standing in the shadows of motown
listen to standing in the shadows of motown [ soundtrack (deluxe edition) ] now .
standing in the shadows of motown (2002), a documentary about a group of detroit musicians who backed up dozens of motown artists .
that' s changing with the new documentary standing in the shadows of motown, which opened in new york and los angeles nov. 15 and goes to 12 more cities this weekend .
were part of the group of musicians known as the funk brothers whose sound defined motown in the 1960s and 70s. they worked with such legendary performers as diana ross and the supremes, the temptations, marvin gaye, the four tops, stevie wonder, smokey robinson, the miracles and many more. the funk brothers are the subject of the new documentary standing in the shadows of motown .
standing in the shadows of motown
, is the documentary film that tells the story of motown' s legendary studio band, the funk brothers. the funk brothers were a relatively unknown group of musicians who have played on as many no. 1 one hits as the beach boys, the rolling stones, elvis and the beatles combined! !
standing in the shadows of motown
first movie screening at the library of congress. the funk brothers gathered in detroit last november 2000 for filming. they were: bob babbitt, richard'' pistol'' allen, jack ashford, uriel jones, joe hunter, eddie willis, joe messina and johnny griffin .
think of the supremes, gladys knight, smokey robinson, marvin gaye, martha reeves, stevie wonder and the temptations. you hold decades of pop musical history in your mind: the motown sound. now ask who the instrumentalists were on their records. or don' t even bother, because the question is asked and answered in the affectionate new documentary
standing in the shadows of motown .
in the movie, fans are asked, who played on the recordings with those artists? who for example was behind gladys knight ?
the pips ?
asks one motown fan .
documentary about the funk brothers, a group of detroit musicians who backed up dozens of motown artists .
i n 1959, berry gordy gathered the best musicians from detroit' s thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on
my girl ,
bernadette ,
i was made to love her ,
and every other hit from motown' s detroit era. b y the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the beach boys, the rolling stones, elvis and the beatles combined - which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. they called themselves the funk brothers. f orty - one years after they played their first note an a motown record and three decades since they were all together, the funk brothers reunited back in detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story in standing in the shadows of motown. w ith the tumultuous sixties as a backdrop, motown' s unsung heroes take the viewer on a compelling journey in time as they trace the evolution of the motown sound
from its origins in detroit to its demise in los angeles during the seventies. through the eyes of the riveting characters who ruled hitsville' s studio by day and the club scene of detroit by night, we enter a world of unparalleled soul and emotion as the funk brothers revisit the sites of their musical roots, triumphs, and eventual heartbreak. f or more than four decades, from the dance floors of the world, to the detroit riots of 1967, to the war in vietnam, the music the funk brothers created has played a major role in the cultural fabric of all of our lives. standing in the shadows of motown finally puts some faces on that music and introduces these heroic musical figures to the world .
the phenomenal story of motown has been told many times - - so many times in fact that the notion of an untold part of its legacy seems far - fetched. but as the documentary film
motown has one of the most closely protected catalogs in the music industry. but slutsky says this film has more than 30 songs in it, thanks to company founder gordy, who opened it up for the making of the movie .
what' s interesting about these performances is that the singers make no attempt to imitate the original artists, and yet the funks turn the songs into soundalikes anyway. is it possible those great motown stars were more or less created by these unsung musicians? the funks think that is a distinct possibility. of course, the backup singers had a lot to do with it, too, and this movie never gets around to them. they' re in the shadows of the shadows .
drummer uriel jones, left, and pianist joe hunter, original members of motown' s house band, still play in detroit .
the motown sound came to an end in 1972, when gordy moved the label from detroit to los angeles, with
no warning and no acknowledgement .
the funks found out from a notice tacked to the door. some of them followed motown to the coast, but the magic was gone, and the movie doesn' t ask the obvious question: why didn' t some of the singers they worked with know how important they were, and demand them, or return to detroit to record with them ?
standing in the shadows of motown
interlaces interviews with the surviving funk brothers with new performances of many of the hit songs, and some sequences in which events of the past are re - created. the flashback sequences are not especially effective, but are probably better than more talking heads. or maybe not. the contemporary performers who sing in front of the funks include joan osborne, ben harper, me' shell ndegeocello, montell jordan, gerald levert, chaka khan and the flamboyant bootsy collins, who upstages the funks, not to his own advantage .
no, it wasn' t the pips, the miracles or the vandellas. the musicians who played behind all of the motown stars on their studio recordings were the funk brothers. the funk brothers? paul justman' s documentary, based on a book by allan slutsky, gives belated praise to motown' s house musicians, the men who played under all the motown hits recorded in detroit .
nov 19, 2002 motown backup band, the funk brothers tavis smiley interviews two members of the legendary motown house band, the funk brothers, frontman and percussionist jack ashford and keyboardist joe hunter .
