Product Details

• Actors: Don Cornelius, The O'Jays, Barry White, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye
• Directors: Various
• Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Time Life Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: August 31, 2010
• Run Time: 180 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003QZO8AY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,140 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

'A REAL SMOOTH GROOVE' - FIRST TIME EVER ON DVD!
Soul Train is an American institution that became a national launch pad for showcasing the latest names in soul music, outrageous fashion and hip dances - making soul music a mainstream global genre. Beyond the appearances of superstar acts, and of course, the charismatic host Don Cornelius, Soul Train's famous 'dance line,' during which studio audience members exhibited up-to-the-minute fashions, hairstyles, and dance moves, helped make the show the hippest trip in America!
Now, for the first time ever on DVD, Time Life presents 'THE BEST OF SOUL TRAIN,' featuring 18 superstar performances from the Soul Train archives, many of which haven't been seen in over 30 years, including exclusive performances by The Isley Brothers, Marvin Gaye, The O'Jays, Barry White, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight & the Pips and more.
Relive the dance styles and scene-stealing fashions from the heart of the '70s as well as favorite moments from the Soul Train Dance Line and the Soul Train Scramble Board. Plus, we've included on-air interviews with the artists, classic Soul Train dancers, and some retro commercials for Ultra Sheen and Afro Sheen products.

PERFORMANCE LISTING:
The Isley Brothers: 'That Lady' (Part 1); 'Live It Up' (Part 1); 'Summer Breeze'
Graham Central Station: 'Release Yourself' (w/the Soul Train Dancers)
Barry White: 'Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe,' 'What Am I Gonna Do With You,' 'You're The First, The Last, My Everything'
Love Unlimited Orchestra: 'Love's Theme'
Marvin Gaye: 'Come Get This,' 'Distant Lover,' 'Let's Get It On'
Sly & The Family Stone: 'I Want To Take You Higher,' 'Dance To The Music'
Earth, Wind & Fire: 'Mighty Mighty' (w/the Soul Train Dancers)
Glady's Knight & The Pips: 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine'
The O'Jays: 'Backstabbers'
Aretha Franklin: 'Respect' (w/the Soul Train Dancers), 'Rock Steady'

Also contains more than one hour of bonus material including interviews with Don Cornelius, Smokey Robinson & Brian McKnight along with rare, never-before-seen footage.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

151 of 154 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars So excited!! So disappointed!! May 19, 2010

By Inga L. Johnson

Format:DVD

First of all, The Best of Soul Train - 9 DVD Collector's Set are not FULL EPISODES!!! When my sister and I watched the first DVD we were shocked!! The so called episodes was only 15 maybe 20 minutes. Not the full episode (45 min) we were expecting. Also, they showed so many commercials (the same ones) over and over, we got sick of them. When you first see the Afro Sheen commercial you go on a trip down memory lane. You're all smiles. But once you've seen the commercials (maybe 10 different ones all together) You see them after every act and soon tire of them. People who purchase this should know that the best of soul train (in this time life set) means, the best of soul train performances. Hey, that's not a problem, but the most disappointing thing of all was they did not show all of the soul train lines. We expected to see a soul train line per show. This was not the case. Every four shows you may see one soul train line. THAT IS NOT ENOUGH. I love Don and all of the dancers but not this collection! Sometimes at the beginning they would announce who would be on the show and only one of the groups announced would actually be on the episode. NOT ONE FULL SOUL TRAIN EPISODE OF SOUL TRAIN WAS IN THIS ENTIRE COLLECTION. SO BUYER BEWARE!! It's still nice to see the performances, but for me it wasn't worth the 150.00 bucks I paid. On a good note, it was fun watching Don and Marvin Gaye play basket ball. Don't get me wrong the collection had its moments, but not having full episodes including soul train lines was just to disappointing to me.

No Shalamar perforances! No Jodi Wotley performance! No Locketts!!!

