Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary

On May 14, 1988, the Atlantic Records label held its 40th Anniversary Celebration by staging a non-stop concert lasting almost 13 hours^[1] at Madison Square Garden, New York. The event was dubbed "It's Only Rock And Roll".

Only artists who had released material on the Atlantic label in the United States performed, with the artists spanning the 40 years of the company's existence. Lavern Baker and Ruth Brown were the longest tenured Atlantic acts to perform, while Debbie Gibson was the most recent Atlantic signing to make an appearance at the event.

Some Atlantic signings, who had either officially split up or who had not performed together for a number of years, re-formed especially to perform at the concert. These artists included The Rascals, Iron Butterfly, and the former members of Led Zeppelin. Other notable performers included Yes, Genesis, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer (representing Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Foreigner, Paul Rodgers, Bob Geldof, Booker T. Jones, Wilson Pickett, The Coasters, The Spinners, Peabo Bryson, The Blues Brothers (featuring Dan Aykroyd and Sam Moore), Roberta Flack, The Manhattan Transfer, Bee Gees, Ben E. King and Vanilla Fudge.^[1]

There had been plans to close the performance with a greatest hits all-star jam, but this idea was shelved.^[2] Instead, the former members of Led Zeppelin performed as the last act.

The concert was broadcast live in the US on FM radio and HBO television, commentary for the latter being provided backstage by comedian Robert Townsend. HBO commenced its live broadcast a few hours into the event and interspersed footage of the concert which had been taped earlier by the network. In so doing, some of the artists' sets were edited or omitted. An edited version aired later that year on ABC hosted by Robert Hays. Several banners heralding the reunion of Led Zeppelin band members were displayed like tapestry by excited fans, but, to their dismay, were taken down before HBO went with their live feed.

In the United Kingdom the event was broadcast over a period of four weeks by BBC 2, presented as hour-long episodes. Atlantic Records later released this production on video under the title Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary: It's Only Rock 'n' Roll. The release intercut concert footage with highlights from earlier performances, as well as older footage from the Atlantic archives.

Performances

Marv Albert

• Introduction

The Coasters

• "That Is Rock-N-Roll"
• "Charlie Brown"

Phil Collins

• "In the Air Tonight"

Phil Collins

• Introduction of Lavern Baker

Lavern Baker

• "Jim Dandy"
• "Saved"

Roberta Flack

• Introduction of Foreigner

Foreigner

• "Hot Blooded"
• "Juke Box Hero"
• "Urgent"
• "I Want To Know What Love Is"

Laura Branigan

• "Gloria"

Stephen Stills

• Introduction of Ben E. King

Ben E. King

• "Spanish Harlem"
• "There Goes My Baby"
• "Save the Last Dance for Me"

Roberta Flack

• "Killing Me Softly with His Song"

Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson

• "The Closer I Get to You"

Michael Douglas

• Introduction of Crosby, Stills & Nash

Crosby, Stills & Nash

• "Wooden Ships"
• "Our House"
• "Suite: Judy Blues Eyes"

Bee Gees

• "To Love Somebody"
• "Lonely Days"
• "Jive Talkin'"

3 (as Emerson & Palmer with Robert Berry on bass)

• "America (including Rondo, Tocata, Tank)"

Yes

• "I've Seen All Good People"
• "Hold On"
• "Owner of a Lonely Heart"
• "Perpetual Change"
• "Roundabout"

Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray

• Introduction of The Rascals

The Rascals

• "Good Lovin'"
• "Groovin'"
• "People Got to Be Free"

Vanilla Fudge

• "You Keep Me Hangin' On"
• "Take Me for a Little While"

Average White Band

• "Pick Up the Pieces"

Ruth Brown

• "Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean"

Lisa Bonet

• Introduction of Debbie Gibson

Debbie Gibson

• "Staying Together"
• "Foolish Beat"
• "Out of the Blue"
• "Only In My Dreams"

Phil Collins

• Introduction of Robert Plant

Robert Plant

• "Heaven Knows"
• "Ship of Fools"
• "Tall Cool One"

The Manhattan Transfer

• "Mack the Knife"
• "Birdland"

The Spinners

• "Mighty Love"
• "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love"
• "Working My Way Back to You"

Dan Aykroyd

• Introduction of Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn

The MG's

• "Last Night"

Steve Cropper

• Introduction of Carla Thomas

Carla Thomas and the MG's

• "Gee Whiz"

Steve Cropper

• Introduction of Paul Rodgers

Paul Rodgers and the MG's

• "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"

Steve Cropper

• Introduction of Miki Howard

Miki Howard and the MG's

• "Try a Little Tenderness"

Carla Thomas and the MG's

• "I'm a Lover"

Dan Aykroyd (as Elwood Blues), Sam Moore and the MG's

• "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love"
• "Soul Man"
• "Been Lovin' You (That Little Bit Too Long)"

Dan Aykroyd (as Elwood Blues), Sam Moore, Phil Collins, and the MG's

• "You Don't Know Like I Know"
• "Knock on Wood"

Roberta Flack

• Introduction of Bob Geldof

Bob Geldof

• "You Can't Be Too Strong"

Wilson Pickett and the MG's

• "In the Midnight Hour"

Wilson Pickett, Dan Aykroyd (as Elwood Blues) and the MG's

• "Land Of 1000 Dances"

Mike Green Presentation to Ahmet Ertegun Ahmet Ertegun

• Introduction of Genesis

Genesis

• "Turn It on Again" medley

Paul Schaffer

• Introduction of Rufus Thomas

Rufus Thomas

• "Walking the Dog"

Robert Townsend, Phil Collins, and Ahmet Ertegun

• Introduction of the former members of Led Zeppelin

Former members of Led Zeppelin

• "Kashmir"
• "Heartbreaker"
• "Whole Lotta Love"
• "Misty Mountain Hop"
• "Stairway to Heaven"

External links

• "The Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary Bash" by Shawn Perry
• "20 Years Ago: Vanilla Fudge reunite at Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary!", by Shawn Perry, May 16, 2008
• "Atlantic Records Plans An 11-Hour Concert", The Associated Press, April 7, 1988

References

1. Perry, Shawn (1999). "The Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary Bash". VintageRock.com. Vanilla Fudge. Archived from the original on 20 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
2. Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press, p. 140.