Soul Train: The Music, Dance, and Style of a Generation by Questlove

Soul Train: The Music, Dance, and Style of a Generation Reviews

• 
  Richard

  I read this book as part of research for my next tv show that I'm prepping. It was a fun read, not only because of all the cool photos, but also due to The Roots drummer ?uestlove's conversational style. He's not a professional scholar or historian so the book is mostly personal reflections about the show and its impact. It makes for a less academic approach to the material and something a bit more casual, but still very informative. So if a strictly scholastic approach to Soul Train's history is what you're looking for, this might not be it. But if you're looking for a piece of informative appreciation written by a big fan, check this one out. For me, not being a fan of reading non-fiction, this one was right up my alley.
• 
  Ian

  Lovely, plush coffee table book treatment for this institution of African-American culture but valuable mostly for the photos and iconic imagery. Questlove's accompanying text is largely a personal, facile take on Soul Train rather than an authoritative overview or analysis. There's virtually no insight into the behind-the-scenes machinations of the show and obvious things like indices of guest artists, hosts, famous alumni dancers etc. are curiously absent. This is an ok book but it should have been great. Missed opportunity.
• 
  Kenny Parris

  Absolutely loved this retrospect of one of the most iconic American shows in music history. Questlove crafted an extremely thorough homage, giving us readers a history lesson, a nostalgic flashback, or both! There were so many things that I learned that I didn't know before, such as Jody Watley's first claim to fame was being a dancer on the show or that artists didn't really come back to the show once they were 'big', or even that Rosie Perez and Carmen Elektra were some of the dancers. I did know about Don Cornelius' aversion to hip hop, and Quest didn't hold back on highlighting those tense or even condescending interview moments Don had with rappers. I.e. The "well that was just frightening" comment after Public Enemy's performance LOL. Even outside of rap, Don had some people he didn't care to butter up to, telling Rick James that he didn't think he'd amount to anything in the business. SHEESH! Don was a straight shooter though, and he owned up to when he was wrong.
  
  I learned about or re-learned so many artists from this book. My Apple Music library grew by probably 25% after I was done. Albums from Babyface, Force MDs, Evelyn Champagne King, Lisa Lisa, LSG, and so much more will be in my rotation for the rest of the year. Overall, this was just a perfect collection of moments, performances, mini-biographies and stories of a show that's a vital part of black music culture. Almost every significant artist from the 70s-90s had the opportunity to grace the Soul Train stage. Now I'll be digging in the YouTube archives to see all the moments I highlighted while reading!
• 
  Monique

  I absolutely LOVED Soul Train. My dad and I planned our Saturday fun around who was singing that week. The photos bring back so many memories. The commentary is a trivia lovers dream. This book is all that I thought it would be and more. I plan to purchase several copies to give to my music loving friends.
• 
  Kelli Fillingim

  It is a fantastic book! First of all, because Questlove is an awesome person, and because he has a photographic memory, like me, and can remember every episode of Soul Train. Secondly, because I was his editor, and we spent a lot of time on the phone going episode by episode, and photo by photo. I learned a great deal working on this book, which is why I love being an editor!
• 
  Megan Lucy

  This is an absolutely gorgeous book. It has over 350 huge color photographs from the 1970s through 1990s. An amazing chronicle of a wildly influential piece of popular culture. I would definitely recommend it for anyone with an interest in music, dance, or fashion.
• 
  Winter Sophia Rose

