Standing in the Shadows of Motown

"Standing In The Shadows Of Motown" is a wonderful insight into the sessions musicians who played on practically every track that Motown Records produced between 1959-1972. Known as "The Funk Brothers", these talented men helped craft a sound that became distinctive around the world. They were, the musical backbone of the legendary record label.

Directed by Paul Justman, this documentary highlights the trials and tribulations of "The Funk Brothers". With interviews from the surviving members, and concert footage of classic songs from many of today's artists such as Joan Osbourne, Ben Harper, Me'Shell Ndegeocello and several others, this is an entertaining and thoughtful look at the accomplishments these men have made to contemporary American music and the imprint they have left behind.

Fascinating, touching, amusing and at times tragic, this documentary is well worth checking out. For lovers of music and for those who enjoyed a good solid documentary, "Standing In The Shadows Of Motown" delivers the goods on both counts. See how things were done - Old school style.....

I am not a hard core Motown fan, but I have to give this film a 10, because it's the best music documentary I have seen. With just the right mix of interview footage, historical photos, and live performance, STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN takes its place alongside THE LAST WALTZ as a cinematic cornerstone of music history.

Musicians will especially like some of the technical discussions, such as details about how legendary bassist James Jamerson produced his famous groove.

The live musical performances are inspired, with modern singers covering Motown classics, accompanied by the Funk Brothers themselves. I have watched the DVD of this film, and more recently, the high-definition version on ShowtimeHD. The 5.1 soundtrack is impeccably mixed. You can hear every instrument clearly, but the vocalist is not drowned out. With this type of mix, you want to listen to your favorite numbers over and over, concentrating on a different part each time. And, you can rest assured that there is no lip syncing or studio overdubbing. This is real music for real people.

All of the vocalists are superb, creatively interpreting each song, while at the same time paying respect to the style of the original recording artists. Viewers will have their own favorite performers, but mine is Joan Osborne, whose powerful rendition of "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" brought tears to my eyes.

Having purchased, listened to and loved Motown's records in the 60's and 70's, I often wondered who were the masterful (and usually uncredited) musicians responsible for so many top 10 hits. With "Standing In The Shadows of Motown", I was able to finally put some faces with the riffs that I admired.

Although many of the "Funk Brothers" are no longer with us, their legacies live on with those disks by the Supremes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Martha Reeves and so many other great artists. The Funk Brothers defined soul and R & B music in its golden era. These guys played on records that sold in the millions and were being paid "scale" - sometimes as little as $25.00 per song at the time! Amazingly, most recordings were done in one or two takes; a testament to the talent portrayed in this movie.

If you love soul music, especially Motown's releases, this film is a must see. The recreations of the original songs by the remaining Funk Brothers and their guest performers are awesome!

One thing that I always noticed in the traditional "Motown" music from the 60's is either the sound of the Tamborine or the Vibes. Little did I know it was the same guy on every album.

Unlike many "true story" documentaries this was a good story with a happy ending. Most times when we watch documentaries about celebrities we tend to see much of the bad and ugly moments from their past. Certianly nobody is perfect with a squeeky clean background, however, I appriciate the fact that the producer of this movie put more emphasis on the good things and the funny stories and less on the conflicts and the shortcommings.

All of the extra features give you a sense of who these people are with the extra unedited footage of the band interacting with one and other. The part about the guys that died before, during, and after production was especially touching because it brought closure to a situation with many loose ends. I feel that this story has a happy ending because those who are still living and those who passed on are satisfied that they were recognized for their contributions.

Personally I would have liked to see the concert in its entirety instead of a few clips in between the candid interviews but overall it was a very well balanced and well written story about a band that most people didnt even know existed. Even though most people didnt know about the band, we can all relate because we know the songs. As each musican shares his involvement with Motown I know and "feel" where they are comming from because I probably have listened to their music a hundered times over.

The Funk Brothers, as they came to be known, were (and are) a group of about 20 extremely talented jazz musicians who were recruited by Barry Gordy to be studio musicians for Motown Records, which was just starting out at the time.

Cut to a few years later, and the Funk Brothers had played on more number 1 hits than the Beatles, Elvis, and the Rolling Stones combined. If you hear a Motown record by any number of great artists, like Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, the Supremes or dozens of others, that's them playing that great backing music. "Standing In The Shadows Of Motown" is a movie that finally salutes these unsung heroes, without whom the music of Motown might not have been half so brilliant.

The best part of the movie, without a doubt, is the new concert footage. All the surviving Funk Brothers were recently reunited for a concert in Detroit (the home of Motown) to play some of their biggest hits, with a diverse group of singers. These live scenes are so powerful and breathtaking, that it only reinforced my opinion that the Motown music of the 60's and 70's is some of the best music ever recorded. Pop music never, ever (before or since) sounded so pure and beautiful as that music does. All these performances are great, but my favorites have to be The Four Tops' "Reach Out I'll Be There" sung by Gerald Levert (which kicks off the movie with fire and energy) and Jimmy Ruffin's "What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted?" sung passionately by Joan Osbourne.

The rest of the movie is pretty regular documentary stuff, featuring lots of insightful interviews with the musicians and narration by Andre Braugher.

It goes on a little too long (like I said in my review for "Bowling For Columbine", 2 hours is usually pushing it for a documentary) and some of the re-enactments aren't as effective as intended.

But man, those performances. There isn't much music I like more than classic soul, and if you have at least a passing interest in it, you'll be wanting to get up and dance in the aisle just like me.