— a documentary about the funk brothers, a group of detroit musicians who backed up dozens of motown artists from 1959 to 1972 .
you will need this cd for disc 2 which has many instrumental versions of motown classics. worth the price for instrumental version of supremes love is like an itching in my heart which is sensational
the first motown sides were cut in
studio a ,
which was simply the garage of berry gordy, the label' s founder. it was down four steps from his kitchen and originally had a dirt floor. along with sun studios in memphis, it was one of the birthplaces of the last half - century of american hit music. the movie returns to that location (
hitsville, usa
) for sessions in which the surviving funk brothers remember the good times and bad, and the very sound of the studio itself .
after all of the credits roll, we see a few of the funk brothers leaving the snake pit and turning off the lights .
i' m not even a big fan of motown records, but this film is something else. the funk brothers were the sessions players who played on a large percentage of the hits of the 60' s and early 70' s. sadly some of the key players died before this film was made but the remaining musicians get together and play. the contemparay film of them reformed playing motown classics is absolutely marvellous. it helps if you put the 5. 1 sound on as well. the first performance brought me close to tears. the documentary film is also interesting and the stories about the legendary bass player (who i had never heard of) james jamerson and others are fascinating. i watched it three times in the first month of owning the dvd. this is an essential music dvd for those interested in the history of motown .
this is a great documentary which captures the essence of the funk brothers and the way they defined the motown sound in the 1960s as the label' s resident session band. the film was made some years ago and a number of those featured have since died, so this is the nearest one can get to sitting in a pub with these groundbreaking musicians and listening to their tales of life in 1960s detroit. a particularly moving part of the documentary is when band members black and white describe the camaraderie amongst them following the murder of martin luther king and the subsequent flaring of local tensions. the stories of those band members who had died prior to the documentary (in particular james jamerson and benny benjamin) are not forgotten with a particular focus on jamerson. it even inspired me to get my bass out of the loft !
having seen the film, recently, on the motown night bbc3, i bought the cd purely for the joan osbourne versions of' (love is like a) heatwave' and' what becomes of the broken ...
i' ll admit my view may be a little twisted, but when you think motown, it' s the story of the incredible studio band with a revolving set of vocalists ,
slutsky says .
they were the continuity. they were the reason motown sounded the way it sounded .
a soundtrack featuring the film' s live performances came out in september. among the highlights are osborne' s wrenching what becomes of the brokenhearted, levert' s fiery reach out i' ll be there and bootsy collins' boisterous do you love me. the soundtrack will be included in a deluxe edition due in january that will feature a second cd with 16 classic motown tracks stripped of the vocals and strings to emphasize the music of the funk brothers. a dvd with additional filmed interviews and a concert at the knitting factory in los angeles are due next spring .
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as motown' s studio band, the funk brothers kept those unforgettable grooves bubbling up from the basement at hitsville usa .
their music fueled the careers of the temptations, the supremes, the miracles, the four tops, gladys knight and the pips, marvin gaye, stevie wonder, mary wells and others from the time the company started in the late 1950s until it left detroit for california in 1973. (related item: funk brothers, where art though now? )
detroit | michigan | 1959. berry gordy gathered the best musicians from the city' s thriving jazz and blues scene for his new record company: motown. they called themselves the funk brothers | and they were the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. this is their story .
in 1959, berry gordy jr. gathered the best musicians from detroit' s thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on every hit from motown' s detroit era. by the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the beach boys, the rolling stones, elvis and the beatles combined - which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. they called themselves the funk brothers. forty - one years after they played their first note on a motown record and three decades since they were all together, the funk brothers reunited back in detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story, with the help of archival footage, still photos, narration, interviews, re - creation scenes, 20 motown master tracks, and twelve new live performances of motown classics with the brothers backing up contemporary performers .
this february 2004 the dream was fulfilled when the funk brothers won their long overdue lifetime achievement awards, and it felt great! after years of playing music as the studio band for motown records in virtual anonymity, they received their long overdue acknowledgement as an important part of rock and roll history. i am proud to be part of the production of this movie about their lives .
