BOOTH ANNOUNCER:
Shady Train...
the hippest trip in America!
60 nonstop minutes across the
tracks of your mind into the
exciting world of Soul!
And now the host of
Shady Train...
Don Cornelius!
Hi there! You're right on time for another super slick ride on
the big train. You know the drill. Only the cool kids get in
and every tune's a bad mamma jamma.
And we are delighted to have with us what has become just about
everybody's favorite group, and certainly ours here at Shady Train.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Led by Nile Rodgers, they are as much responsible for the current
disco craze as anyone. As they join us to do their latest single on
the Atlantic label, their second chart-topping smash of the year
entitled "Good Times," hands together and make some noise
please, gang, for the fabulous-- Chic!
"Good Times" - Chic
(July/Aug. 1979, highest chart pos.
#1 Hot 100 & Cash Box & R&B)
And look out now, don't hurt yourself. It's the
Shady Train gang... the Shady Train Line.
They're gonna get up and boogie to a sound that's
one of the baddest things around.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
It's the husband and wife team of guitarist Ronald Muldrow and
singer Ricki Byars Muldrow. Together they call themselves
Chemise and this is-- "She Can't Love You!"
"She Can't Love You" - Chemise
(1982 single released in The Netherlands)
And here's a lovely lady from Hawaii
with one of the biggest songs from
the hit movie Saturday Night Fever.
START VIDEO NOW!
As she joins us courtesy of RSO
Records and our good friends
over on Burt Sugarman's
Midnight Special to do her
#1 charting international
hit "If I Can't Have You,"
a warm welcome please
for-- Yvonne Elliman!
"If I Can't Have You" - Yvonne Elliman
(Apr. 1978, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100/#60 R&B,
from OST of Dec. 1977 film Saturday Night Fever,
perf. on Burt Sugarman's The Midnight Special)
START VIDEO NOW!
And that's just
half the ride.
Stick around for
more super soul
sounds when
Shady Train
continues right
after this.
START VIDEO NOW!
And we're excited to have aboard
the train a Trinidad born English-
man who's been rackin' 'em back,
and that's no fiction, it's a natural
fact. He's Billy Ocean, here to
perform his latest single on the
Jive label, his 4th chart-topping
hit in as many years. Billy says:
"Get Outta My Dreams" and
"Get Into My Car!"
"Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" - Billy Ocean
Mar./Apr. 1988, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box & R&B)
START VIDEO!
And we are pleased to have with us
a funky R&B band from Detroit led
by vocalists Al Hudson and Alicia
Myers. Recording as Al Hudson &
The Partners in 1979, they released
"You Can Do It," an R&B hit in the
U.S. that also reached the top 15
in the UK. Since that time, their
name has changed, but the
excitement of their music
has stayed the same.
As they join us to do their latest single on the MCA label entitled
"Cutie Pie," let's make some major noise, gang, for-- One Way!
"Cutie Pie" - One Way
(June/July 1982, highest chart pos. #4 R&B/#61 Hot 100)
START VIDEO NOW!
And hold onto your hats. There's a
def ditty comin' outta New York City.
The gang's movin' down the line and
lookin' real fine, tuffin' up their stuff,
boppin' to the beat and and poppin'
to the percussion on this hot one by
Jimmy Ross, a little thing called--
"First True Love Affair!"
"First True Love Affair" - Jimmy Ross
(Oct./Nov. 1981,highest chart pos. #50 R&B)
And if that don't do it for
you, nothing ever will.
We hope you'll get
into it with us again
next time when we
pop open another
six pack and toss in
an extra cool one
for good measure.
CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!
You can bet your last money, it's all gonna be a stone gas,
honey. I'm Don Cornelius, and as always in parting,
we wish you love... peace... and soul!
"TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" - MFSB
(Theme from Soul Train feat. The Three Degrees)
(Mar./Apr. 1974, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box & R&B)
Tom,
ReplyDeleteI watched Soul Train a little between 1975-79 but by the time the 80s rolled in I didn't get much chance of watching much TV on Saturdays and unless a song charted big then I probably didn't hear it on the radio in those early years. I don't remember the songs by Chemise, One Way, or Jimmy Ross in today's line-up. I appreciate you introducing these to me. There was just so much great music to come out of the 80s that was impossible to soak it all in one decade. I think I enjoy the stuff that didn't peak my ears more now than I would've then today. Great music and great fun all in one post, my friend. You're welcome to link up the 4M dance party if you'd like since it's 'your choice song pick week'. Have a boogietastic week!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteThanks for hurrying over to take the Early Bird trophy, dear friend! I'm happy to have you here for episode 18 of the Don Cornelius dance party Soul Train now known as Shady Train.
