Search - The !!!! Beat: Legendary R&B and Soul Shows From 1966, Vol. 3 on DVD

The Soul Train of the Sixites shows little-known Soul

Andre M. | Mt. Pleasant, SC United States | 11/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a treat beyond words for the lovers of R&b and Soul Music. Honorary Brother DJ Bill "Hoss" Allen hosted this show featuring Soul acts for one season in 1966 and today, its a precious time capsule of rare footage of regional Soul acts then popular in the South.

In this set, we see largley forgotten acts of the day such as the Migthy Hannibal (that's him with the Turban on the cover) showing us how to "Walk the Dog" among other things, as well as bluesman Gatemouth Brown on the guitar and a young Johnny Taylor. Maurice and the Radiants (from Chicago's Chess Records) do some interesting doo-wop choreography in "Voice Your Choice" and best of all-the Grandfather of Soul and the super-lunatic madman supreme of jazz comedy and sultan of the saxophone and storytelling Louis Jordan appears to perform what is perhaps the only filmed version of his comic opus "Saturday Night Fish Fry." He clowns, sings and dances as well as ever, but it's unintentionally funny to see the go-go dancers try to adapt their sixties moves to this 1949 song.

A plethora of forgotten regional acts also appear. Most are at least interesting to watch and they give you an idea of what Black radio stations and live R&B shows featured aside from the better-known Motown and Stax acts whose fame has survived. Even at their most mediocre, these acts still sound pleasant today. one minor drawback here is that the closings of each show, which in true R&B stage fashion feature all the perfomrers together dancing in an encore, are a bit too short. Jimmy Church gets the gang to really cook on his version of the Isley Bros. "Shout" before the camera calls it quits.

One thing's for sure, DVD's like this prove that Classic Soul was as much fun to watch as it was to listen.
"