The Funk Brothers

After the phenomenal success of the 2002 documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown, interests peaked about hearing more from the men behind the unfathomable slew of R&B, pop, and soul platters that flowed out of the appropriately named "Hitsville U.S.A." On 2004's The Best of the Funk Brothers, rather than presenting these sides without the familiar lead singers, the majority of the material was recut by the Funk Brothers' unofficial maestro, Earl Van Dyke. During the 1960s, the Earl Van Dyke Sextet would play behind the headline acts on tour and in live concert appearances. Here, they lay down the same classic and unmistakable Motown vibe that will flood the collective memories of listeners as they relive the soundtracks to their lives. The first five tunes were initially released on 1965's That Motown Sound by Earl Van Dyke & the Soul Brothers. In addition to overdubbing an electric organ to the original backing tracks for "The Way You Do the Things You Do," "Come See About Me," "Too Many Fish in the Sea," and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)," there is "All for You," "Soul Stomp," "6 by 6," and "Stingray," all of which were worked up by Van Dyke in a variety of other configurations of his Soul Brothers sextet -- including "the Motown Brass" or simply under his nom de plume as "The Earl of Funk." While there were occasional shifts in the personnel, among the key participants were Joe Hunter (keyboards), Johnny Griffith (keyboards), James Jamerson (bass), Robert White (guitar), Joe Messina (guitar), Eddie Willis (guitar), Benny "Papa Zita" Benjamin (percussion), Richard "Pistol" Allen (percussion), Uriel Jones (percussion), Jack Ashford (percussion/vibes), Eddie "Bongo" Brown (percussion), and Bob Babbitt (bass). In their hands, the Motown spirit was consistently summoned, proving that the magic was as much their creation as it was the property of such top-shelf and well-known talents as Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, the Temptations, the Four Tops, et al. The Best of the Funk Brothers concludes with two remixes of "What's Going On" and the single version of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone." These are the original tracks with the vocals removed in order to experience fully the intricate and too-often dismissed role that the players had in the making of those particular sessions. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide