grey Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 (edited) We saw the movie 'Standing In The Shadows Of Motown' on Directv PPV last Sunday. It is the story of the Funk Brothers who were the session band for all the Motown groups from the 60s and 70s. They played on more number 1 hits than the Beatles, Stones and Elvis combined. The movie is excellent and many of the members are still alive, although many, like the troubled but brilliant bassist James Jamerson, are gone now. They do many of the classic songs such as 'Heat Wave' and 'What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted' in concert with contemporary singers such as Chaka Khan. The interviews are insightful and recreate a long gone era. The references to how Jazz influenced the Motown Sound is very interesting. The movie was in limited release last winter. The members of this Board would really enjoy this movie. Edited July 9, 2003 by grey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mule Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 I'll second this recommendation (full disclosure: a friend of mine was a consultant on the film). The dvd came out a few months ago and it's loaded with extras including more interview segments with the Funk Brothers that were cut for time. One of the great things about the movie is that ALL these guys are great storytellers. As the documentary illustrates, one of the reasons those Motown songs sounded so damn good was because the Funk Brothers weren't just studio musicians--they played together constantly and would gig in jazz clubs on their off hours. The film was inspired by bio/cheat book about James Jamerson, the legendary Motown bassist who laid the foundation of almost all their big hits. One of the best things about the documentary is just how pleased the surviving members seemed that the outside world is finally recognizing and honoring them. Tragically two of the band members have passed since the documentary was filmed--one of them in his hotel room on the night the film was to premiere in Detroit, but he died doing what he loved. Some of the Funk Brothers hadn't picked up their instruments in years before the documentarian came knocking on their doors. btw, the tunes are all performed by contemporary singers backed by the Funk Brothers and before anyone develops an attitude toward someone like Joan Osbourne, I'm here to tell you she does a terrific job on "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 Tragically two of the band members have passed since the documentary was filmed--one of them in his hotel room on the night the film was to premiere in Detroit, but he died doing what he loved. That was pianist Johnny Griffith, whose Workshop Jazz album, "Jazz," I recently acquired. He was a mainstay of that label, also appearing on singer Paula Greer's two releases and another one by Lefty Edwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mule Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 How's the record? After seeing the documentary I was curious to hear what jazz any of them had ever recorded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 Solid but not mindblowing. A nice version of Moment's Notice, a couple of bluesy originals, the inevitable "Willow Weep For Me" and a couple of standards. I sent a copy to Jim S., maybe he'll pop in with his impressions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 Solid. "Local", but damn solid. I enjoyed it thoughroughly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cali Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 Wonderful movie! For me it's a real tear-jerker. For these guys to toil in anonymity all those years and only receive recognition on their deathbeds, Berry Gordy needs his ass kicked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 (edited) Come on! A great as the Funk Brothers were/are, and as deserving as they are of wider recognition, it's silly to blame Gordy. Gordy was interested in selling and promoting the Motown roster...that is to say, the people who sang on those records. The Funk Brothers were studio pros. They knew when they came into work every day that all of the credit was going to go to Marvin Gaye or the Supremes for a record's success. Those records were great because of a combination of factors: Great studio musicians, excellent songwriting, wonderful production, and the stars themselves. The Funk Brothers contributed to the success of songs like "Heatwave" and "Uptight", but come on, do you really think those songs would be classics without Martha and the Vandellas and Stevie Wonder? Gordy had many faults, but he treated the studio musicians no worse than Chess or Stax or any other independent lable of the day. Oh, yeah. LOVED the movie. Great stuff! Edited July 9, 2003 by Alexander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Wheel Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 Except Stax actually did have a well-known house band. Before this movie came out, I could name at least two of the members of Booker T. and the MGs. I couldn't tell you who any of the Funk Brothers were. I dunno if that was Gordy's fault, but at least he could have let them try to stretch out a bit more and put out their own records a la the MGs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mule Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 The Funk Brothers contributed to the success of songs like "Heatwave" and "Uptight", but come on, do you really think those songs would be classics without Martha and the Vandellas and Stevie Wonder? I totally agree. The one thing in the movie I took issue with was that young record producer who said something like, "The Funk Brothers were so good that it didn't matter who was singing those songs! Deputy-Dawg would sound great with these guys backing him." And all I could think was, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and Diana Ross ain't exactly "Deputy-Dawg," man.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 OTOH, years of playing those songs with unispired cover bands has made me appreciate just how critical the tracks were to the vocalist's successes. It's a two-way street, a recipie in which all ingredients are equally important (and let's not leave out songwriters and producers either!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 Except Stax actually did have a well-known house band. Before this movie came out, I could name at least two of the members of Booker T. and the MGs. I couldn't tell you who any of the Funk Brothers were. I dunno if that was Gordy's fault, but at least he could have let them try to stretch out a bit more and put out their own records a la the MGs. I can tell you who all four of MGs were: Steve Cropper, Booker T. Jones, Duck Dunn, and Al Jackson. Before "Standing in the Shadows of Motown", I will admit, the only two Funk Brothers I could name were Jamerson and Benny Benjamin. The dead guys. I will honestly admit that I didn't know that some of the Funk Brothers were white. That surprised me (and, hey, they played the same instruments as the white guys in the MGs: guitar and bass!