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Thread started 05/05/09 10:28pm

bboy87

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The Soul Train line......what happened?

I'm looking at videos from the '70s and '80s....and you can definitely see the difference and decline lol

1987-1988


80s



then look at the '70s






"We may deify or demonize them but not ignore them. And we call them genius, because they are the people who change the world."
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Reply #1 posted 05/05/09 10:40pm

Timmy84

Simple, bruh: people got LAZY.
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Reply #2 posted 05/05/09 10:48pm

Abdul

Timmy84 said:

Simple, bruh: people got LAZY.


Pretty much
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Reply #3 posted 05/05/09 10:58pm

Ottensen

We need to get SoulAlive in here for this one, he's our resident Soul Train authority! smile
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Reply #4 posted 05/05/09 10:58pm

TD3

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Because dancing and parties were a big part of our culture. I mean dancing not getting drunk and/or standing around... dancing plus partying. Hell, a new dance came out every two weeks and you'd better learn it or get "clowned" on. When is the last time you heard anyone speak about learning steps to new a dance? I'm dating myself.... we had Sock Hops at schools on our lunch hour, last two hours class time twice month, and after school every Friday night.

My older brother and some of our friends danced on the Chicago version of Soul Train. Yo' ass better know how to dance and keep up with the latest steps because there was always a line of people ready to replace your butt. Now the Soul Line isn't about dancing any more it's about lookin good..... don't try to break a sweat.
[Edited 5/6/09 5:20am]
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Reply #5 posted 05/05/09 11:17pm

Nvncible1

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you DONT SOUL TRAIN LINE TO SMOOTH CRIMINAL.






that is all neutral
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Reply #6 posted 05/05/09 11:35pm

Timmy84

Nvncible1 said:

you DONT SOUL TRAIN LINE TO SMOOTH CRIMINAL.






that is all neutral

lol
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Reply #7 posted 05/06/09 3:37am

Ottensen

Nvncible1 said:

you DONT SOUL TRAIN LINE TO SMOOTH CRIMINAL.






that is all neutral



lol lol lol
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Reply #8 posted 05/06/09 5:15am

IAintTheOne

TD3 said:

Because dancing and parties were a big part of our culture. I mean dancing not getting drunk and/or standing around... dancing plus parting. Hell, a new dance came out every two weeks and you'd better learn it or get "clowned" on. When is
is the last time you heard anyone speak about learning steps to new a dance? I'm dating myself.... we had Sock Hops at schools on our lunch hour, last two hours class time twice month, and after school every Friday night.

My older brother and some of our friends danced on the Chicago version of Soul Train. Yo' ass better know how to dance and keep up with the latest steps because there was always a line of people ready to replace your butt. Now the Sou Line isn't about dancing any more it's about lookin good..... don't try to break a sweat.
[Edited 5/5/09 23:00pm]



Man back in the day we grooved. and we looked good doing it yup you better know how to dance because your ass could not come outside you would get ragged on for days and days
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Reply #9 posted 05/06/09 5:19am

SoulAlive

Ottensen said:

We need to get SoulAlive in here for this one, he's our resident Soul Train authority! smile


lol those 70s clips are great,huh?
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Reply #10 posted 05/06/09 5:42am

TD3

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IAintTheOne said:

TD3 said:

Because dancing and parties were a big part of our culture. I mean dancing not getting drunk and/or standing around... dancing plus partying. Hell, a new dance came out every two weeks and you'd better learn it or get "clowned" on. When is the last time you heard anyone speak about learning steps to new a dance? I'm dating myself.... we had Sock Hops at schools on our lunch hour, last two hours class time twice month, and after school every Friday night.

My older brother and some of our friends danced on the Chicago version of Soul Train. Yo' ass better know how to dance and keep up with the latest steps because there was always a line of people ready to replace your butt. Now the Soul Line isn't about dancing any more it's about lookin good..... don't try to break a sweat.
[Edited 5/5/09 23:00pm]



Man back in the day we grooved. and we looked good doing it yup you better know how to dance because your ass could not come outside you would get ragged on for days and days


You know what I'm talkin about! The peer pressure. lol

Funny thing, Don Cornelius couldn't dance. It was kinda of a running joke when Soul Train started out. Mr. Cornelius didn't like to talk about it either, he was embarrassed. Somebody got him to dance on the show once, I can't remember the praticulars. The only way I can describe his moves..... imagine Gumby dancing. disbelief
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Reply #11 posted 05/06/09 6:15am

