Olivia Newton-John was the object of hopeless devotion from music fans when she joined forces with Cliff Richard 50 years ago in Dundee.
Newton-John, who has died aged 73, was already a rising star when she guested on Cliff Richard’s 1972 UK tour which included a date at the Caird Hall on November 9.
The tickets were 75p and the duo certainly provided bang for the buck!
‘I hope it won’t be long before I’m back again’
The two performances at 6.15pm and 9pm marked the first time Cliff had appeared in Dundee since the screaming scenes at the city’s Gaumont in September 1959.
This was his earliest phase, his lip-curling, Elvis-clone period, when he often wore neon pink drape jackets, dark shirts, tight black trousers and white shoes.
The band was barely audible above the cries of girls and some fainted as they played 10 numbers including Move It, Never Mind, Mean Streak and Livin’ Doll which was the biggest selling single of 1959 in the UK.
During the pop legend’s second performance six youths were taken out of the theatre after a fight with stewards in the stalls.
The fans then tried to prevent Cliff from leaving and two girls had to be dragged to safety from under the wheels of a car as officers desperately tried to manoeuvre them on to the pavements.
Soon Cliff was doing pure pop and saccharine ballads and things were slightly calmer when he returned to the city with Newton-John in November 1972.
Cliff apologised for taking 13 years to come back when they took to the stage.
“I have no excuses for not coming back before,” he said.
“I certainly hope it won’t be so long before I come back again.”
Newton-John performed several songs at the Caird Hall including the Bob Dylan cover If Not For You, Elton John’s Love Song and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.
She finished with an up-tempo version of the murder ballad Banks of the Ohio.
She demonstrated great voice flexibility
The Courier review stated: “In days of old, when Cliff Richard first struck gold, he came, sang and conquered Dundee with a pulsating performance to a screaming audience in the Gaumont Cinema.
“Last night, 13 years later, he returned to the city, and the audience in the Caird Hall saw and heard exactly why Cliff Richard has survived more than a decade in popular music.
“His performance was a mixture of the polished professional, the true Gospel singer feeling the music from his soul, and with just enough good old rock and roll to satisfy those who prefer to remember him from the early days.
“Last night the screams that greeted him in 1959 were replaced by grown-up cheers and clapping. From the moment he bounced onto the stage in his black outfit he dedicated himself to giving the fans their money’s worth.
“The Day I Met Marie, Jesus, My Way and Living in Harmony were outstanding.
“Then after a few numbers with the gorgeous Olivia Newton-John it was into Congratulations, then the tremendous climax, a whole stream of all-time greats including Rave On, Whole Lotta Shakin’ and Long Tall Sally.
“Both Cliff (with Brand New Song) and Olivia (Country Roads) previewed their new records. Olivia showed why she is one of the best of the female vocalists, demonstrating great voice flexibility and pure crystal-clear tone.
“She could not escape without thumping out Ohio.”
St Andrews-born journalist Nina Myskow, 76, met her backstage before the gig.
Nina – who also interviewed her eight years later during the publicity tour for Xanadu – told the BBC’s Jeremy Vine: “The first time I clapped eyes on her was 50 years ago, when Cliff Richard was touring the UK and came to Dundee.
“I was with Jackie magazine and I was backstage doing an interview with him in the dressing room.
“Curled up in the corner sitting in a chair, with a dressing gown on and great big rollers in her hair, was Olivia.
“She had no make-up on at all. She looked stunning. You really wouldn’t expect anyone in those circumstances to look great.
“She was warm, friendly and just a lovely sunny human being.”
Newton-John was born in Cambridge where she spent the first six years of her life before moving to Australia with her family.
She never looked back following the 1972 UK tour.
She represented the UK in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest before taking the role of Sandy in Grease in 1978 which propelled her to international stardom.
Grease was a global sensation and even the soundtrack was second top of the charts.
Her performance saw her nominated for multiple awards including two Golden Globes, and various other film accolades.
Aside from her showbusiness career, Newton-John became became a prominent breast cancer campaigner, after being given the first of three cancer diagnoses in 1992.
Following her initial battle with the disease, she had a partial mastectomy and reconstruction.
She remained cancer-free until a recurrence in 2013, but revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer for the third time in three decades in September 2018.
The British-born singer died “peacefully” at her ranch in Southern California on Monday morning, surrounded by family and friends.
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