WRECKING CREW MOVIE Released Today!

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Steve Sidoruk

Founder, A&M Fan Net
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Today (March 13th) is release day for THE WRECKING CREW Movie! It may be playing at a theatre near you or you can find it on-line or on-demand. Besides Herb & Julius, there are many connections to A&M Records and many of their recording sessions. Those who later opt for a DVD, will find many out-takes included. There is a 4CD Soundtrack and a 12x12 coffee table book from the film.

Incredible job by Denny Tedesco (son of Wrecking Crew guitarist Tommy Tedesco) on a story that took almost twenty years to tell.

Congrats & Best Wishes,

Steve Sidoruk
A&M Fan Network

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By Ed Symkus

March 13. 2015 2:01AM
Movie review: ‘Wrecking Crew’ is a look at the people who really put the bomp
Members of the Wrecking Crew fill one of many recording studios they called home.
Members of the Wrecking Crew fill one of many recording studios they called home.

You probably wouldn’t know their names or their faces. But if you listened to Top-40 radio in the’60s, or tune in Oldies radio now, you’re sure familiar with their sound. The group of Los Angeles studio musicians who were hired to play instruments behind big-time pop and rock singers at scores of ’60s recording sessions came to be known as the Wrecking Crew (a kind of derogatory nickname that’s explained in the film). They were major talents who could immediately read and play new music and charts, in any style that was asked of them, and they regularly would do it (earning some hefty paychecks) for hours on end.

Producers and label executives wanted their records to sound as great as possible, and they knew they couldn’t always count on raggedy, sometimes drug-fueled band members to get the job done. So they relied on a pool of crack freelancers, ranging in size, depending on the session’s requirements, between 15 and 30 players, to fill in for the folks on the album covers. The actual bands could pass muster at live concerts; there was so much screaming, no one could tell how well they played.

This lively, song-filled documentary (heard are hits by the Byrds, the Righteous Brothers, the Mamas and the Papas, productions by Phil Spector, much more) tells the story of these unsung men and women, some of it through interviews and relaxed, nostalgic chats, some of it via archival footage.

Bits of the latter include a young Brian Wilson in a Capitol Records studio, explaining to Wrecking Crew members (no other Beach Boys are present) exactly what he’s hearing in his head and what he wants them to capture on tape.

But the film really revolves around a 1996 get-together between four former Crew members – guitarist Tommy Tedesco, bass player Carol Kaye, drummer Hal Blaine, and saxophonist Plas Johnson – who sit around reliving old memories, sending themselves and each other back to some joyous, crazy times when they were in such demand, they practically lived in the studio which, as revealed in a few stories, didn’t exactly make for a normal life. They were all part of a sort of extended family.

The film was put together, over a number of years, by the late Tedesco’s son Denny, who knows enough people in the business to have plenty of folks whose lives intertwined with Wrecking Crew members also share memories. So we get great stories from “American Bandstand’s” Dick Clark, trumpeter-producer Herb Alpert (of the Tijuana Brass), singer Nancy Sinatra, and Monkee Micky Dolenz, all of whom offer nothing but high praise to the individuals who either filled out or actually made their sound.

There’s a good deal of back story, and some great old footage and photos, of the four players, with the most fun coming out of Carol Kaye’s history as both a bass player and guitarist, who worked her way up to complete acceptance in a business then dominated by men, eventually becoming “one of the guys.” In a solo segment on her, she sits down, picks up her axe, and plays the instantly recognizably bass line from Sonny & Cher’s “The Beat Goes on,” then proudly recalls coming up with it on her own. Yet she’s just as quick to credit (and play) the complicated part she did on “Good Vibrations” to Brian Wilson, who also gets some camera time to throw heartfelt accolades to the players that jammed into his often crowded studio sessions. Another great segment has Micky Dolenz talking about the accusations hurled at the Monkees for not playing their instruments on their early albums. They didn’t, he says candidly. Neither did so many other bands.

The oddest thing about all of this is that the names of Wrecking Crew musicians never appeared on the albums. Simple reason: The records companies didn’t want to disappoint the fans of the bands with the truth. Still, the musicians had no complaints, as they were doing what they loved, and they knew that they were in the right place at the right time.

A bonus is that the film reveals some neat trivia. Among it, Cher was a backup singer for the Ronettes, and Herb Alpert’s hit instrumental “Spanish Flea” was originally titled “Spanish Fly.” Alpert changed it because he thought it was too racy. But the best news is that a multi-disc soundtrack is in the works and will soon be available. It’s going to be a must-have.

Ed Symkus covers movies for More Content Now.