  The Hippest Trip In America!
• 
  Petty Lisbon

  4.5
  This was a great book. It really taught me a lot about the cultural significance of Soul Train, which I barely knew anything about. Although you can describe it as a coffee table book, you can still learn a lot about Don Cornelius (note: I just learned about his 2022 accusations before writing this review) and his motives and personality from the book. Questlove describes his own personal connection with the show and does a great job at detailing every sound that dominated the show. I was intrigued by his theory that disco was the first Black genre that wasn't only intended for a Black audience and every other genre has just been a new version of disco since. I was fascinated by Soul Train trying to find a balance between the cultural and respectable soul artists vs upcoming rappers and dancers in the 80's before new jack swing was able to make a marriage between the two. I liked how he just had paragraphs for each artists like describing the "churban" sound. My friend once said that he thinks all rap music from before 1995(? I don't remember the exact year but Missy Elliott and Jay Z are as early as he listens to) sounds too similar and amateur production-wise so I liked learning about the different styles of rap that were starting to take off in the 1980s, whether it was more mature, gangsta rap, or just electro music.
  I guess it was because of less media options back then, but it's interesting how Soul Train was able to satisfy adults and the youth with just 2 guests while radio stations, network and cable television, and award shows can't figure out if they want to appeal to the youth market or the adults, let alone if they want to be prestigious or popular. I liked learning about parts of the show that I can't imagine today, like how the dancers became popular. I thought it was interesting how you can understand different eras of the show through something as "random" like the commercials going from afro-based hair products to Jheri curls. It was interesting learning about artists who stopped doing the show because they became "above" it. I never knew Eddie Murphy had a music career. I wish the book covered the rest of the history of the show. I don't know if Soul Train would work today but I would at least appreciate it being a channel on Pluto/Tubi or a late night marathon on one of the syndicated channels.
  
  
  Also, I appreciate that the show booked white musicians for any potential "Soul Train is reverse racist!" backlash and instead it truly was just about talent.
• 
  Mitch

  I've never seen an episode, and I don't know a lot of the names, but there's nothing better than reading an author who's truly, deeply in love with their subject. Questlove bangs it out in short bursts, giving you a history of black music from Motown to LL Cool J. It seems like if you search any song he mentions in here, you'll recognize it from a sample in hip hop (especially Bad Boy songs). Yep, this gave me a musical education. It also gave me a look into the pre-hip hop world where hardness wasn't the rule, where innocence and fun were more on display.
  
  I can't tell you how many times I stopped reading to youtube a Soul Train episode he was talking about.
  
  The book does start to get a little repetitive in it's short profiles and constant episode recaps, but like I said, it's done with so much love it's still a joy to read.
• 
  Sherrie

  Soul Train was a big part of my Saturday afternoons as a child although I didn’t tune in as much as a teen. This book brought back so many memories and was quite a nostalgic read. This book is a new favorite of mine my only complaint is I wish the photos were larger and easier to view on Kindle. Hope to see a revival of Soul Train soon as mentioned at the end of the book.
• 
  Sheri

  If you were coming of age in the 70s and 80s and loved music - this is the book for you. I thoroughly enjoyed falshing back to my childhood spent parked in front of the tv watching Soul Train. The music. The history. The fashion. It's all here.
• 
  Turtleberry Turtleberry

  Good book
  
  I enjoyed this. Now I want to search for a box set of the shows. Pictures were great. So many memories.
• 
  Jessica

  essential reading list for students of dance, music, art, life.
• 
  Julie

  This is a 'coffee table' book and of course these books are dependent on the photographs more than written text. I have the digital copy of this book, and of course in this case that's hardly a comparison to nice glossy paper photographs. However, the digital book was a lot of fun to thumb through and the pictures were very nice, mostly in color, and the information is organized into sections, reminding readers of many fond memories.
  
  The book covers the performers, highlighting standouts and influencers. Naturally, the dancers are featured prominently, as well has the clothing and hairstyle trends.
  
  Overall, this was fun book to thumb through, but I'm sure the hardcover is the way to go in this case. A must for the hardcore Soul Train fan.
  
  3 stars
• 
  Zandra

  All fans of the ground-breaking television show will love this book. Questlove provides an intimate, in-depth look at a show that helped to shape his childhood. I especially loved the larger than life colorful photographs contained throughout and unique insight into the various episodes. This one brings back great memories and is highly recommended.
• 
  Ron Maskell

  For a coffee table book, this book is just great. Excellent little tidbits of information and trivia. Questlove always has a certain way with words, especially for pet projects such as this one. This book, though, does not go deep enough for my liking but considering it's a coffee table book then the format is well met.
• 
  Simon Sweetman

  A wonderful trip down a memory lane I'm only just walking for the first time (via YouTube). Questlove is a great writer, passionate, articulate, knowledge-filled, enthusiastic and there's a nice autobiographical thread to this. Stunning pics too.
• 
  Michelle Bucci

  A nice tribute. You learn something new everyday!
• 
  Deadra Brown

  Awesome journey through music history. Questlove gives a wonderful history of Soul Train. The pictures are amazing and the stories behind the journey are inspiring. Go Soul Train!