Manthast Absolutely amazing

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Woodyanders The Wrecking Crew were an elite group of top-notch musicians on the West Coast who reigned supreme as the go-to folks to hire throughout the 1960's. It's astounding the sheer volume of hit songs that they played on that includes everything from "Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys to "California Dreamin'" by The Mama and the Papas to "The Beat Goes On" by Sonny and Cher. While Carol Kaye, Hal Blaine, Don Randi, Plas Johnson, Joe Osborn, Earl Palmer, and other members of this anonymous, yet illustrious bunch might not have ever achieved household name status, they nonetheless had an important and influential role in the crafting and recording of many classic songs that stands tall as a legacy to be proud of.Director Danny Tedesco, who's the son of noted Wrecking Crew guitarist Tommy Tedesco, covers plenty of fascinating ground on these extraordinary musicians that includes the origin of their nickname stemming from the fact that they wore casual apparel, their involvement in Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, putting long hours in the studio which for some took a heavy toll on their personal lives, recording stuff for fake bands or bands who didn't know how to play their instruments well (yep, we do indeed get the straight scoop on The Monkees), working sans credit on countless hit records, and how things came to an end once bands became more able to play their own instruments at the end of the 1960's. Best of all, this documentary not only gives the Wrecking Crew their long overdue due, but also serves as a marvelously entertaining and enlightening chronicle of the evolution of rock'n'roll music throughout the 1950's and 1960's. Loaded with terrific behind the scenes footage and further enhanced by a spot-on soundtrack (naturally), this honey rates as a total treat.

gavin6942 A celebration of the musical work of a group of session musicians known as the "Wrecking Crew", a band that provided back-up instrumentals to such legendary recording artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys and Bing Crosby.Production began in June 1996 and was completed in February 2008. The film played in film festivals in North America, and was the closing film at the Nashville Film Festival on April 24, 2008. A Kickstarter campaign at the end of 2013 raised over three hundred thousand dollars to cover music licensing and final production costs. The film opened in theaters across the United States on March 13, 2015.I am not clear on what the Oscar rules are. Is this a 2015 film or a 2008 film? I hope it is eligible for Best Documentary. Some are saying it is similar to "20 Feet From Stardom", and I can certainly see that. But I would say this is an even bigger deal. Who knew that so many songs, in so many styles, came from a handful of folks? I will never listen to 1950s or 1960s music the same way again.

mdroel20 The Wrecking Crew chronicles the stories of a wide, ever-changing group of session musicians in the 1950s and 60s that are hailed as some of the greatest musicians of all time. The kicker is that these great artists were never given proper credit for their work. Tedesco mainly focuses and sits down with his late father Tommy and his pals and fellow Wrecking Crew musicians Carol Kaye, Plas Johnson, and Hal Blaine. Together, these musicians recall countless stories from their time in the studio. The essence of this movie is the fact that many popular groups of the times weren't the best of musicians themselves and The Wrecking Crew were the uncredited band behind the music. A few poignant examples feature Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, of The Monkees, and Roger McGuinn of The Byrds speaking at length complementing the sound of these session musicians. Brian Wilson, in creating genius works such as Pet Sounds, recruited The Wrecking Crew because he knew the guys in his band couldn't reproduce the sounds he wanted for the album. McGuinn echoed Wilson's sentiments and recruited the band for the classic Byrds recording Mr. Tambourine Man. Dolenz's story was even more enlightening as he reveals The Monkees were strictly a novelty band whose music was entirely created by The Wrecking Crew musicians. The Monkees themselves were forced to take music lessons in order to replicate the music for the road. Even more revealing, the classic tune, Windy by The Association was entirely performed by The Wrecking Crew, who received no credit and The Association couldn't even play their instruments. This film shared a lot of parallels in that regard and many other with another Little Theatre special, 20 Feet From Stardom, which I reviewed here. Much like 20 Feet From Stardom, classic tracks and their most memorable parts were created by unknown and uncredited artists. Female bassist, Carol Kaye, left her mark on plenty of hit songs in this fashion. Take, for example, Sonny and Cher's classic, The Beat Goes On. Kaye explains that the original sound had a basic, boring bass lick, which she improved to what you hear on the recording. Kaye's story is also one of the most fascinating because she broke through the boy's club to do such incredible work. The Wrecking Crew also parallels 20 Feet From Stardom for its reference to Phil Spector's legendary "wall of sound" recordings. Spector tapped these session musicians for the majority of his recordings to capture the majestic sound he slaved for. His recordings jump started the careers of the likes of Glen Campbell and Leon Russell.Campbell's story is crucial to this film, as he was the first session player to break out and become a hit maker in his own right. The country great tapped his old pals to play on his solo debut and future recordings as his popularity grew. At the same time, the notion of the session music began to fade into obscurity, as more bands began recording for themselves. The phone stopped ringing for The Wrecking Crew, though their legacy lives on in this film. Though film from the era (which is nonexistent for the most part) would have been more engaging for the viewer, The Wrecking Crew is an excellent film and serves as a great piece of music history. Rock critics and musicians rave about this film having the likes of Elvis Costello saying, "A wonderful, touching and hilarious film about the unsung stars of so many records that you carry in your heart." This film is a must see for any music enthusiast. Also, check out the outtakes for some great unused footage!