THE WRECKING CREW
Directed by Denny Tedesco
With Tommy Tedesco, Hal Blaine, Carol Kaye, Plas Johnson, Brian Wilson, Cher, Herb Alpert, Micky Dolenz
Rated PG

http://www.poconorecord.com/article/20150313/NEWS/150319995
 
Well, it's been a day, who has seen THE WRECKING CREW Movie??? Having seen it twice at prior screenings, I watched last night from On-Demand.
There were some slight adds and changes. The time just flew by! If you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for??? :wink:
 
I downloaded it from iTunes but haven't watched it yet. It seems once I watch it I have to be done within 24 hours. Hope to watch it without interruption in the next day or so.



Capt. Bacardi
 
I plan on seeing it Friday, here in San Diego where it plays at our local art house theatre...
 
I went to see it Friday with my old friend and roommate from my Navy days, Dave. We thoroughly enjoyed it. For Dave there was a lot of memories as he worked as an freelance assistant assistant engineer at Capitol and Gold Star back in the late 70s and early 80s. My favorite parts of the movie were the unexpected interviews (Julius Wechter, Lew McCreary) and the parts where musicians would play their parts for Denny Tedesco and they'd fade up (in sync) the hit song the part was from. Truly a moving and amazing documentary... Maybe we'll see it in the running for a Documentary Oscar next time...

--Mr Bill
 
Hi, everyone! I downloaded the documentary last week and watched it twice in my allotted 24 hours (between basketball games). It was great! Really took me back. Did anyone else notice that Bob Edmondson's name was misspelled in the credits?
 
I'm not a fan of "renting" movies online -- I almost never have the time to sit through a whole movie in one sitting on TV. I am going to wait for the Blu Ray (which comes out June 16) and I will digitize it and watch it on my 402" theatre screen!

An interesting side note -- apparently Carol Kaye has some problem with this movie. I saw a comment about that on the Amazon website being confused about why Carol Kaye doesn't like the film, since everything in it is supported by interviews and archival footage. Here is a quote from Carol's FAQ section. Apparently this was written in 2012 so maybe some of the 'problems' she references have been fixed in more recent edits of the film.

Q. Where did the term "wrecking crew" come from?

A. That is Hal Blaine's self-promotional invented name of his auto-bio book, published in 1990. He said in his book, the older studio musicians tho't we 60s studio musicians are going to "wreck the business"...we worked around the clock, even as many as 4-5 recording dates a day and not dressed well). NONE OF that is TRUE! The older studio musicians never said that! Hal was never a part of the movie and TV-film industry and so I believe that is the cause of him saying that.

To be honest with you, no-one heard that term until he put out his book. He got his term from the 1980's east coast rock group "Wrecking Crew" that backed Darlene Love . And no, I never heard any of the older studio musicians ever say any unkind or critical word about us at all...if anything, they praised and admired us for creating such a great recording business.

Our group, 50-60 of us, TOTALLY INDEPENDENT Studio Musicians, out of the 350-400 heavily working group of Hollywood Studio Musicians, were individual free-lance 60s studio musicians, responsible for many of the hot-sellers of the 1960s coming out of Hollywood. Most of us had very big careers before ever doing studio work, we were NEVER part of "Hal Blaine's band", and were known only as "studio musicians", or the "CLIQUE" never Hal Blaine's touted self-promotional name at all. Phil Spector probably used Earl Palmer on drums as much as Hal, so the phony term didn't come from Phil either...we were all making great monies (about like "doctor pay") in recording in LA studios at that time, but most of us are retired now. Piracy has almost shut down the entire industry in recent years.

Please do NOT donate any money to that wrecking film either, it's skewered, misogynist, prejudiced, and not about us. It's false that older studio musicians ever complained about the younger studio musicians - in fact, they actually admired us and complimented us for helping to expand the recording business, it doesn't list many of the #1 call musicians, but instead presents a biased and prejudiced view, and making money "using" us fraudulently for that purpose (don't believe the "charity status" either).... that film, rightfully called a "piece of Hollywood fluff" by creditable journalists, is a skewered wrong film which maligns me and others, It's not about us.

All of that notwithstanding, I already have my order in for the Blu-Ray and I'm very excited to watch it.
 
I work with a former student of Carol Kaye's (he's the music director at LEGOLAND and has quite a string of music credentials as well, having played professionally on tour with at least 5 bands backed by the Wrecking Crew) and he sort of filled me in on some of the darker secrets that led to this rift between Ms. Kaye and Mr. Blaine (and by extension, Mr. Tedesco). My understanding is that since the film has been completed she has softened considerably in this opinion, though she apparently hasn't changed that status on her page. Ms. Kaye is well-represented in the film there is nothing showing any animosity between any of those in the "wrecking crew" group discussion (which includes Ms. Kaye). That's not to say something didn't hit the cutting room floor, of course. The only thing even slightly misogynistic was a comment that even though she was a "gal," no one looked at her that way and she was just one of the guys. (And if you look at the end credits where they list everyone who was or could have been considered part of the crew, you'll see other females including harpist Gayle Levant). Besides, donations weren't for "charity" -- hey were to secure the ridiculously expensive music rights to get the film released.

--Mr Bill
 
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