Soul Train
August 31, 2009 10:01 AM Subscribe
Soul Train (wiki) has a youtube channel. Lots of great performances here, but in particular I recommend The O'Jays, Sly and The Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, The Stairsteps, and the Jackson 5. What really makes it worth watching though are the clips of the Soul Train Line dancing to hits of the day, artists like The O'Jay, Curtis Mayfield, War, and The JB's.
The "Soul Train" chugging across my screen always meant that my Saturday cartoon watching work was complete and that it was time for me to go do some outside activities--which usually meant finding a tree to read under.
posted by ColdChef at 10:16 AM on August 31, 2009 [6 favorites]
posted by ColdChef at 10:16 AM on August 31, 2009 [6 favorites]
Early on in my pure "suburban white boy" youth, I discovered and consumed Soul Train every week. Lord, I loved that show. Though, to admit so to some of my friends would have been...a bad move.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:20 AM on August 31, 2009
posted by Thorzdad at 10:20 AM on August 31, 2009
If you like that, you may also like Soul! from PBS Channel 13 WNET. (previously)
posted by fings at 10:21 AM on August 31, 2009 [4 favorites]
posted by fings at 10:21 AM on August 31, 2009 [4 favorites]
You know who the only country artist ever to appear on Soul Train was? Earl Thomas Conley. Isn't learning fun?
posted by ND¢ at 10:21 AM on August 31, 2009
posted by ND¢ at 10:21 AM on August 31, 2009
Around here, Soul Train aired opposite American Bandstand on Saturday mornings. One had Dick Clark had a theme song written by Barry Manilow (well, he put words to the theme.) The other had Don Cornelius and a cool-ass animated SOUUUUUUUUL TRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN.
I know which show the networks expected a kid of my demographic to watch, but I watched Soul Train anyway. It presented a culture and world that was so far removed from our mountaintop farm, I couldn't help but be fascinated by it. I may not have known the acts that appeared, but I could dig the music. Besides, I could hear the songs that American Bandstand featured each week by listening to American Top 40. I couldn't hear the songs on Soul Train anywhere else. (No, Solid Gold does not count. Do you really think Rick Dees could hold his own against Don Cornelius? Not on your life.)
posted by Spatch at 10:36 AM on August 31, 2009
I know which show the networks expected a kid of my demographic to watch, but I watched Soul Train anyway. It presented a culture and world that was so far removed from our mountaintop farm, I couldn't help but be fascinated by it. I may not have known the acts that appeared, but I could dig the music. Besides, I could hear the songs that American Bandstand featured each week by listening to American Top 40. I couldn't hear the songs on Soul Train anywhere else. (No, Solid Gold does not count. Do you really think Rick Dees could hold his own against Don Cornelius? Not on your life.)
posted by Spatch at 10:36 AM on August 31, 2009
> You know who the only country artist ever to appear on Soul Train was? Earl Thomas Conley.
See, this sort of thing is why I love MetaFilter. When I was about ten I snuck into the backstage area of a weekend-long outdoor country music festival and wandered around meeting people and asking them for autographs. One of the people I spoke with (before a security guard asked me who I was and they had to make an announcement from the stage asking my parents to come pick me up) was Mr. Conley. Learning that he appeared on Soul Train makes that story...somewhat...cooler.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:38 AM on August 31, 2009
See, this sort of thing is why I love MetaFilter. When I was about ten I snuck into the backstage area of a weekend-long outdoor country music festival and wandered around meeting people and asking them for autographs. One of the people I spoke with (before a security guard asked me who I was and they had to make an announcement from the stage asking my parents to come pick me up) was Mr. Conley. Learning that he appeared on Soul Train makes that story...somewhat...cooler.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:38 AM on August 31, 2009
It's interesting to watch the line dancing clips -- the moves are much looser and natural when compared to the So-You-Think-You-Can-Dance type contests so prevalent today. Even the bad dancers look good, probably because they're not trying to impress anyone and just want to have fun.
posted by spoobnooble at 10:46 AM on August 31, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by spoobnooble at 10:46 AM on August 31, 2009 [1 favorite]
Has there ever been a better band than Sly & the Family Stone?
posted by conifer at 10:46 AM on August 31, 2009
posted by conifer at 10:46 AM on August 31, 2009
> The "Soul Train" chugging across my screen always meant that my Saturday cartoon watching work was complete and that it was time for me to go do some outside activities
Same here. I love watching Soul! and Soul Train now, but when I was a kid the dance shows marked the end of TV time. After all those character-rich cartoons with deep, intriguing plots, watching a bunch of people dance seemed shallow and uninteresting.