Graycap23

TD3 said:

IAintTheOne said:




Man back in the day we grooved. and we looked good doing it yup you better know how to dance because your ass could not come outside you would get ragged on for days and days


You know what I'm talkin about! The peer pressure. lol

Funny thing, Don Cornelius couldn't dance. It was kinda of a running joke when Soul Train started out. Mr. Cornelius didn't like to talk about it either, he was embarrassed. Somebody got him to dance on the show once, I can't remember the praticulars. The only way I can describe his moves..... imagine Gumby dancing. disbelief

I think that was Mary Wilson who got Don 2 "groove".
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Reply #12 posted 05/06/09 7:11am

TD3

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Was it Mary? I would love to see that tape again. I betcha Don Cornelius didn't make that tape available. lol


Remember when Soul use to rate if a song was a good dance song?

http://www.youtube.com/wa...L&index=69



Checkout the brotha after the dance/song... couldn't even talk cuz he was dancing so hard. lol
[Edited 5/6/09 7:35am]
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Reply #13 posted 05/06/09 7:34am

Ottensen

TD3 said:

Was it Mary? I would love to see that tape again. I betcha Don Cornelius didn't make that tape available. lol


Remember when Soul use to rate if a song was a good dance song?

http://www.youtube.com/wa...L&index=69



Checkout the brotha after the dance/song... couldn't even talk cuz he was out of breath. lol
[Edited 5/6/09 7:15am]



Good Lord I was a TODDLER when this was on the air!!! My nanny-sitter used to sit me down in front of the tv with Soul Train and give me a sweet Carnation milk inside my baby bottle or sippy cup as a treat...I used to be mesmerized watching them ,and remember the afros from this time, cause everybody I ever saw in my world had them...in fact, I had one too! cloud9 giggle music
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Reply #14 posted 05/06/09 8:01am

bboy87

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Abdul said:

Timmy84 said:

Simple, bruh: people got LAZY.


Pretty much

If you look at the 80s clips, pretty much starting around the '86-'87 clips, it was more posing than dancing
"We may deify or demonize them but not ignore them. And we call them genius, because they are the people who change the world."
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Reply #15 posted 05/06/09 8:17am

shorttrini

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As music declined so did the dancing that went with it. Back in the 70's people played live instruments, so the people's dancing to it was more real as well. Those live drums were felt in their souls, I can't say the same for the synthetic sounding drums that are played in today's music. Play artificial...dancing will be artificial.
"Love is like peeing in your pants, everyone sees it but only you feel its warmth"
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Reply #16 posted 05/06/09 8:19am

TD3

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bboy87 said:

Abdul said:



Pretty much

If you look at the 80s clips, pretty much starting around the '86-'87 clips, it was more posing than dancing


Maybe they were "Voguing". wink
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Reply #17 posted 05/06/09 8:22am

Ottensen

TD3 said:

bboy87 said:


If you look at the 80s clips, pretty much starting around the '86-'87 clips, it was more posing than dancing


Maybe they were "Voguing". wink


Arms WERE sorta flappin' everywhere, weren't they lol ?
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Reply #18 posted 05/06/09 8:36am

TD3

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shorttrini said:

As music declined so did the dancing that went with it. Back in the 70's people played live instruments, so the people's dancing to it was more real as well. Those live drums were felt in their souls, I can't say the same for the synthetic sounding drums that are played in today's music. Play artificial...dancing will be artificial.



I think part of the decline is also due to bar/music/club scene in our community and what we do for entertaiment has brought on the decline of dance. Folks didn't have a lot of money but you could call some friends over, everybody bring a dish and/or bottle, and you'd play cards, your records and danced. Let's not forget about those summertime block parties... my goodness.

Unfortunalty we've allowed a small percentage of people to bring their "drama" to da club and elsewhere and that really killed it. No pun intended.
[Edited 5/6/09 11:04am]
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Reply #19 posted 05/06/09 8:38am

TD3

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Ottensen said:

TD3 said:



Maybe they were "Voguing". wink


Arms WERE sorta flappin' everywhere, weren't they lol ?


