Soul Train is my absolute favorite television show of all time. I have religiously collected ST footage since I copped my first Japanese VHS imports at a mom and pop record shop here in DC 12 years ago. I watch these tapes/DVD's day, noon and night, much to the chagrin of my roommates.

The first episode I have memory of (I'm 34) was #394, from season 11, which aired June 12, 1982. The musical guests were Deniece Williams and Junior. Some of my favorite moments from the series are listed below:


Episode #34/ Aired September 30, 1972
Eddie Kendricks doing an acapella version of "Can I" (song starts at 2:06)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xg69on_eddie-kendricks-interview_music

Episode #39/ Aired November 4, 1972
The Sylvers "Wish That I Could Talk To You"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQg10VVQAdA

Episode #46/ Aired January 13, 1973
Stevie Wonder "Superstition"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjsVWSHw5fQ

Episode #49/ Aired February 10, 1973
James Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsVyPAVBzRQ

Episode #56/ Aired April 14, 1973
Aretha Franklin "Rock Steady"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOj9lPbp1I4

Episode #60/ Aired May 12, 1973
Don going down the ST line
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFBo5hHMUZM

Episode #69/ Aired September 1, 1973
Mandrill "Hang Loose" (one of thee greatest musical performances on the show)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnwKaI1im4Q

Episode #77/ Aired November 3, 1973
Michael debuting his robot during a performance of "Dancing Machine"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--w9u0S2Dho

Episode #89/ Aired February 16, 1974
Marvin "Distant Lover"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9BSjRCN0cQ

Episode #93/ Aired April 6, 1974
Al Green "Jesus Is Waiting"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CslaDEc2PS8

Episode #105/ Aired June 29, 1974
Sly & The Family Stone "Thank You" (I was pissed when this performance was edited when included in the Time-Life Soul Train DVD box set)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ptrc2cWRxU

Episode #108/ Aired September 14, 1974
James Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wztjtD4i02k

Episode #111/ Aired October 5, 1974
Michael Jackson "If I Don't Love You This Way" (when Motown scrapped plans for a 1974 solo album from Mike this cut was added to the J5 Dancing Machine LP)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo4gMpPJu-E

Episode #119/ Aired December 14, 1974 (this is running neck and neck with James Brown's '73 appearance as the best episode of the series ever)
The Isley Brothers "Summer Breeze"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRL6Q1PTLJ0

Episode #120/ Aired December 21, 1974
Jose Felicino and Minnie Riperton were guests
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5QUWMDv940
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbMw2fIL_e0&feature=fvst

Episode #125/ Aired January 25, 1975
The Lockers (before Fred Berry and Toni Basil left)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpkkPXFfm68

Episode #135/ Aired April 5, 1975
Al Green "Love" (specifically the drum solo that starts at 4:50 in the clip below)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYooJOWH_60

Episode #141/ Aired May 17, 1975
Elton John "Bennie & The Jets"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vLlpJc9mW0

Episode #152/ Aired October 4, 1975
The Pointer Sisters "Sleeping Alone"
http://www.kewego.com/video/iLyROoaft_Xf.html

I'll post some more later. Feel free to share your ST memoires as well.

RIP Don Cornelius

i love the Jacksons episodes, Al Green, Marvin gaye, Smokey RObinson, Aretha Franklin, Barry White,Commodores, War,Tower of Power,Sly and the Family Stone, and everyone else you mentioned

however my personal ones are

Minnie Riperton right before she died and that something else to have her on soultrain. just was emotional 1)

Rick James Tributes and there was nothing like Rick James and Don Cornelious going in the round they truly had a vibe with one another and talk about Irony because yesterday was Rick's birthday. anytime RIck James was on there that was something else. 2)


the Whispers, Shalamar and O'Bryan because those were special for Don and those were acts he really went to Bat for. 3)

Richard Pryor this was a trip when he was on there. my uncle was working on soultrain during this time and he told me how cool Pryor and Pam Grier were and the great times had by all. 4)

Marvin Gaye,Smokey Robinson and Don all playing Basketball on the stage classic episode. 5)

a white act performing on soul Train meant you were being felt and that was a special honor there. Gino,Lady T,Elton, Bowie. 6)


Soul train history books was always a highlight for me always enjoyed that. 7)

Stevie Wonder specials on there always meant so much. 8)

>i love the Jacksons episodes, Al Green, Marvin gaye, Smokey
>RObinson, Aretha Franklin, Barry White,Commodores, War,Tower
>of Power,Sly and the Family Stone, and everyone else you
>mentioned
>
>however my personal ones are
>
>Minnie Riperton right before she died and that something
>else to have her on soultrain. just was emotional 1)
>
>Rick James Tributes and there was nothing like Rick James
>and Don Cornelious going in the round they truly had a
>vibe with one another and talk about Irony because yesterday
>was Rick's birthday. anytime RIck James was on there that was
>something else.

