Funk Brothers – Live In Orlando (Eagle DVD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C     Concert: C+

 

 

Despite losing a few members by 2005, The Funk Brothers continued to tour as a trio (Bob Babbitt, Uriel Hones, Eddie Willis) and with a supporting band, were back in action Live In Orlando.  If you have not heard of them before, they where the legendary house bands on almost every Motown Records hit from the beginning of the late 1970s and the documentary Standing In The Shadows Of Motown was a hit film about them.  You can read more at this link:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/89/Standing+In+The+Shadows+Of+Motown

 

 

The songs here include:

 

1)     Signed, Sealed, Delivered

2)     You Can’t Hurry Love

3)     (I Know I’m) Losing You

4)     Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)

5)     (Love Is Like A) Heatwave

6)     Ohh Baby, Baby

7)     Dancing In The Street

8)     Shotgun

9)     What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted?

10)  Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)

11)  You’re All I Need To Get By

12)  Higher & Higher

13)  Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

 

 

I liked the musicians’ work but the vocals never worked for me on one too many of the songs where applicable and when they sing, it is just not with enough soul or the approach is off the mark.  Otherwise, this is a good concert and worth seeing and hearing just for the trio.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image is a recent NTSC analog taping and is a little soft, but clean and consistent enough, while the Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is fine, though a 5.1 mix of some kind would have nice.  The only extra is an interview with the trio, making for a nice companion piece to this and the previous documentary.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo