THE BOOTLEG FILES: SOLID GOLD

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If you were watching television in the 1980s, you probably remember something called “Solid Gold.” This syndicated weekly program offered a happy – and, sometimes, bewildering – mix of blatant kitsch and cutting-edge music. Despite its roots in old-fashioned variety revues, “Solid Gold” had a fairly substantial run in an era when MTV began to radically redefine the music industry. And while a peek back at the old episodes will confirm the worst of the 1980s (leg warmers, big hair, huge shoulder pads), it can also reheat nostalgia for a distant and daffy time.

“Solid Gold” began as a one-shot, two-hour television special broadcast in January 1980 on independent stations across the U.S. This special was designed to count down the Top 50 songs of 1979. While Dionne Warwick and Glen Campbell were the nominal hosts for the special, the show was stolen by the Solid Gold Dancers, who wore scanty clothing and moved in a vaguely risqué fashion while clips of the songs were played. The ratings for this special were unusually strong, and it was decided to create a series that would count down each week’s Top 10 songs (as determined by the airplay charts in the entertainment trade journal Radio & Records).

Actually, “Solid Gold” was an updated version of a 1950s television show called “Your Hit Parade,” which provided a weekly countdown of the popular tunes. But “Your Hit Parade” fell out of favor in the late 1950s for refusing to incorporate rock music into its line-up – its preference for sugary romantic ballads made it wildly out of step with its Elvis-fueled times.

“Solid Gold” had its own balancing act problems. The show repeatedly attempted to reach as wide of an audience as possible, and its efforts to bridge the different tastes between kids and adults – as well as different demographics of the viewing audience – created some very peculiar guest line-ups. For example, one episode offered performances by Billy Preston, Juice Newton, REO Speedwagon, A Taste of Honey and Don McLean, while another episode featured Jeffrey Osborne, Kim Carnes, the Little River Band and Waylon Jennings as guests.

For sheer “Huh?” factor, there was also an astonishing episode with Stevie Wonder, Kenny Rogers, Huey Lewis & the News, Johnny Mathis, the Pointer Sisters, Teddy Pendergrass, Phil Collins, soap star-turned-singer Jack Wagner and David Hasselhoff (before he became a chronic self-parody). Clearly, the producers wanted to offer acts that would appeal to Dad, Mom, Junior and Uncle Clem in the Ozarks.

Adding to the noise was the inclusion of stand-up comedy bits throughout the episodes. Most of these mirth injections were painful – third-rate acts like Marty Cohen and Jeff Altman were propped up with an overactive laugh track – though, occasionally, genuine fun could be found from ventriloquist Wayland Flowers and his bawdy old lady puppet Madame.

Throughout its run, “Solid Gold” had problems maintaining hosts. Dionne Warwick signed on for the 1980-81 season, but left the show when her recording career enjoyed a sudden upswing. Marilyn McCoo and Andy Gibb were brought in as co-hosts for the 1981-82 season, but Gibb’s personal problems created difficulty for the producers (one story claimed that each episode had two scripts – one designed for Gibb’s presence and one created in the event he didn’t show up for the taping). McCoo was teamed with Rex Smith for the 1982-83 season’s hosting gig, but Smith’s bland personality didn’t resonate with viewers. McCoo was given solo hosting duties for the 1983-84 season, and she handled her assignment with grace and charm.

For no clear reason, the 1984-85 season’s hosting assignment was handed over to Rick Dees, a radio deejay who enjoyed a novelty record hit with “Disco Duck.” But Dees was a dismally unfunny host, and he left the show before the season was over. Guest hosts filled in for the absent Dees, and Warwick came back for a solo hosting gig in the 1985-86 season. For the last two years of the show’s run, McCoo took the hosting helm, with assistance from ex-MTV VJ Nina Blackwood and comic Arsenio Hall.

To its credit, “Solid Gold” managed to snag many top acts. Although the performers mostly lip-synced their numbers, their presence was still quite a treat to behold: Madonna, Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, Culture Club, KISS, Ozzy Osbourne, The Go-Gos, Tears for Fears, Men at Work and Fleetwood Mac turned up for memorable appearances. (Some stars that did not wish to be on the “Solid Gold” stage, including David Bowie and Michael Jackson, were nonetheless represented with their latest music videos.)

Unfortunately, many of the performances were staged in a manner that (to be charitable) was unintentionally funny; a casual spin through YouTube can unearth these doozies. Sheena Easton performed her “Morning Train” hit while the Solid Gold Dancers wore derbies and hijacked the stylized movements associated with Bob Fosse’s Broadway choreography. Debbie Harry wobbled about lip-syncing “The Tide is Hide” while the Sold Gold Dancers did burlesque worthy bump-and-grind routines that appeared to have been staged to another tune. And you haven’t lived until you watch the clip of Adam Ant (dressed in a Lord Nelson uniform) bouncing around to “Goody Two Shoes” while the Solid Gold Dancers engaged in what may or may not be advanced aerobics.

