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How did it start, when did it start and instead of Northern Soul dancing lessons should we have clapping lessons.

Is clapping a dying art.

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I love clapping when it is done in the right places............even when a record is being played out for the first time, you know instinctively where the claps are............it is a dieng art...........as like a lot of people with the tricks when dancing, they seem to have no idea when to do them !!!.........at Yate they would do the 'echo' too...........when you were at other nighters it could get quite confusing if they were doing this.........kinda threw ya !!!.

There was/is nothing like hearing that one almighty 'gun shot' of a clap, in the right place, everyone in unison.........shivers up the spine & the sure knowledge that your all on the same groove together..............

Russ

There was/is nothing like hearing that one almighty 'gun shot' of a clap, in the right place, everyone in unison.........shivers up the spine & the sure knowledge that your all on the same groove together..............

Russ

Russ, you took the words right off the end of my fingers - sitting on the balcony at Wigan and hearing that 'CRRRRRRRRRRRACK' as hundreds of syncronised palms slapped together....perhaps the classic 'clapper' of all time:

Billy Butler 'Right Track' - sore hands :P

I love clapping when it is done in the right places............even when a record is being played out for the first time, you know instinctively where the claps are............it is a dieng art...........as like a lot of people with the tricks when dancing, they seem to have no idea when to do them !!!.........at Yate they would do the 'echo' too...........when you were at other nighters it could get quite confusing if they were doing this.........kinda .threw ya !!!.

There was/is nothing like hearing that one almighty 'gun shot' of a clap, in the right place, everyone in unison.........shivers up the spine & the sure knowledge that your all on the same groove together..............

Russ

That's right Russ. not being the best dancer in the world I miss the claps. IMO lot of tunes played today don't lend to it. Used to clap lots at the 100club up until the early 90's. Then we tended to put our shirts back on. Glad there's not many photos around. When the oldies come on though it's instinct. Can't help it. it's like singing 'beep beep' on the destination is you track by The Appreciations on

a satalite or counting 4beats on 'We Got Togetherness by The Jewels. :P

How did it start, when did it start and instead of Northern Soul dancing lessons should we have clapping lessons.

Is clapping a dying art.

MUST SAY MY EALIEST RECOLLECTIONS OF CLAPPING IN UNISON WAS PROBABLY WIGAN CASINO, VIBRATIONS "COZ YOUR MINE" JEWELS "TOGETHERNESS" ETC ETC SHOULD BE BROUGHT BACK AND MADE COMPULSARY, SOME PEOPLE MAY NEED TRAINING THOUGH AND HAVE TO GO ON A GOVERNMENT FUNDED COURSE, BRILLIANT :P

Edited by RICK SCOTT

Russ, you took the words right off the end of my fingers - sitting on the balcony at Wigan and hearing that 'CRRRRRRRRRRRACK' as hundreds of syncronised palms slapped together....perhaps the classic 'clapper' of all time:

Billy Butler 'Right Track' - sore hands :P

Wondering what would be the timing of the quickest clap? Bit like the quickest goal of the day. i'd bet intro to The Skull Snaps 'My Hang Up is You' :lol:

Kev

Tony-You been playing Shirley Ellis 'The Clapping Song' again?

Edited by Kev Moore

MUST SAY MY EALIEST RECOLLECTIONS OF CLAPPING IN UNISON WAS PROBABLY WIGAN CASINO, VIBRATIONS "COZ YOUR MINE" JEWELS "TOGETHERNESS" ETC ETC SHOULD BE BROUGHT BACK AND MADE COMPULSARY, SOME PEOPLE MAY NEED TRAINING THOUGH AND HAVE TO GO ON A GOVERNMENT FUNDED COURSE, BRILLIANT :P

Check out Pete Smith live wigan tape from mid 74...aweome atmosphere. Ive come out of there and my palms are blue and ached for three days.

That's right Russ. not being the best dancer in the world I miss the claps. IMO lot of tunes played today don't lend to it. Used to clap lots at the 100club up until the early 90's. Then we tended to put our shirts back on. Glad there's not many photos around. When the oldies come on though it's instinct. Can't help it. it's like singing 'beep beep' on the destination is you track by The Appreciations on

a satalite or counting 4beats on 'We Got Togetherness by The Jewels. :P

Kev,

I think you mean the 'Beep Beep!' on The Attractions - Destination Is You - Bell

See you Saturday. You up Friday at all?

