Cheap Standing In The Shadows of Motown (DVD) (Jack Ashford, Joe Hunter, Uriel Jones) (Paul Justman) Price

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Customer Reviews of Standing In The Shadows of Motown

DON'T PASS!
This movie is a definitive must for anyone who has enjoyed any song produced on Motown, since most people don't know who the musicians are. THE FUNK BROTHERS played on songs like "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "Singed Seadled Delivered..." by Stevie Wonder, "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye, "Baby Love", "Do You Love Me", "My Girl" etc. etc. etc. This movie is about THE FUNK BROTHERS - everything you could and should want to know about their work is featured on these two discs. There are TONS of special features (they never seem to end...); discographies, biographies, around 20 left out scenes, jam session and MUCH MUCH more. In the movie Chaka Kahn's vocal performance is spectacular and it's very intertaining listening to Bootsy singing "Do You Love Me" and "Cool Jerk". All I knew before I saw this movie was that James Jamerson had played bass on "Grapvine" and that he was part of the Motown studio band called "The Funk Brothers", but I had no idea they had done this much! This is definetly a missing piece in the puzzle of music history and it's not only recommended - at this price it's a must.
To regret this knowledge you would have to be insane.

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Great mix of music and history.
The cover of Standing in the Shadows of Motown makes a provocative statement: "They played on more #1 records than the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, and Elvis Presley combined." But if you're like me, you've never heard of them. Even if you're not the Motown fan that I am, I bet you HAVE heard their music though. They were the band for artists like Smokey Robinson, The Supremes, The Temptations, and countless others to draw fame from the Motown label, yet, even to this day, they are virtually unknown. Meet the Funk Brothers.

I learned a lot from this video, which is an excellent mix of documentary and music. Even if you're not interested in history, I'd recommend this video just for the sheer pleasure of listening to the music. I watched it when no one else was home, cranked up the TV to a volume I rarely get to otherwise, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Make no mistake, this movie is mostly music--good, solid Motown music.

Great anecdotal stories told by the surviving members of the band and narrated history weaves around the music, but the information was so unfamiliar to me that I never got bored with the narration. Music is so integral to these artists' lives and personalities that many of the interviewees couldn't help but hum or pluck out notes while they spoke.

As this movie demonstrates, the Funk Brothers were consummate creators without whom we'd have missed so much of our musical heritage that it's frightening. I sincerely hope that more people will rent and buy this video so that the Funk Brothers can finally realize some of the recognition they so richly deserve.

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mesmerizing!
i loved this eye-opening, behind-the-scenes look at the incredible musicians responsible for so many of those #1 Motown hits.
long overdue. it's too bad that some of the guys passed on before the film was made and hardly received the respect and glory while alive.

last, hardly least: joan osborne's version of "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" just may bring tears to your eyes.
(Having been a great fan of music for many years) i am ashamed/embarrassed to admit that until this movie i had no real idea how gifted a singer this woman truly is.

i sat in awe as she belted out this song and could not stop myself from playing it a few more times after the initial viewing of the film.

i guess there is no alternative for me, but to go out and buy a CD or two by this great talent.

see this DVD. it's a gem. thank you, funk brothers, for enriching our lives through your magical gifts!