"The Best of Soul Train" ，fascinating and unabashedly funky trip

Many of the set's 50 performances have been heavily bootlegged over the years. But "The Best of Soul Train DVD" released through Time Life, is the first time episodes from the show have been commercially available, the sound and images clearly remastered.

The set offers a nice, if slightly thin, encapsulation of a brilliant period in black pop, a time just after the Civil Rights and Black Arts movements. It was a period of seemingly fearless artistic exploration in which the music, dances and fashions embraced elements of Afrocentricity. "Soul Train" was ingenious and necessary for several reasons. Chief among them: The show helped redefine black entertainment in America. Acts of color with little to no crossover appeal now had a place to be seen and heard.
However, "The Best of Soul Train Seasons 1-9DVD" begs for more volumes. After all, the show was on the air for 35 years. The vault is undoubtedly full of many more great performances, live and lip-synced, from the eras of funk, disco and early hip-hop. But as it is, the eight-hour ride on "The Best of Soul Train" is still a fascinating and unabashedly funky trip.