I actually find myseld dong it to Modern Soul too, if the break is there.............I sometimes do a 'silent' clap if Im feeling self conscious............ :P Its instinctive to do the claps, you just cant help it..............

Russ

Kev,

I think you mean the 'Beep Beep!' on The Attractions - Destination Is You - Bell

See you Saturday. You up Friday at all?

You're right Dave.

God am I getting that old? Brain like a seive! Always remember the 'beep beep' though.

just checking out buses to Manchester. Not 100% I'll make it. If I do though I might have to go up on Fri for cheaper seats. I'll let you know.

Kev

How did it start, when did it start and instead of Northern Soul dancing lessons should we have clapping lessons.

Is clapping a dying art.

love is a good foundation-leslie uggams is my favourite clapping song hearing a couple of hundred people clapping along to this still gives me goosebumps also moody and the deltas everybody come clap your hands couldnt resist sorry

Edited by rhino

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I actually find myseld dong it to Modern Soul too, if the break is there.............I sometimes do a 'silent' clap if Im feeling self conscious............ :P Its instinctive to do the claps, you just cant help it..............

Russ

I have to ask Russ dose a silent clap smell :lol:

Clapping its a strange one? an unspoken rule passed on at nighters in the darks hours to be remembered for years to come. Some recods can have just the 1or 2 claps The Seeds Pushing To Hard.

Edited by Prophonics 2029

I actually find myseld dong it to Modern Soul too, if the break is there.............I sometimes do a 'silent' clap if Im feeling self conscious............ :P Its instinctive to do the claps, you just cant help it..............

Russ

I tend to flick a hand out to the Modern stuff Russ.

One that always gets me these days is:

R Kelly -Up Outta Here. Just after the intro and before he starts singing IMO he should give out a growl, a sort of ouch! if you know what I mean???? It's not in there so I always put it in for him. R Kelly Top Producer (nah)-Should take lessons off us old schoolers. He missed a great marketing ploy there.

I actually find myseld dong it to Modern Soul too, if the break is there.............I sometimes do a 'silent' clap if Im feeling self conscious............ blush.gif Its instinctive to do the claps, you just cant help it..............

Russ

Ah, how I laughed....and the youngsters watched the tumbleweed :P does anyone say they've got 'the clap' anymore :lol:

I don't think I can beat Kev's 'soonest occassion to clap in a record' but the Sapphires 'Gotta have your love' is a close second...two piano notes and you're in....whey hey - and don't forget to lift up the bottom of your Tshirt on 'HEY' when they go 'baby HEY' in the middle....or is that just me :thumbup:

Edited by vinylvixen

Ah, how I laughed....and the youngster watched the tumbleweed :P does anyone say they've got 'the clap' anymore :lol:

I don't think I can beat Kev's 'soonest occassion to clap in a record' but the Sapphires 'Gotta have your love' is a close second...

I'd second that Jo. wink.gif

Here we go...if this doesn't send a shiver down the spine then nothing well..then again, I've got the flu so I've got a permanent shiver down my spine

https://www.soul-source.co.uk/rare-northern...no-74-live-tape

I stand corrected yet again. The quickest clap has got to be Tainted Love-Gloria Jones. Absolutely! :P

Thanks for that-blast. Hope you feel better soon Pete. Shit when you've the Flu (and no more wise cracks Tony)

Edited by Kev Moore

Nothing beats that thunderous 'Clap Opportunity' on the first few seconds of the Jades "I'm Where Its At"...

... except maybe the one in the first 15 seconds of the Vibrations "Cause You're Mine"

Altogether now!................

Nothing beats that thunderous 'Clap Opportunity' on the first few seconds of the Jades "I'm Where Its At"...

... except maybe the one in the first 15 seconds of the Vibrations "Cause You're Mine"

Altogether now!................

Ahhhhh. Forgot about the Jades. Good shout Sean. One of the first Northern records I got into.

Kev

different venues different claps ?

remember a mucker pointing this out once

That Yate thing really was weird to me..............could actually really throw you off the beat when dancing............anyone else remember this, I describe it as an echo, but I know others called it something else.............????.