I think most people will agree that Soul Train's glory years were from around 1973/1974 through the rest of the 70s. In the 80s, Don started to show his age. I read that he didn't like the changes in the style of music that was popular among young people of color, specifically rap, and he didn't like the sexier outfits worn by the Soul Train gang and the provocative dances they performed in the studio. I suppose he didn't try to enforce any dress code or code of conduct because he knew the viewers at home expected to see and hear what was actually happening on the street in their own neighborhoods and clubs, not a watered-down version. You can tell the difference between the two innocent 1970s hits in this volume and some of the 80s offerings. That innocence was starting to slip away by the time the 80s arrived. However, I trust that Don would have approved of the tame Billy Ocean number and the official mewsic video featuring cartoon characters.
I'm glad you appreciated the introduction to Chemise, One Way and Jimmy Ross.
Thanks again for coming early, dear friend Cathy, and have a wonderful week!
Tom,
DeleteChange is hard to adapt to as we get older. We either are set in our ways or we don't agree with the new fads and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. In fact, many of those who didn't or don't approve are/were often the most upstanding people I've known. I certainly dislike rap music so I can understand why Don would've been put off by that. To me it takes little talent to rap as it does to sing and often the words to rap songs aren't good. I'm sure Don is turning over in his grave every time a rap song plays that disrespects women, speaks of violence, or just simply a nasty song. Will Smith's early rap days is just about the only rap I tolerate. His rap music has fun vibe with clean lyrics or at least that's the way I remember his music. Thanks for dropping by this morning to vote in my December 1st BOTB, my friend. The Christmas season has officially started!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteI'm just getting back home after a half day away to take care of routine medical matters. It involved a long drive to and from, and that to me is the worst part of it.
Yessum, I agree that Don C. would be shocked and offended by many of today's crude, violent rap songs. From what I read, Don was an old schooler and perhaps an unlikely person to host a show that featured all the latest trends and fads in urban mewsic. Once he got into the groove, however, he seemed perfect in the role of host. I can't imagine Soul Train without him.
Yessum, all of a sudden Christmas is closing in on us and will be here before we know it. I wish you and your family joy and merriment in the coming weeks.
Thanks again for expanding our thread and enjoy the rest of your day, dear friend Cathy!
Hey there friend Shady! I missed your post on Tuesday. I don't remember seeing a notice about it, but maybe I missed it. I was upset about my missing ring. Mahogany was one of my favorite movies and one that I'd love to see again. I'll have to look for it.
ReplyDeleteI love watching the Soul Train dancers do their thing. Billy Ocean is another of my favorites. Hubby and I first heard Caribbean Queen while we were waiting for a movie to start when we were dating. Good Times was a nice way to start my morning! Hope you and the Mrs. had a good Thanksgiving. Have a great rest of your week!
Janet’s Smiles
Hi, Janet!
DeleteYou're the second place finisher this week, and a first rate friend. Thanks for coming!
I'm glad you checked back to my previous post and let me know that you liked Lady Di's solo hit from "Mahogany." Mrs. Shady #1 and I saw that film in the theater when first released, and we also saw Diana starring as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings The Blues three years earlier.
Yessum, there are two videos in this volume of Shady Train that give you a good look at numerous members of the Soul Train Gang as they boogie down the tracks toward the camera. I'm still trying to learn how to do the Funky Penguin, and therefore I doubt that I would have made the cut to be on Soul Train. :)
I'm pleased that Billy Ocean's biggie and the disco hit by Chic got your morning off to a good start. Thanks again for dropping by and have a great week, dear friend Janet!
I didn't watch Soul Train, but I know most of those songs.
ReplyDeleteHi, Alex!
DeleteI'm happy to see you, good buddy! Thanks for taking a ride on the Shady Train with Don Cornelius and the Soul Train gang.
I'm glad you recognize most of these songs even though you weren't a fan of the original show.
I was hoping to see you a couple of weeks ago when I ran my tribute to Squid Game, the miniseries I binge watched thanks to your recommendation. If you didn't see that post, check it out:
https://tctgyb.blogspot.com/2021/11/squid-pro-quo-game-one-red-light.html
Maybe you can drop in to play Game #2: GREEN LIGHT when that post runs.
Have a great week, good buddy Alex!
I'm always ready to get on board with the Shady Train! I was surprised that I didn't recognize more of these. The only ones I remembered were by Yvonne Elliman, Chic, and Billy Ocean.
ReplyDeleteHi, Kelly! Hi, Pat!
DeleteWelcome aboard the Shady Train, dear friend, and thanks for coming early!
