Standing in the Shadows of Motown [Soundtrack]

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 24, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Hip-O Records
• ASIN: B00006JCGI
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,521 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #100 in Music > R&B > Funk > General

Track Listings

1. (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave - Joan Osborne

2. You've Really Got A Hold On Me - Meshell Ndegeocello

3. Do You Love Me - Bootsy Collins

4. Bernadette (instrumental) - The Funk Brothers

5. Reach Out I'll Be There - Gerald Levert

6. Ain't Too Proud To Beg - Ben Harper

7. Shotgun - Gerald Levert featuring Tom Scott

8. What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted - Joan Osborne

9. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Ben Harper

10. You Keep Me Hanging On (instrumental) - The Funk Brothers

11. Cool Jerk - Bootsy Collins

12. Cloud Nine - Meshell Ndegeocello

13. What's Going On - Chaka Kahn

14. Band Introduction / Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Chaka Kahn & Montell Jordan

15. The Flick - Earl Van Dyke

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN
Title: SOUNDTRACK
Street Release Date: 09/24/2002
Domestic
Genre: SOUNDTRACK

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

158 of 159 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The truth behind "Standing In The Shadows Of Motown", October 12, 2002

By 

Craig Weiland (Livonia, MI.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Standing in the Shadows of Motown (Audio CD)

Well, well. A very interesting review we have here in "An Insult To The Funk Brothers," so if I may be permitted, I'd like to explore it a bit. I'm not the producer of the film or soundtrack but I did work on the project and know all the "behind the scenes" details.

First let's look at the concept of "untarnished live performances." Where in the film or related PR material have the producers stated that these were live performances? This was not a concert. It was six straight days-one artist per day-of recording and filming. Each song was taken five or six times with an invited audience watching and understanding that we would be stopping and starting, just like in any film. These were individual scenes-not parts of a continuous live concert. These performances were no different than a studio session. The only difference was that they happened to be on a stage in front of an audience. The Royal Oak Theater was treated as a soundstage for a film shoot-not a concert.

Secondly, even if it was a "live" concert performance, with the exception of James Brown's `Live At The Apollo' and a few other early live albums, all live albums are edited and corrected when possible. The desired result is good sounding music that moves you-not rigid authenticity to a concept of "untarnished live performances." Most of the most celebrated live albums of all time have been doctored to death. By comparison, `Standing In The Shadows Of Motown' has very few added parts (other than strings) when compared to other live albums. As for the added vocal parts you claimed are "slathered on" to the live tracks of "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted," you're dead wrong. All those parts were sung live by the four background vocalists and every time there's a close up of them, they sync up perfectly with the
picture.

I find it interesting that the objection to hearing a string section that can't be seen in the film is not echoed in hearing horns on "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" that also can't be seen. (They were actually there in an isolation booth on the side wall of the Snakepit.) I also find it interesting that "Reach Out" was brought up as an example of editing two
performances pieced together with "scotch tape"-the justification for this conclusion being the ears of the critic who hears a jump in the tempo. There are actually a few tracks which have edits from other takes. "Reach Out" is
not one of them. That performance is a complete and continuous single pass. The jump in tempo that was referred to is the natural ebb and flow of live musicians who breathe, and occasionally speed up and slow down. If you want metronomic
regularity in your tempos, buy a drum machine or listen to click-track disco.

So let's get into the concept of the added strings. The same strings are heard both in the soundtrack CD and in the film. If I were to lie and tell you the strings were in the concert hall but were situated in the orchestra pit or were placed offstage, the "untarnished live performance" argument would be rendered moot. The fact is, the stage was too small and cluttered to have a dozen strings added to the already overcrowded visuals. They couldn't be in the picture and would have had to be out of sight, offstage. At that point, there's no difference between them being a studio overdub at another time or a live feed to a remote location in the theater. They're still just reacting to what they hear in a set of headphones. At Motown-with the exception of some very early sessions-the strings were always an overdub anyway. How is this different? In fact, Motown doctored, edited, and overdubbed to death many of their most beloved 60s masters so the "untarnished live" authenticity wasn't even there in the originals.

If overdubs and editing is the criteria for this critic's objections, I find it strange that there are eight other performances devoid of the "problems" he mentions yet he fails to praise these tracks for that same "untarnished"
authenticity. Additionally, he seems to be the defender of the Funk Brothers artistic integrity even though they unanimously voted for the added strings. I guess he knows what's good forthem and how they want their music to sound more than they do.