Russ

  • Author

different venues different claps ?

remember a mucker pointing this out once

I know this as well, some times your clap is lost in the acoustics of the venue and some times it resounds of all the walls to be an awesome Thwack :P unless you catch your sleeve and muffle a beat.

BOBBY HUTTON / LEND A HAND

aptly named

more claps than a thialand brothel

Nothing beats that thunderous 'Clap Opportunity' on the first few seconds of the Jades "I'm Where Its At"...

... except maybe the one in the first 15 seconds of the Vibrations "Cause You're Mine"

Altogether now!................

Right - this calls for the 'Clap-Ometer' - what we should do is rank each record for the amount of seconds into the track that clapping commences. We may need a stop watch as this should be done fairly and scientifically but I think the Jades is instantaneous clapping so:

  1. Jades - Where it's at - On the first beat
  2. Sapphires - Gotta have your love - 1 1/2 seconds in

  3. :):)

different venues different claps ?

remember a mucker pointing this out once

Mike - regional clapping variations OR venue accoustics....now that's niche :)

Any damned fool that calls themselves a Northern Soul fan and can't even clap on time shouldn't be allowed near a dancefloor!

There, now I've said it.... :lol:laugh.gif

Edited by mel brat

Any damned fool that calls themselves a Northern Soul fan and can't even clap on time shouldn't be allowed near a dancefloor!

There, now I've said it.... :lol:laugh.gif

:lol::D:D

Clapping gets abit awkward when youve got your music on in the car,I know ive done it :lol:

Kev. wicked.gif

Here we go...if this doesn't send a shiver down the spine then nothing well..then again, I've got the flu so I've got a permanent shiver down my spine

https://www.soul-source.co.uk/rare-northern...no-74-live-tape

Dont know about a shiver down my spine it brought a tear to my eye fantastic , was that the first few bars of the wombats on that clip aswell ?

I dance around the kitchen and clap my wife shits herself "Do you have to do that grow up " :lol:

That Yate thing really was weird to me..............could actually really throw you off the beat when dancing............anyone else remember this, I describe it as an echo, but I know others called it something else.............????.

Russ

Pretty sure I remember the 'echo clapping' at Yate to 'Double Cooking' by the Checkerboard Squares (AKA 'Strings a Go-Go' by Bob Wilson).

Dont know about a shiver down my spine it brought a tear to my eye fantastic , was that the first few bars of the wombats on that clip aswell ?

I dance around the kitchen and clap my wife shits herself "Do you have to do that grow up " :lol:

Mark somewhere - it might be on my own website?? There's about 30 minutes of that tape and including Panic, Wombat, FOOTSEE (the different version) and it's still the best Casino tape ever. Credit to Al Davidson for taping it mind. Let me try and find it

There are definitely regional variations on the clapping. Me & Angela went down to Newquay earlier this year and it was a completely different ball game. We clapped at the usual intervals and the piano stopped and everyone turned round to look at us :lol: .

I'll never forget Taff from Newton Aycliffe had a broken thumb all strapped up one month at Keele, but couldn't stop himself from clapping throughout, so all you could hear was 'clap ouch! clap ouch! clap ouch!'

PETE'S TAPE ! HAPPY MEMORIES AT THE CASINO AND ALL THE CLAPPING. ONLY 16 THEN AND WE HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT TIMES CHANGE. SOMEIMES FOR THE BETTER AND SOME THE WORSE. JUST PRIOR TO ME GOING THE CASINO I HAD SEEN SOME OF THE LOCAL LADS INDULGING IN THE CLAPPING TO CHUBBY CHECKER'S - CUM-A-LA-BE-STAY.

post-5802-1229279661_thumb.jpg

Now, this is very funny but TRUE, Jack Bollington back in the 70's used to do EMI Discks, 2 sided tracks of your choice top Northern Tunes for a fiver, a guy asked him to do one for him and one of the tunes he wanted was The Jewels "togetherness" which (as you know) has the long break in the middle which everyone claped too very fast in unison, the said person took the EMI Disk back to the next all niter and said, " i don't want this, i want the original version, you know, the one with the hand claps" MMMMM PRICELESS

MUST SAY MY EALIEST RECOLLECTIONS OF CLAPPING IN UNISON WAS PROBABLY WIGAN CASINO, VIBRATIONS "COZ YOUR MINE" JEWELS "TOGETHERNESS" ETC ETC SHOULD BE BROUGHT BACK AND MADE COMPULSARY, SOME PEOPLE MAY NEED TRAINING THOUGH AND HAVE TO GO ON A GOVERNMENT FUNDED COURSE, BRILLIANT thumbsup.gif

Hi Rick,

Back in the late sixties at Ridding's Soul Scene we used to clap in unison to at least three records- Everybody's Going To A Love In, Let The Good Times Roll and Funky Street.

