Justman, Paul

Standing In The Shadows of Motown

Standing in the Shadows of Motown is a must-see film for any fan of the Supremes, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, or any other classic Motown stars. This swinging documentary celebrates the Funk Brothers--the team of studio musicians who powered dozens and dozens of hit Motown songs--by combining reminiscences, reenactments, and clips from a recent concert put on by the Funk Brothers, featuring singers like Chaka Khan, Ben Harper, and Joan Osborne on classic tunes like "What's Going On," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," and "Heatwave." This crafty gang of elderly musicians will charm your pants off with a slew of entertaining anecdotes. Though it seems that there's a lot of dirt they're declining to dish, the movie deftly outlines the history of Motown, surely the most significant music label in American history--the label that turned segregated "race music" into chart-topping success. A soulful delight. --Bret Fetzer

Fourteen years in the making this film is based upon a book of the same title that won the 1989 Rolling Stone / BMl "Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award" STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN was shot in 35mm film on location in Detroit and elsewhere. This one hour and forty-eight minute documentary and performance film tells the Funk Brothers' saga through archival footage and still photos narration interviews re-creation scenes 20 Motown master tracks and twelve new live performances of Motown classics with the Funk Brothers backing up Chaka Khan Ben Harper Bootsy Collins Montell Jordan Meshell Ndegeocello Joan Osborne and Gerald Levert.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating:  UPC: 012236137801 Manufacturer No: 13780

Standing in the Shadows of Motown / The Temptations

Live in Europe 1968

For Doors completists only, this shapeless gathering of rare film clips of the band performing in Europe is hampered by the same old, frustrating problems with attempting to convey, through lousy camera work, the band's power as a live act. The packaging tells us the Doors swept through London, Stockholm, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam during a 1968 tour documented here, but there's no way to appreciate that save for a random clip or two of Jim Morrison milling about outside concert venues, talking with fans. Otherwise, we see the same sort of obfuscating on-stage close-ups of Morrison you can see in any footage of a Doors gig, stumbling around, crooning, and reciting poetry to minimalist accompaniment by Ray Manzarek on keyboards, John Densmore on drums, and Robby Krieger on guitar. Unless one can see, in the mind's eye, what the band is up to from the point of view of a kid in the 30th row, there's no way to really get the hypnotic, Dionysian effect for which the Doors were justifiably famous. Thus, for anyone who can imagine such a thing, or take it on faith, there's good reason to enjoy performances of "Spanish Caravan," "Five to One," and two versions of "Light My Fire." There's even a relic of pre-MTV, pop promotion: a silly-looking performance of "Hello, I Love You" shot before a baffled crowd on a London street. --Tom Keogh

Rare and never seen before film footage captures the legendary music of the Doors--live! Filmed during their European Tour in 1968, The Doors swept through the cities of London, Stockholm, Frankfurt and Amsterdam, leaving devastated audiences in their wake. This collection of rare live performances is introduced and narrated by Paul Kantner and Grace Slick who, as members of Jefferson Airplane, shared the bill on this historic tour. Songs: Love Me Two Times, Back Door Man, Spanish Caravan, Hello I Love You, When the Music's Over, Unknown Soldier, Light My Fire, Five to One, Alabama Song.

Standing in the Shadows of Motown [Region 2]

Standing in the Shadows of Motown is a must-see film for any fan of the Supremes, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, or any other classic Motown stars. This swinging documentary celebrates the Funk Brothers--the team of studio musicians who powered dozens and dozens of hit Motown songs--by combining reminiscences, reenactments, and clips from a recent concert put on by the Funk Brothers, featuring singers like Chaka Khan, Ben Harper, and Joan Osborne on classic tunes like "What's Going On," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," and "Heatwave." This crafty gang of elderly musicians will charm your pants off with a slew of entertaining anecdotes. Though it seems that there's a lot of dirt they're declining to dish, the movie deftly outlines the history of Motown, surely the most significant music label in American history--the label that turned segregated "race music" into chart-topping success. A soulful delight. --Bret Fetzer

Heavy Metal Pioneers

This Canadian DVD, playable on USA systems features the pioneer metal band Deep Purple in interviews and rare concert footage.