Agreed. Rick always took control during the interview segments and all Don could do was look and listen lol.

2)
>
>
>the Whispers, Shalamar and O'Bryan because those were special
>for Don and those were acts he really went to Bat for. 3)
>
>Richard Pryor this was a trip when he was on there. my uncle
>was working on soultrain during this time and he told me how
>cool Pryor and Pam Grier were and the great times had by all.

I remember when Richard Rryor guest hosted and was inerviewing Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. That was a blast, lol.

>4)
>
>Marvin Gaye,Smokey Robinson and Don all playing Basketball on
>the stage classic episode. 5)
>
>a white act performing on soul Train meant you were being
>felt and that was a special honor there. Gino,Lady T,Elton,
>Bowie. 6)
>
>
>Soul train history books was always a highlight for me always
>enjoyed that. 7)
>
>Stevie Wonder specials on there always meant so much. 8)
>
>
>


_______________________________________
"I whipped him with a switch and a belt. I never beat him. You beat someone with a stick." - Joe Jackson

Does anytone know why neither Earth, Wind & Fire or Parliament/Funkadelic appeared on the show in their prime? ?uest explained to me in a Soul Train post years ago why Prince never made any appearances in his heyday but I've always wondered about the first 2.


_______________________________________
"I whipped him with a switch and a belt. I never beat him. You beat someone with a stick." - Joe Jackson

i mean they did tv shows,etc.. but they wanted to be bigger and perhaps management told them not to be doing no soul train.

believe me there are other acts who aovided soul train for that very reason especially when cross over was king and queen.

as for P FUnk, i wonder if they didn't feel they fitted that scene.

yeah Clinton and Crew were part of the sound of Black America back in the day, however Soul Train had a Lushy laid back manner and vibe and I don't know if they felt like they belong there.

i might be reaching but seeing P Funk with Wolfman jack on the Midnight special or something considered risque seemed more in line.

when P-Funk was at the height of their success....by then Soul train wasn't doing the live performance thing...the major ones..your Al Green...James Brown Sly..etc all those were before P-Funk was huge

although the "Funkadelic without George" line up did appear on soul train once.... and even maybe P-Funk may have been too racy for Don's taste

As Don said in the documentary putting on the live performances cost a whole lot of money..which is why they stopped doing it eventually..

EWF had a pretty large set up by the time they were real big so it may have been a cost effective thing..

when Barry brought his whole love unlimted set and wanted it to be live that all added up and back then Barry had a dime section of Orange county playing for him live.

that was kinda the end of the live set on soultrain.

Warren that is also true about Don he liked a certain type of act and certain other acts he wouldn't give the time of day.

he was a picky cat like that. My uncle told me alot about working in that enviroment and how some things went down and that was one of them and also you better not do Bandstand and ask to be on Soultrain if you were Black.

#Edit
I see you beat me to it Maxxx, lol

Warren, I was thinking the same thing (concerning cost effectiveness of lip-synching) but I saw this Barry White and Love Unlimited Orchestra appearance from '75 where Barry brought damn near a 30 piece orchestra. Who knows, perhaps Barry footed the bill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQio2iCfnh4

_______________________________________
"I whipped him with a switch and a belt. I never beat him. You beat someone with a stick." - Joe Jackson

back then...

Don Kirshner's Rock Concert...... The Midnight Special..... Mike Douglass show.. (Mike had James Brown and Sly Stone co-host an entire weeks worth of shows with him back then)

Not to say more successful artists thought of soul train as lesser..but from a cost effective point of view with Soul Train....EWF or Cameo could perform live elsewhere where it was affordable to do so.

over to them and also Dinah Shore having Marvin Gaye and other R&B acts on her show, etc.. and all those shows make my cross over point. not saying they weren't about loving R&B,based shows etc..

however appearing on Mike Dougless, Dinah Shore, Midnight Special, etc.. other shows it was clearly a bigger market and the record companys put money in them for that pop look.


