Leftbanker As a really lousy piano player I am in complete awe of musicians like these who can do almost anything with their instrument.Riveting subject matter but the structure of this documentary is a complete mess. Part of the problem is that the distance in time from when the film was made and the events being chronicled. It would have taken a lot more money and effort to really do this subject justice.Another problem is that none of the musicians they interviewed were articulate speakers and had little to say but this could be blamed on the filmmaker not asking the right questions. The one exception perhaps was his father, Tommy Tedesco who had a few funny and revealing bits in the film.

dddmi7-1 I will try to put into a few words about this tribute to some of the finest studio musicians who ever recorded music on vinyl. Denny Tedesco's diligence, hard work, and love not only for his Father but the other musicians enshrined here shows through on every frame of film. The legacy of these musicians can not be overstated. If you lived in the USA in the 50s, 60s, 70s and into the 1980s you've heard their music, songs, hits, jingles, film soundtracks, and TV themes. They seemed to be everywhere all at once, but mostly anonymous when it came to actual credit on film and the backs of album covers. From Sam Cooke, to the Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, The Monkees, and beyond you heard their riffs, rhymes, and splendid musicianship. As a percussionist I've admired their music without knowing their faces or names (for the most part). Now, thanks to this labor of love I can connect those distant memories with the people who created them. This appears to be more than just a film but a mission for the director and his film company. Purchasing the rights to air the music The Wrecking Crew played is very expensive. Mr. Tedesco needs viewers like the IMDb community to support this film by giving it the high ratings it deserves here on IMDb and on online services like Net flix. Through that support he is able to raise money to keep making improvements by including more and more of the volumes of material this group of professionals created nearly round the clock for 2 full decades. This music may take you back to your teen years, and fill in the spaces as to who actually created the music of your youth.

moonspinner55 First-rate documentary on the evolving group of Los Angeles session musicians self-dubbed The Wrecking Crew who, throughout the 1960s and early '70s, performed mostly without credit on many of the greatest songs in music history. Directed by Denny Tedesco, whose father Tommy was a guitarist in the Crew, this lively, lovely document of the music scene in southern California during rock and roll's heyday is alive with memories and awash in marvelous tunes. Candid interviews with Tommy Tedesco (before his passing), Glen Campbell and Leon Russell (both onetime members of the Crew), drummer Hal Blaine, saxophonist Plas Johnson, bassist Carol Kaye, keyboardist Don Randi, and artists such as Brian Wilson, Cher, Nancy Sinatra, Mickey Dolenz and Peter Tork, Herb Alpert and producer Lou Adler add to the rich experience. A highly entertaining way to get acquainted with these talented musicians, whose music one instantly recognizes yet whose names and faces have heretofore remained anonymous. ***1/2 from ****

george.schmidt THE WRECKING CREW (2015) **** Fascinating pop culture historical rockdoc focusing on the scary good studio musicians of the 1950s-1970s who helped score the soundtrack of our lives while gaining little to no recognition (or wealth) to speak of as the unsung artists of a Who's Who in rock, R&B and modern day chart rocketing smash hits by superstar talent. Filmmaker Denny Tedesco's nearly 20 year odyssey and valentine to not only his father Tommy and the motley crew making up the titular cast of characters who did what they loved: played music no matter the price in the process. Filled with chock-a-block jukebox memories and archival footage hearkening back to nostalgic glee and timeless tunes. A must see for any fan of music in any shape or form. Fantastic!