David Ferguson Greetings again from the darkness. The music business has always been a bit of a mystery – not just to the average record buyer, but even to those within the industry. History is filled with singers, band members, and songwriters missing out on the pot of gold due to slick legal maneuvering from some less-than-upstanding agent, producer or label. This documentary details the prolific recordings from a core group of studio musicians responsible for the sounds heard as rock and roll music exploded on the scene … their stellar performances marketed to the public as the work of popular bands.Lest you think this is limited to an obscure genre or style of music, the two dozen (or so) musicians known as The Wrecking Crew were responsible for the album music for such groups and performers as The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, The Righteous Brothers, Elvis Presley, The Mamas and the Papas, Sonny and Cher, Sam Cooke, The Byrds, and The Monkees. And we can't leave out Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" which dominated the charts for years. Director Denny Tedesco set out to make a documentary short about his father, guitarist extraordinaire Tommy Tedesco, but quickly realized the story was much bigger than just his dad.In addition to the very talented (and funny) Tedesco, we get interviews with such talented musicians as Hal Blaine, Earl Palmer, Don Randi, Al Casey, Pals Johnson (The Pink Panther sax soloist), Carol Kaye, and Bill Pittman. There is also insight from producers Lou Adler and Snuff Garrett, American Bandstand's Dick Clark, songwriter Jimmy Webb, plus icon Herb Alpert. Mickey Dolenz and Peter Tork explain the business rationale in having the professionals take care of the recordings, while Roger McGinnis spills the beans that other members of The Byrds (including David Crosby) were pretty miffed at the process.The personal importance of telling this story is quite obvious in the work of the director, and is especially clear in the segments featuring his father. In addition to the popular music he was involved with, the senior Tedesco's work is heard in such well-known TV themes as Bonanza, MASH, Batman, and The Twilight Zone … plus many movie scores. Archival footage is available for Q&A roundtables and some of the seminar work Tedesco did in the later stages of his career (he passed away in 1997). There is also footage of Phil Spector working in the studio, and some audio from Frank Sinatra as he works on recording, and early Brian Wilson creating the magic of Pet Sounds with the Wrecking Crew.Glen Campbell and Leon Russell are the two big breakout performers from this group of studio musicians and both speak so highly of these unpublicized artists. Their interviews, and that of Dick Clark, highlight the confusion of timeline in the making of the film. It began making festival rounds in 2008 before running the age old issue of "musical rights" brought distribution to a screeching halt. So now, in 2015, the film is finally getting some theatre time, and with it comes the recognition and appreciation that is long overdue for the members of this very secret club … few of whom seem to hold any type of grudge. They were just happy to make a living doing what they love.This film instantly becomes one of four documentaries highly recommended for those who want to better understand the music biz. Group it with Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002), Muscle Shoals (2013), and Oscar winner Twenty Feet from Stardom (2013) to form an 8 hour education and history of popular music over the past three generations.**NOTE: Kent Hartman released a book entitled "The Wrecking Crew" that provides additional detail; however, it is not affiliated with Denny Tedesco's film.