Standing in The Shadows of Motown

Finally the Funk Brothers get some recognition. It took me five years but I finally had a chance to see Standing in The Shadows of Motown.

What a great story.

As just about everyone knows at this point, The Funk Brothers were the musicians on all of the 60s Motown hits. The film takes an interesting tact as it intersperses live performances from the 00s (featuring contemporary vocalists) with interviews and still shots from back in the day a la Ken Burns.

One of the highlights was the brief segment that featured Dennis Coffey. He speaks a bit about the addition of wahwah and guitar effects to the Motown sound. He even cranks up his Vox pedal a bit. Is this where Ron Asheton got his hometown wahwah influence?

Seriously, this is a great use of your time, even if you are not the biggest Motown hit fan.