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 Trivia time - which former Blue Note recording artist's father was a Motown session musician? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mule Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 OTOH, years of playing those songs with unispired cover bands has made me appreciate just how critical the tracks were to the vocalist's successes. It's a two-way street, a recipie in which all ingredients are equally important (and let's not leave out songwriters and producers either!). Absolutely, but I took exception to this guy really overstating the case. I never understand why some people feel compelled to praise someone by putting someone else down. Cool thing about the STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN soundtrack album is that it includes two cuts of just the rhythm tracks on the orignal "Bernadette" and "You Keep Me Hanging On." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonF Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 and before anyone develops an attitude toward someone like Joan Osbourne, I'm here to tell you she does a terrific job on "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted." I agree. I knew Joan Osborne could sing but she made a believer out of me in this film. BTW, her latest cd, How Sweet It Is has some more powerful singing of some great soul tracks. Just my opinion but I thought Ben Harper was a poor choice for the Temptations songs and I couldn't figure out why Meshell Ndegeocello (?) was even there. I'd like Chaka Khan singing Row Your Boat. Pipes! B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 Well, Deputy Dawg WOULD sound great with those guys backing him! Well, maybe HE wouldn't, but the record would. Not sure how many records he'd sell though, not much of a market for singing cartoon dog Southern policemens... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mule Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 Just my opinion but I thought Ben Harper was a poor choice for the Temptations songs and I couldn't figure out why Meshell Ndegeocello (?) was even there. I thought Harper was the weak link as well, especially after that scene in the diner where the Funk Brothers are pounding out the drum lines for "Heard It Through the Grapevine" for Joan Osbourne and she starts belting it out there at the counter---cut to: Ben Harper doing a WEAK version of it with the band. Pretty disappointing. I disagree about Meshell Ndegocello, tho. I thought she brought something interesting to her interpretations of "Cloud Nine" and "You Really Got A Hold On Me." And Bootsy was a hoot! My friend who worked on the picture said that Bootsy is the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cali Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 Come on! A great as the Funk Brothers were/are, and as deserving as they are of wider recognition, it's silly to blame Gordy. Berry Gordy could have at least let that band know Motown was moving to Los Angeles instead of leaving a note on the door when they showed up for work. If you notice, Gordy never gave this band an endorsement in the movie or otherwise. The only Motown artists who dared to speak in the film were the Motown "outcasts", Mary Wilson and Martha Reeves. Two former artists who have had the temerity to voice what a jerk Gordy was. Can't remember the title, but Mary wrote a scathing exposé of Gordy's treatment of the Supremes. Plain and simple, the reason Gordy kept those musicians a secret was so that he could under-pay them. They were the "Motown Sound". I remember how recognizable that "sound" was whenever there was a new Motown release, no matter who was singing. Looking back does not compare with being blown-away at the actual time those records came out. The "Motown Sound" was very distinctive back in the day. Now that it has become formulated it is taken for granted. Just remember they were on more #1 records than the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones and Elvis combined. That's more than anybody. We should have heard of them before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 and before anyone develops an attitude toward someone like Joan Osbourne, I'm here to tell you she does a terrific job on "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted." I agree. I knew Joan Osborne could sing but she made a believer out of me in this film. BTW, her latest cd, How Sweet It Is has some more powerful singing of some great soul tracks. Just my opinion but I thought Ben Harper was a poor choice for the Temptations songs and I couldn't figure out why Meshell Ndegeocello (?) was even there. I'd like Chaka Khan singing Row Your Boat. Pipes! B) An excellent summation! Or at least one that mirrors my own opinions. I thought Joan Osborne was incredible, and I'd never heard her before. I thought she was by far the best singer on the show until Chaka Kahn started singing! Man, it had been years since I'd heard Chaka Kahn; I thought she was fantastic before, but I think I underestimated her... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold_Z Posted July 10, 2003 Report Share Posted July 10, 2003 What I always heard back in the 60s and 70s was that these guys were on a weekly salary (the figure I heard was in the neighborhood of $300.00 per week) and were NOT paid scale per date. I had no way of verifying this then or now - but I heard this from more than one source and from people who I thought were in a position to know and I didn't find it inconsistent with my experience in the R&B scene. I DO know that this is the way a successful company located in New Jersey (owned by a famous R&B singer of the 50s) operated - on an even LESSER scale. This would also be the M.O. for the "acts" who were signed to long term contracts at a fixed salary (higher than what the musicians were paid). It was a classic conflict of interest. It would mean that acts were managed, produced and booked by the same company. The name was owned by the company. BIG TIME SHAFT JOB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris olivarez Posted July 10, 2003 Report Share Posted July 10, 2003 Seriously underpaid.They were the bedrock of the Motown sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted September 9, 2003 Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 I finally saw this as I borrowed the DVD from a friend. I think the live performances should have have been shelved over the interviews. Perhaps the live performances could have been a separate DVD? I would rather have seen a straight ahead documentary, sticking to their stories, anecdotes, etc. The performances sort of left me cold. Beyond that, it was fascinating history to learn. To think of all those hits originating in one basement is astonishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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