Paved the way for but later became competition with Soul Train. Soul Train had the better fashion, better music, better dancing, and not to mention the coolest man walking the face of the earth Don Cornelius was much more hipper. Still on the air today on first run base.
shareI beg to differ.
share
I agree with you rufus Soul Train from 1971-1988, was the best music show
on TV. The R&B music of the 70's kicked butt, the dancing was off the hook
with the dips, spins, splits, pop locking etc. Don Cornelius was beyond cool,
but I liked Dick Clark also. American Bandstand was cool to look at to see the
pop and rock artist, the dancers on AB could not dance, but it got a little
better in the 70's. In fact if you wanna see the funniest stuff ever check out
the kids dancing on AB in the 50's and 60's. Today Soul Train is horrible
with the change in music and should probably be cancelled.
American Bandstand was good but Soul Train was good from 1971-1976 and 1987-1993. One thing about Bandstand was not everyone was good dancers.I seen a man step on his partners feet when they was dancing back in the old days.But Soul Train is the best of All. Don Cornelius and Dick Clark two of the best host of a musical show.
I saw both shows. Here's what I think quite a few of the Soul train dancers, danced on American Bandstand. For example, Damita Jo Freeman danced on AB in the early to mid 1970's. Peaches Johnson danced on both but became more famous on AB. Other dancer's that did both show were Helen, Johnney Contrares, Cherly Chang, Myron & Sherri, James Phillips etc. and many many more.
shareThough I have fond memories of both shows, "Soul Train" stands out by far. "American Bandstand" seemed just a bit too static to me, though I liked the "rate a record" segment where they'd play a new song. I liked hearing new music on "Bandstand," but the visuals left me a bit cold. The fade-outs and camera work also seemed awkward.
I'm not particularly interested in watching people dance or seeing artists lip-sync their hits. "Soul Train" used more live performances, as I recall, and the music was certainly better. The fashion aspects of both shows don't interest me.
Honestly, I think "Midnight Special" and "Don Kirshner's Rock concert" were better than both shows because they were all about live performances rather than dancers.
I know exactly what you mean about the fades. During the Rate-A-Record segment they would do the fade back to Dick Clark and the teenagers before they rate the song. It reminded me of a game show.
I was born around the time "American Bandstand" was ending, but I remember watching the show in the 1990's on VH1, and now have some old episodes from the 1970's and 80's.
I like how "American Bandstand" kept up with the times, I mean it had, but it still had an old style feel even watching episodes from the 70's and 80's. Dick Clark was great as the host, but I think his style was stuck in the 1950's and early 60's. I'm not saying that Dick Clark had to act like the teenagers. I liked his style of hosting, and I'm happy he stayed with the show for so many years. And if you watched the show during the disco years of 1974-80, you can tell Dick Clark really enjoyed the music, because in the background you can see him dancing.
Don Cornelius on the other hand, kept up with the show for the 22 years he hosted. You wouldn't think that he was in his mid 50's hosting the show before he stepped down. Tragic that he killed himself recently.
My job is to inform, not persuade- Dan Rather
Yes, the "Rate a Record" segment was kind of awkward with the fade before going back to Dick and the teenagers. That was always my favorite part of the show, though, because I got to hear new songs, some of which became smash hits but much of which never even got played on the radio.
The ending were also awkward after the regular songs, because most songs would fade out instead of stopping abruptly. Some dancers would stop before the others. These were the days before DJs would mix songs together with similar beats to maintain the momentum. In a few years, MTV would arrive on the scene and change the game forever.
Anyway, I loved both "American Bandstand" and "Soul Train," but I give the edge to "Soul Train" because it just had more punch and never lagged.
Plus, "Soul Train" had more creative dancers in my opinion during the early 1970's until early 1990's. However, the 1960's saw a number of popular dance steps which was featured on the "Bandstand."
I have to admit that "Bandstand" did handle disco better than "Soul Train."
I liked Rate-a-Record, and the Spotlight dance which ended with roll call of the teens telling their name and age. I also thought a lot of songs played on "Bandstand" just wasn't very good to dance to. I uploaded a video clip on youtube from 1967, and the teenagers was dancing to "Respect" by Aretha Franklin, it was number 1 on the Record Review. It is a great song, but the dance steps they were doing didn't even seem to match the music. If you like,
I can send you the link.
Dick Clark looked at "Soul Train" as a threat. He created a program called "Soul Unlimted" which was to compete with "Soul Train", but the project proved to be a failure. As you mentioned MTV changed the game for msuic, especially for "Bandstand," and then some years later MTV brought in "Yo MTV Raps" to compete with "Soul Train", even though it lasted it still couldn't hold a candle to "Soul Train."
My job is to inform, not persuade- Dan Rather
Please send the link to the YouTube clip of "Respect" on "American Bandstand." I tried searching for it, but I couldn't find it.
You're very right that some of the songs they played were not dance-friendly, and that's a great example. The show generally focused on Top 40 songs, and maybe one-fourth of them were danceable. Some songs might have a danceable chorus but not a danceable verse.
