alexclark03 If you were a musician at any age, or are now, you have to see this movie immediately. Many musicians who are extremely talented or unaware of their own talent and therefore don't think much of it, certainly not what other people do think of it. The Funk Brothers actually had several incarnations. However, there was always a core of musicians; keyboards, bass, drums and one and sometimes three guitars. They would back stars who went on to make lots of money, but we're simply working basically for scale. I'm puzzled by the slight attention given to Barry Gordy, as he was the visionary who guided, nurtured and gave Motown to the world, but, hey. The most amazing thing about the Funk Brothers is that four individual musicians were so highly talented that when they had enough time to play together, the achieved that rare quality that few bands do. They became one. Literally. Like the Beatles they played so much that they became one unit, musical and mutual mind readers. The music they played was well below what they were able to play as musicians. Basically most of them had jazz backgrounds and saw this as the highest form of music that they could make. However when the four of them played together, perhaps like the Beatles, the achieved a unity that made four people into one piece. This is why the Motown sound was so incredibly successful for any star lucky enough to play with these four gentleman backing him or her. Do not miss this movie.

rooprect I came close to giving this film a saggy review because I was left feeling unsatisfied. Then I reluctantly popped in Disc 2 to see the extras, and wow! That's the stuff I was waiting for."Standing in the Shadows of Motown" (the feature film) is a broad overview of the Detroit phenomenon known as The Funk Brothers whose music has touched every human life on this planet. The documentary is well-produced and polished, but it misses some of the details that we might hunger for.What challenges or tragedies did these people face? How did the group deal with certain members' substance abuse, depression, mania? What sort of camaraderie did they have? Any racial tensions? What makes their individual styles unique? Who is still alive today? How did so-and-so die?Few, if any, of these questions are answered in the feature film. In fact some of these issues were conspicuously avoided (and scenes deleted) almost as if the film producers decided to keep it cheerful & breezy instead of giving us the whole truth. The overriding theme of this film is that the Motown groove makes people happy, so it does make sense that they would cut out the sadder/tragic elements."Standing in the Shadows of Motown" takes the format of a collection of reminiscences, like browsing through an old photo album with friends. Interviews are garnished with old images, footage, and some re-created scenes with actors. Intermittantly we cut to the reunion concert for a song featuring well known contemporary singers. The feature film is oozing with feel-good nostalgia, mentioning only as footnotes how certain individuals were "tortured artists" or "battled with addiction". There was at least one powerful buildup to a tragic death, completely sidestepped to the point that I had to pause the movie and google how so-and-so died.Disc 2, I'm happy to report, fills in all the blanks. I would suggest first watching the featurette "The Ones That Didn't Make It" which tells you which of the Funk Brothers survived to see the completion of the film, who died during production, and who died before ever knowing they would be immortalized in this film. It's not just a macabre desire to know who's dead that interested me, but this featurette gave me more of an intimate connection with those who didn't survive. And it made me want to re-watch their interviews & performances so I could soak in every note.Disc 2 also has some raw yet emotional footage of the gang getting back together for the first time, hugging, joking and speaking incoherently in their secret code (literally, a secret language of pig-Latin and skatting fused together). I feel like the main feature could have used these scenes to establish the love they had for each other, transcending racial & cultural differences. Instead, the main feature focuses mostly on individual interviews, instead of everyone together in the same room.But for me, and for any musician-wannabe, the feature that knocked it out of the park was the multi-angle jam sessions. With your DVD remote you can choose what instrument you want to watch during their rehearsals. You can really scrutinize their technique, their gear and their style. THAT's what this film should have focused on... not just the story of a bunch of unsung heroes, but what made them heroes? What made this bunch of guys different from any other well-trained, skilled musician? Their performances say more than anyone could ever say, and the ability for us to pick what/whom we're looking at is a real treat for those of us who want to play musical detective.In all, this is an important film that all music lovers & musicians should see. Disc 2 is fantastic. The Disc 1 feature is good but not my favorite music documentary because it didn't really dig deep or pull together a story (which Disc 2 does much better). For a great example of a music storytelling documentary, check out "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" even if you're not an 80s metal fan; it's just a great story about a bunch of lovable guys who missed their shot.As for the Funk Brothers themselves, all hail. Thank you, sirs, for making the world a shade brighter. I finish with a quote spoken by Hugh Grant in the movie "Music & Lyrics"..."You can take all the novels in the world, and not one of them will make you feel as good as fast as... (sings) 'I've got sunshine... On a cloudy day...' "

Mark Near This is the story of some great people who worked hard to make some great music. Berry Gordy assembled them out of Detroit's jazz clubs and brought them in to be the foundation of the now famous "Motown sound". This is their history. Well, they didn't storm the beaches at Normandy and save the world, and yeah sometimes the narration goes a little over the top regarding the importance of what they did and how it fit in to the times, but all in all, this is a well designed story about some very good musicians that you have heard and loved without knowing who they are.If you love Motown music and/or jazz, this movie is well worth a watch or purchase. The modern renditions of the Motown standard are all moving and/or fun. Bootsy Collins, Montell Jordan, Me'Shell NdegéOcello, Joan Osborne, Chaka Khan and Gerald Levert front the band on some classics that are as listenable as the originals. The secret is that the new backup band behind the singers is pretty much the same band.

guineabrat The success of the Motown sound was equal parts amazing songwriting, dynamic performers, tight production, talented musicians and Barry Gordy's genius for creating a sound and marketing it. This documentary would like you to believe that the success of Motown relied solely on this corps of studio musicians. Not only untrue, but the musicians are likely the least critical contributors to that success.A more interesting film would have a complete telling of the Motown phenomenon giving the musicians their due in proper perspective - or even an exploration of studio musicians in general.The performances are fun, but the esoteric singers seem to draw attention away from the Funk Bros. and end up making a stronger case for the greatness of the songwriting than for mastery of the musicians.