The Hippest Trip In America

The Soul Train theme has been in heavy rotation in my head for the past two weeks.  Since Don Cornelius’s passing, everyone’s been buzzing about the soul music legends that appeared on the show.  Teddy Pendergrass, Barry White and The Love Unlimited Orchestra, The Jackson 5, Kool and the Gang. Aretha, Stevie, Curtis, Rev. Al Green.  Every week Don Cornelius brought the What’s What of Black American music into our homes.

But Mr. Cornelius also brought us a window into 1970s California style. We saw energetic dancers thrusting their pelvises at the cameras, twirling, bumping, and roboting their way down the Soul Train line.  Their oversized Afros bobbed in time to the music. They were flamboyant, sleek, and sexy.  There was some very fine plumage on that dance floor.  Smokin’ hot pants, sky-high platform shoes, high-waisted slacks that fit the crotch in an oh-so-suggestive manner.  Flare leg jeans, handkerchief hem dresses.  Some women rocked forties-inspired fashion featuring short-sleeved jackets with nipped-in waists, halter tops, and a-line skirts.  The Pointer Sisters worked this look perfectly early in their career (their first two albums on Blue Note are a fabulous illustration).

Check out the looks of this era.  Look at how much fun folks had with colors and patterns!  They say if you remember the seventies you weren't really there.  So, if you've got style amnesia, take a look at this video clip from the Soul Train archives.