Frankly, I think music and television were not always the best combination, and I still listen to the radio to hear new songs. MTV certainly had some memorable acts and videos, but there were also a lot of gimmicks and artists who were visual but not all that strong musically. In some ways, I think the visual aspects distract from the music.
I know Dick Clark was very competitive with Don Cornelius, but I think they both filled their respective niches well, even though "Soul Train" made for better television in my opinion. There were also shows like "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" and "The Midnight Special" that featured live acts and early music videos. The British show "The Old Grey Whistle Test" also had some memorable acts. Most of these shows were on late at night, never on prime time.
Television and rock/soul music seemed to have an uneasy alliance until MTV changed the game, but there were glimmers of hope for music fans. Really, I'd rather play my own music collection, but these shows introduced me to a lot of acts I didn't hear on the radio.
Here is the link to the "Respect" video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9ZuFBJ5oHs
That same thing can be said for Dick Clark's "New Year's Rockin Eve." It rather embarrassing watching people each year try and dance to some of the top songs of today. I mean the format for "New Year's Rockin Eve" is different than that of "Bandstand," but the idea I guess is to dance to the music. I think the best performance I've seen on that program in recent years was when Hall & Oates performed "Maneater" in 2004. The crowd was actually grooving to a tune that was at the time 22 years old.
Don't get me wrong, I listen to a variety of new music on the radio, but maybe I'm missing something, but is there a shortage in music videos? I don't really watch MTV especially since they love to show "The Jersey Shore" for hours and hours, but I do know that besides "106 and Park" on BET there doesn't seem to be too many music videos shows anymore. I guess it's easier to just watch stuff on Youtube now. I think most music videos nowadays are garbage compared to the creativity from the one's from 20 to almost 30 years ago.
Another popular music video show was "Friday Night Videos" on NBC which replaced "The Midnight Special" 2 years later.
Watching old episodes of "Soul Train", and Bandstand" introduced me to a lot acts also. I'm happy my dad used to tape old shows, and music videos from back then, and as a kid growing up in the 1990's and early 2000's before we had Youtube. I was able to learn about music from the past, and I really appeciate it today. My ipod is full of misc from the 60's-1990's and a mixture 2000's songs.
My job is to inform, not persuade- Dan Rather
Thanks very much for that link to the "Respect clip. It does highlight some of the problems with that show, but as always, the music is what mattered most. And what an unforgettable Top 10 at the start of the segment! There's not a single song there that I don't absolutely love.
"Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" always seemed a bit awkward to me as well, especially because a lot of the "performances" were also canned, and many of the segments were recorded long before New Year's Eve. Dick Clark, as the "eternal teenager," was also a bit geeky and saccharine. That's not to criticize him; just an observation of what plays on television and how it contrasts with the musical culture.
I remember the "Friday Night Videos" segment on NBC, which was an attempt to compete with MTV. One of the hosts on "Friday Night Videos" was Frankie Crocker, who would later be a VJ on VH1.
USA Network also had a show called "Night Flight" that would show music videos as well as campy, culty movies.
It seems that the music video died as an art form once MTV started shifting to "reality" a decade or so ago. Really, video seemed to fall out of favor when grunge hit in the '90s and bands no longer relied as much on videos to promote themselves. Of course, there are tons of fan-produced videos (too many for my tastes) on YouTube and other sites, but these often seem disconnected from the music.
You were very fortunate that your father recorded these old shows. I've videotaped a lot of programming over the years, but I've often recorded over the tapes. Of course, now it seems almost everything is available on the Internet, but it's just so overwhelming and distracting to search for it.
Thanks again for the cool "American Bandstand" clip. Total respect!
You're welcome. On my YouTube site, I have another "AB" clip from a dance contest from 1984. The only problem is the video is there, but no audio. People are still watching it and commenting on it. I also posted the 1972 dance contest from "Soul Train."
I had a feeling sometime ago that "Dick Clark's New Years Rockin Eve" was pre-recorded. Those artists don't seem like the types that would appear on a dated program like that, on New Years. Lol
Anyways, it was rather sad the year after Dick Clark
had his stroke that he hosted the show. Not to insult him, but after I watch it, you couldn't understand what he was saying.
I vaguely remember "Night Flight", I more so remember "USA, Up All Night" which was of course was different.
I remember a time when MTV showed videos quite often, but, the craze was dying when "The Real World" was being showed for hours, and then the 2000's really started to put an end to it. The only program I remember really showing videos in recent years was "TRL"which ended some years ago.
I believe they show music videos in the early morning hours on MTV and VH1. Come to think of it. Not too long long ago, VH1 showed some old music videos from the recent past. Times must be hard.
It's great to have some of those programs on tape. Do you have any of those programs left? Although YouTube has excellent videos, but there is also a lot not there. I have a collection of programs, but I've only been taping for the last 12 years when I got my first VCR. I say I got into taping just before TV really went to hell in a hand basket.
