Stop and think about it - how many archival clips or segments from TV Variety shows of the Sixties have you seen of the top singing groups of the day? Did you ever wonder who made the music behind singers like The Temptations, The Four Tops or The Supremes? "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" at least partially answers that question, by bringing out the story of The Funk Brothers, a loose collaboration of roughly a dozen studio musicians who played on more Number #1 song hits than the biggest acts you can call to mind - combined! Individually, the Funk Brothers have no name recognition to speak of, unless you're a musician yourself, in which case you might have heard of Motown pioneers like James Jamerson or Earl Van Dyke.Considering all the musical styles that came out of the Sixties era, the Motown sound left a singular impression that still entertains and inspires today, and a lot of it is due to the musical mastery from behind the scenes, unheralded names that even today remain mostly anonymous. "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" is a good starting point to begin learning the back story to some of your favorite music from back in the day.Many of these talented players migrated North to escape poverty and find jobs in the auto factories of Detroit during the late Fifties and early Sixties, and by virtue of their talent and creativity, many were discovered and offered studio work by legendary producer Berry Gordy. There were even a couple of white musicians in the mix, and in that regard, it's quite moving to hear the surviving members speak in reverential tones of their friendship for each other and how color was no barrier to their playing, traveling and getting along together over the course of the next four decades.

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...' "

"Standing In The Shadows Of Motown" is a wonderful insight into the sessions musicians who played on practically every track that Motown Records produced between 1959-1972. Known as "The Funk Brothers", these talented men helped craft a sound that became distinctive around the world. They were, the musical backbone of the legendary record label.Directed by Paul Justman, this documentary highlights the trials and tribulations of "The Funk Brothers". With interviews from the surviving members, and concert footage of classic songs from many of today's artists such as Joan Osbourne, Ben Harper, Me'Shell Ndegeocello and several others, this is an entertaining and thoughtful look at the accomplishments these men have made to contemporary American music and the imprint they have left behind.Fascinating, touching, amusing and at times tragic, this documentary is well worth checking out. For lovers of music and for those who enjoyed a good solid documentary, "Standing In The Shadows Of Motown" delivers the goods on both counts. See how things were done - Old school style.....

In order to appreciate 'Standing in the Shadows of Motown', a film about the Funk Brothers, the backing band for all of Motown's greatest singers, one has to be a huge Motown fan. This is due to the fact that the film, while being a documentary, doesn't really provide hard historical facts; rather it basically gives the Funk Brothers some due for their part of music history. The film is comprised of a little bit of history, some stories shared amongst the various members of the band, and a LOT of concert footage, all of which was taken from a concert that was obviously arranged for the film, and featuring various current singers such as Joan Osbourne, Chaka Khan, Ben Harper and Bootsy Collins providing the lead vocals. While I understand their distress at not having received the same recognition as the singers from Motown, I felt that the film had a low distinct 'whining' factor, which, coupled with the seemingly endless concert footage, left me pretty flat. As a former musician and life-long lover of music, I understand the impact of instrumentals, and of course can appreciate the talent of these gentlemen, but one of the Funk Brothers' assertion that 'anyone could have sang the songs', intimating that they were the most important factor of the hits Motown was churning out was kind of my last straw with this film. As someone who likes the Motown sound, and certainly many of the artists who emerged from that label, but isn't a die-hard fanatic, I didn't really get anything out of this film. The fact that there was so much concert footage that it was almost a concert film with anecdotes from the band members thrown in didn't help this assessment, and realizing that I sat through almost two hours of film hearing some decent songs but not learning a whole lot left me flat on the film as a whole. 4/10Shelly