during paul justman' s film documentary standing in the shadows of motown, based on al slutsky' s book of the same name about the session musicians who played on motown recordings in detroit from the late' 50s to the early' 70s, one of the interviewees is heard to comment that once those musicians, who dubbed themselves the funk brothers, finished cutting a backing track, it almost didn' t matter who sang over it. it is no criticism of the singers who appear on this soundtrack album, which consists mainly of the new performances of motown hits that punctuate the film, to say that the music heard here bears that observation out. the singers have been well chosen for the songs. me' shell ndeg�ocello, for example, offers a contemporary gloss on smokey robinson' s
you' ve really got a hold on me
and channels eddie kendricks on the temptations'
cloud nine ,
while gerald levert makes like levi stubbs on the four tops'
reach out i' ll be there ,
joan osborne lives up to martha reeves on the vandellas'
( love is like a) heat wave ,
and bootsy collins brings humor and outrageousness to the contours'
do you love me
and the capitols'
cool jerk .
but the legend on the back of the disc ,
starring the funk brothers on all tracks
is well put. this is a cohesive group, not just some studio professionals. the band is mixed louder and much more clearly than they were in the 1960s, when their sound was compressed, toned down behind the vocalists, and presented (at least on the am radios on which it was most frequently heard) in mono. while the motown sound was the product of its singers, songwriters, arrangers, and producers as well as the musicians who played the instruments, their contribution has been undervalued, and this recording demonstrates that amply .
special thanks to: seen at the end of the movie. see video excerpts
the spotlight is finally shining on this colorful cast of characters who toiled in
the snakepit
of berry gordy' s hit factory at 2648 west grand blvd. and who have reunited to promote the film .
note: sad news. johnny griffith, one of the funk brothers, died over the past weekend. a reminder that this film comes just in time .
the content of this film is amazing. there is however a video to sound sync issue. in a film it’s really annoying in a music documentary doubly so. the fact i have still given it five stars shows how amazing the content is for me .
given three stars solely for the music. especially for joan osborne' s singing of what becomes of the broken hearted .
save on classic and contemporary films online and in store through 8 / 6 .
jack ashford, whose distinctive tambourine graces dozens of classic hits, says the seven - minute ovation the film received after its screening at the toronto film festival in september
blew my mind .
the film has gotten critical acclaim and emotional audience responses since it began screening in september, evidenced by the toronto film festival ovation .
they played on more no. 1 hits than elvis presley, the beatles, the rolling stones and the beach boys put together. but to the general public, they remain largely unknown. unlike the galaxy of beloved motown stars, songwriters and producers, the funk brothers were rarely recognized for their contribution to what became
the sound of young america .
interesting documentary about great musicians and the music business behind the scene. lots of good music .
filmmaker, paul justman' s documentary based on allan slutsky' s book looking at the uncredited tamla motown musicians that worked on more number one hits than any other artists to date, the funk brothers. made up from a group of session musicians, the funk brothers worked on all the motown hits of the sixties working with the likes of marvin gaye, stevie wonder, the temptations and smokey robinson. however, when berry gordy moved the studios from detroit to los angeles in 1972. he did not take the musicians with him and they fell into obscurity. justman' s film brings them together again after 40 years and, using a handful of guest singers such as chaka khan, ben harper and bootsy collins, he gets the funk brothers to perform some of the hits they worked on .
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i was an out and out motown afficionado when i was younger and when in' cool' circles it was deeply unfashionable to be so (i kept fairly quiet about it! !) .
this film is based on a book of the same title by mr. allan slutsky that won the 1989 rolling stone / bmi ralph j. gleason music book award. mr. slutsky a new jersey - based musician, author, and movie producer who worked for 14 years in putting together the movie, told me that after a theatrical run, the film will go to cable and then be released on tape and dvd. the documentary movie has already played in los angeles for a week in december 2001 in order to qualify for next year' s academy awards, but that its official world premiere will be in detroit in january or february of 2002. produced by paul elliott and david scott, executive producers allan slutsky, paul justman, sandy passman and karen ellis founder and ceo of this site the educational cyberplayground .
a documentary that celebrates rick hall, the founder of fame studios in muscle shoals, alabama, and the signature sound he developed in songs such as
i' ll take you there
,
brown sugar
, and
when a man loves a woman
.
backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we' ve had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now .
having seen the film at a cinema and bought the dvd, i bought the cd on the strength that the dvd cut the songs sharply, when playing the songs only. the star guest singer is joan osbourne, particularly with
what becomes of the broken hearted
. it' s good to see most of the funk brothers in action, while they were still alive. sadly, many have passed on since this album was made. either way, if you love the music motown played at hitsville, detroit, this is a recommended purchase, as you will not get this opportunity again .
roger ebert' s speech on empathy for the
11th hour
series on april 9th, 1994, being republished here in honor of his birthday june 18 .
