The Funk Brothers, Motown’s house band, had as much to do with the signature Motown Sound as anybody else at the studio. The group of jazz and blues musicians integrated their non-pop musical background into creating the arrangements and style now associated with Motown. Also, like Booker T. and the MGs—their Stax Records equivalents—they were an integrated band, a rarity in the late 50s, early 60s. Their story is outlined in the insightful, rocking, and occasionally touching documentary Standing In The Shadows of Motown.

The documentary shows a wonderfully tight and skilled band that played so many records and so many hits. Through the 12th Street Riot and all of the racial tension of the 60s, Motown, "The Sound of Young America," and The Funk Brothers soldiered through with their unique form of R&B that found success with everyone in the country. But when Berry Gordy abandoned Detroit (and I mean abandoned) in favour of L.A., he left The Funk Brothers to fend for themselves, and that’s where the tragic elements of their story come in. But but beyond the tragedy, they leave a legacy of twenty number one hits in the sixties alone on the Hot 100 (and more on the R&B), and their music influenced all sorts of groups, including a few in England like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, who not only covered Motown songs, but used the The Funk Brothers' playing style in their rhythm sections with melodic bass lines and the sound of the drums.

The library has a large amount of Motown recordings, including four CD collections for 1958-1971 and 1972-1992. While certainly not complete collections, they are quite comprehensive. For the audiophile, check out Motown 1s. Though it has no tracks not already on the box sets save for a cover of "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough" by Michael McDonald—and who wants to hear that—the tracks are all in glorious stereo as opposed to the box set, which is mono for most of the earlier recordings.