As you know this series started years ago on my old blog Shady Dell Music & Memories. This is the 18th hip trip, and I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around that. Or, perhaps the better spelling in this case, is "rapping" my head around that? :)
I always try to post songs that are good but seldom heard, and that's what I did in this volume. The song by Chemise was apparently only released as a single in The Netherlands. The act that sang "Cutie Pie" is One Way which started in the 70s as Al Hudson And The Partners. That group scored a Disco and R&B hit in the summer of 1979 with "You Can Do It." Jimmy Ross aka Mel Turner, scored a Disco hit in the UK in 1981 with the third rare number of this set, "First True Love Affair." Jimmy was only in his 60s when he died in 2000.
Thanks again for joining the fun, dear friend Kelly. Have a wonderful week ahead!
Hi Shady! This must be Motown day! Another blog I visit was about Motown and Soul Train also. I recognize most of the songs...just a few were new. Oh those clothes, oh those platform shoes, oh those moves! Cant' touch that! Ha! The other blog had the 4 Tops on Ed Sullivan and I thought old Ed was going to bust some moves with them..fun! Anyway my blog buddy signed off like Don Cornelius does...Love, peach and Soul! That's my wish for you Shady on this chilly Ohio night! Have a good week!
ReplyDeleteHi, YaYa!
DeleteThanks for coming on day one and hopping aboard the train, dear friend! Can you believe this is the Shady Train's 18th trip across the tracks of your mind into the exciting world of Soul? This series started in January, 2017, with the words: << Today I begin a new 50 part series that's too cool for school. It's so cool... it's... CORNELIUS COOL! >> You were there for volume 1, and part of your comment reads as follows:
<< I hope I'm not too late for this party with lots of soul! Love the Soul Train dance line...wow, it brought back many memories of the styles that even I wore back in the day..well, not all of them but a few! >>
Yessum, the outfits in these Soul Train clips always fascinate you, and it boggles my mind every time you remind me that you actually wore some of these styles during the period. Can you imagine Ed Sullivan as a member of the Soul Train gang, dancing down the tracks in one of those flashy, brightly colored suits sporting big Afro hair? :)
Yessum, we've had some very chilly nights lately. I took out the trash last night and really felt it. I immediately thought of you up in Ohio and how cold it must be at The Pines. I hope you and your family are all doing well. Thank you again for your kind visit and comment, dear friend YaYa, and enjoy the rest of your week as we head into Christmas month 2021!
Hi Shady and Don, a very cool Shady Train show today! Love those Shady Train dancers! They are in rare form with "She Can't Love You"! This is a good song and the dancers are moving great in their cool clothes. I noticed that some of the guys are wearing knickers! Jimmy Ross' "First True Love Affair" sure is fast moving, and the gang DID 'tuffin' up their stuff keeping up with the beat!
ReplyDelete"Good Times" is a really good song, I always liked this one. I danced to it several times as the song moved to the dance clubs in the 80's. This is the first time I've seen a video of the group, Chic, and you can tell they're having a good time performing the number!
Billy Ocean's "Get Outa My Dreams, etc" is a great dance song. I like the video with flashy costumes and cool car! "One Way" by Cutie Pie is a slow definitely cool dance beat. I don't know this song, but I like it and you can see that the group is well received by the audience!
I'm going to have to put my #A1 stamp of Yvonne Elliman and "If I Can't Have You". I don't get to hear this one much, and remember it well. It is one cool song to dance to, or sing with!
The Soul Train theme "Sound of Philadelphia" rocks, Shady! This is a great post with lots of cool dancing and music. Have a very shady week, take care...see you next time!
Hi, Suzanne!
DeleteI'm excited to see you, dear friend! Thanks for coming back over so soon to experience another ride on the Shady Train, the 18th hip trip since the series began nearly five years ago.
I'm glad I found another friend who admires the Soul Train dancers. I think once they overcome their shyness, they'll be able to loosen up a little. :) Truth be told, the act called Chemise and their song "She Can't Love You" were both new to me until I recently discovered them while doing research for the series. I'm glad you like the song. Same with the Jimmy Ross number. Jimmy and the song are both new to me this year.
I wish I could see a film clip of you (or Shady) dancing in clubs in the 80s. Today's young people capture practically every moment of their lives on video. Boomers rely chiefly on memories triggered by the old music. Nile Rodgers and his disco band Chic had a string of hit singles, and fans of the group have been uploading their great live performances on YouTube, replacing the inferior live sound with remixed and remastered studio audio. As time goes by, I'll bring you more of these great hybrid videos in the Shady Train series and on other S-P-M-M radio shows.