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roger ebert was born on this day in 1942, and died a little over five years ago. i owe a good part of my success…
a celebration of the musical work of a group of session musicians known as
the wrecking crew
, a band that provided back - up instrumentals to such legendary recording artists as frank sinatra, the beach boys and bing crosby .
these guys were the guys behind motown, this is where it was at, amazing stuff by amazing musicians, you will never regret buying this album .
demonstrates, there was more to the success of the detroit - based label than singing babes in gowns and founder berry gordy' s business acumen. there were also the self - named funk brothers: the session players putting the unforgettable guitar sounds into
you keep me hangin' on
and the creeping bass line behind
i heard it through the grapevine .
these guys were a crucial piece of the puzzle but have remained largely anonymous .
my personal pics from the library of congress screening that i took from the question and answer period after the movie was screened. ~ karen ellis
while the standing documentary tells the funk brothers' story via interviews, stock footage and still photos, the accompanying soundtrack takes liberties, pairing the surviving musicians with contemporary pop, r & b and funk artists. together, they faithfully recast motown hits. what could have been a disaster - - would you want to muck with
ain' t no mountain high enough
? - - works beautifully, thanks both to the brothers' chops and the thoughtful artist selection. while enlisting a soul brother like ben harper was a no - brainer, the inclusion of joan osborne was especially astute. after all, osborne' s deep connection to r & b is why her production of the holmes brothers' speaking in tongues disc was genius, and she acquits herself beautifully on
( love is like a) heat wave
and
what becomes of the brokenhearted .
similarly, bass boss meshell ndegeocello gives chaka khan competition in the gospel diva department. bootsy collins, gerald levert and montell jordan also contribute. motown purists may baulk at this concept, but they' d have to agree these readings are smart, respectful and very, very soulful. - - kim hughes
sessions would last all day and into the night. a producer would come in with a song and a few chords and they' d play with it, adapting it to the house style, adding a touch here, a riff there, until it emerged as the big, bold and sometimes almost unreasonably happy motown sound. in one of the movie' s best sequences, we see them cobbling a song together almost from scratch. sometimes, they remember, they were so overworked they' d hide out in a nearby funeral parlor, where gordy wouldn' t think to look for them .
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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 .
what' s left to be said about the
motown sound ,
that treasure trove of pop' n' soul music that once poured forth from berry gordy' s tiny detroit studio? a lot, it turns out. vocal artists like the supremes, the temptations, marvin gaye, smokey robinson and the four tops, whose records first charted in the early 1960s, became household names. but few people... read more
basically the story of a man forced to finally see the injustice around him. riley’s movie is designed to do the same thing to you. …
director michael mann is known for modifying moods through music, particularly in urban settings. there ...
i was looking forward to watching this dvd and whilst it was nice that these people have got some recognition it did feel like they went on about that lack of attention rather too much in this film! by the end of the dvd, which in itself should' ve been retitled
the funk brothers
rather than such a generic title, it was rather annoying being told how little recognition they apparently received. whilst some may like the interview then a piece showing them at a new concert format, i found that to be disappointing. with respect, none of the cover versions came anywhere close to the originals and seemed to be there just to make the film long enough to be screened. i found myself fast forwarding through most of the concert footage. i can only conclude that getting the rights to some of the archive material was beyond the budget of the producers. the interviews were interesting but they just didn' t hold my attention in the same way that the
muscle shoals
dvd did for me. it deserves a pat on the back for at least attempting to showcase the unknown but it comes across as low budget, made for tv documentary - interesting and watchable, but only the once .
jamerson, who despite his heavy drinking was an unparalleled bassist, is one of the dominant figures in the story. ashford tells how jamerson was once so wasted he couldn' t sit upright but pulled the near - impossible feat of playing the demanding bass line on marvin gaye' s what' s going on lying flat on his back .
despite the long - term damage this film and the soundtrack' s title theme did to bluegrass, the soundtrack stands as one of the best introductions to instrumental bluegrass available. the blistering virtuosity of multi - instrumentalists eric weissberg and marshall brickman ripple through such ...