Cameo wasn't going to be on any of those shows except Soul train and Midnight Special until about 84 onward.

early Cameo was a Black thang just like the Bar Kays and Con Funk Shun.

back in the day you had funk bands that were a SOuthern thing and then you had bands geared toward the east coast,etc..

Earth,Wind and Fire after thats the way of the world had access to it all and the Irony of that is that the film to thats the way of the world went Burnt Popcorn, but the soundtrack was huge and arguably the most Underrated soundtrack ever IMO.

Maxxx, I would've thought the same thing about P-Funk but Bootsy's Rubber Band was on there in '77 or '78. I guess it's similar to Prince letting The Time get booked for the show but not appearing himself. However, his reasons for not appearing I'm sure are quite different from George's.

_______________________________________
"I whipped him with a switch and a belt. I never beat him. You beat someone with a stick." - Joe Jackson

because CLinton was a staff writer for Motown, however the imagery,etc.. made Don do a wait and see and then when P Funk hit and it was Bootsy turn then he said cool.

Don was funny about the Funk because he had strange take and dig towards Rick James until was so hot that Don had to bow down and kiss the Punk Funk Pinky Ring.

Don was about the straight and Narrow. though he took risks, Don was modeling aspects of Soul train off of Motown. asembly style in image and music and content.

Episode #118/ Aired December 7, 1974
LaBelle "Lady Marmalade"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWHkIz5BomA

Episode #161/ Aired December 6, 1975
Average White Band "School Boy Crush"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvJ5f6uvMGY

Episode #162/ Aired December 13, 1975
Rufus Ft. Chaka Khan "Sweet Thing"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksRrVlqRjKE

Episode #165/ Aired January 3, 1976
David Bowie "Fame"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW9x7OkwpxA

Episode #168/ Aired January 24, 1976
Jackson 5 "All I Do Is Think Of You"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvQxZS9NxHQ

Episode #217/ Aired April 2, 1977
Roy Ayers "Searching"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvccotKOvIo

Episode #222/ Aired May 7, 1977
Marvin Gaye "Got To Give It Up"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75BlzjqGVcc

thanks bro

im still waiting on Part II to that classic mixtape u put together in the stone age


do or die

ea. one is funkier then the last...funk overload


do or die

Dope thread.....thank playa!

Seems like she's doing some kind of robot at times, fun stuff:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbLDaQ1VhFM

That would be Damita Jo Freeman. I think she's the best female dancer that's ever graced that dance floor. Here she is dancing with Joe Tex.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qT4zTv_vVY

_______________________________________
"I whipped him with a switch and a belt. I never beat him. You beat someone with a stick." - Joe Jackson

>That would be Damita Jo Freeman. I think she's the best
>female dancer that's ever graced that dance floor.

i agree. she turned it OUT w/JB!

I came in here to post this.

Also, she was in the film Private Benjamin.

Thanks for love Don!

do or die

>damn!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"

*Edit*
Oops, posted in wrong spot

_______________________________________
"I whipped him with a switch and a belt. I never beat him. You beat someone with a stick." - Joe Jackson

Don Cornelius, James Brown, Al Sharpton interview (1974)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w-ByEzJ7qc

Hell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8IBW__SHCo

Papa Don't Take No Mess & My Thang
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKeY88YLBUU&feature=related


_______________________________________
"I whipped him with a switch and a belt. I never beat him. You beat someone with a stick." - Joe Jackson

good shit


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4w2wOtKXMQ

http://youtu.be/dHMbOaodOjA

_______________________________________
"I whipped him with a switch and a belt. I never beat him. You beat someone with a stick." - Joe Jackson

>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"

http://youtu.be/JYCcYvPfzOk

_______________________________________
"I whipped him with a switch and a belt. I never beat him. You beat someone with a stick." - Joe Jackson

Or strokety stroke??

Joking with stroke but it did get lots of play lol

Well....somebody finally found the Soul Train performance of Foster Sylvers Misdemeanor...warning...low volume...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck1p-WiDkD8