Instead of feigning mock indignation, and if you're so concerned about the Funk Brothers welfare, don't write and post vicious, uninformed, amateur musicological critiques that hurt their chances of ever getting recognition and some financial rewards through the only album ever released in their name.

So I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm going to give this CD soundtrack nine stars: five of five for my review and an extra four for the missing stars in your one star review. Now don't you feel better?

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great show!, September 24, 2002

By 

Mark Wieczorek (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Standing in the Shadows of Motown (Audio CD)

I wish I could've been there that day in Detroit when the Funk Brothers took the stage as a headlining act for the first time ever. Since I wasn't there, this CD will have to suffice. At least until the movie and DVD come out.

In addition to 12 live performances of classic Motown songs, there are 3 original Motown songs. "The Flick" was the song the Funk Brothers used to introduce themselves on stage. This tune swings like nobody's business, and really highlights how great the Funk Brothers were.

The "You Keep Me Hanging On (instrumental)" is pretty much just the song without vocals. I had no idea how much stuff was going on in that song. This is a fascinating insight into how the Funk Brothers themselves heard the songs. They would play on songs and not know the names, or lyrics or melodies which were always added later.

"Bernadette (Instrumental)" is presented in a format closer to the Standing in the Shadows of Motown book. For most of the song, the bass is solo'd left with the rhythm tracks in the right channel allowing you to hear Jamerson's playing in it's full glory. The other instruements fade in and out allowing you to hear all of the contributions by the various Funk Brothers. Again, there's a lot more going on in this song than I ever suspected.

It's interesting how 'low fi' the bass sound was on those songs. Any producer today would've thrown those sounds out. When put in the mix, however, they work.

Highlights from the live performance include "Do You Love Me" by Bootsy Collins. If you don't know, Bootsy was the bass player from Parliament. I can't help but laugh when I think of Patrick Swayze dancing to Bootsy's rendition of this song. I can't wait to see this live.

If you've seen or heard any of the trailers, you've surely heard Joam Osborne's version of "What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted" which really is all that and more.

"What's Going On" as performed by Chaka Khan restores it to it's original glory. Thank God they did this song and that P-Diddy version can be erased from our memory!

The whole soundtrack is very strong. The musicianship is second to none, I mean these ARE the Funk Brothers after all. The playing is spot on, just like you would expect it to be. More human than anything you can find in top 40 radio nowadays, this music lives and breathes and hasn't been digitally processed and re-created on a computer.

The vocal performances, while not by the original artists, are all excellent. The choice was appropriate for each song, and each performer delivers a performance worthy of the originals.

What sounds like artificial, or at least out of place audience cheering dots the CD and distracts somewhat from the performances. It neither adds to the music nor recreates the feeling of being there. The fact that the performances fade out also is disconcerting. Wasn't this a live recording? The cheering itself fades in and out, which is also somewhat disconcerting.

The production otherwise is well done and basically sounds like a studio recording. The occasional audience cheer leaks through during quiet moments and and reminds you that it is a live performance. The instruments have a more hi-fi sound than the originals, especially contrasted by the inclusion of the instrumental takes.

This CD is a must for Motown freaks like me, but then you probably pre-ordered yours. Definately look for the theatrical release in November.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Out of "The Shadows" and into the spotlight, December 18, 2002

By 

Jeffrey Harris (South San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Standing in the Shadows of Motown (Audio CD)

Probably one of the last great untold stories in the history popular music, is of the group of musicians that played on nearly every hit record that Motown Records released from 1959 to 1971. The Funk Brothers were the engine that helped made this little Detroit record label into a cultural icon. Recorded and filmed in December of 2000, this soundtrack features the surviving members playing several Motown classics backing such guest vocalists as Gerald Levert, Joan Osborne, and Chaka Khan. Gerald Levert delivers gritty performances on "Reach Out I'll Be There" and "Shotgun", while Joan Osborne delivers one of the shows emotional high points with her interpretation of "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted". The only artist who seems a bit out of place is Ben Harper with his performance of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", sounding tentative and lacking the urgency and fire of Marvin Gaye's version. The band themselves are excellent. These guys are all in their 60's and 70's, and still play with the same energy they did all those years ago. One of the other highlights of the album are the instrumental mixes of the Four Tops "Bernadette" and the Supremes "You Keep Me Hangin' On". Hearing these tracks without the vocals gives you an entirely different picture and appreciation for the Funk Brothers musicianship. This project was obviously done with a great deal of love and respect for the creators of this amazing music, so Dr. Licks and the other people involved with making this happen should be applauded for their efforts. This album and the film come highly recommended.