53 years ago yesterday, the TCB soundtrack was released. December 9th will mark the day TCB aired. According to wiki, the special was the first of it's kind to air in the "rock era". It won it's timeslot and was the top rated variety program of the year. And of course the album would go on to reach #1. What an accomplishment for two Black groups at the time. And what an accomplishment for Berry Gordy as well.

I have a few criticisms of the show, as usual, but for the most part it was a very well put together program. Highlights for me are the "Stop" and "Hangin On" portion, as well as the "With A Song In My Heart/Without a Song" medley, and the Supremes hits medley. The Tempts were great with "Hello Young Lovers", "For Once In My Life", and one of my personal favorites "I Know I'm Losing You". Talk about showmen! And then there's Diana's "Afro Vogue" segment, which had to be groundbreaking for network television. I'm always amazed at how this part of Diana's career is never spotlighted in retrospectives about her career. I expressed my thoughts on Afro Vogue in a previous thread and just don't think I can really add to it:

"I'm amazed that this isn't presented when talking about African Americans on television. While Black was becoming something to proclaim with pride, the stigma attached to anything African was still very much alive. For Diana Ross, someone so closely associated with the "erasure" of race from music, to go on prime time television and so boldly present a beautiful Black woman in all her Nubian glory to homes all across the nation, that had to be a powerful statement and a milestone in television history...

"what she did was very bold and daring for the time period. To a majority of Americans, Africans were spear chucking cannibals who needed to be tamed; an evolutionary step away from "prehistoric" man. There was nothing to be proud of about Africa. There's a reason why there isn't a photo to be found of the 1960s Supremes, Vandellas, Marvelettes, Bluebelles, Ronettes, Shirelles, etc, emulating the look of Yoruba or Igbo women. For Diana Ross, or any other Black woman, to so proudly display Africa- in any way- in the late 60s on national television was out of the ordinary. It was a milestone in television that shouldn't be forgotten."

But perhaps my favorite point in the show is "The Impossible Dream". It sums up the two groups together at that point in time, with all their successes, perfectly. I always wonder to myself if, as they stand together singing, and Diana looks at Paul, if she thinks to herself "Thank you, Paul" for suggesting she audition for the Primettes. I wonder if Paul and Eddie and Mary and Diana were thinking about the early days when they were amateurs dreaming of having a hit record and now here they were with a string of hit singles and albums and now their own television special! It's almost enough to make me emotional...ya know, if I got emotional about that kind of junk.

Is this special and soundtrack a favorite of yours? What stood out to you? Was there anything you can think of that would've made the show even better? What didn't you like?