The Wrecking Crew chronicles the stories of a wide, ever-changing group of session musicians in the 1950s and 60s that are hailed as some of the greatest musicians of all time. The kicker is that these great artists were never given proper credit for their work. Tedesco mainly focuses and sits down with his late father Tommy and his pals and fellow Wrecking Crew musicians Carol Kaye, Plas Johnson, and Hal Blaine. Together, these musicians recall countless stories from their time in the studio. The essence of this movie is the fact that many popular groups of the times weren't the best of musicians themselves and The Wrecking Crew were the uncredited band behind the music. A few poignant examples feature Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, of The Monkees, and Roger McGuinn of The Byrds speaking at length complementing the sound of these session musicians. Brian Wilson, in creating genius works such as Pet Sounds, recruited The Wrecking Crew because he knew the guys in his band couldn't reproduce the sounds he wanted for the album. McGuinn echoed Wilson's sentiments and recruited the band for the classic Byrds recording Mr. Tambourine Man. Dolenz's story was even more enlightening as he reveals The Monkees were strictly a novelty band whose music was entirely created by The Wrecking Crew musicians. The Monkees themselves were forced to take music lessons in order to replicate the music for the road. Even more revealing, the classic tune, Windy by The Association was entirely performed by The Wrecking Crew, who received no credit and The Association couldn't even play their instruments.
This film shared a lot of parallels in that regard and many other with another Little Theatre special, 20 Feet From Stardom, which I reviewed here. Much like 20 Feet From Stardom, classic tracks and their most memorable parts were created by unknown and uncredited artists. Female bassist, Carol Kaye, left her mark on plenty of hit songs in this fashion. Take, for example, Sonny and Cher's classic, The Beat Goes On. Kaye explains that the original sound had a basic, boring bass lick, which she improved to what you hear on the recording. Kaye's story is also one of the most fascinating because she broke through the boy's club to do such incredible work. The Wrecking Crew also parallels 20 Feet From Stardom for its reference to Phil Spector's legendary "wall of sound" recordings. Spector tapped these session musicians for the majority of his recordings to capture the majestic sound he slaved for. His recordings jump started the careers of the likes of Glen Campbell and Leon Russell.
Campbell's story is crucial to this film, as he was the first session player to break out and become a hit maker in his own right. The country great tapped his old pals to play on his solo debut and future recordings as his popularity grew. At the same time, the notion of the session music began to fade into obscurity, as more bands began recording for themselves. The phone stopped ringing for The Wrecking Crew, though their legacy lives on in this film.
Though film from the era (which is nonexistent for the most part) would have been more engaging for the viewer, The Wrecking Crew is an excellent film and serves as a great piece of music history. Rock critics and musicians rave about this film having the likes of Elvis Costello saying, "A wonderful, touching and hilarious film about the unsung stars of so many records that you carry in your heart." This film is a must see for any music enthusiast. Also, check out the outtakes for some great unused footage!
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