The Wrecking Crew! - 2008/2015 - 7/10
Documentary of famed studio musicians who played on countless hits from mid 60's to mid 70's.
These were the go-to guys for Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, Sinatra, John Philips, many, many others.
Denny Tedesco (son of guitarist Ted Tedesco) started filming in the 90's and it took almost 20 years to finish.
Tons of still photographs, tunes, and talking heads. Faces included Dick Clark and Frank Zappa, both RIP.
Apparently much of the delay involved music clearances.
Must watch for Boomers and rock snobs.
Couple of serious quibbles cannot be overlooked.
One, little mention of troubles, drugs, other difficulties The feel-good sheen is suffocating at times.
Two, chronology bounced. Story opened with Brian Wilson and classic Beach Boys recordings.
Aloud, I’m saying, “Where’s Phil Spector? They worked for him first. Brian was barely in the Wrecking Crew.”
Spector was covered, but he came later in the doc. The early history of the group itself came after that.
Three - and this comes from Wikipedia:
The "Wrecking Crew" name is strongly disputed by Carol Kaye, who has stated in interviews, "We were never known as that. Sometimes we were called the Clique, but that's a Hal Blaine invented name for his own self promotion in 1990, and most of us are really, really angry about that film, too." Research by Songfacts concurs, noting "We couldn't find any references to "The Wrecking Crew" in any publications from the era.
I enjoyed this, though I enjoyed it with a wary eye.
