SoulAlive said:

Yeah, I always thought that too. Also on TOTP, everyone always lip-synched it seems.

Bowie could make lip-synching look like the coolest thing in the world.

shorttrini said:

I'm not too sure about that.In the 80s,Soul Train had several pop/rock artists on their show,some of whom didn't really get airplay on R&B stations...

Michael Sembello (November 12,1983)
Berlin (November 24,1984)
Sheena Easton (April 13,1985)
Don Henley (April 20,1985) (Vainandy would love this episode.The other musical guest was Whitney Houston! lol)
Spandau Ballet (June 1,1985)

SoulAlive said:

The sound of the artist that you mentioned, are completely different from that of Elton and Bowie...Those that you mentioned had a more "pop" sound and not a "rock" or "urban" sound. The funny thing is, Bowie's,"Fame" has a more R&B feel to it.

shorttrini said:

yeah,"Fame" is downright funky even James Brown had to "borrow" that groove,lol.

SoulAlive said:

Bowie, has always had the funk. "Fame", "Golden Years,(which was written for Elvis) and everything on the "Let's Dance", album...Funkier than a homeless person's armpit!!...

shorttrini said:

Cinnie said:

I figured you'd like that, Cinnie!!

SoulAlive said:

Sheena Easton had a few R&B hits that made the top 10 on the Black charts. She made 3 or 4 appearances on Soul Train.

Wowugotit said:

No. Sheena's songs had cross over appeal. Truth be told, only two of her songs made it over to the R&B charts, "The Lover In Me" and "Sugar Walls", written by you know who. Those were the songs that charted on the R&B charts.
[Edited 8/3/09 16:35pm]

SoulAlive said:

YMO also had an appearance on Soul Train because of their hit Firecracker.

But what about The Human League?!? I remember that Don't You Want Me & Human were played on r&b radio in the 80's.

TonyVanDam said:

I have to check the Soul Train episode guide.I bet that they appeared on the show.

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[Edited 8/4/09 0:58am]

I recently downloaded this video performance from one of those Napster type sites.

Don Cornelius started selling out around 1983. He even started playing pop/rock videos, some of which never received R&B radio airplay such as "Money For Nothing" by Dire Straights.

A lot of people call it "Firecracker" but I've always known it as "Computer Games". Anyway, Yellow Magic Orchestra deserved to be on "Soul Train" because that song was played on R&B radio only.
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[Edited 8/4/09 2:05am]

"Don't You Want Me" never got any R&B airplay in my area but "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" did, especially the 12 Inch.

shorttrini said:

Sorry, That's simply not true. Sheena Easton had only two songs hit the R&B Top 10 - "Sugar Walls" and "The Lover In Me". She had three others make the R&B top 40 acoording to Billboard.

"101" 1989
"Days Like This" 1989
"What Comes Naturally" 1991

Wowugotit said:

Read the question again Wow, said top 10 not top 40....
[Edited 8/5/09 12:59pm]

Dewrede said:

I believe Prince lip synced some of his Gold Experience material on Soul Train.


And on Solid Gold he lip synced Little Red Corvette. I remember watching the Solid Gold performance when I was a kid but can't remember much about it. I believe everyone lip synced on those shows. He certain did on American Band Stand.