Know that this collection focus is on the performances and the performances ONLY. Hopefully they will come out with FULL EPISODES of Soul Train and I will be there to purchase it. I wanted so much more than this collection had to offer!!! But this collection did not deliver.

100 of 101 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hipper than hip August 31, 2010

By Thomas E. Davis TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Soooooouuuuuullllll Train! I'm as white as they come, but I loved this show in its heyday. I was 12 when it premiered in 1970. It was a window into a culture as smooth and brash in its musicality and vernacular as it was in its dyn-o-mite dancing and day-glo fashion. Don Cornelius was the serene ruler of this kingdom, speaking in a voice both sonorous and mellifluous, wearing royal silk shirts and maroon velveteen suits, not a hair out of place in his afro crown. I tuned in both to groove to the great songs and to make myself just a bit hipper, and my own record collection, bellbottoms, wide lapels, and platform shoes were evidence of my devotion to the music and the people who produced it.

There is no way this 3-DVD set, with its wide array of stars and 50 great songs spread over five hours, could deserve less than the highest rating, even if the mastering were second rate. But the audio and video reproduction are excellent; Time-Life knows its stuff. And there are more than three hours of extras consisting primarily of lengthy retrospective interviews with such figures as the imperturbable Don Cornelius and the voluble Smokey Robinson.

This wonderful compilation is a priceless sampler of the 1970s and a who's who of classic soul, from the Queen to the Godfather. Among others, you'll find represented Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5, The Isley Brothers, The O'Jays, The Commodores, Sly Stone, Barry White, Bill Withers, Gladys Knight, Lou Rawls, Teddy Pendergrass, Curtis Mayfield and, ladies and gentlemen, Jaaaaaaaaaaaames Brown! "The Best of Soul Train" needs a star in its rating for every star on the DVDs!

One caution: some of the performers lip-sync, but that's how it was on TV back then. A complete list of the contents:

DVD 1
The Isley Brothers - "That Lady" / "Live It Up" / "Summer Breeze"
Barry White - "Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe" / "What Am I Gonna Do with You" / "You're the First, the Last, My Everything"
Love Unlimited Orchestra - "Love's Theme"
Marvin Gaye - "Come Get to This" / "Distant Lover" / "Let's Get It On"
Sly & The Family Stone - "I Want to Take You Higher" / "Dance to the Music"
Gladys Knight & The Pips - "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"
The O'Jays - "Backstabbers"
Aretha Franklin - "Rock Steady"
Interviews with Don Cornelius, Smokey Robinson, and Brian McKnight

DVD 2
Bill Withers - "Use Me" / "Lean on Me"
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - "If You Don't Know Me by Now"
Commodores - "Still" / "Three Times a Lady" / "Sail On"
Curtis Mayfield - "Pusherman" / "Superfly"
War - "Cisco Kid"
The Main Ingredient - "Everybody Plays the Fool"
James Brown - "Get on the Good Foot" / "Try Me" / "Get Up I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine" / "Super Bad"
Interviews with Don Cornelius, Cuba Gooding, Sr., and Eric Casem

DVD 3
Stevie Wonder - "My Cherie Amour / Sir Duke / I Wish / These Three Words" (medley)
Aretha Franklin - "I Was Made for You"
Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson - "Ooo Baby Baby"
Teddy Pendergrass - "The Whole Town's Laughing at Me" / "I Don't Love You Anymore"
Lou Rawls - "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" / "From Now On"
L.T.D. - "Love Ballad"
The Jackson Five - "I Want You Back" / "Corner of the Sky" / "Lookin' Through the Windows"
Jermaine Jackson - "Daddy's Home"
Interviews with Smokey Robinson, Jody Watley, and Clarence Avant

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Could be better but not bad July 28, 2010

By Sylvain C.

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a good collection but i would have liked it better if it had less popular artists and more people like Johnny Nash who sings "I can see clearly now" for example. And it's true that there are too many Affro Sheen commercials but at least you can skip them with your DVD remote. I found that i liked the 6th DVD better than the rest. This collection didn't blow my mind but it's quite enjoyable nonetheless.