Teary-Eyed Tuesdays: Rockin' The Motown
Excuse me kids, but enough about love. Today, I'd like to focus on heartbreak of a different sort, perhaps one that will put things in perspective a bit.
For a few glorious decades, Detroit was cranking out some of the best pop music this world will ever hear. The unmistakable Motown sound was often imitated, by acts as legendary as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, but never duplicated.
At the heart and soul of the sound was a loose ensemble of musicians known as The Funk Brothers, headed in many respects by James Jamerson, one of the greatest bass players of all time. If you've ever heard a Motown song, you've heard these guys, and you know they were no ordinary studio band. The stuff they did was nothing short of pure magic.
Sadly, these guys, apart from the local jazz scene, went largely unnoticed, and when Motown moved out to LA, they were left out in the cold, never seeing a cut of the phenomenal success they helped create. Jamerson in particular saw his life rapidly unravel- haunted by alcoholism, he moved out to Los Angeles in hopes of regaining some small part of his former glory, only to die of pneumonia in 1983.
The good news is some of the Funk Brothers lived to see the day when a group of documentary filmmakers set out to capture their story. The project, which took over a decade to complete, became Standing in the Shadows of Motown, one of the best documentary films ever made, featuring a live "reunion concert" with contemporary artists lending their vocals to the resurrected Motown groove.
By far, the most powerful scene in the film occurs when the band members are discussing the classic "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?" with Joan Osborne (abetter known as the chick that sang "What If God Was One of Us?"... I can forgive her for that after this movie). As they talk about how the timelessness of the song lies in the raw emotion and power of heartbreak, you start to realize that these guys aren't talking about lost love for a woman, but the pain of pouring your heart and soul into what became music history and never getting anything back.
The scene segues into the live performance of the song with Ms. Osborne, and as the band plays, sounding stronger than ever, you realize the answer to the titular question is right there in front of you, that they've found the peace of mind they've been searching for all these years, and that somewhere out there, the tormented soul of James Jamerson has too.
The Funk Brothers (featuring Joan Osborne) - What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?
BONUS: The wonderful world of YouTube has delivered again, this time with a 7+ minute press kit preview of Standing in the Shadows of Motown featuring, among other things, the very moment of the film that I depict in the post. Seriously, I can’t recommend this movie enough (link):
For a few glorious decades, Detroit was cranking out some of the best pop music this world will ever hear. The unmistakable Motown sound was often imitated, by acts as legendary as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, but never duplicated.
At the heart and soul of the sound was a loose ensemble of musicians known as The Funk Brothers, headed in many respects by James Jamerson, one of the greatest bass players of all time. If you've ever heard a Motown song, you've heard these guys, and you know they were no ordinary studio band. The stuff they did was nothing short of pure magic.
Sadly, these guys, apart from the local jazz scene, went largely unnoticed, and when Motown moved out to LA, they were left out in the cold, never seeing a cut of the phenomenal success they helped create. Jamerson in particular saw his life rapidly unravel- haunted by alcoholism, he moved out to Los Angeles in hopes of regaining some small part of his former glory, only to die of pneumonia in 1983.
The good news is some of the Funk Brothers lived to see the day when a group of documentary filmmakers set out to capture their story. The project, which took over a decade to complete, became Standing in the Shadows of Motown, one of the best documentary films ever made, featuring a live "reunion concert" with contemporary artists lending their vocals to the resurrected Motown groove.
By far, the most powerful scene in the film occurs when the band members are discussing the classic "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?" with Joan Osborne (abetter known as the chick that sang "What If God Was One of Us?"... I can forgive her for that after this movie). As they talk about how the timelessness of the song lies in the raw emotion and power of heartbreak, you start to realize that these guys aren't talking about lost love for a woman, but the pain of pouring your heart and soul into what became music history and never getting anything back.
The scene segues into the live performance of the song with Ms. Osborne, and as the band plays, sounding stronger than ever, you realize the answer to the titular question is right there in front of you, that they've found the peace of mind they've been searching for all these years, and that somewhere out there, the tormented soul of James Jamerson has too.
The Funk Brothers (featuring Joan Osborne) - What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?
BONUS: The wonderful world of YouTube has delivered again, this time with a 7+ minute press kit preview of Standing in the Shadows of Motown featuring, among other things, the very moment of the film that I depict in the post. Seriously, I can’t recommend this movie enough (link):
posted by Jeff Lakin at 5:06 PM
2 Comments:
You made my day by posting this.. I was waiting for it!
Oh, and if any of you reading this haven't seen this documentary, go rent it. You will not be disappointed.
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