I'm glad you singled out Billy Ocean and one of his greatest hits and most clever music videos. I was thrilled to find such a pristine edit on YouTube. Do you hear the little girls in Billy's video adding a sampling of the Four Tops hit "Baby, I Need Your Lovin'"? One Way's song "Cutie Pie" is an example of a sound that was very popular in 1982, that deep funky bass line. The same lowdown sound is found on recordings released that year by funkmeister George Clinton and the funk band Zapp, and also used in the theme music of the horror movie Friday the 13th Pt. 3.
I'm also pleased that you favor "If I Can't Have You," Yvonne Elliman's hit from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. I was elated to find that nicely cleaned-up video of her performing the song on The Midnight Special. I've decided to close every episode of Shady Train with that great video showing highlights of the Soul Train series while MFSB and The Three Degrees do their hit single that was used as the Soul Train theme song.
Thank you again, very much, dear friend Suzanne, for your kind visit and awesome comment. Stay tuned for my next post coming on Saturday. It's the return of Dr. Donald D. Rose who will give you a glimpse of the musical past through his Rose-Colored Glasses. Until then I wish you and Scootie a safe and happy week!
Time to get out my plaid bell bottom pants and sequined mini top to dance to these tunes. I loved all the songs especially Good Times and If I can't Have You. This brings back many memories of dancing in my room while watching Soul Train. Billy Ocean, Cutie Pie and the rest are just so much fun.
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that all of these gals and guys are natural..no butt enhancements or fake boobs or botoxed til they can do push ups with their lips. If it was out now, that is what we would see. In these shows, they were having fun when the focus was on their cool dancing...even the robot dance was in there. I love how some men were rocking the the tall boots and long socks. Always fun to listen to the tunes you play. Have a great day and week!
Hi, Birgit!
DeleteI'm very happy to see you, dear friend! Thanks for coming to the potty! :)
Yessum, please do put on your bell bottoms and sequined mini top and dance to these tunes, and afterward be sure to share the video with us at BB Creations. :) You could also set up a live streaming feed. :)
Yessum, I suspected that the late 70s disco anthems in this volume would be to your liking and bring back memories of your misspent youth. I'm pleased to learn that you watched Soul Train during its glory years. Throughout the 1970s, I rarely missed an episode, but my viewing became more sporadic in the 80s, and I didn't watch any episodes between 2000 and 2003 when "Malcolm Winters" (Shemar Moore) was hosting the show.
Yessum, I agree that it's a jarring Juxtaposition between the way youth looked back then and how many of them present themselves now. I strongly prefer the natural look of yesteryear to the freakish look adopted by many young people today. You also didn't see very many overweight or obese teenagers back then, not like you do nowadays. I am currently taking a course at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio where I hope to learn the "Funky Robot." It's the latest and the greatest! :)
Thanks again for visiting and spreading joy, dear friend BB. I have a doctor appointment tamale morning, but I intend to visit BBC first thing if you are running a music post of some kind. Hopefully I can listen and comment before I need to leave home. Have a wonderful week, dear friend BB!
Look at those moves! Seeing those videos made me want to test my high kicks out again. Probably not a good idea. :-)
ReplyDeleteI loved Good Times and plan to return to listen to it and more again. There are so many on this train that want to savor.
Thanks, Shady. Always a musical treat on at your place.
Hi, Cheryl-Lee!
DeleteThanks for dropping by to ride the train bound for Soulsville, U.S.A., dear friend!
Yessum, I can picture you boogieing down the Soul Train line! :) I'm glad you like the song "Good Times," one of the major disco hits recorded by Chic. The lyrics paint a picture of celebrating life with family and friends. I particularly like the line:
Don't be a drag; participate
Clams on the half shell, and roller skates, roller skates
I'm there! I'm there!
Thanks again for coming over to Shady's Place for some music and fun, dear friend Cheryl-Lee!
I used to watch Soul Train when I was younger. I recognized all of the songs this time. I really love Billy Ocean, he has some great songs out there. There were a lot of great artists on that show.
ReplyDeleteHi, Mary!
DeleteI'm delighted to have you over, dear friend! Thanks for tuning in the latest episode of my long running series Shady Train.
I'm happy to know you watched Soul Train in your younger years. I watched it in the newsroom at work. (Didn't get much actual work done during that hour.) I am also happy that you recognized all of these songs and that you give thumbs up to Billy Ocean in particular. Yessum, Soul Train showcased some of the biggest names in the music business during its run, including a few white artists that crossed over to the R&B chart. Examples are Michael McDonald, who pleased the Soul Train audience with his soulful voice, and the Average White Band, the Scottish funk band that laid down a happenin' sound with "Pick Up The Pieces" and other funky tunes.