i accept that the 60s material will not be of great quality, but i did not expect the most ...
former supremes star mary wilson says :
they made music that the people of the world could enjoy and no longer have to hide that they listened to rhythm and blues. they made it pop. they took one ethnic genre and created a whole other genre: the motown sound .
and yet the motown sound was, quite simply, their sound. no disrespect to the singers, but, as drummer steve gordon observes ,
you could have had deputy dawg singin' on some of this stuff .
the documentary argues that they played on hits that sold more records than the beatles, elvis, the beach boys and the rolling stones combined - - but were almost anonymous .
an interview with terry gilliam, director of
the man who killed don quixote .
the hero of the funk brothers themselves seems to have been the late james jamerson, the bass player who used only one finger but seemed able to keep two times at once. their stories about him are legion. the other original funks were drummer benny benjamin, pianist joe hunter and guitarists eddie willis and joe messina. the movie always talks with or about perhaps a dozen other musicians who played on many or most of the motown records, but it' s difficult to keep them straight - - because, of course, they were not famous .
if you like motown, you will love this cd great great tracks... plus various backing tracks too! its great to listen to the original music without the vocals and to appriciate how ...
remembering betsy palmer, anne meara, b. b. king and other reel - important people we lost in may
2003 cd - ean 044006469126 - motown tribute with ben harper, bootsy collins, chaka khan, ndegeocello, tom scott, levert and more .
justman avoids getting too maudlin by injecting humorous anecdotes or shifting to one of the exhilarating performances by the reunited band with singers such as joan osborne, bootsy collins, gerald levert, chaka khan and montell jordan, ben harper and me' shell ndgeocello gleefully strutting their stuff. with the exception of brief appearances by the temptations' otis williams and martha reeves, the filmmakers consciously decided not to include motown' s well - known stars .
justman deftly interweaves interviews, re - enactments, archival footage and band performances of classic tunes with contemporary artists. many of the stories center on those who died before the film was made .
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after about eight years, i couldn' t keep the funk brothers motivated ,
slutsky says .
i was like the crazy aunt in the attic. i was doing jesse jackson' keep hope alive' speeches .
a play with music by lanie robertson, lady day at emerson' s bar & grill, directed by lonny price, first opened on broadway in the spring of 2014 with audra mcdonald starring as the heartworn billie holiday singing and telling stories ...
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one of the film' s quietest moments recalls the chilling day when word reached the studio that drummer benny
papa zita
benjamin, a heroin addict, had died .
amazing piece of history. found it quite emotional at times, but the joy these musicians bought the role deserves at least this tribute .
buy the mp3 album for £7. 99 at the amazon digital music store .
review: what' s left to be said about the
motown sound ,
that treasure trove of pop' n' soul music that once poured forth from berry gordy' s tiny detroit studio? a lot, it turns out. vocal artists like the supremes, the temptations, marvin gaye, smokey robinson an… (more )
track 1 - 1 covering martha & the vandellas' original 1963 hit track 1 - 2 covering the miracles' original 1962 / 63 hit track 1 - 3 covering the contours' original 1962 hit track 1 - 4 from a combination of the alternate take and the original backing track for the four tops' hit recorded at hitsville, detroit, summer 1966 track 1 - 5 covering the four tops' original 1966 hit track 1 - 6 covering the temptations' original 1966 hit track 1 - 7 covering jr. walker & the all stars' original 1965 hit track 1 - 8 covering jimmy ruffins' original 1966 hit track 1 - 9 covering marvin gaye' s original 1968 hit track 1 - 10 original track for the supremes' hit, recorded at hitsville, detroit, summer 1966 track 1 - 11 covering the capitols' original 1966 hit track 1 - 12 covering the temptations' original 1968 hit track 1 - 13 covering marvin gaye' s original 1971 hit track 1 - 14 covering marvin gaye & tammi terrell' s original 1967 hit track 1 - 15 recorded january 9 or 10, 1970, first issued on the album the earl of funk, soul 715, september 1970 track 1 - 16 recorded october 1961. issued as single boom boom / drug store woman, vee - jay 438, may 1962 track 1 - 17 issued as single (your love keeps lifting me) higher and higher, brunswick 55336, july 1967 track 1 - 18 from the album evolution, issued as single scorpio, sussex 226, october 1971 0riginal album inspired by the book standing in the shadows of motown (the life and music of legendary bassist james jamerson), by dr. licks 2 - 2, 2 - 4, 2 - 5, 2 - 7, 2 - 8, 2 - 10, 2 - 12, 2 - 13, 2 - 15 to 2 - 17, 2 - 19 to 2 - 21, 2 - 23 are basic tracks
despite the long - term damage this film and the soundtrack' s title theme did to bluegrass, the ...
