What do you get when you combine a hirsute singer in a gold lamé jumpsuit, seven male dancers in bell-bottom pants, a flock of live birds… and probably a lot of hallucinogens?
Well, yes, an awesome house party.
But, also, this performance of “Paloma Blanca” by Georgie Dann on a New Year’s Eve TV special in 1975.
If it wasn’t so epically fabulous, it would be hard to watch.
Early video technology? Check. A flutist who appears to be the victim of a glittery shuriken attack? Check. A random shot of a bikini model inexplicably hanging her delicates out to dry on a beach? Check. Ornithological crowd-surfing? Check.
Add to this the fact that Dann, in his golden onesie, appears to have lost his feet to either a horrific accident or bad tailoring.
(We’d like to tell you that no doves were harmed during filming but rumours persist that two of them flew into a wall and one died of glitter inhalation in the flutist's dressing room.)
In case it’s not immediate obvious from watching this performance, “Paloma Blanca” – Spanish for “white dove” – is the story of a poor farmer who, at the end of the long day in the fields, sits by a tree and dreams of having the freedom of a white dove.
The song was written and originally recorded by George Baker (aka Johannes Bouwens) but this version was also a hit for Dann, a Paris-born singer who turned 79 last week.
Check out Dann's awesome performance of "Paloma Blanca" below: