Upcoming OST and documentary "20 Feet From Stardom" about Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, etc.

Watched this today.....nice film....loved hearing Merry Clayton's vocal from Gimme Shelter isolated...did not know how many songs the Blossoms had done back up vocals for -pretty impressive......maybe I'm an old man, but Tina Turner and the Ikettes do a lot more for me than Beyoncé...Finally, the interview segments with Sting...wearing a dingy, worn white t-shirt...even I throw those away!

 

Very happy to see this won the Oscar!

 

Pretty much says it for me!

 

This is the most overrated music movie ever. Should be titled 20 Feet From A Few Legendary Afro-American Female Backup Singers Who Worked With White Musicians in L.A. In The '60s.

The perspective is horribly limited, any attempt at musicology is totally lacking, and the great studio stories remain untold.

Starts off with a blanket overall dismissal of the white European-influenced Broadway-influenced pop hits of the 40s and 50s. As if The Jelly Beans had more artistic validity than The Chordettes.

Darlene deserves her own movie. She was-and still is-as great a pop singer as anyone who has ever recorded. Over the years, her story has been told and retold, and always deserves to be told again. But this film ignores the fact that although Darlene resented her Philles hits being sold as The Crystals, she was much better off waking up at home in L.A., looking over her calendar of session work and preparing for her weekly network TV appearance on Shindig than she would have been on a Dick Clark bus tour of record hops in the Midwest.

The other singers--all terrific artists deserving of tribute--seem randomly chosen, their only common characteristic being their affiliations with white rock stars. The interviews contain almost no references to anything about the various legendary sessions listed in the corner of the screen. Those sessions are what this movie is supposedly about.

The perspective is much too narrow. What about NY sessions? Chicago? Detroit?!

Mabel John's immortal Stax hit Your Good Thing (Is About To End) isn't even mentioned.

Bruce Springsteen had nothing to do with any of it.

Lou Reed, rest his soul, had nothing to do with any of it.

So yes this is required viewing; it's also a big letdown.

 

Not sure that Darlene Love would agree with you there - it's obvious she still holds quite a lot of anger about that period. I'm taking that on basis of hearing her speak after a screening of the film last year.

Would agree that the scope is narrow but unless the movie was a Ken Burns-esque 10-parter, it was never going to be possible to get everything in. Protagonists were picked and the story of the documentary built around them. It could never be a completely comprehensive look. I personally would like to have seen more of Jo Lawry's story told (as her perspective might - or might not - be quite a different: we'll never know!) but again, I see why Neville made the choices he did.

And speaking of Jo, it was great to see her on stage last night, with Sting congratulating her on "her" Oscar win!

 

Also a highlight for me. Man, isolated I never realize how much she was straining. My next thought was, "Where's the lady from "Dark Side of the Moon"! The other highlight: Watching the Ikettes in action. Meeoooowwwww! Wow, they got my mojo working alright. The film got a little down toward the end for me. It was very well made and interesting, but I got a bigger lift watching that doc about Muscle Shoals.

 

Could not agree more on the Ikettes...sort of puts the modern Britney/Beyoncé productions to shame, IMHO.

 

Saw the film this weekend, and reading through the thread afterwards, I think Vidiot nailed it. There are definitely some great parts. Loved the Ike & Tina clips, loved hearing Merry Clayton's isolated vocal of Gimme Shelter, with the WHOO of someone there in the back ground that is buried in the original mix that's amazing. And her live clip of Southern Man was the highlight for me. Always enjoy hearing Darlene Love talk about her past and hear how much she was a part of.

But somewhere in the middle of the movie it felt meandering and lost my interest. Not sure if it's because I can't stand Sting, and while that backup singer has talent, it's the last kind of music I want to listen to. But I felt that the documentary had a great idea, but didn't quite deliver. Glad I saw it if only to seek out Merry Clayton's album.

 

I saw this movie on Amazon streaming last night. Always like this part of the audio hobby where I learn something. All these ladies are amazing singers. It is inspiring to see folks who are comfortable and passionate in their role. Seems like Judith Hill is trying to break out solo these days.