the longer it took, the more we believed that it wouldn' t be pulled together ,
ashford says .
but allan had so much tenacity and drive, and he kept us hanging in there .
this is an excellent tribute to the funk brothers. long overdue. sadly several members are no longer with us, but the story was well told and structured well, which made for very interesting viewing. great insight into the music behind motown. they deserved far more acknowledgement, brilliant musicians .
you have these men who are getting older, fighting the pain of obscurity and who have done something that influenced the world ,
he says .
includes free mp3 version of this album. autorip is available only for eligible cds and vinyl sold by amazon eu sarl (but does not apply to gift orders or primenow orders). see terms and conditions for full details, including costs which may apply for the mp3 version in case of order returns or cancellations .
director michael mann is known for modifying moods through music, particularly in urban settings. there were all those rain - slicked tracking shots in miami vice, for example, accompanied by phil collins and dire straits. for 1995' s heat it was moby, lisa ...
motown. you know the music. you' ve heard it a thousand times, 40 years on its still on the radio, still on adverts on tv, and being played in pubs, clubs, cafes, shops, restaurants and at 1000' s of weddings, every day, all over the world. quite simply its some of the best music and greatest songs ever written. everyone is familiar with the artists who made it famous... .... . marvin gaye, diana ross, stevie wonder, the four tops, smokey robinson, the list goes on and on. but who actually created the music? who came up with that sound? well here it is... ... a music documentary about the funk brothers, the guys behind the music, who never got the recognition they so deserved (until now), who were paid a pittance, but came up with 3 hits a night, and at the end of their day had played on more number 1' s than the beatles, elvis and the beach boys combined. the greatest hit factory of session musicians who have ever lived. this film will make you cry, it' ll make you laugh, it' ll make you angry and tug on every heartstring... ...... a beautiful representation of a bunch of incredibly gifted, but little known musicians, who created a sound from nothing that will last forever. i am a professional musician (piano / keys) and am fortunate enough to play many motown songs made famous by the funk brothers, in a 10 piece band, with horns / backing vocals / the lot! when we first started out, i made every member of the band watch this dvd and they came back to the next rehearsal with a completely different outlook, a fresh approach, and a new perspective on the music they were playing. if you have any interest in music at all then you will love this film, and if you play an instrument, at any level, then its an absolute must. a joy to watch, and a wonderful insight into some of the most amazing music ever created. please buy it, you will not be disappointed !
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stephen sondheim' s effervescent comic soufflé, a little night music, is the most effortlessly enchanting of ...
director paul justman' s film is a funny and often exuberant story of the comradeship between a band of jazz musicians who tell their often bittersweet stories, recalling the eccentric personalities, comical studio antics, marathon recording sessions and battles with personal demons. they are glad for the public recognition but lament that it came too late for some of their colleagues .
the sound was born in and nurtured by a series of detroit clubs, places like the chit chat and 20 grand, now closed, where the funks and other musicians got their start and returned to their roots. separately they were great and together they were beyond great; it' s clear that working steadily behind literally hundreds of hits fused them into a group that all but thought with one mind. as they remember those days, they' re like military veterans or the members of a world series team, and we realize nothing that came after ever held the same joy for them .
the film takes its name from a book co - producer allan slutsky published in 1989 about bassist extraordinaire james jamerson, who had died six years earlier. while researching jamerson, slutsky came to know the other dozen or so funk brothers, who had been recruited by gordy from detroit' s thriving nightclub scene. slutsky says ,
i knew i had stumbled upon the last great unmined musical story of the' 60s .
© © 2004 universal music enterprises, a division of umg recordings, inc .
℗ ℗ 2004 universal music enterprises, a division of umg recordings, inc .
justman says that when you watch the film, you can' t help but root for the musicians .
the music that ennio morricone composed for so - called spaghetti western movies is probably the best ...
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stephen sondheim' s effervescent comic soufflé, a little night music, is the most effortlessly enchanting of his distinguished career. composed entirely of waltzes, this warm and winning 1973 recording features a flawless cast including len cariou, hermione gingold, and the divine ...
pack your beach blanket for a bittersweet tale of love and summer' s magic .