Thanks again for joining the fun, dear friend Mary. Enjoy the rest of your week!
I enjoyed listening to Get Out of My Dreams and Into My Car by Billy Ocean. Fun song! I remember that one from when I was growing up. Have a great month and Christmas!
ReplyDeleteHi, Sherry!
DeleteThanks for checking out the 18th volume of Shady Train, dear friend!
I'm happy to learn that you remember and like "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car." Billy's biggie is getting most of the attention and favorable reviews from commenting friends.
Thanks again for dropping by and have a wonderful Christmas, dear friend Sherry!
Shady!
ReplyDeleteI love your Soul Train entries. I loved every song you posted here and they made my evening. I think when I have Tom over this weekend, I might have to play some of these gems for him. It may set the mood. LOL!
Happy Thankful Thursday, dear friend.
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteWelcome back aboard the Shady Train, dear friend! It's the 18th hip trip and you've taken most of them.
Yessum, it'll be interesting to see if Tom is familiar with the original Soul Train show and knows and likes any of these songs from the 70s and 80s. You'll have to left me know.
Thanks again for dropping in and have a great Friday and weekend, dear friend JM!
I recognize most (and like all) of these songs, but it my memory plays games with the eras. Not Billy Ocean's, which I firmly associate with the 1980s, but there a few others from that decade that I thought were '70 songs! I think maybe disco survived farther into the '80s than most people assume, except people just stopped calling it that.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious as to why you played the Soul Train beginning in the middle of this post than, well, at the beginning. Did the same person or studio that did the animated train also do the animated characters who pop up in the Billy Ocean video?
I'm surprised to read in your response to Cathy's comment that Don Cornelius didn't like some of the clothing that the Soul Train dancers wear. If all a white person knew of black music was what was on Soul Train--I think I read somewhere that it did have a sizable white audience--it would have seemed to him or her that the show PIONEERED the look. Anyway, styles change, or else we'd all be wearing breeches and hoop shirts when we go out for a night on the town.
That's all I got.
Hi, Kirk!
DeleteTHanks for hopping aboard the Shady Train on its 18th trip to Soultown, good buddy!
I'm happy to know that you remember most of the songs presented in this volume and like them all. Yes, the very word "disco" became toxic by the end of the 70s and the start of the 80s. Record companies and artists no longer wanted their music associated with the movement. Disco (aka club dance music) lived on, but under different names, each indicative of a variation in style. The new subgenres that evolved following the downfall of disco fall into the general category of "post-disco." Wiki sez:
<< Post-disco is a term to describe an aftermath in popular music history circa 1979–1985, imprecisely beginning with an unprecedented backlash against disco music in the United States, leading to civil unrest and a riot in Chicago known as the Disco Demolition Night on July 12, 1979, and indistinctly ending with the mainstream appearance of new wave in 1980. Disco during its dying stage displayed an increasingly electronic character that soon served as a stepping stone to new wave, old-school hip hop, euro disco, and was succeeded by an underground club music called hi-NRG, which was its direct continuation. >>
I'd like to add that, the mid to late 80s and into the early 90s, "freestyle" was the hot new style of dance music. Just whatever you do, don't call it "disco." The rock vs. disco battle was a manifestation of the culture war that rages today.
Regarding your question about my use of the Soul Train intro: At the top of the post, there is a nicely remastered Soul Train intro of the 70s. I also found a nicely remastered Soul Train intro of the 80s which I placed at the halfway point of the Shady Train post. These two videos labeled "intros" by the YouTUbe uploader, might indeed have been used as part of the show's intro at some point. However, having been a regular viewer of the series, I recall that they were typically used as a brief musical "bridge," "bumper" or "buffer" to transition into a commercial break or out of a commercial break to begin the next segment of the show. That's how I chose to use the second video, the "80s intro." I don't know if the animation in the Billy Ocean video is connected to the animation used for Soul Train. That's your department, good buddy.
Although Don Cornelius grew increasingly disenchanted with the styles of clothing and sexy dancing of the "Gang," and the crude, sex-charged music they were digging, he was a wise enough businessman to know that he needed to keep it real and give the people what they want. Yes, I am sure Soul Train had a large white following, and "lily white Shady Knight" was one of the show's biggest fans.
Thanks again for swinging by and making your usual significant contributions to the discussion, good buddy Kirk. Stick around. Tomorrow the doctor's in the house. Dr. Donald D. Rose will be here to put some corn in your morn and enable you to glimpse the distant past through his Rose-colored Glasses. I hope to see you back here. Have a wonderful weekend, good buddy Kirk!