Confession: I am Unnaturally Obsessed with Soul Train Lines.

No. Seriously.
No human being should be spending an hour and a half on YouTube, searching and watching Original Soul Train lines, specifically from 1970 to 1982.

But you already know I do. Or else I wouldn’t be writing this sh*t.

Starting somewhere back in February, I was watching an in depth documentary on Soul Train on VH1, filled with tons of music nerdy goodness. It gave me insight on how Soul Train was started and Don Cornelius’ amazing business tactics and strategic moves to get it off the ground. It also touched on several important moments for soul train… its survival through disco and the start of hip hop, maintaining its brand when American Bandstand came through with the copycats (Soul Unlimited, ect), its survival through disco and hip hop, its indelible contribution to black culture and history… and so on.

But one of the biggest things for soul train (and some of you already know what it is) were the dancers who occupied your eyes and entertained your brain while some of the funkiest cuts (of the time) were playing in the background. You were watching their moves, trying to steal their style… watching the hair and fashion to see what was hot, and a way to stay up on the hottest music out. And while all Soul Train (up to 1993) is good Soul Train, nothing will  be that early 1970s/1980s era of shows.

Now I’m not really sure what it is about old Soul Train lines that has me geeked. It could be the nostalgia factor to it… taking me back to a happy place in childhood when you looked forward to 1pm on Saturday afternoon. Maybe is watching historic black culture and the powerful influence its had on everything you see around you today… and that sense of pride it invokes in me by default. I don’t know.

What I do know is that Soul Train lines are the greatest thing ever… even 40 years after it was introduced on television. Hugely popular in Japanese Culture (hey Daisuke!), they haven taken VHS recordings of original Soul Train lines and slowly but surely started to put them on YouTube for your entertainment/my obsession. And with a comprehensive Soul train DVD collection supposedly in the works… its set to be great times.

For now, I go to YouTube and veg out on clips like these. You should too.

You can just start there and have fun on your own later.

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*Update: Rest Peacefully, Don Cornelius.