The Wrecking Crew (2008)

As a musician and a woman of a certain age, I nearly worship Carol Kaye as a goddess, and that led me to this film. And while I got a terrific dose of her music and storytelling, I got a lot more than that.There is nostalgic music, funny people telling great stories, a softening of decades of wisdom to what might have one time been resentment and jealousy and so it's a thoughtful examination of the studio musicians and this moment in history. I really love what was said here about work ethic. The Wrecking Crew worked their butts off, and you don't get anywhere in an art without doing that... And even when you are the best, as they were, you still have a short shelf life.I enjoy documentary films. While this was not a perfect one, there's so much love here in the making of the movie that I forgave the few shortcomings. And it's a crucial piece of music history.

If you have ever heard "Happy Together" by the Turtles, The Byrds "Mr. Tambourine Man", "Day Dream Believer" song by the Monkees, or "Close to You" by the Carpenters, you have heard the group of studio musicians called "The Wrecking Crew." They were regular contributors to hit songs in Los Angeles from about 1958 to 1965. The composition of the Crew varied, but if you lived in Los Angeles and needed bass, drums, guitar, horns or other instruments for your recording, you called on the in The Wrecking Crew. According to the film, the musicians got the name "Wrecking Crew" from jazz musicians who felt they were "wrecking" music with their rock and pop stylings. Whatever they case, this group of musicians were called if you wanted to record a hit song. The film features interviews with the players, old footage of them performing together and interviews with musical luminaries such as Cher and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. Wilson used The Crew for most of the backing tracks on the seminal album, "Pet Sounds." The crew could read musical scales, take direction, and write parts for the songs if needed. They were flexible and served the client first even if they talked about them behind their back after the session and on camera during the film. And as the film implies, the Crew was responsible for more than one song becoming a hit. The footage and interviews in the film proves how important these musicians were to popular music of the late 50s and early 60s. In the 60s, bands such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Doors, and so forth, left the Wrecking Crew with fewer jobs, for they had the talent to play their own instruments. Some of the musicians from the Crew, notably father of the director, guitarist Tommy Tedesco, got jobs playing for film soundtracks other records after the studio jobs dried up. Other members went on to record their own records, some even becoming big stars on their own such as Leon Russell and Glen Campbell. Yes, those stars were part of the Crew. The film shares a unique time of music and a unique set of musicians with us. Watching the film gives us a view of the inner workings of one of the greatest groups of studio musicians in the history of popular music. And it entertains us all the way. The set and filming is nothing scream and shout about, but the music leaves us with Good Vibrations. Rating: Pay Full Price. People who play or like music will enjoy by this film.Peace, Tex Shelters

I saw this at a special screening last year in Palm Springs. Director Denny Tedesco was on hand for an audience Q&A following the film with Wrecking Crew drummer Hal Blaine. Also on hand at the screening were Wrecking Crew guitarist Bill Pitman and movie mogul Jerry Weintraub. This film was conceived by director Tedesco as a 30 minute documentary featuring four of the members of LA's legendary studio musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew." Dozens of key musicians made up the crew during the decade of the 1960's as they provided the music for almost all the legendary recordings coming out of the Los Angeles recording studios during that wonderful era of music history. Tedesco arranged a round table discussion of their remembrances of that time with his father, guitarist Tommy Tedesco and fellow recording sidemen and women Carol Kaye, Plas Johnson and Hal Blaine. One thing leads to another and Tedesco found so much material was being covered that he needed to expand further and include more interviews with other musicians. This led to more archival interviews to supplement that, more music to add to the soundtrack and archival footage on film and from stills. This turned into a delightfully entertaining and thoroughly informative documentary that is a must see for anyone weather they lived in that decade or not because the songs live on are the part of the soundtrack of America itself. Look for interviews by Herb Alpert, Dick Clark, Cher, Glen Campbell, Frank Zappa, Nancy Sinatra, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork, Jimmy Webb, Bones Howe, Snuff Garett, Larry Knechtel, Lew McCreary, Larry Levine, Don Randi, Bill Pitman, Joe Osborne, Julius Wechter, H.B. Barnum, Lou Adler, Al Casey, Brian Wilson, Earl Palmer and many more. A monumental soundtrack featuring over 100 1960's classics. Micki Stern had the difficult but enjoyable task of Music Supervisor for the film and Bob Branow was the sound re-recording mixer. Denny Tedesco directs with cinematography by Trish Govoni, Rodney Taylor and Vincent E. Toto. Claire Scanlon does a masterful job of editing all this material. Just a wonderful film and a must see. As a documentary I would give this a 10 out of 10 and highly recommend it. You'll have a good time.

