What do Glen Campbell, Leon Russell, Hal Blain, and Ray Pohlman have in common?
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Recognition, or, more specifically, the perceived lack of it, is increasingly a charged topic for men. While traditionally a women’s issue, where a historic lack of recognition has motivated generations of overt struggle to right the wrongs of inequality—financial, political, familial, social—and bring a feminine voice to the collective dialog, the sense that one’s work, sacrifice, and unique ability is ultimately unseen, or perhaps not fully acknowledged, is something to which the average male can likely well relate.
But maybe what we really seek isn’t simply the money that signifies our hard work, or even praise for our brains or talent (if indeed we possess either of those), but something more deeply rooted in our sense of community.
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Of course, our idea of what recognition looks like is already very different from our parents’ understanding of the concept. They gauged recognition in simpler terms; they didn’t expect to be known beyond their immediate families and communities. They took pride in their work, in the stability of their family, in their commitment to church and state.
That a lack of recognition in terms of wide fame used to be the norm for nearly everybody might seem strange to us now in the information age, where anyone with a laptop can conceivably communicate with the world, and receive immediate praise for their product or viewpoint. But now our community is global, and our idea of recognition is more entwined with our idea of fame than ever before.
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But maybe what we really seek isn’t simply the money that signifies our hard work, or even praise for our brains or talent (if indeed we possess either of those), but something more deeply rooted in our sense of community. Maybe we need to see our actions make a difference in the world at large—be it in the form of a solid marriage, a responsible parenthood, an honest business, a group of friends—and recognition is how we know we have made a difference? Maybe it’s not about merely being seen, but more about being seen for who you really are.
It is heartening when unique or exemplary accomplishment is indeed recognized in any field, when we see the unseen individuals behind a successful effort get their due. Especially when the effort itself is truly famous, the feeling that those responsible should be properly feted is intensified. We know they deserve it, and we identify.
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Documentary film is a powerful medium for bringing hidden accomplishments and unsung individuals the recognition they deserve, and several stellar music docs in the last few years—Standing in the Shadows of Motown, Muscle Shoals, and 20 Feet from Stardom—have made us aware of “the Funk Brothers,” “the Swampers,” and great female back-up singers like Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fisher, and Tata Vega. Now, thanks to the new documentary The Wrecking Crew from director Denny Tedesco, we will learn about the most amazing “unsung” supporting band of them all. For any true music lover, this is not one to miss.
“The Wrecking Crew” is a loose moniker describing a group of approximately two-dozen “first call” studio musicians in Los Angeles in the 1960s and early 1970s. They began as Phil Spector’s legendary “Wall of Sound” ensemble, eventually playing on hundreds of hit songs for many of the biggest stars of the era, such as: the Beach Boys, the Byrds, the Righteous Brothers, the Tijuana Brass, Nancy Sinatra, Ricky Nelson, Johnny Rivers, the Monkees, the Association, the Mamas and the Papas, Sonny & Cher, the 5th Dimension, Nilsson, the Carpenters, and Simon & Garfunkel. They were also frequently used by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Nat “King” Cole, Dean Martin, and Elvis Presley.
Their roots were in Big Band and Swing, and by the late 50’s they were gigging in jazz combos around LA, playing on sessions for film scores and novelty hits, and backing popular vocalists on the road. In the early 60’s they jelled as a unit through their work with Spector, and quickly became the preferred players for dozens of top producers, songwriters, and record labels. They became a veritable hit factory, a group of virtuoso musicians who could capture any groove at will, prop up any instrumentally-challenged band or teen sensation, and, if the song had potential, hit it out of the park every time. Celebrated songwriter Jimmy Webb (“By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Up, Up, and Away,” “MacArthur Park”) described the Crew as the “stone-cold rock & roll professionals.”
Glen Campbell, after countless recording sessions as part of the Crew, became one of the biggest stars of the late 60s and 70s.
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Many might concur that the artistic peak of the Crew’s output occurred in 1966-67, specifically with their work on the Beach Boys’ groundbreaking Pet Sounds and the (until recently) unreleased SMiLE albums—the sessions of which produced the psychedelic pocket symphony “Good Vibrations,” a global smash and still one of the most innovative recordings in history. Brian Wilson was by this time only using the other Beach Boys for vocals; his sonic vision had expanded to the point where he was not only booking dates at separate studios for their unique ambience and production qualities, he was incorporating the specific techniques and flavors of the Wrecking Crew players into the compositions of the songs themselves. He was playing the Crew like a multifaceted instrument capable of mimicking any style or genre.
The track [Glen Campbell and other members of The Wrecking Crew] cut together, “I’m Not Going to Miss You,” was nominated for Best Song at the 2015 Academy Awards.
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Several members of the Crew went on to huge success as solo artists. Glen Campbell, after countless recording sessions as part of the Crew, became one of the biggest stars of the late 60s and 70s. The moving documentary, Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me, which explores Campbell’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease while on his final concert tour, ends with him recording one last song with his old Crew-mates, at a time when he no longer recognized them. It is a poignant and heart breaking moment. The track they cut together, “I’m Not Going to Miss You,” was nominated for Best Song at the 2015 Academy Awards.
As well, Leon Russell, piano-master for the Crew, found noteworthy success as a solo artist and became quite recognizable as a solo-Beatle sideman (Concert for Bangladesh), while drummer Jim Gordon went on to become a member of Eric Clapton’s highly respected band Derek and the Dominoes, for whom he composed the piano coda for the classic “Layla.”
… The Wrecking Crew looks to set the record straight with one of the most incredible and interesting narratives of the classic rock era.
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The other stalwart members of the Crew—drummers Hal Blaine and Earl Palmer; bassists Carol Kaye, Ray Pohlman, and Joe Osborne; keyboardists Larry Knechtel, Mike Melvoin, and Don Randi; guitarists James Burton, Barney Kessel, Al Casey, and Billy Strange; and sax players Plas Johnson, Steve Douglas, and Jim Horn—are not so well known outside of the industry, but that looks to finally change with the release of the long-awaited documentary The Wrecking Crew, coming to theaters March 2015.
The film is the product of a nearly twenty year labor of love. Director Denny Tedseco began shooting the movie in 1996 when his father, “first-chair” Crew guitarist Tommy Tedesco, was diagnosed with cancer. The senior Tedesco’s guitar work is ubiquitous in American culture. In addition to playing on many of the classic pop hits of the era, his guitar work can be heard on more than 1,000 television themes and film/TV soundtracks, including Batman, Green Acres, Mission Impossible, and Three’s Company.
Tedseco has crafted a moving and extremely informative film that chronicles the history of the Crew, with commentary by many of the artists they supported (Brian Wilson, Cher, Mickey Dolenz), and of course memories provided by the surviving members themselves. On the heels of recent successful music docs in the same vein, The Wrecking Crew looks to set the record straight with one of the most incredible and interesting narratives of the classic rock era.
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I’ll close with an easy joke, guaranteed to score points next time you are with your music-fan-pals:
What do “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling,” “God Only Knows,” “Strangers in the Night,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “These Boots are Made for Walkin’,” “California Dreaming,” “I’m a Believer,” “The Beat Goes On,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Age of Aquarius: Let the Sun Shine In,” “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” all have in common?
I think we all know the punch-line to that one by now.
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Here is a wonderful conversation I had with Director Denny Tedesco discussing his new documentary The Wrecking Crew, available in theaters, on-demand, and on I-Tunes March 13.
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Photos: Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.