Soul Train

Soul Train was a long running syndication show that featured the top names in R & B and later rap music as well as the top hits for the Soul Train Dancers to dance to. Don Cornelius. the show's creator, host and packager was the key to the show's success. He was cool, calm and classy and was very knowledgeable about the genre and it showed in his interviews with the guests. There were also two best known features on Soul Train, The Scramble Board and the Soul Train Line, which gave the dancers an opportunity to showcase their talent. Also worth mentioning is the show's announcer, Sid McCoy, who also had some small roles in TV shows.

Unfortunately, the show went downhill after Cornelius decided to step down as host, turning things over to a weekly guest host before Mystro Clark, Shemar Moore and Dorian Gregory became permanent hosts. They weren't as good as Cornelius but there were plenty of talented guest stars and dancers. I'll close by quoting Cornelius' traditional closing "We wish you love, peace, and soul."

I totally agree with the poster below. Lately they've been showing "The Best of Soul Train" which I'm so excited about because I've been wondering if they were ever going to re-air the classic episodes again. Well, I'm happy to say that they are and it's great! They show the '70s and the '80s. The '80s was my time growing up and I absolutely loved the show as a little kid. The dancers, the music, Don Cornelius, and of course that animated train during the opening sequence and before commercials :p. Awesome times! Big question for anyone who could help me out, WHEN IS SOUL TRAIN '70S AND '80S COMING TO DVD, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. ;) Thanks

When I was a child in the 1970's and watch "Soul Train", it was wonderful. The show had so much spontaneity. You knew what was going to be done, but you didn't know HOW it was going to be done. The show was aimed at providing young "Black" flavor. However, David Bowie appeared on the show in the 70's. That was unexpected and thrilling. It showed the world that Black people in America can have musical interests beyond only disco, R&B, and soul. B.B. King appeared, showing that young Black people can enjoy the blues.

"Soul Train" wasn't just about the music. The show had comedians, special guest dancers, and real suspense on the Soul Train Scramble Board. The Soul Train Line had many surprises. In the 70's, male and female dancers did things together while going down the line. They did things that would make me jump out of my seat in amusement. They enjoyed what they were doing. When the special guest musical performers finished their routine, Cornelius would inform the performers that the questions would be asked by the dancers, to give the performers, as well as the viewers, some unexpected surprises. Then there were the dancers. Ahhh the dancers. Who could forget the Asian woman with long hair? Who could forget the man who sported a different mask and costume every week? One week, he was Darth Vader. Another week, he was E.T. Another week, he was Nixon. There was the dancing. Everyone tried to imitate those moves. These were the days.

Nowadays, Cornelius doesn't host the show. He had his string of guest hosts, which didn't work. He then had Mystro Clark. Clark tried to be too hip and cool instead of being natural. He didn't work. The execs replaced him with Shemar Moore. In my opinion, Moore is guilty of the same superficial hipness and coolness which lead to Mystro Clark being replaced. The dancers have evolved into snooty people more concerned with modeling their fashions from with mall and showing off their chiseled bodies than having fun. The Soul Train Line features people dancing individually. We no longer see the men and women doing things together. Probably because they all have become too much "into themselves" to want to dance with one another. Another note about the dancers: The women on the show are attractive. However, many of them cannot dance. They "get over" due to their good looks.

We all know the current structure of the weekly series: During the first segment, the dancers dance to a song. After the first commercial, the first guest performs. After the second commercial, the Scramble Board segment arrives. After the third commercial, the second guest performs. Forty five minutes into the program, the Soul Train Line happens. It's so predictable.

On the bright side, no one will ever get tired of hearing the exquisite voice of Sid McCoy, the longtime "voice" of "Soul Train".

"Soul Train" has become stale. Thought, the show had some great days. It needs to return to that. However, with the changes in the music and entertainment in the 21st century, it probably will not. The show needs to end gracefully. However, due to the continuing need to showcase "Black" talent in a Black context, it will remain on the air, the same way "Saturday Night Live" has remained due to NBC's need to give young comics their shot at the limelight, because that show has been stale for several years.

Back on "Soul Train", it had surprises. It had wit. Unfortunately, "Soul Train" is a variety show which does not have "variety" anymore.

Soul Train was one of my favorite shows while growing up in the 1980s. It was a first-class, highly enjoyable entertainment all around, not at all a mediocre black version of "American Bandstand". It featured all kinds of great, talented R&B/Rap stars that were making their mark in that glorious decade.

It was awesome: full of fun and great music, plus the funky dancing, the hip clothes, and the scramble board. It brings back some great memories. I remember watching artists like Midnight Star, Whitney Houston, Atlantic Starr, Janet Jackson, New Edition, Cameo, Debarge, Prince, Levert, and many more performing on it. And who could forget opening moments where the animated train rides into the city, screaming "SOUL TRAIN!"

Don Cornelius was an excellent host who kept the show going until it succumbed to banality in the 90s. From early 90s onward, Soul Train lost its excitement as it became a run-of-the-mill Saturday afternoon variety show, hosted by various celebrities.

But for us urban music junkies, 80s Soul Train remains something to be cherished.

It's a shame that the Soul Train of yesteryear is gone. But that is no reason to desperately keep the current show that bears its name on the air.

With every lipsynched performance, this show grows more pitiful.

With every painfully easy Scramble Board (what could ARMY J LBGEI possibly spell?!), the intelligence of all parties involved is insulted. With every phony host who conducts a even phonier interview, I feel more and more like I'm watching an infomercial.

That show is a mere husk of what it once was. It has no cultural significance whatsoever and should be laid to rest in order to preserve the integrity of its namesake, the REAL "Soul Train" - the one with REAL singers, REAL dancers, and true artistic merit.