock and roll so pure I thought I saw the mayor there but I wasn't really sure But it's alright

[@ApeLikeCreature]

The soundtrack of my youth! So awesome.

[@that70sgirl90]

Fantastic!... Are you ready?! Happy Sunday 🕊 Thank you for sharing! 💖

[@robertsantine2090]

Why is the opening cut off? Regardless, I'm stoked to finally have a high quality version of this performance.

[@KittyGrizGriz]

Our favorite band, once again blessed!! Sing it ELO!! 🎉🎉😅

[@woodrowwilkins149]

I remember seeing them perform this song on the Midnight Special, but not THIS performance. They had a woman in a balcony singing the opera part, not Kelly. I'm not sure if the woman was Mary Thomas, the opera singer on the recording.

[@GNF54]

That was the standard mimed music video for Rockaria! that was probably just aired as part of the Midnight Special. This performance is completely live and was from an episode of the Midnight Special that mainly focused on ELO

[@woodrowwilkins149]

No worries. I just remember when I saw it, Wolfman Jack described the story within the song, and they showed the opera singer. I'll see if I can find it.@@GNF54

[@woodrowwilkins149]

Never mind. I just reread your comment and get what you're saying. I think we're on the same wavelength now.

[@meadroad]

Actually heard Kelly play those opera notes back in 2006 ish, at Tunbridge Wells with his band… abso brilliant.. think it was ELO pt 2 ? May be mistaken, anyway it was totally outstanding….. RIP

[@GNF54]

ELO Part II had morphed into The Orchestra by 2000

[@chairmanalf7856]

I heard Kelly sing the high notes as well at the Brentwood Centre when he was with both ELO Part II and the Orchestra.

[@redbarchetta8782]

The flinging drum sticks were the finishing touch. :)

[@maurimartinez8720]

BRUTAL!!!... Thank you very much!!!... E L O 🔝💡

[@OWR0406]

ELO is the greatest Beatlesesque british band of the 70‘s

[@zg9445]

10cc had some wonderful Beatles moments as well

[@marius.gabralevicius]

you can't get more 70s look than this

[@CamperVanPersie]

Some of My School Teachers looked like this....

[@gern7535]

I had a 'fro back then too. But it was a pain to keep up.

[@DidYouReadEULA]

Bev Bevan! Huge hero of mine.

[@daniellaubach7544]

Great drum player during his time with ELO.

[@happyrudolf9134]

Brilliant. 😊

[@BlackHatCinephile]

Awesome!

[@user-yy1cz8mb8z]

Pure magic

[@elodevi]

Mary "Kelly" Thomas !!!! Great

[@elisabethaxelsson4736]

Love this song so much memorys ELO one of my favorits

[@mariakarolinagajewska6322]

I live this song!!!!!!

[@markroberts2277]

Jeff Lynn is in there with the greatest lead guitarists of all time.

[@ladyofthecreek279]

Jeff without his 😎😳

[@shanedixon2259]

This was a fun one

[@tony713elo]

lol... the young fans are going mad with excitement as Bev throws his drumsticks. Some tend to forget just how big ELO was in that period. They were on a par with Elvis and The Beatles when at the top of their game. ❤

[@MuppetOne]

❤❤❤❤

[@hernanpatrik4908]

Legends. Me gusta mucho esa divertida y creativa parte musical del minuto 2 ,i invocando la 5ta sinfonia de Beethoven. Grandidimo detalle. Genios!!

[@marcjacobscontinued9411]

She ain't ready.

[@sallybrown4947]

it looks like everyone on stage got shocked at 2:47

[@TheDudleyJames]

Jeff without sunglasses, epic

[@lucalone]

"Weit, weit in die Ferne / Man hört, man hört die Musik"^

[@daniellaarias7583]

😍😍😍

[@pamr4040]

❤

[@pedruxxo]

#elo4ever!!!!!!!!

[@Jreb1865]

Some one about got killed over those drumsticks at the end...lol

[@alainmorin]

We can't hear the strings 😞

[@leolio8219]

Inspired in Bohemian Rhapsody, obviously. Kelly Groucutt, what a voice!

[@christiancazabonne]

Sources? Because rom the beginning ELO have classical music inspiration and their first album was before Queen's first album...

[@alejandrocervantes9138]

This 100% ELO

[@JamesSmith-mz9ec]

do your homewrok

[@GNF54]

Kelly Groucutt > Jeff Lynne

[@paulkiefer5455]

I love ELO. This song sucks

[@Oklahoma-Dreaming]

A little too blues-based rock for my taste. I tended to like metal that was more classically influenced, bands such as Ozzy with Randy Rhoads - I saw Randy live in Seattle not long before he died in that pointless plane crash - or Dio - I saw Ronnie James with Queensryche opening around the same time. ELO had some good songs but this one’s not exactly for me.

[@classicrockfan8034]

ELO the best band Musically!!!