The Wrecking Crew

I just saw a wonderful documentary. It began with an item in the local weekly newspaper about a movie called The Wrecking Crew showing at the old theatre out on the former naval air station.

Before you read further, check out the trailer.

The movie is directed by Denny Tedesco and focuses on his dad, Tommy Tedesco, who played guitar and was one of the 20 to 30 regular musicians (including Glen Campbell), who played so often together. These guys played for everybody. My generation grew up mocking The Monkees because they didn’t play the music for their own albums. It turns out lots of groups didn’t play their own instruments – The Monkees just took the rap for it, and Mickey Dolenz points out in the film that he appreciates that many other artists from the time are stepping forward to admit that studio musicians played on their albums, too.

It wasn’t without friction—Herb Alpert’s musicians who played on the road weren’t happy that they weren’t used to record his hit albums.

The title is a reference to what the established studio musicians of the early 60’s thought of the pop music they were playing, and how they were wrecking the industry.

The Crew loved Brian Wilson’s arrangements. One of the musicians said George Martin told him Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was a response to Wilson’s Pet Sounds, and the Wrecking Crew were the musicians for that high-water mark of 60’s rock music.

Bass player Carole Kay is wonderful in the movie, and those interviewed talk about what it was like for a woman to work in that environment, Tedesco joking that she could have gotten rich off harassment lawsuits. Kaye describes some of their contributions, such as for Sonny & Cher’s The Beat Goes On. Strumming her bass, she plays the music she was given (she thought, “uh oh”) and then she plays what she provided, the bass line we all know. Check out this clip — that song belongs to her.

Director Denny Tedesco introduced the movie, and afterward answered questions. Numerous people stood up, some of whom had met his Dad when Tommy lectured and held guitar clinics. Hilarious studio anecdotes were shared, including a new musician who was completely lost during a recording session, and Tommy Tedesco bailed him out by screwing up—so they had to cut, and rewind the tape. It happened a second time and Tedesco deliberately screwed up again, leaned over and muttered to the new guy, “Now you’re on your own, m*therf*cker.” The audience howled, but son Denny explained that his Dad remembered what it was like to be the new guy, and he could afford to take the blame.

Indeed, he told another story about his young Dad screwing up when he was new, getting fired, yet returning to that studio to play with someone else, and never knowing if the producers remembered it had been him screwing things up the first time he played there.

These guys often didn’t remember what they had played on. Do you remember what you did at work last Tuesday, or a month ago, or a year ago? They played thousands of sessions. Tedesco once got a charm in the shape of a Grammy from a producer he had worked with. “What’s this?” he asked.  It was for the Fifth Dimension’s “Let the Sun Shine/Aquarius.” He didn’t remember the session for that anthemic song.

Sinatra, Elvis, The Beach Boys, The Byrds,  The Association, Nat King Cole, The Righteous Brothers, The Tijuana Brass, The Mamas & Papas, Sonny & Cher, Mason William’s Classical Gas, Henry Mancini’s Pink Panther theme, Simon & Garfunkel’s Mrs. Robinson, Sam Cooke, Harry Nilsson, Ike & Tina Turner, Richie Valens, the Ronettes, Jan & Dean – and that’s just a short list.  I haven’t even gotten into all the movies they did, or how much they were the musicians for Phil Specter’s Wall of Sound.

They are having a hard time raising the money to release the documentary—the rights to the music are expensive.  So if you get a chance to catch The Wrecking Crew, don’t miss it.