The Wrecking Crew! (2008) *** 1/2 (out of 4)What if I told you that there was a time when some of the biggest musical bands in rock and roll weren't really playing the music on their albums? THE WRECKING CREW documents a group of session musicians who appeared on some of the most beloved songs ever recorded and until recently they never got the credit they deserved.If you're a music buff then this documentary is going to be a must- see as long as you're willing to accept the truth. The truth being that a lot of great albums were done with these session musicians and not the people in the band who often got credit for it. I remember Steven Spielberg once saying he didn't want to do audio commentaries because he thought there was no point in revealing the secrets. Well, the secrets of the music business are certainly let out in this wonderful documentary.Of course, I guess some people would like to pretend that it was their favorite artists playing on the albums and if that's the case then you'll probably want to miss this. If you do then you're really missing an amazing group of musicians and denying them the credit they deserve. This documentary features interviews with many of the living musicians including the likes of Glen Campbell and Leon Russell. Also included are some of the artists they worked for including Cher, Brian Wilson, Micky Dolenz and Nancy Sinatra.The documentary does a great job at discussing the various albums and songs that the session folks worked on but we also get to learn more about them including the amazing highs that they were on and the lows that eventually came when the sessions were over. If you're a fan of music from this era then this is certainly a must see just to learn how many actual songs this group was apart of.

The Wrecking Crew were an elite group of top-notch musicians on the West Coast who reigned supreme as the go-to folks to hire throughout the 1960's. It's astounding the sheer volume of hit songs that they played on that includes everything from "Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys to "California Dreamin'" by The Mama and the Papas to "The Beat Goes On" by Sonny and Cher. While Carol Kaye, Hal Blaine, Don Randi, Plas Johnson, Joe Osborn, Earl Palmer, and other members of this anonymous, yet illustrious bunch might not have ever achieved household name status, they nonetheless had an important and influential role in the crafting and recording of many classic songs that stands tall as a legacy to be proud of.Director Danny Tedesco, who's the son of noted Wrecking Crew guitarist Tommy Tedesco, covers plenty of fascinating ground on these extraordinary musicians that includes the origin of their nickname stemming from the fact that they wore casual apparel, their involvement in Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, putting long hours in the studio which for some took a heavy toll on their personal lives, recording stuff for fake bands or bands who didn't know how to play their instruments well (yep, we do indeed get the straight scoop on The Monkees), working sans credit on countless hit records, and how things came to an end once bands became more able to play their own instruments at the end of the 1960's. Best of all, this documentary not only gives the Wrecking Crew their long overdue due, but also serves as a marvelously entertaining and enlightening chronicle of the evolution of rock'n'roll music throughout the 1950's and 1960's. Loaded with terrific behind the scenes footage and further enhanced by a spot-on soundtrack (naturally), this honey rates as a total treat.

For anybody who has an interest in the music of the 60's, this is a must-see documentary. This one - along with Standing In The Shadows of Motown - show you the real musical talent behind some of the greatest Pop hits of the 60's. At least with Motown - we knew it was the musicians in the studio that created the sound the sound that we loved to hear on the radio and on our 45's - even if we didn't know the musicians by name.With the Wrecking Crew, they played the instruments in the studio on so many big Pop hits of the 60's while we watched bands looking as though they played them!! For me, it doesn't detract from how great those songs were then - and now!!! It was surprising to realize that a lot of the Beach Boys hits were created by the Wrecking Crew under the guidance of Brian Wilson while the band were out on the road touring! The anecdotes by several members of these session musicians were very entertaining. I doubt they got paid anywhere near their real worth - but for these guys, it was a labor of love - and as long as they had enough money to pay the bills, that was fine by them.When you re-visit some of these old hits from the 60's you will listen to them with a different set of ears!!! That intro riff to Wichita Lineman by Carol Kaye is one example. The artistry of all these musicians needs to be recognized and acknowledged - and it is through this documentary.

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.