posted by ardgedee at 11:03 AM on August 31, 2009
Same here. I love watching Soul! and Soul Train now, but when I was a kid the dance shows marked the end of TV time. After all those character-rich cartoons with deep, intriguing plots, watching a bunch of people dance seemed shallow and uninteresting.
posted by ardgedee at 11:03 AM on August 31, 2009
OK, so a couple of weeks back I was trying really hard to search for individual dance videos of specifically Damita Jo Freeman and Jimmy "Scooby Doo" Foster, but I couldn't find anything more substantial on Youtube, except for one other Damita Jo video. I mean, I understand trying to highlight just a dancer or two is a little hard when Soul Train's a huge dance party....buuuuuuuuut in case it's just my fault in lacking the skills to search, I'm tacking on a little request here that if anybody knows of anymore videos of them dancing on Soul Train, please let me know.
posted by kkokkodalk at 11:13 AM on August 31, 2009
posted by kkokkodalk at 11:13 AM on August 31, 2009
Stevie Wonder making up a song on the spot is an amazing thing. (And how could anyone not love Sly in his prime?) Whew! Thanks for the great post.
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 11:18 AM on August 31, 2009
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 11:18 AM on August 31, 2009
It's interesting to watch the line dancing clips
And Krakatoa was somewhat loud.
Nothing was better than watching the Soul Train line dance.
posted by pracowity at 11:26 AM on August 31, 2009
And Krakatoa was somewhat loud.
Nothing was better than watching the Soul Train line dance.
posted by pracowity at 11:26 AM on August 31, 2009
Has there ever been a better band than Sly & the Family Stone?
no
posted by philip-random at 1:40 PM on August 31, 2009
no
posted by philip-random at 1:40 PM on August 31, 2009
They don't have David Bowie's appearance, one of the few white artists (at least in the earlier years of the program) to be invited on the program.
http://en.sevenload.com/videos/XoIl55S-David-Bowie-at-Soul-Train-1975-Pt-1-Interview
http://en.sevenload.com/videos/W52wyOm-David-Bowie-at-Soul-Train-1975-Pt-2-Golden-Years
http://en.sevenload.com/videos/IhVm9DC-David-Bowie-at-Soul-Train-1975-Pt-3-Fame
I'm not sure if he is nervous, on drugs, or both during the interview.
posted by SouthCNorthNY at 2:34 PM on August 31, 2009 [1 favorite]
http://en.sevenload.com/videos/XoIl55S-David-Bowie-at-Soul-Train-1975-Pt-1-Interview
http://en.sevenload.com/videos/W52wyOm-David-Bowie-at-Soul-Train-1975-Pt-2-Golden-Years
http://en.sevenload.com/videos/IhVm9DC-David-Bowie-at-Soul-Train-1975-Pt-3-Fame
I'm not sure if he is nervous, on drugs, or both during the interview.
posted by SouthCNorthNY at 2:34 PM on August 31, 2009 [1 favorite]
I remember watching Bowie and thinking "Wow! It's a white guy who does that song?!" I was about 7 at the time...
posted by black8 at 3:32 PM on August 31, 2009
posted by black8 at 3:32 PM on August 31, 2009
Came across this clip of the Five Stairsteps doing O-o-h Child a little while ago. So good.
Weren't American Bandstand and Soul Train on back to back on Saturday mornings?
posted by stargell at 6:04 PM on August 31, 2009
Weren't American Bandstand and Soul Train on back to back on Saturday mornings?
posted by stargell at 6:04 PM on August 31, 2009
Has there ever been a better band than Sly & the Family Stone?
Yeah, no.
posted by daniel9223 at 6:20 PM on August 31, 2009
Yeah, no.
posted by daniel9223 at 6:20 PM on August 31, 2009
Has there ever been a better band than Sly & the Family Stone?
Thinking, thinking . .
Yeah, No.
posted by jeremias at 8:22 PM on August 31, 2009
Thinking, thinking . .
Yeah, No.
posted by jeremias at 8:22 PM on August 31, 2009
Will all of this the awesome be captured in the upcoming movie, d'you think?
posted by progosk at 3:21 AM on September 1, 2009
posted by progosk at 3:21 AM on September 1, 2009
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We can only favourite things once, right?
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:15 AM on August 31, 2009 [1 favorite]