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it still took slutsky 11 dogged years to make the film a reality. he says he made dozens of pitches to studios, but no one believed anyone would care about a bunch of studio musicians unless big stars were involved .
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then there was pianist earl
chunk of funk
van dyke, who banged the keys so hard that his instrument had to be constantly retuned .
allan slutsky and carla benson both helped me out with my project called the national children' s folksong repository where we can document more unknown culture makers like the funks. you can help preserve and celebrate the oral tradition of america when you contribute folksongs and playground game songs to the online archive. find out how you can help .
they tell of robert white, so shy that he was afraid to tell a waiter that he was the one who played that evocative guitar on my girl .
fantastic documentary which goes beyond documentary itself: it is a musical celebration (where many young artists like joan osborne and ben harper pay their tribute to those who made motown sound) and a docudrama (some scenes are re - enacted) plus archive footage and brand new interviews to the funk brothers. and it is not just a matter of good cinema, but a matter of passion and dedication, both from those who made the film and from those who made that music, their craft, their music skills and their heart. and you will find out lots of information and interesting details as well, about that era that, after watching this fabulous and not enough known documentary, you will miss even more than ever
trippy indie madeline' s madeline is the movie that lakeith stanfield and boots riley from sorry to bother you want to see the most .
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were celebrated with two grammys at the awards show feb. 23, 2003 for
a tribute to the late tab hunter, a gay matinee idol and hollywood trailblazer .
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jule styne and stephen sondheim' s score for gypsy has had five major recordings: the 1959 original broadway cast album starring ethel merman; the 1962 original motion picture soundtrack starring rosalind russell, partially dubbed by lisa kirk; the 1973 london cast ...
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but slutsky was determined to get the funk brothers' story told, and only coincidental meetings with businessmen paul elliott and david scott, amateur musicians who financed the movie, got it done .
ashford, who played tambourine, vibes and percussion, says the musicians always appreciated slutsky' s efforts .
jule styne and stephen sondheim' s score for gypsy has had five major recordings: the 1959 ...
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ginger baker looks back on his musical career with cream and blind faith; his introduction to fela kuti; his self - destructive patterns and losses of fortune; and his current life inside a fortified south african compound .
featuring the funk brothers: jack black jack ashford, bob babbitt, johnny griffith, joe hunter, uriel jones, joe messina, eddie
chank
willis, benny
papa zita
benjamin, james
igor
jamerson, eddie
bongo
brown, earl
chunk of funk
van dyke, robert white and richard
pistol
allen .
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love hip - hop collects romantic rap songs like blackstreet' s no diggity, heavy d' s now that we found love, 3rd bass' pop goes the weasel, and tony! toni! tone!' s if i had no loot. though the compilation could use a few more ...
a brilliant new album that revisits classic tracks with artists like ben harper and joan osborne it really is great music, i thought that covering heard it through the ...
i started crying, man, because no one had ever cared about us like that. my mind immediately went to the funk brothers who didn' t make it. it' s bittersweet, but who can question god? when you see footage of earl (van dyke, pianist) and robert (white, guitarist), they wanted it too, just as bad as we do. but they' d be happy because we always talk about them .
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beginning life as a 1944 novella by colette, gigi was adapted into a 1951 play by anita loos, then into a 1958 musical film by alan jay lerner with its music by lerner and frederick loewe. the 2015 broadway show ...
,
a major initiative to celebrate this nation' s rich musical heritage .
carla' s brother keith benson, and cousin john ingram, plus misty love, cherokee pree, and delbert nelson .
] baby, there ain' t no mountain high enough / ain' t no valley low enough / ain' t no river wide enough to keep me from getting to you .
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region: region 2 (this dvd may not be viewable outside europe. read more about dvd formats. )
... forward to watching this dvd and whilst it was nice that these people have got some recognition it did ...
a look back at robert zemeckis' half - animated classic, who framed roger rabbit, on its 30 - year anniversary .
also appearing: joan osborne, gerald levert, me' shell ndegeocello, bootsy collins, ben harper, chaka khan, montell jordan and tom scott.
