20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Funk Brothers

Performer: The Funk Brothers
Artist: The Temptations
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: The Funk Brothers: Robert White, Joe Messina, Eddie "Chank" Willis (guitar); Joe Hunter, Johnny Griffith, Earl Van Dyke (keyboards); Jack Ashford (vibraphone, percussion); James Jamerson, Bob Babbitt (bass); William "Benny" Benjamin, Richard "Pistol" Allen, Uriel Jones (drums); Eddie "Bongo" Brown (congas). Additional personnel: The Temptations. Producers include: Mickey Stevenson, Harvey Fuqua, Henry Cosby, Richard Street, Norman Whitfield. Compilation producer: Harry Weinger. Recorded between 1960 & 1972. Includes liner notes by Allan Slutsky. This is part of "20th Century Masters: The Millenium Collection" series. While it is tempting to write for literally days about the contribution of the Funk Brothers to the Motown legacy, it would be redundant. Other than cold hard cash being paid to the remaining members and their families for their stellar performances and groove archetypes as a way of remedying an injustice, the verbal accolades have all been offered and received on countless web pages, in magazine articles that have been written from 1991 to the present (2004), and in the brilliant motion picture Standing in the Shadows of Motown. This tiny volume is the only title ever issued under the Funk Brothers moniker, and as such it is woefully inadequate as an accurate reflection of the massive amount of music these 13 men made between the years 1960 and 1972. In fact, a box set might have fallen short of the mark as well, but one disc barely scratches it. That said, the work of Earl Van Dyke, James Jamerson, Pistol Allen, Benny Benjamin, Robert White, Eddie Willis, Jack Ashford, Joe Messina, Johnny Griffith, Joe Hunter, Uriel Jones, Bob Babbit, and Eddie "Bongo" Brown is showcased gloriously here as having been an entire empire of groove unto itself. What these 12 cuts reveal -- all of them backing tracks, some with overlaid backing vocals -- is what the Motown singers had as a foundation for their ingenious singing. From "The Way You Do the Things You Do" to "Come See About Me" to "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" to "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" to the instrumental version of "What's Goin' On" to "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" and all points in between, this music is singular, superb, and off the scale. A couple of these tracks have been issued before as breakbeat cuts for DJs, and another pair are on the Motown Story compilation, but for the most part, these familiar songs have never been heard in this form, as they were, fully formed and smoking with groove luster before the singers added the final kiss to grace them for the mass public. Given that this is budget-priced, there is no excuse whatsoever to pass on this collection unless you have sawdust for blood in your veins or hate soul music -- which means you don't like music at all and this is essentially the equivalent. And who knows, if it sells, perhaps there is at least another volume or someone with enough vision and fire in his or her belly at Motown to produce the only thing that could eclipse this: a box set. If Booker T. got one, then the Funk Brothers deserve the same treatment by history. ~ Thom Jurek The Funk Brothers were the Motown house band, and their punchy, organ-fueled grooves set the blueprint for American soul, framing the singing of the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, and many others. Upon its release in 2004, THE BEST OF THE FUNK BROTHERS was the only collection issued under the band's name. This, of course, wasn't due to of a lack of recorded material by this influential ensemble. However, the album proved to be the first time that the Funk Brothers were acknowledged for their own instrumental tracks alone, outside of the fascinating 2002 documentary STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN. In their 12-year tenure with Motown (1960-1972), the Funk Brothers underwent few personnel changes, and these same core musicians combined jazz, pop, and R&B grooves to perfection on innumerable classics. This set contains the original, pre-vocal instrumental tracks to immortal smashes "The Way You Do the Things You Do," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" and "What's Going On," among others. The jams are as familiar and essential as air. It is said that these musicians played on more Number One hits than the Beatles, the Stones, and Elvis combined: Though few people know their names, the Funk Brothers may be the most popular band of all time.

Mojo (Publisher) (p.123) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[A] 13 track compilation showcasing the session aggregation's unique distillation of blues, jazz, gospel and pop that came to epitomize the Motown Sound."

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25