C&L's Late Nite Music Club with The Beach Boys...er, The Wrecking Crew
By Nicole Belle Sunday Aug 10, 2008 10:00pm(guest blogged by AndyK)
Let's Go Away For Awhile from Pet Sounds
Long before Thomas Frank got the inspiration to write his latest book, The Wrecking Crew, there was a group of studio musicians known by that name. Many of you are probably thinking, "Never heard of 'em." But let me assure you, you've heard The Wrecking Crew, and you've probably heard more times than you can count!
In the '60's, while the faces on the album covers were on the road, these guys (and one gal) recorded the music that ended up on your (or your parents'- and even your grandparents') record players. Members of The Wrecking Crew provided the instrumental music for recordings by The Beach Boys, The Byrds and Simon and Garfunkel, as well as Bing Crosby, Herb Alpert, The Carpenters and Elvis, just to name a few. They recorded scores for films and television shows. They recorded advertising jingles, too.
You probably recognize three of The Wrecking Crew members from their solo careers: Glenn Campbell, Leon Russell and Dr. John (Max Rebennack). You might not know the names of drummer Hal Blaine, who appeared on 39 #1 singles between 1961 and 1976, or guitarist Tommy Tedesco, once pegged by Guitar Player magazine as the most recorded guitarist in history.
You might be wondering why I linked this Beach Boys instrumental. Here's why: There are 12 musicians on this recording. None of them are Beach Boys, and only one isn't a member of The Wrecking Crew.
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Forgive me, but there were actually 26 musicians- I failed to account for the string and woodwind players who were overdubbed in on this recording. I am hanging my head in shame right now.
:D
Nice choice AndyK Jongll. Nice bit of musical history there.
Don't hang your head in shame bud.:)
Most people have never even heard of this tune. Let alone the whole album.
One of the reasons Pet Sounds remains an enigma to me. Never quite got over the fact that it wasn't really a band album but rather Brian Wilson's music performed by studio musicians with some vocals by various Beach Boys. Sgt Pepper and Tommy were a band in their purest form and I could identify with the band a lot easier through their music.
cool info
thanx
Classic footage. Don't Worry Baby. The Beach Boys.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QCZ_bv9aLc&feature=related
Oddly enough, surfers didn't really take to these guys. They were more into the blues.
And then Hendrix showed up, and everything went crazy.
Dick Dale, Nitro.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xymVxcLQVT8&feature=related
hasta, mi amigo
Chuck_U@3
Funny thing is that other than the vocals, the Beach Boys- outside of Brian- rarely played the instruments on the recordings.
(Okay, I'm too tired to correct that. Please use yer noggins to figure out what I meant there. I'm really tired right now!)
Sometimes though, Chuck, I'm more interested in the songwriting and arrangements rather than the musicianship- or at least who it is that's playing. Prt Sounds, other than Sloop John B- which Capitol Records forced Brian to include on the album- is basically Brian's diary, set to Brian's songwriting, and Brian's arrangement of the instrumentation. So it's not really a Beach Boys album. The vocalists are just tools, as are the instrumentalists.
carol kaye is one of the greatest bass players to ever live
she is still around and putting out licks that make guys a third of her age jealous
here is the irony of the wrecking crew
when the monkees came out, they were pillaried for not playing on their own records, and only recording vocal tracks
what no one knew was that no one played on their own records...it was the crew that everyone listened to
oh, and in honor of the total fuck up this world has become...i would like to post another classic of the era
Deteriorata
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1NAwlepnSs
give up
Guest blogger eh? Well merited by your previous postings. This has long been one of my favorite LPs but oddly enough I always thought this track to be a bit overly sweetened.
You didn't mention Carol Kaye, but in passing. All those classic bass lines. Like think of the beginning of "Good Vibrations." She was a jazz guitarist by trade.
Interesting too that another famous loose-knit session group spun off the Wrecking crew and that was the Leon Russell's Shelter people. Russell pulled them together for the Mad Dogs to back Joe Cocker, they became a mainstay for Shelter Records a dominant label of the early seventies. They were so good and so well respected that many(myself included) would be wary of albums without at least one of them on it.
goldenjoe@4
Yer welcome!
Funny how the idea for this one came up: Last week, at the AV club, on a blog about NewsRadio, there was a discussion about Glen Campbell's Wichita Lineman. I happened to bring up that Campbell was an extraordinary session player and a member of The Wrecking Crew. Then C&L started blogging about Frank's book, The Wrecking Crew. It was just too weird a circumstance to pass up!
