宣可音樂管道

 在本地可以看得到的電視節目「美國偶像Americn Idol」第10季中，不久前出現了一集摩城(Motown)音樂的主題。

Motown音樂，真地是歷久彌新。不斷在電影、節目中聽到它。Beyonce主演，2006年底推出的電影「夢幻女郎Dreamgirls」，

基本上是翻製同樣名稱，於1981年百老匯推出以摩城音樂為主題的音樂劇。類似地，2002年推出的音樂劇「Hairspray髮膠」，

在2007年也翻製成為電影「髮膠明星夢」，這部電影也大量使用到Motown風格的音樂。

在這集American Idol中，也特別請到當年Motown的班底貝斯手 Bob Babbitt客串演奏，他也就是所謂的Funk Brothers的一員，這批樂手經歷過Motown全勝的輝煌時代，留下樹立典範的音樂伴奏，產生出那個年代一首又一首的暢銷冠軍曲。 

Funk Bothers包括樂隊領班Joe Hunter和Earl Van Dyke (piano); 其他包括James Jamerson (bass guitar，1967加入Bob Babbitt);
Benny “Papa Zita" Benjamin and Richard “Pistol" Allen (drums);
Paul Riser (trombone);
Robert White, Eddie Willis, and Joe Messina (guitar，1967加入Dennis Coffey);
Jack Ashford (tambourine, percussion, vibraphone, marimba);
Jack Brokensha (vibraphone, marimba); and
Eddie “Bongo" Brown (percussion)。 

實際Funk Brothers的成員說法不是那麼固定，在2002年紀錄片電影"站在摩城的陰影Standing In The Shadows Of Motown"(導演Paul Justman), 被葛拉美終生成就獎及好萊塢星光大道所認定的有13個成員。他們之中一部份的人已在歲月洗鍊中逐漸逝去（Benjamin 1969, Jamerson 1983, Brown 1984, Van Dyke 1992, White 1994, Allen and Griffith 2002, Hunter 2007, Richard “Popcorn" Wylie 2008, Uriel Jones 2009, and Brokensha 2010）。這也是為何當Phil Collins要重做Motown歌曲時，特別要邀請還在人世的Funk Brothers做為樂團的原因，他們是值得尊敬，留下寶貴音樂財產的前輩。 

所謂的典型「摩城之音」，會聽到伸縮喇叭等管樂組在背景穿插其中，通常會有具旋律的貝斯線條，明確的旋律及和弦結構，源自教堂音樂的一唱一和的演唱方式。另外在製作時常用弦樂組、管樂組，以及仔細編排的背景合音，但太繁複的編曲、重唱就一定避免，Motown 製作人對音樂製作的堅定信念是"KISS 原則" (keep it simple, stupid)。

以下是「美國偶像10」當中，兩個比Motown歌曲還年輕許多的參賽者的表演與原曲對照。 

Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – You’re All I Need To Get By(特別邀請Motown班底貝斯手Bob Babbitt演奏)

原曲

Supremes的"You keep me hangin’ on"

原曲

最後轉載一下WIKI上面寫的80幾首Motown曾列排行榜第一名歌曲。

“Please Mr Postman" The Marvelettes
“Fingertips Pt. 2″ Little Stevie Wonder
“My Guy" Mary Wells
“Where Did Our Love Go" The Supremes
“Baby Love" The Supremes
“Come See About Me" The Supremes
“My Girl" The Temptations
“Stop! In the Name of Love" The Supremes
“Back in My Arms Again" The Supremes
“I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" The Four Tops
“I Hear a Symphony" The Supremes
“You Can’t Hurry Love" The Supremes
“Reach Out I’ll Be There" The Four Tops
“You Keep Me Hangin’ On" The Supremes
“The Happening" The Supremes
“Love Child" Diana Ross and the Supremes
“I Heard It Through the Grapevine" Marvin Gaye
“I Can’t Get Next to You" The Temptations
“Someday We’ll Be Together" Diana Ross and the Supremes
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough" Diana Ross
“The Tears of a Clown" Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
“Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" The Temptations
“Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone" The Temptations
“Touch Me in the Morning" Diana Ross
“Let’s Get It On" Marvin Gaye
“Midnight Train to Georgia" Gladys Night and the Pips
“Keep on Truckin’ (Part 1)" Eddie Kendricks
“Just a Little Misunderstanding"
“Shop Around"
“Shotgun"
“How Sweet it Is"
“The One who Really Loves You"
“The Way you Do the Things you Do" The Temptations
“Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing"
“Road Runner"
“Ain’t too Proud to Beg" The Temptations
“I Wish it would Rain" The Temptations
“Heat Wave"
“Hitch Hike"
“What’s so Good about Goodbye"
“I Was Made to Love Her"
“It’s the Same Old Song" Four Tops
“You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me"
“Standing in the Shadows of Love" Four Tops
“If I Were your Woman"
“Going to a Go-Go"
“Heaven Must Have Sent You"
“Dancing in the Street" Martha & The Vandellas
“Mercy Mercy Me" Marvin Gaye
“Cloud Nine" The Temptations
“What’s Goin’ On" Marvin Gaye
“Do You Love Me"
“Get Ready"
“Function at the Junction"
“My Arms are Empty Without You"
“The Tracks of my Tears"
“Can I Get a Witness"
“Nowhere To Run"
“Here Comes The Judge"
“Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours"
“Beachwood 4-5789″ The Marvelettes
“Bernadette" Four Tops
“Two Lovers"
“What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"
“My Cherie Amour"
“I Second That Emotion"
“Losing You"
“First I Look at the Purse"
“Ooo Baby Baby"
“I’ll Be Doggone"
“Pride and Joy"
“Ball of Confusion"
“It Takes Two"
“This Old Heart Of Mine"
“Uptight"
“Devil With a Blue Dress"
“Jimmy Mack"
“Since I Lost My Baby" The Temptations
“War"
“Stubborn Kind Of Fellow"
“Don’t Mess With Bill" The Marvelettes
“You Beat Me to the Punch"
“Shake Me, Wake Me" The Four Tops
“Mickey’s Monkey"
“Ain’t That Peculiar"
“Shoo-be-doo-be-doo-da-day"