Secrecy, deception, lies, conspiracies, aliases, big money, celebrity careers and reputations constantly on the line.....With plot elements such as these built in, the story of The Wrecking Crew had the potential to be Oliver Stone-d to the realm of the Twilight Zone by veering off into absurd theories. As a documentary, it also had the potential to bore viewers into unconsciousness with excessive facts and figures. Or, thankfully, it had the potential to be what it is: ninety-five thoroughly enjoyable minutes of getting acquainted with people you thought you knew, but were actually others who you may have never heard of.Confused? That is exactly what, for decades, the music industry executives and most of their star performers wanted you to be. We were intentionally misled into accepting that all credit for what we listened to and purchased in the form of vinyl discs with holes in the center was entirely the work of those whose names appeared on the record labels. Unless you moved in certain circles or had access to the right sources, you had no idea how far from the truth you were.In the late 1950's rock and roll music caught on and consumer tastes changed. With money to be made, record labels sought to crank out the greatest amount of product for the least amount of investment. That meant using musicians who could deliver quality recordings within a minimum of studio time.Most of the established studio musicians either could not or would not work for rock and roll sessions. This opened the door for the new breed of studio players who began arriving in Los Angeles around that time. Being less formal and eager to play anything (even rock and roll!), the status quo was convinced that these new people were destined to wreck the music business. The Wrecking Crew name stuck, and so did the new musicians. From the late '50's into the 70's, Wrecking Crew personnel provided instrumental tracks for just about every hit song that was recorded in L.A. The list of Wrecking Crew-driven hits and number ones on the charts is huge! And with each gold record, their individual and collective reputations soared higher and higher.They were the machine that all but guaranteed success for recording artists, and the producers of rock/pop stars knew that. Wrecking Crew members got the majority of calls for studio sessions, not only for records, but also for television and movie soundtracks and commercial jingles. They even recorded instrumental songs of their own (under fictitious names) that charted, and bands were later recruited to do these tunes at live shows and accept credit for the Wrecking Crew's work.Fast forward to the late 1990's. Tommy Tedesco, an extraordinary guitarist who had been one of those upstart musicians, was diagnosed with cancer. Denny Tedesco, his son whose own skills lay in the film industry, embarked on a mission to accurately document the astounding, yet unsung, contributions that his father and coworkers made in supplying the "soundtrack of our lives." It was a quest that took years to complete.The Wrecking Crew was never an organized band; they were individuals who trickled into the L.A. music studios between the late '50's and mid 60's. The number of those who should be counted as Crew members has been estimated at up to two dozen. They covered the typical instruments heard on rock records: guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, horns, and other percussion. Many played multiple instruments. While the Wrecking Crew alumni identified in the film may be mostly unknown to the general public, you might recognize some names. Besides Tommy Tedesco, they include: Carol Kaye, Joe Osborn, Julius Wechter, Leon Russell, Billy Strange, Glen Campbell, Earl Palmer, Al Casey, Plas Johnson, Steve Douglas, Don Randi, Larry Knechtel, Don Peake, Bill Pitman, and Hal Blaine.Playing music was how they earned a living, while those they backed frequently became stars and household names. They often worked long shifts and odd hours, mostly for scale. Yet, they were the right people, at the right place, at the right time. We are the beneficiaries of their skill, talent, intuition, creativity, and camaraderie, plus a love and passion for what they were doing.I am not going to tell you the whole story, I am going to urge you to see this film. Denny Tedesco has assembled a phenomenal tribute to his late father and the Wrecking Crew. Told through archival footage, still photos, interviews, and (of course) the music itself, the film has just enough historical data, just enough humor, and just enough pathos. As good as it is, the forthcoming DVD with added outtakes should be that much better.After viewing this film, you will likely find yourself listening to these songs in a way you never have before. Denny Tedesco has succeeded in preserving important details in the history of modern American popular music with this wonderfully entertaining film.