This excellent film finally answers the question I have heard so many times, "How did Barry Gordy make that Mowtown sound?". He made it with a group of muscians who's praises remained unsung for far too long.
Far too long because so many of the original artists have passed away. They never got to feel the glory that came with recognition of their contributions.
Great film about a great group of muscians. You're correct that they never received the recognition due them. It reminds me working in a corporation where the CEO takes credit for the accomplishment of the efforts and contributions of the "rank & file".
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as a current background vocalist touring with the funks...GOD BLESS THE FUNK BROTHERS indeed.
thanks for your support of this talented troup of men.
Someone said in the film "it was the soundtrack of my life" . I agree 100%. A great film about truly great musicians. Makes me want to get ALL the Motown recordings. Also to CC1966, God Bless You also. I have always felt that background singers never got the respect you all deserve. As Luther Vandross said, " You don't get to be a backup singer by default" Good luck on your tour!
shareInteresting that Berry Gordy was largely absent from the film. I actually think it was a good move, if intentional, by the filmmakers since Gordy took the credit and monetary profit for their work.
BTW, 'Backup Singer'-
I was just showing this film to students and I pointed out how strange it was that the big stars are never as talented as the backup singers. They all agreed. More power to you! Rock on!
Interesting that Berry Gordy was largely absent from the film. I actually think it was a good move, if intentional, by the filmmakers since Gordy took the credit and monetary profit for their work.So very true on all counts. Berry Gordy was, most of all, a good businessman, possibly a great businessman, but he was hardly a musical visionary. If he was, it would have been Flo Ballard or Mary Wilson and the Supremes instead of what's-her-name.
BTW, 'Backup Singer'-
I was just showing this film to students and I pointed out how strange it was that the big stars are never as talented as the backup singers. They all agreed. More power to you! Rock on!
Hey Warp, I figured I'd bump into you as I always seem to do when it comes to great movies with great music!
I just saw this movie & loved it. But it did leave me wondering more about the technical side of production & Berry Gordy's contribution. Often in music, although *not* the case here, the producer misses out on the rockstar glory while the band gets all the credit for the sound (example Eddie Offord for his brilliant work on the Yes albums).
Then I popped in the DVD bonus features and it was all explained. In a brief but enlightening interview with one of the FB, he describes the tech side of the Motown sound. He compares it with Phil Spector's famous "wall of sound" (a dense layering of instruments playing the same parts in unison), but with the FB it was very different because they didn't play in unison, their parts were syncopated. Like each instrument would fill a hole in the rhythm, resulting in a wall but with each person doing a different pattern. It couldn't be planned by any 1 person; it came from their individual styles & how they worked out their places in the mix. In other words (at least this is how I interpret it) Gordy didn't dictate the arrangements the way Phil Spector might have done. Instead, it was a true collaborative arrangement by the FB musicians themselves.
The DVD bonus features get into a lot of details like this, and they're definitely worth checking out if you get a chance. I'd love to see a "Standing in the Shadows of Motown Extended Cut" including *all* the deleted interviews & performances.
Thanks for the details on the technical aspects of the Funk Brothers' music, Rooprect! It sounds like the production methods were a bit like free-form jazz, with the musicians following their muses and the producer bringing it all together.
I have only an old VHS of this film; I need to upgrade to DVD for the bonus features. Although I am not a musician myself – at least by any objective standards – I love learning those details of production.
Yup I think you nailed it, and in fact I'm pretty sure they all came from jazz backgrounds. That kind of groove can't be scripted.
Wow, but you definitely gotta get with the hi-tech times, Warp! The DVD bonus is loaded with fun stuff like a multi-angle view of a jam session that you control with your remote. I know how it is, though... I'm still clinging to some old VHS tapes, mainly because the DVDs are so hard to find. Lucky for us, there's ebay.
Thanks for the details, Rooprect! I do play a lot of DVDs, but I usually wait until they're really cheap before actually buying them. In my view a lot of bonus features consist of footage justifiably cut from the original, but that doesn't sound like it's the case here. I'll seek out this DVD once I find it in the cheapo bins – which for better or worse seems to be an eventuality.
shareNo, CC, thank you. If you're touring with them then you've got "it" too.
One thing I got from the film was the great friendship between all the folks. The stories, the laughter. I play bass (30 years now) and the film captures some classic musician personalities. And then there's what they do when they play together. It's hard to express the joy of seeing these people together and being able to see how they do it. Superb.
If you ask me, The best pop music of the 60's was produced by two groups, The Wrecking Crew working for Phil Spector and Brian Wilson, and The Funk Brothers in Motown.
Where it's never been particularly hard to find information on The Wrecking Crew, The Funk Brothers have always been harder to get into, I knew of Jamerson, but honestly didn't know so much as the names of any of the other musicians, i'm so greatful to this movie for the introduction. Not to mention those fantastic concert scenes, showing truly how timeless the music is.
i cant believe these guys arent more widely known. at the end when all those songs the yplayed on started floating up i was like "you gotta be kidding me"
good point how berry gordy is M.I.A.
It was intentional for BG not to be in the film. The intent was to spotlight the musicians who never got the recognition and Barry got plenty over the years. They did have his cooperation though. He made sure that they had clearances for any Motown controlled song they wanted to use as well as access to the multitracks so they could spotlight a specific musician by playing the track with the vocals stripped off and the instrument itself boosted.
Larry
well that's good to know. thanks for the info.
shareWhat a great gig that must have been...
The background vocalists in the film were incredible! I know the film was not about them but I was disappointed that they were not introduced along with the Funk Brothers.
I really liked that bit where somebody was talking about how people would wonder what it was that made those Motown songs sound so great, and they would talk about the production and the acoustics of the studio and the floorboards, everything but the musicians. It was very telling. It's amazing just how buried they were, even as session musicians go.
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Now you need to SEE where the music was made. I have been to Hitsville USA twice and it is fascinating!
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