Ultimately, the MTV generation prevailed and “Solid Gold” left the air in 1988. Although some episodes were rerun years later as part of a VH1 salute to the 1980s, there has never been any home entertainment release of the series. Nor is it likely to see one – clearing the music rights for all of the songs in the 314-episode series would be ridiculously expensive.

However, many “Solid Gold” fans videotaped episodes during its initial run, and slightly blurry VHS recordings can be found on YouTube. Snippets of “Solid Gold” are easier to consume than entire episodes – you can zoom in on your favorite singers and their hit songs and avoid the rest of the episode’s havoc.

There will never be another show like “Solid Gold” – which, I believe, is the very best thing for mankind. However, I am glad that it bounced and wiggled about when it did – it helped make the 1980s such a wonderfully weird experience.



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Live To Dance - Premiere Review

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Oh Paula, oh Paula…how your fans missed you. Our wait is over, as Paula returned to our airwaves January 4, on CBS’s Live to Dance, a real dance competition, unlike some others we know. If you’re a fan of competition dance, this show did not disappoint. Those of us who were embroiled in the Dancing With The Stars controversy are pleased to see that Live to Dance clearly defined itself from the opening sequence: it is looking for the best dance act, and by best, they mean the act that breaks barriers and gives us something we’ve never seen before. A tall order, but we know the journey on which we embark.

The premiere night gave us auditions from L.A. and New York, with an hour devoted to each city. The auditions were pre-produced and pre-packaged in front of a studio audience; some were full 30 second auditions, while others were shown in lightning speed montage sequences, along with a quick clip of some injuries and snafus (always fun). Live to Dance moves at an extremely fast pace, keeping the contestant back stories and judge bantering to a bare minimum. If you blinked you would have missed an audition.

Two or more gold stars by the judges moves a contestant to the “short list” of consideration for the semi-finals, while 2 or more red stars mean better luck next time. A judge has a chance to change his or her vote, and the first and only one of the night was a change from Travis Payne, who caved to audience pressure for an aging trio of former Solid Gold Dancers. While the show lacks the nitty gritty of the raw auditions we are so familiar with from American Idol, it does show us that the judges are clearly within their element. Travis Payne, a dancer from the age of 9, was a choreographer for Michael Jackson, while Kim Wyatt, also a choreographer with a long list of credits, is the founder of the Pussycat Dolls. Paula of course, is an esteemed dancer and choreographer in her own right. The judges clearly work as a team. Their comments were warm, uplifting and professional, while criticisms were positive, encouraging and helpful. No nasty tirades to talentless hopefuls, and no backbiting or controversy at the judges table. Even the host was a sweetheart, humorously admitting to knowing the Solid Gold dance routines as a child.

Live To Dance Premiere ReviewContestants ranged in age from 9 to 90 (yes!). There was the cute kid groups, the elderly couples, the darling ingénues, and while many forms of dance were represented, tonight’s contestants relied mostly on hip hop, ballet, beat box and break dancing. Naturally, there was the funny character who performed to the requisite Paula Abdul song “Forever Your Girl”, which succeeded in bringing Paula to tears. He wasn’t voted through, but he did get to share a sentimental moment with Paula on stage. As she hugged him, she revealed that the song was and will always be about her Dad, who was sitting in the audience. Perhaps the most heartbreaking audition was the quartet of little girls, somewhere between toddler and pre-teen age, who danced their hearts out to Justin Bieber’s Baby Baby Baby. They were so cute, but alas, the judges felt they needed to work on their cohesion as a group. The standout act of the night was the pre-pubescent boy/girl Latin dance couple who treated us to an amazing rumba complete with splits and lifts. Not only did they earn 3 gold stars to see them through to tomorrow, they earned a rousing standing ovation from the audience and judges as well.

While I agreed with most of the judges picks for the semi-finals, there was one I did not understand. One young man was a contortionist as opposed to a dancer, and they sent him through. “Innovative and different” was the comment from Travis and while it is in keeping with the "breaking the barriers" theme, to me it just wasn’t dancing.

Perhaps the most refreshing element about Live to Dance is that it is an extension of Paula Abdul’s vision of dance competition. It reflects love, encouragement, and gentle criticism but without the snarkiness that so embodied her previous show which clearly upset her more often than not. I have the feeling that this show’s overall aura was at her insistence. Live to Dance radiates heart, light and soul. Pure Paula. Tomorrow night’s show is all about the suspense as the judges review their short list to see who makes it to the semi-finals: January 5, 8pm on CBS.


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Solid Gold Dancers on Paula Abdul Dance Show

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On the “Live to Dance” show tonight, there were contestants of all ages and skill levels. Three of the most memorable were a trio of Solid Gold Dancers from the 1980s show.

Judge Paula Abdul was in tears telling the ladies how she used to watch Solid Gold whenever it was on as she was growing up. She told them that they were such an inspiration.

Yet, that was not enough to earn the Solid Gold dancers enough gold stars to move on to the experts’ short list. At least, not at first.

Paula Abdul gave them a gold star to begin with, but judges Kimberly Wyatt and Travis Payne gave them red stars.

But, possibly moved by Paula’s speech, Travis changed his mind and gave them a gold star, allowing them to move on.

Do you think they deserved to move on to the next level of competition?

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