DVD Review – Wrecking Crew
The Wrecking Crew was a group of top session musicians who played the music heard on many famous records released under other artists’ names. They worked with a range of acts, most notably the Beach Boys and on Phil Spector productions, and had a hand in many records that most people assume did not use session players—such as the Byrds’ version of “Mr Tambourine Man,” on which the only actual Byrd was Roger McGuinn.
There were around 50 members of the group, including names like guitarist Glen Campbell, pianist Dr John and arranger Jack Nitzsche. Bassist Carol Kaye never became a household name but played on almost everything, making her the first female bass player to make the big time (albeit beyond the scenes). Starting in the 1950s, this group of professional musicians had a hand in much of the pop music coming out of California, which soon became the centre for the American music industry. Along the way it helped to shape a particular sound: pop with a slight jazz and country influence. Jazz was the entry point for most of these musicians, who took work on film music, radio jingles, and other artists’ records to make some extra cash.
The documentary The Wrecking Crew was actually finished five years ago, but clearing the music rights and legal issues added a massive delay. There is a bit of a low-budget feel, because much of the money had to go for music clearance, so there are some issues with the editing. That said, it’s a good document covering an interesting time in popular music, from the pre-rock-and-roll era to the start of prog rock, when there was a greater expectation for musicians to all be virtuosos who perform their own work.
The Wrecking Crew was directed by Denny Tedesco, and is stuffed full of interviews with those musicians from the Wrecking Crew who are still living. Plenty of big names also contributed, such as Brian Wilson and Cher (who also talks her her time as a backing vocalist for Phil Spector’s firm), various Monkees, Roger McGuinn and many more. There is plenty of unseen archive footage, and some surprises for music fans. Brian Wilson goes into lots of detail about the Wrecking Crew’s work on “Pet Sounds,” for example.
Director Denny Tedesco is the son of Wrecking Crew guitarist Tommy Tedesco, who was especially well known for his large and wide-ranging career in making film soundtracks (with John Cassavetes, amongst others). Tedesco’s family link no doubt sparked the idea for the documentary, and clearly also gave him an inside track to getting interviews. The DVD includes about six hours of interviews, archive footage and behind-the-scenes material that didn’t make the final cut.
[rating=4]
Ian Schultz
Music, Documentary | USA, 2008 | PG | Wienerworld | 13th July 2015 (UK) | Dir.Denny Tedesco | Lou Adler, Herb Alpert, The Association, Brian Wilson, Cher, Herb Alpert | Buy: The Wrecking Crew [DVD]
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