Episode 99: The Midnight Special from March 22, 1974

Episode 99: The Midnight Special from March 22, 1974

Author: Mark Roback March 19, 2026 Duration: 2:02:09

Let’s face it, nobody want you when you’re down an out. During those times, you just want some sunshine on your shoulders, you’re looking for love, someone to look at you with bright eyes and say “He’s the one”. I remember walking in the green grass with my sweet tattooed lady, unlike anyone else, you really got me. I would have never guessed you’d leave me for the railroad man. The good news is we’ve got some good rocking tonight. The music from Episode 60 of The Midnight Special, will rock the nation far and wide. It will shake the grave and make the cradle rock.


Link to The Midnight Special Episode: https://youtu.be/BuD0V_r09HE?si=kjoCfiTFzoCPtrL9


Link to The Deep Purple Podcast (featuring John and Nate): https://deeppurplepodcast.com/


The Boneless Podcasting Network: https://goboneless.lovable.app/?fbclid=IwY2xjawNK9G9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFCOFFUdWQ2Q3c1WDk5SGZnAR6CXGGEhN4i3JS0ICCT2NZw4_cc2wCO8o4wooPiBGlZhUGIR1y8bG1fQHt7tQ_aem_jFAp4YBBW1S0DD-s1iLXLw


Data Sources: Billboard Magazine, where the charts came from and on what the countdown was based.

Websites: allmusic.com, songfacts.com Wikipedia.com (because Mark’s lazy)

Books: “Ranking the 70’s” by Dann Isbell, and Bill Carroll

“American Top 40 With Casey Kasem (The 1970’s) by Pete Battistini.


Rejected Episode Titles:

Good Cradle Rockin’ Tonight

My Sweet Tatoo’d Lady

Railroad Man, He’s the One.

 

Things we talked about in the show:

Scott Haskin’s Website / Podcast: https://www.scotthaskin.com/

Moondance - Van Morrison, Dr John, George Benson, Santana, Etta James, and Tom Scott : https://youtu.be/0Uv9-L1AXSY?si=g02I_E0kL3MGgLSk


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Every week, Mark Roback and his friend Pete dust off a random episode of Casey Kasem's American Top 40 from the 1970s. 70s Weekly Countdown with Mark and Pete is more than just a nostalgic trip through the charts. Each song in that week's lineup gets a thoughtful rating and a deep dive-they unpack the stories behind the music, the artists' trajectories, and what made those particular tracks resonate. But the context is just as important as the countdown. The conversation naturally expands to include the major headlines, the TV shows everyone was watching, and the cultural moments that defined that specific week in history. Woven into the analysis are personal anecdotes from Mark and Pete, connecting the music to their own coming-of-age experiences during that era. This podcast is a layered exploration of a decade, using the pop chart as a starting point to examine the sound, the spirit, and the surprising details of the 1970s. You'll hear passionate debates, learn obscure facts, and get a feel for what it was like to live through that time, all through the shared lens of two friends who genuinely love the material.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

70s Weekly Countdown with Mark and Pete
Podcast Episodes
Episode 29: The Week Ending November 21, 1970 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:59:56
Once it gets to be after midnight, does anybody really know what time it is? Is that the time that you realize that green eyed gypsy was actually a black magic woman? That’s when things got super bad and from the heavens…
Episode 28: The Week Ending November 18, 1978 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:00:15
Back in 1978 was a typical day like another a Sunday in Salem where it was fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.? Was that just too much heaven for a blue collar man? When Monday came along, in a strange way, perhaps you felt aliv…
Episode 27: The Week Ending November 8, 1975 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:04:52
Back in the 70’s there were just too many people with hurt feelings and bad blood. Relationships fell into two categories, diamonds and rust. Some sadly learned that it only takes a minute for their partner to fly robin…
Episode 26: The Week Ending October 29, 1977 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:56:52
Back in October of 1977 we had to accept the fact that the king is gone. Don’t it make my brown eyes blue just thinking about it? I go crazy remembering, it was as cold as ice. Then baby what a big surprise, she did it.…
Episode 25: The Week Ending October 23, 1971 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:55:36
This week we go all the way and listen to the music from the Billboard Top 40 from the week ending October 14, 1972. With some songs we walk the tight rope with our opinions, and with others we fear bringing thunder and…
Episode 24: The Week Ending October 9, 1976 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:55:12
Which musical camp did you belong to in the 70’s? Did you say keep on rocking me, did you shake your booty at the best disco in town, did you play that funky music, or did you say get the funk out my face and give me a f…
Episode 23: The Week Ending October 14th, 1972 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:12:33
This week we go all the way and listen to the music from the Billboard Top 40 from the week ending October 14, 1972. With some songs we walk the tight rope with our opinions, and with others we fear bringing thunder and…
Episode 22: The Week Ending September 29, 1979 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:52:51
Remember when you were lovin’, touchin’ , squeezin’, thinking you were the boss, in the driver’s seat and getting ready for the main event. Then she pushed you away and told you were nothing but a dirty white boy and goo…
Episode 21: The Week Ending September 29, 1973 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:54:15
In the 70’s there were a lot of choices. You could take the rocky mountain way to higher ground, or hitch a free ride on the midnight train to Georgia. You could choose to just keep on truckin’ and be a rambling gypsy ma…
Episode 20: The Week Ending September 19, 1970 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:12:30
In the summertime in the 70’s, you probably went out in the country to escape the war that seemed to have been going on for a long long time. There, a green eyed lady named Lola, or was it Joanne, promised peace will com…