The Wrecking Crew!

A celebration of the musical work of a group of session musicians known as the "Wrecking Crew", a band that provided back-up instrumentals to such legendary recording artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys and Bing Crosby.

Production began in June 1996 and was completed in February 2008. The film played in film festivals in North America, and was the closing film at the Nashville Film Festival on April 24, 2008. A Kickstarter campaign at the end of 2013 raised over three hundred thousand dollars to cover music licensing and final production costs. The film opened in theaters across the United States on March 13, 2015.

I am not clear on what the Oscar rules are. Is this a 2015 film or a 2008 film? I hope it is eligible for Best Documentary. Some are saying it is similar to "20 Feet From Stardom", and I can certainly see that. But I would say this is an even bigger deal. Who knew that so many songs, in so many styles, came from a handful of folks? I will never listen to 1950s or 1960s music the same way again.

Even if you didn't grow up with the music, you're bound to recognize nearly all of it. And the film is done well enough that you should enjoy it even if the subject matter doesn't fascinate you right off the bat.

I first saw this film as a preview in Alameda when the director was showing it in private screenings to raise the money to pay the royalties. There are a lot of very famous, well-known songs and he was determined to see everyone got paid. After all, it's about a group of studio musicians who worked for a living.

Just saw it again, and it wears extremely well. It's a documentary, and there's naturally there's some nostalgia, but mostly it's a celebration that mirrors the light-hearted spirit of one of the main subjects, the director's father, Tommy Tedesco.

Like I said up front, if you grew up in the 60's or are a musician, it's a must see. For me it's a 9, but I lowered the rating a point as I realize not everyone is going to be as fascinated by the subject matter as I am.

Imagine if every hit song of the late 50s, 60s, 70s, and even into the 80s was performed by one band. Ridiculous, huh? Well, guess what? It's closer to reality than you may think. I attended the World Premiere of "The Wrecking Crew" at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival and I was so moved by it that it's hard to contain my enthusiasm for this stunning documentary.

Denny Tedesco chronicles the musical history laid down by his legendary late father Tommy, as well as Hal Blaine and Don Randi (who were present for a Q&A afterward), Carol Kaye, Al Casey, Earl Palmer, Plas Johnson, Joe Osborn, and the dozens of others who sat in on the recordings. Known informally as The Wrecking Crew, these session musicians played on so many hit songs that it could be said they had a larger role to play in the culture of the last 50 years than any other group of people in the world. You may not have heard their names, but you've heard their music.

The list of artists whose songs they backed up is amazing: The Beach Boys, The Byrds, The Association, Glen Campbell, The Mamas & Papas, The Monkees, Richard Harris, The 5th Dimension, Sam Cooke, Sonny and Cher, Captain and Tennille, The Righteous Brothers, Simon and Garfunkel, Frank Sinatra, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Ike and Tina Turner, Nancy Sinatra, The Carpenters, Tommy Roe, The Ronettes, Paul Revere and The Raiders, and Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, to name a few. The Wrecking Crew played on almost all their hit songs. To look at the list is to hear the soundtrack of your life, whether you're 15 or 85 -- you know these songs.

"The Wrecking Crew" was so lovingly made. And the fact that Tedesco got the clearances which gave him the rights to include the music in the film is a tribute to the industry's love and respect for these musicians. It goes without saying that the soundtrack is, without a doubt, the greatest of any film I've ever seen. It has to be, after all. These are the songs we've been listening to fondly for 50 years. I had the chance to sit down with Blaine and Randi after the screening and hear some of their incredible stories. For example, not only are both in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but their contribution to Grammy history is groundbreaking. Blaine played on seven Records of the Year, including an incredible run of six in a row back in the 1960s. That would be unheard of today. It's a feat that was never equaled, not before or since.

No matter what your age, if you have ever listened to music I can guarantee you "The Wrecking Crew" will touch you as few films have. To say that this film is long overdue would be an incredible understatement. It's hard to imagine anyone alive today who hasn't been affected by the people who are profiled in this documentary. There's even a good chance you wouldn't be here if not for the music of The Wrecking Crew. Ponder that.

First-rate documentary on the evolving group of Los Angeles session musicians self-dubbed The Wrecking Crew who, throughout the 1960s and early '70s, performed mostly without credit on many of the greatest songs in music history. Directed by Denny Tedesco, whose father Tommy was a guitarist in the Crew, this lively, lovely document of the music scene in southern California during rock and roll's heyday is alive with memories and awash in marvelous tunes. Candid interviews with Tommy Tedesco (before his passing), Glen Campbell and Leon Russell (both onetime members of the Crew), drummer Hal Blaine, saxophonist Plas Johnson, bassist Carol Kaye, keyboardist Don Randi, and artists such as Brian Wilson, Cher, Nancy Sinatra, Mickey Dolenz and Peter Tork, Herb Alpert and producer Lou Adler add to the rich experience. A highly entertaining way to get acquainted with these talented musicians, whose music one instantly recognizes yet whose names and faces have heretofore remained anonymous. ***1/2 from ****

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