Steve (Jack)

Russ, you took the words right off the end of my fingers - sitting on the balcony at Wigan and hearing that 'CRRRRRRRRRRRACK' as hundreds of syncronised palms slapped together....perhaps the classic 'clapper' of all time:

Billy Butler 'Right Track' - sore hands laugh.gif

laugh.gif never done that rapid fire clapping to right track :P but danced to it millions of times, clapping yea if its done right, shit when ya get it wrong though wacko.gif

Right - this calls for the 'Clap-Ometer' - what we should do is rank each record for the amount of seconds into the track that clapping commences. We may need a stop watch as this should be done fairly and scientifically but I think the Jades is instantaneous clapping so:

  1. Jades - Where it's at - On the first beat
  2. Sapphires - Gotta have your love - 1 1/2 seconds in

  3. biggrin.gifbiggrin.gif

  1. Jades - Where it's at - On the first beat
  2. Sapphires - Gotta have your love - 1 1/2 seconds in
  3. Joe Tex - You better believe it Baby - 2 seconds

  1. Jades - Where it's at - On the first beat
  2. Sapphires - Gotta have your love - 1 1/2 seconds in
  3. Joe Tex - You better believe it Baby - 2 seconds

Oooooh, Julian Covey - A Little Bit Hurt, must be close. Probably just under the 2 seconds.

Here we go...if this doesn't send a shiver down the spine then nothing well..then again, I've got the flu so I've got a permanent shiver down my spine

https://www.soul-source.co.uk/rare-northern...no-74-live-tape

Ahhh Brilliant!... and i got a shiver too hearing the claps, got a little flashback and could almost smell the place.. wonder if they sell that sweet soul perfume on ebay??? ( more musk or brute me thinx!):rolleyes:

Edited by familytree

which record has the most claps ?

  • Author

which record has the most claps ?

Dean Parrish I'm On My Way could be a starter, suppose its the one with a recorded history, but I remember one night and IDLTL Cecil W was clapped from start to finish and its 3 mins long?

Dean Parrish I'm On My Way could be a starter, suppose its the one with a recorded history, but I remember one night and IDLTL Cecil W was clapped from start to finish and its 3 mins long?

What a great thread - give yourselves a round of applause :rolleyes: Off to buy a stopwatch..... :wicked:

:rolleyes: never done that rapid fire clapping to right track :wicked: but danced to it millions of times, clapping yea if its done right, shit when ya get it wrong though wacko.gif

That "rapid fire" clapping (double time) is called Soul clapping, as featured in Arthur Conley's "Funky Street", (refer scunnyjack above), and which may initially have prompted it's popularity over here. (Refer almost any live show at a Northern Soul club in the seventies and the 'Major Lance Live at the Torch' album)

Like most things ( :D !) clapping on the beat started way before Wigan opened it's doors and was certainly one of those quirky features that made the Cats so magical, amongst many other venues. The break in Bob Relf's "Blowing My Mind To Pieces" with accompanying clapping was particularly haunting.

Edited by mel brat

Hi Rick,

Back in the late sixties at Ridding's Soul Scene we used to clap in unison to at least three records- Everybody's Going To A Love In, Let The Good Times Roll and Funky Street.

Steve (Jack)

You could also add Virginia Wolves ---stay to that. Although it was a 'singular clap'. Back in the day there was the alternative clenched glove fist in the air if you were a bit 'avant garde' :rolleyes:

Think I have heard a tape of one of the "last nights at Wigan" with the three before eight being played - large dose of the clap in all those tracks - particularly impressive on Tobi Legend.

My pet hate - people who insist on clapping OFF the beat :wicked:

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