Customer Rating: 
Summary: Top rated, worth every penny
Comment: Music from the movie where the guys finally get their recognition. Feel good, sing along, and bonus tracks too!
Customer Rating:
Summary: outstanding music
Comment: Present day music does not compare to the Motown sound. I want to say to the artist, backup singers, the writers and to those amazing mmembers of the " Funk Brothers " thank you for the music of my youth.
Robert Attwood
Customer Rating:
Summary: Spotlight on a truly underappreciated Motown cornerstone
Comment: Sure, everybody's heard of the Supremes, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and Stevie Wonder. But few were aware of the Funk Brothers until the outstanding documentary Standing In The Shadows of Motown came out in 2002. The Funk Brothers were Motown's house band from 1959 to 1972, when the label relocated from Detroit to LA. Studio musicians weren't credited on Motown releases until 1971 (many other pioneering studio musicians and backup singers remain in the shadows of Motown), although the Funk Brothers' unique sound graced all of Motown's pivotal hits such as My Guy, Stevie Wonder's Signed, Sealed, Delivered and Heat Wave.
The first disc (and only disc on the standard soundtrack) contains modern recordings of Motown standards such as a smoldering Motown-worthy Heat Wave (Joan Osborne) and soul luminaries Meshell Ndegeocello (You've Really Got A Hold on Me), Gerald Levert (Reach Out), Ben Harper (Ain't Too Proud To Beg, Heard It Through The Grapevine), and Chaka Khan (What's Going On, Ain't No Mountain High Enough).
On Standing In The Shadows of Motown (deluxe edition), we're given the chance to hear the Funk Brothers' genius unimpeded, since the second disc contains the backing tracks (My Girl, For Once In My Life, I Second That Emotion) with the vocals stripped. The tight interplay of guitar, organ, piano and drums would define the sound of a generation, and it's much easier to appreciate it on its own merits (check out the tight bongo solo and bass punch on Standing in the Shadows of Love, or the studio banter on Love Is Like an Itching In My Heart). Short snippets of dialogue from Funk Brothers members and Motown musicians / writers round out the offerings.
Though the original band lineup changed frequently (several musicians suffered early deaths, including Benny Benjamin (drums), the Funk Brothers sound went on to back Motown's greatest hits, and it's about time that such an important element in the Motown formula is finally receiving the recognition they so greatly deserve, albeit too little, too late since most of the original Funk Brothers have gone to that great jam session in the sky.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Tons of great tracks updated with great contemporary signers - dosen't get much better than this...
Comment: Tons of great tracks updated with great contemporary signers - dosen't get much better than this...
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great sounds that bring back some old memories
Comment: Standing in the Shadows of Motown really hit the mark. I purchased the video of the same and just had to have this soundtrack CD. When people realize what a huge part the Funk Brothers played in all their favorite Motown songs for years past others would surely enjoy this release too!
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