It was a scandal when we learned The Monkees didn’t actually play their own instruments. In retrospect, the scandal wasn’t that the four were lesser musicians; the scandal was that they were the only ones with the balls to admit it.
In the 1960s, there were a group of ultra-talented musicians who basically lived at a variety of Los Angeles sound studios. Basically, whenever a band had a hit song or future gold record to record, this group, The Wrecking Crew played on the album, often anonymously and almost always uncredited. And everybody knew about it except the fans. Oh sure, there would be the occasional musician pissed off that the double gold get-laid-forever opus with his name and picture on it doesn’t actually contain any of his music, but mostly everybody was good with the arrangement.
And the fact is, you are, too. That is if you’ve ever enjoyed any non-vocals from
The Mamas & the Papas, The 5th Dimension, The Association, The Carpenters, The Beach Boys, and Nat King Cole and much, much more!
But that’s not all …
They also worked with Bing Crosby, Simon & Garfunkel, Cher, John Denver, and every Partridge. (What, you thought Danny Bonaduce was grinding his axe? HA!)
How much would you pay for these amazing memories?
Don’t answer yet. We’ll also throw in the a
dmission that this group went, in many cases, unrecognized to the grave, like the late guitarist Tommy Tedesco; his son Danny Tedesco made this film.
It’s hard to know what to make of The Wrecking Crew. I don’t know how exaggerated the tales are and the damage has been long since done. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, which should be enough to lend credence to the claim. Mostly, the movie name drops like a gossip hound (I suppose it’s not quite name dropping if you talk about “American Bandstand” and then interview Dick Clark) and the style of anecdote/cut/anecdote/cut/anecdote/cut can be so furious, the film has a tendency to lose its focus. It’s a good thing the musicians themselves were more professional, because they claim half my iPod.
♪All this song’s background
Got a new array
I met the saxophonist
Earlier today
If I couldn’t sing
I’d be on my way
California scheming
Who cares, anyway?
Stopped into a gig
I was supposed to play
Well, I got out my drum kit
And was about to say …
When the prod’cer chased me out
You know he gets his way
California scheming
It happens every day♫
Rated PG, 101 Minutes
D: Danny Tedesco
W: The music, man.
Genre: Tell all
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Tommy Tedesco, director’s dad … director’s dad …
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Overrated musicians of the 60s
♪ Parody inspired by “California Dreamin’”
