Standing in the Shadows of Motown

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06/30/2020 I've always wanted to know what Motown meant. Now I know that and more. See more 09/12/2018 very insightful into the beginnings of Motown and the Legends like the Funk Brothers where it all started. Sad to see the roots of good music is being lost today as the Funk Brothers pass See more 09/03/2015 A great documentary filled with info on all the in house band members who playing for all the great Motown artists. A lot of history covered in this film!!!! Great presentation!!!! See more ken k 06/26/2015 What a wonderful film highlighted by live performances by some of the original Funk Brothers. Their story runs an eerie parallel to that of the Wrecking crew. A wonderful magic carpet ride that ended abruptly and too soon. Good to see these wonderful people that touched so many lives finally get some well deserved recognition. Please do yourself a favor ...see it and add it to your collection of classics. See more 04/26/2014 Good doc on the Funk Brothers, who were the backing band on nearly all the Detroit-era Motown singles by the greats like Smokey, Marvin, Temptations, Supremes, etc. Nice to see they're still going as musicians (some of them) sad to hear about the lack of recognition. What stands out most is that this doesn't have the involvement of Berry Gordy or a lot of other Motown key people. Martha Reeves (of the Vandellas) is about the only interviewee from Motown....makes you wonder if there's bad blood, or if Gordy's ego just doesn't give room for the great musicianship of the band. (That being said, some of the band members were just a little cocky about how good they were and that they could have had anyone sing over it and it would have been a hit...which kind of negates a lot of the other genius at work in Motown). See more 04/09/2014 Great documentary on the most unsung heroes of music. As is mentioned in the movie, and anywhere you see them mentioned, The Funk Brothers played on more Number 1 singles than the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys and Elvis Presley combined. Yet hardly anyone has heard of them. I certainly hadn't, and my musical knowledge is pretty good. (Though, admittedly, I do lean more towards rock than soul). This documentary examines the history of the Funk Brothers, and also has some made-for-the-movie performances by them, complete with vocals by luminaries such as Ben Harper, Bootsy Collins, Joan Collins, Chaka Khan. The documentary part is well done, covering all the important aspects of their history, as well as interviewing the surviving members. Musical performances are great. A must-see for a Motown fan, or anyone interested in the history of music. See more Read all reviews

Standing in the Shadows of Motown

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