10

Atlantic Records
celebrates its
40th birthday
by LYNN HOOGENBOOM
Atlantic Records recently celebrated its 40th
birthday, and it did it in style with a 12-hour
marathon concert at New York's Madison
Square Garden featuring such noted Atlantic
artists as Roberta Flack, Ben E. King, Genesis
and Led Zeppelin.
This Sunday, ABC airs highlights from the
concert in Atlantic Records'.40th Anniversary:
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll.' But will this concert
provide the raw material for a TV special?
"In rock 'n' roll, you kind of take a flyer," said
ABC vicepresident of specials and talent Gary
Pudney shortly before the concert. "But I can't
believe that in 40 years of Atlantic Records you
can't get two hours."
Atlantic Records was founded in 1948 by
Ahmet Ertegun. The secret to his success? "One
has to follow one's own beliefs," said Ertegun.
"But never get cocky, because you can be
wrong." He originally planned to celebrate the
anniversary with a party for staff and artists,
but somehow his party mushroomed into some-
thing else.
Lake all marathon concerts, this one had a few
awkward moments:
The band striking up eight stirring measures
of Gloria, then coming to an abrupt halt when
singer Laura Branigan failed to appear. After a
brief pause, the band tried again. This time she
came in on cue.
Robert Townsend, who was given the thank-
less task of keeping the audience entertained
between sets, teasing everyone with hints that Robert Plant, the former lead singer of Led
Led Zeppelin might soon come on. Zeppelin, is one of the featured artists in the
Townsend being greeted with scattered boos Atlantic Records special.
seven hours later, when Led Zeppelin still hadn't
appeared.
But the concert also had a few moments that
ABC would be crazy to leave out:
Debbie Gibson, Atlantic's biggest current SIDEVIEWS
star, singing Happy Birthday to her record label. Such mega-rock events as Woodstock, Wat-
Foreigner doing I Want to Know What Love kins Glen and the concert for Bangladesh were
Is, backed by a chorus that included Roberta never broadcast on TV. But that certainly
Flack, Phil Collins, Manhattan Transfer and changed in the '80s, and the Atlantic Records
Vanilla Fudge. "We're thinking about hiring concert is the latest rock marathon on TV.
them for the tour," a band member told the press In 1982, MTV broadcast the Us Festival, a
afterwards. high-tech mega-event from California.
LaVern Baker knocking everyone out with In the summer of 1985, Bob Geldof organized
Tweedlee Dee. "Live-Aid," a massive concert to raise money
. Ben E. King singing Stand by Me. for famine relief in Ethiopia. It was broadcast
Led Zeppelin finishing off the concert with on MTV, with ABC covering the concert's final hours.
Stairway to Heaven. Yep, they finally appeared, In the fall of 1985, Willie Nelson organized "Farm-Aid" to help
and it was worth the wait. save family farms. It was televised on The Nashville Network.
On June 11, 1988, the Fox Network broadcast "Freedomfest," a
multi-artist salute to South African activist Nelson Mandela.