Uh? Yeah. lol
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Reply #20 posted 05/07/09 9:42pm

vainandy

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Trying for crossover appeal is what happened. Around 1983 or so, Don was accused of trying to "take the soul out of Soul Train". He started having more white guests and playing pop music videos (some who never even got R&B radio airplay) and he also started bringing in more white dancers. White dancers are cool if they got rhythm but these didn't. Hell, just look at the white girl in that first clip there. She's stiff as a board. And the black ladies started dancing stiff as a board also.

Music videos were also part of the downfall. A lot of the ladies started just simply walking down the line and posing hoping that someone would see them and put them in a music video. The ladies had become stiff as a board and the men started doing more acrobatics than dancing. They also got more straight men on there. Look at those late 70s and early 80s clips on up to around 1981 or 1982. That place was full of queens and they were dancing their asses off.
Andy is a four letter word.
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Reply #21 posted 05/07/09 10:11pm

Cinnie

Compare the songs they had to dance to. By 1986, mainstream R&B had become quite sterile and the synthesizers and drum programs started using the artists instead of the other way around. Bass lines started to just chug away, formed like perfect stairs. No wonder people moved more stiffly. shrug
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Reply #22 posted 05/07/09 10:14pm

trueiopian

Smooth Criminal? confused
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Reply #23 posted 05/08/09 5:15am

shorttrini

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vainandy said:

Trying for crossover appeal is what happened. Around 1983 or so, Don was accused of trying to "take the soul out of Soul Train". He started having more white guests and playing pop music videos (some who never even got R&B radio airplay) and he also started bringing in more white dancers. White dancers are cool if they got rhythm but these didn't. Hell, just look at the white girl in that first clip there. She's stiff as a board. And the black ladies started dancing stiff as a board also.

Music videos were also part of the downfall. A lot of the ladies started just simply walking down the line and posing hoping that someone would see them and put them in a music video. The ladies had become stiff as a board and the men started doing more acrobatics than dancing. They also got more straight men on there. Look at those late 70s and early 80s clips on up to around 1981 or 1982. That place was full of queens and they were dancing their asses off.


So, in a sense he was trying to make it another "American Bandstand", which was doing great in the ratings at that time?
"Love is like peeing in your pants, everyone sees it but only you feel its warmth"
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Reply #24 posted 05/08/09 5:18am

SoulAlive

trueiopian said:

Smooth Criminal? confused


I never liked that song.
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Reply #25 posted 05/08/09 6:34am

uPtoWnNY

bboy87 said:

80s


Damn, I forgot Rosie Perez used to be a Soul Train dancer.

My favorite was the asian dancer - I believe her name was Cheryl. She was in Rick James' "Super Freak" video.
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Reply #26 posted 05/08/09 4:45pm

bboy87

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SoulAlive said:

trueiopian said:

Smooth Criminal? confused


I never liked that song.

"We may deify or demonize them but not ignore them. And we call them genius, because they are the people who change the world."
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Reply #27 posted 05/08/09 4:57pm

Linn4days

Like a Goodie Mob song:

"They don't dance no mo'!"


People were more "slim and fit" though..


Too many gay men with the leg kicks...

Who cares though? There wasn't any Truth in it.

YHWH is Elohim and Yahoshua is King
[Edited 5/8/09 16:59pm]
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Reply #28 posted 05/09/09 5:39am

mcw00

TD3 said:

Was it Mary? I would love to see that tape again. I betcha Don Cornelius didn't make that tape available. lol


Remember when Soul use to rate if a song was a good dance song?

http://www.youtube.com/wa...L&index=69



Checkout the brotha after the dance/song... couldn't even talk cuz he was dancing so hard. lol
[Edited 5/6/09 7:35am]


Man, they were groovin. I would have loved to have been there, though I can't say I could have hung with that brotha! I agree with those who said the 80s clips were more about posing and styling than dancing. Particularly the women. I have a suspicion many of them were models/wanna be actresses as opposed to dancers.
[Edited 5/9/09 5:42am]
[Edited 5/9/09 5:43am]
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Reply #29 posted 05/09/09 11:02am

novabrkr

You mean it's possible to dance in public without being drunk? Is this a cultural thing?

I mean I might have grown up listening to African-American music, but I guess that's just the ultimate line I will never be able to cross in a cultural sense.
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