The Wrecking Crew Movie

I've written about the Wrecking Crew movie before, but it really needs to be brought up again because it's such an important historical document as well as a totally fun watch. For those of you who don't know, the Wrecking Crew was a group of Los Angeles studio musicians during the 60's and 70's that played on so many of the hits of the time that's it's hard to believe they all came from just one group of people.

The group played on almost every style of recording, including television theme songs, film scores, advertising jingles and almost every genre of music, with artists that included The Monkees, Bing Crosby, Nancy Sinatra, Bobby Vee, The Partridge Family, The Mamas & the Papas, The Carpenters, John Denver, Simon & Garfunkel and many more.

They helped Phil Spector create his famous "Wall of Sound," and realized Brian Wilson's vision for Beach Boy hits like "Good Vibrations", "California Girls", the acclaimed album Pet Sounds, and the original recordings for Smile.

Unfortunately, despite widespread praise, the excellent film about the band can still only be seen in private showings and film festivals since producer Denny Tedesco (the son of the late Wrecking Crew guitar player Tommy Tedesco) can't find a distributor. Why? Because the Crew played on so many hits that the licensing fees to get them in the movie would be enormous, and that scares them away. Of course, the fees aren't that much for a major studio tentpole movie, but that's not what this documentary is.

The movie is exceptional whether you're in the music business or not. Hopefully you'll get a chance to see it on the big screen or a DVD soon. If not, be on the lookout at your local film festival. You won't be disappointed.

Below is the trailer for the film. You can find out more on the Wrecking Crew movie website, and you can check out some excellent outtakes from the movie as well.

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