Riding the Soul Train

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aretha_Franklin

Nothing tops the silvery pipes of The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin (ARETHA!). After yesterday's poor video, I wanted to correct this imbalance by devoting some space to her vast musical gifts, which are blessed, but also extraordinarily human. 

Check out this glorious clip from an appearance on Soul Train, when Aretha and the backup singers do the vocals live to a recorded track. She slips up a bit by starting the wrong chorus, smiles to one of the singers and keeps going, having a blast while doing it. Sheer talent:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Train

For those of you not in the know, Soul Train was THE premier music and dance show for the 70s and 80s, and how dare you for not knowing. I could write an entire article devoted solely to it, but for now, let's just say it boogied in a way that American Bandstand never could for me and my urban-based gang of family and friends. Each show featured the infamous line dance, and everyone got to showcase their groove for the duration of the song:

But let's not forget Aretha (ARETHA!) and how could we? My favorite song of hers is, by far,  "Rock Steady" because it rocks in so many ways. Check out this up-tempo version when she claps out the beat and sings live again. TOP THAT with some American Idol performance. Won't happen, ever:

Ride that Tuesday train to a great day.