standing in the shadows of motown is a 2002 documentary film directed by paul justman that recounts the story of the funk brothers , the uncredited and largely unheralded studio musicians who were the house band that berry gordy hand picked in 1959 . they recorded and performed on motowns ' recordings from 1959 to 1972 . the film was inspired by the 1989 book standing in the shadows of motown : the life and music of legendary bassist james jamerson , a bass guitar instruction book by allan slutsky , which features the bass lines of james jamerson . the film covers the funk brothers ' career via interviews with surviving band members , archival footage and still photos , dramatized re-enactments , and narration by actor andre braugher . the film also features new live performances of several motown hit songs , with the funk brothers backing up gerald levert , me ' shell ndegeocello , joan osborne , ben harper , bootsy collins , chaka khan , and montell jordan . the impetus behind making the film was to bring these influential players out of anonymity . in addition to bassist james jamerson , the funk brothers consisted of the following musicians : jack ashford ( percussion ) ; bob babbitt ( bass ) ; joe hunter ( keyboards ) ; uriel jones ( drums ) ; joe messina ( guitar ) ; eddie willis ( guitar ) ; richard " pistol " allen ( drums ) ; benny " papa zita " benjamin ( drums ) ; eddie " bongo " brown ( percussion ) ; johnny griffith ( keyboards ) ; earl van dyke ( keyboards ) ; and robert white ( guitar ) . the funk brothers produced more hits than the beatles , the rolling stones , and the beach boys together . it was their sound , according to mary wilson ( of the supremes ) , that backed the temptations , the supremes , the miracles , the four tops , gladys knight & the pips , marvin gaye , stevie wonder , and mary wells , among other noteworthy bands during their tenure from 1959 to 1973 . 
standing in the shadows of motown is a 2002 documentary film directed by paul justman that recounts the story of the funk brothers, the uncredited and largely unheralded studio musicians who were the house band that berry gordy hand picked in 1959. they recorded and performed on motowns' recordings from 1959 to 1972. the film was inspired by the 1989 book standing in the shadows of motown: the life and music of legendary bassist james jamerson, a bass guitar instruction book by allan slutsky, which features the bass lines of james jamerson. the film covers the funk brothers' career via interviews with surviving band members, archival footage and still photos, dramatized re-enactments, and narration by actor andre braugher. the film also features new live performances of several motown hit songs, with the funk brothers backing up gerald levert, me' shell ndegeocello, joan osborne, ben harper, bootsy collins, chaka khan, and montell jordan. the impetus behind making the film was to bring these influential players out of anonymity. in addition to bassist james jamerson, the funk brothers consisted of the following musicians: jack ashford (percussion); bob babbitt (bass); joe hunter (keyboards); uriel jones (drums); joe messina (guitar); eddie willis (guitar); richard " pistol " allen (drums); benny " papa zita " benjamin (drums); eddie " bongo " brown (percussion); johnny griffith (keyboards); earl van dyke (keyboards); and robert white (guitar). the funk brothers produced more hits than the beatles, the rolling stones, and the beach boys together. it was their sound, according to mary wilson (of the supremes), that backed the temptations, the supremes, the miracles, the four tops, gladys knight & the pips, marvin gaye, stevie wonder, and mary wells, among other noteworthy bands during their tenure from 1959 to 1973.
standing in the shadows of motown is a 2002 documentary film directed by paul justman that recounts the story of the funk brothers, the uncredited and largely unheralded studio musicians who were the house band that berry gordy hand picked in 1959. they recorded and performed on motowns' recordings from 1959 to 1972. the film was inspired by the 1989 book standing in the shadows of motown: the life and music of legendary bassist james jamerson, a bass guitar instruction book by allan slutsky, which features the bass lines of james jamerson. the film covers the funk brothers' career via interviews with surviving band members, archival footage and still photos, dramatized re-enactments, and narration by actor andre braugher. the film also features new live performances of several motown hit songs, with the funk brothers backing up gerald levert, me' shell ndegeocello, joan osborne, ben harper, bootsy collins, chaka khan, and montell jordan. the impetus behind making the film was to bring these influential players out of anonymity. in addition to bassist james jamerson, the funk brothers consisted of the following musicians: jack ashford (percussion); bob babbitt (bass); joe hunter (keyboards); uriel jones (drums); joe messina (guitar); eddie willis (guitar); richard " pistol " allen (drums); benny " papa zita " benjamin (drums); eddie " bongo " brown (percussion); johnny griffith (keyboards); earl van dyke (keyboards); and robert white (guitar). the funk brothers produced more hits than the beatles, the rolling stones, and the beach boys together. it was their sound, according to mary wilson (of the supremes), that backed the temptations, the supremes, the miracles, the four tops, gladys knight & the pips, marvin gaye, stevie wonder, and mary wells, among other noteworthy bands during their tenure from 1959 to 1973.