Funk Brothers - Live in Orlando Review
by Dan MacIntosh
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It is ironic this live Funk Brothers' CD has been released on Eagle Vision. Eagle Vision? What the heck is that? After all, bassist Bob Babbitt, drummer Urial Jones, and Guitarist Eddie Willis were all part of Motown Records' studio band, and played in what the label referred to as The Snakepit. This was the studio where all those great Motown hits were created. Nevertheless, these mostly ‘60s recordings also took place at a time before printing full player listings on albums was in vogue, so these guys never became household names like Diana Ross or Marvin Gaye. Yet this 13-song collection gives an indication of just how productive these cats truly were; these are some of the greatest songs in American pop history.
This show was recorded at Universal Theme Park in Orlando, Florida, which – oddly enough -- celebrates another iconic American institution (Disney). These songs are familiar and wonderful, of course, and the playing is consistently topnotch. Yet the singing is a little tough to get used to at first. No, that's not Gladys Knight singing "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)", nor is it Little Stevie Wonder shouting out, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered". Instead, folks like Donna Curtin, Robert Jones, Delbert Nelsen, Marcia Ware, and Trenita Womack are heard filling in for the more famous ones. Furthermore, many of the other fine Motown studio musicians, including bassist extraordinaire, James Jamerson, have since passed on. There's a long list of other diseased original Motown players listed in a dedication on the CD notes.
I imagine many of these songs are performed in oldies clubs and cooler lounges across the land. But with Live in Orlando, you get a chance to hear some of the fine men who helped build these foundational soul grooves. And it doesn't get much cooler than that.
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Funk Brothers - Live in Orlando
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