My job is to inform, not persuade- Dan Rather
My job is to inform, not persuade- Dan Rather
It is indeed sad to see Dick Clark these days. I inevitably tune in to "New Year's Rockin' Eve" to see what kind of condition he's in, and it makes for uncomfortable viewing. I guess as long as he's still around, they'll have him on the show as a link to its history.
It's weird about "Up All Night." I know a lot of people talk about that show on these boards, but that's kind of a blank spot on my viewing awareness. I had cable then, but I just don't recall watching that.
I have only a handful of programs I've recorded from television. Mostly I'd just use the same cassette to record programs, then once I watched them, I'd record new ones of them until the sound on the tape wore out. I think I might still have a MTV New Year's Eve special featuring Cyndi Lauper and the Hooters.
I remember getting my first VCR in 1987, a used one from a co-worker for $110. New VCRs were pretty expensive then. In the early '80s, when video stores first opened, they'd also rent the VCRs along with the tapes because not everyone had the equipment. Times have sure changed. I also figured out how to duplicate rental cassettes by hooking up VCRs to each other, and I'd do that occasionally if the films didn't have Macrovision to copy-guard it. (I don't think that was illegal because I wasn't selling them.) A lot of those titles I've since purchased because movies are so cheap these days.
Now I have thousands of movies on VHS because they're so cheap at thrift stores, record stores and garage sales. I probably watch more than three-fourths of my movies on VHS. I watch DVDs for new titles and things like old television programming that gets reissued, but I just find VHS more convenient because I can take a tape to various rooms throughout the day when I'm doing chores.
It seems that in the beginning, MTV was geared to younger viewers, while VH1 would be for the "adult contemporary" set (Lionel Richie, Anita Baker). MTV veejays were young and hip, and VH1 veejays were older and smoother. I always loved switching back and fort between them because I have diverse tastes.
I haven't had cable for years, so I'm pretty out of touch with MTV and VH1 these days. VH1 seemed to have a revival with those "Behind the Music" specials, which made for fascinating viewing, but it seems they stopped doing those years ago in favor of pseudo-celebrities talking about fashion and whatnot. I like to think I still have an open mind when it comes to music and pop culture, but a lot of what I see and hear these days just does not interest me.
There is a lot of stuff on YouTube, but there's a tremendous amount of junk also. I just don't have the patience to keep clicking and sit through ads, and a lot of the videos are misleadingly labeled and fan-generated. I would still hold out hope for quality music programming on television (those "American Idol"-type shows do not count in my book) rather than having to search the Internet for it.
Yes, that the same thing I was thinking about with New Years Rockin' Eve. It was awful the year they had Regis Philbin as the host. He's definitely not a spring chicken himself.
I remember USA "Up All Night", but didn't watch it every week. I normally watched it at my cousin's house, but this was from the last few years or so before it ended. I just remember Gilbert Gottfried on there yelling. They showed all type of horror and sci-fi movies. I know of one guy on this website, was trying real hardest to bring the program back a few years aog, but the way USA is ran now, I seriously doubt it will ever happen. Sad to say, but things like that is a thing of the past. Aside from USA "Up All Night," there was a program on TNT called "Monstervision". I remember that?
I believe my father purchased his first VCR sometime around the early to mid 80's, because some of the tapes I have are dated from as far back as 1984. I actually found a tape of my aunt's with nothing but New Edition videos on it even their appearances on "American Bandstand", "Soul Train", "Hollywood Squares", and "BET's "Video Soul" with Donnie Simpson." My family must of played the heck out of that VCR, because into the 1990's, it stopped recording.
Video stores are really a thing of the past. I remember about 10 years ago, I used to go to this one record store that also had VHS tapes, and the owner was basically giving away some of his tapes, because he had no use for them anymore.
I still watch some of my old VHS tapes. I just wish I was old enough to tape shows during the 1980's and 1990's. I have a lot of game shows on tape, and now DVD, but when I started taping from Game Show Network, they were soon revamping their format, and getting rid of, or reducing the old game shows and airing more original new shows which I really disliked. USA used to be the network for game shows. I would like to put a lot more of my VHS tapes on DVD, but it really time consumimg.
Yes, MTV was for the younger audience, I would say from age 15-21, but could be older than that. I used to watch MTV because my brother watch while flipping in between BET to see the music videos. I have to say that going to the mall, and watching MTV on a Saturdays was the typical ideal for a teenager in those days.
VH1 was definitely for the adults. They also had "Pop Up Videos", and "One Hit Wonders" specials, remember that? Then around 2002 or 2003 they started with the whole reality show craze with the "Surreal Life", which made a million spin off shows. They actually still show music videos in the morning hours, but for hours on in it's Reality shows. BORING!!!
YouTube is not what it used to be. I still go on YouTube, but when it first became big in 2006, it had everything. Now they are full of ads you have to watch for 30 seconds, and it freezes, everthing is copyrighted.
I don't even care for all these singing shows. It's like every season there is a new singing show coming on, and some of those winners seem to be here today gone tomorrow artists.
My job is to inform, not persuade- Dan Rather