On this day in 1971.....

[Rain Man]

Television's longest running syndicated show premiered:

SOOOOUUUUULLLLLL TRAIN!

Yes, the hippest trip in the country originally aired hosted by Don Cornelius and became a cult classic in the Black community.

Side note: Assuming that Soul Train can last one more season, it will officially beat American Bandstand as the longest running dance show in 2003. (AB aired on ABC 1957-87 and on USA from 1987-89).

We all know about ST's original theme song, TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia) performed by the Three Degrees, which was replaced with a more hip hop oriented theme song in 1994 when Cornelius retired as host. This retirement prompted a series of guest hosts, and currently Shemar Moore now takes the helm.

A lot of criticism about the show is that ST is now too predictable, and that a lot of the performing talent are first-timers ("Coming out with their first album, "I'm Broke As A Joke"....) .

Should ST be pulled into the station and retired to the roundhouse? Or does it have a little more steam left in the engine to make a few more trips?

Questions? Comments? Suggestions?

[lil_sunshine]

I think it should go another round or two or three before officially "pulling the train into the station" for good. Let it become the longest running dance show in history; it'll be a great accomplishment. I don't usually watch it b/c I'm hardly home, but I think that the fact that new artists can showcase their talent and promote their material is great. Not many new artists are able to get that exposure, especially since MTV, VH1, and BET are saturated with artists who have already made it in one way or another. JMHO.....

[RedefinedDiva]

There is no showcase of talent on Soul Train. It is too predictable. I don't appreciate the fact that they lip-sync on the show these days. The show has been garbage for quite a few years now.

I do, however, think that if it has made it past people this long, it could go for a one more round, at least long enough to make the record.

[oneinamillion]

Originally posted by RedefinedDiva
There is no showcase of talent on Soul Train. It is too predictable. I don't appreciate the fact that they lip-sync on the show these days. The show has been garbage for quite a few years now.

It seemed like this all started in the 90's that Soul Train losted it's touch. They began having alot of so-call entertainers that weren't even popular or unheard of. I also hated the fact that they lip-sync the songs, but from my understanding they were doing that since the show started.

[Rain Man]

....for the title of longest running dance show.

ST also holds the title of longest running syndicated show (and has for quite some time, beating out such shows as Hee Haw (which was on for like 25 years).

Personally, I only watch the show on occasion and for the sake of nostalgia, but I really would like to see reruns of ST during the golden years. Does anyone else here agree with me?

[enlightenment06]

I think Soul Train needs to be revamped and re-injected with a new dose of energy. The performers should give live performances instead of lip sync. Also the Soul Train dancers should be real people. Shemar Moore is a good host, but it would be better if they got a bigger name such as Pharrel from the Neptunes (who would write the new theme song). Soul Train is still a good concept but it needs some re-working.

[Honeykiss1974]

Originally posted by enlightenment06
I think Soul Train needs to be revamped and re-injected with a new dose of energy. The performers should give live performances instead of lip sync. Also the Soul Train dancers should be real people. Shemar Moore is a good host, but it would be better if they got a bigger name such as Pharrel from the Neptunes (who would write the new theme song). Soul Train is still a good concept but it needs some re-working.

I heard Shemar left (or got the boot, I can't remember which). I agree, it needs to be revamped, tweeked, something. It has been YEARS since I've watched though.

[AKA2D '91]

A couple of months ago, I met the original DJ of Soul Train at a Soror's B-day party.