Glenn Campbell
Wichita Lineman
btw...eff nbc...watch the mens team finals now....here
http://www.tvchannelsfree.com/watch/5497/Beijing-2008-Olympics-ch2.html
the americans are wowing the crowd
Jim@10
Yeah, Kaye is an outstanding bassist. I left her out of the conversation for the sake of brevity. She's on this:
Mission Impossible Theme
It's amazing that "good vibrations" almost got into this album. Brian decided to save it for the ill-fated "Smile". Now this album is usually considered second to "Pepper" or "Revolver". I personally think it's superior, even without good vibes...
Yes, Kaye is a serious omission!
Peter_G@9
There were so many choices out there, but since I wanted to focus on the musicians I thought this one best fit the bill!
But I could've gone this way:
Nancy Sinatra
These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
(and I think this one's been featured before)
This is all good. The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson were so much more than surf-pop and car-girl-car songs. I can't believe Pet Sounds is 42 years old!
bobsf@15
I don't think Brian ever intended Good Vibrations to appear on anything other than the (long-abandoned) SMiLE album- itself a concept album. Have you heard the complete version of that album that Brian released a few years back? There's a great story behind it, too!
Brian Wilson
Good Vibrations
hey...i mentioned kaye
...also did "The Partridge Family" music.
The cat's meow. The bee's knees. I REALLY like the background information. More please.
Moral_Compass@17
Well, they definitely were at the beginning. It all changed when JFK was assassinated. That event caused Brian to write this:
The Beach Boys
The Warmth Of The Sun
abarts@20
They were on everything!
The Mamas and the Papas
Monday, Monday
Dr. John's given name is Mac, not Max. Honestly, it's kind of a drag that these studio pros played on so many albums by so many important bands. What would it have done for popular music if people realized you didn't have to be a flawless player to make great music?
Andy K Jong Il @ 18:
I wasn't claiming anything about Brian's intention for Good Vibes. My source for evidence that the Boys were thinking about including it is Al Jardine's comment in
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Sounds
Also, see
http://petsounds40.blogspot.com/
Uncle_Joe@19
So you did! Sorry! I'm kinda tired. Grandma died on Friday (no sympathy, please- she was 95, raised 16 kids, 63 grandkids and 103 great-grandkids....the only regret is that she never drew a 29 in a lifetime of cribbage), so I've been kinda busy. Actually, I'm checkin' out now. See ya 'round the 'tubes...GNA!
Booker T & The MG's
(the house band for Stax/Volt...but we'll save that for another night!)
Time Is Tight
Might I suggest this use of The Beach Boys.
NoOneYouKnow@24
I stand corrected! Thank you!
Dr. John
Right Place, Wrong Time
Check this home site for the doc made by Tommy Tedescos son called The Wrecking Crew. You'll notice Carol is playing a guitar in the main picture there. She was actually a pro guitarist and did sessions on guitar with Sam Cooke, Chet Baker, Cannonball Adderley, and so on before she ended up on base one day.....this from her site:
"In 1963 when a Fender bassist didn't show up for a record date at Capitol Records, she picked up the Fender bass (as it was called then) and augmented her busy schedule playing bass and grew quickly to be the no. 1 call with record companies, movie & TV film people, commericals (ads), and industrial films."
Some of the hit songs she played guitar on include (this is also from the site - well worth a visit), Surfing USA (rhythm guitar), La Bamba by Richie Havens and the 12 string guitar parts on Frank Zappa's first 2 albums!
All in all a truely remarkable woman who is still going - wow!
right - forgot to tag the site:
http://www.wreckingcrew.tv/index2.html
g - night
NoOneYouKnow@24
I don't think that you're going in the wrong direction here, but I think there's room in the artistic world for both arranged, polished recordings and improv. For example:
This
and This.
Same song, two completely different approaches. You may prefer one over the other, but it's awfully tough to make a case that either is artistically lacking.
Okay, I'm out now. See you folks around the site. :D
Andy, I'm a little late to the party tonight. Outstanding music and interesting background info, too. Cheers !
According to Hal Blaine, the Wrecking Crew got its name from older studio musicians who swore these kids were going to "wreck the business" with their crazy rock and roll.
I keep seeing Glen Campbell's name here with two N's; there is only one.
A lot of the Wrecking Crew crew -- including Campbell -- were also the musicians on a lot of the Monkees records, especially the earliest ones.
Can't think of the author but there was a book titled "Wrecking Crew" or at least a short story before this guy Thomas Frank you mention. An anthology perhaps of various authors? Although I can't quickly find anything to back this assertion up on the net I stand by the assertion.
Opps I take it all back! It was a Matt Helm novel. I knew I'd heard the name before!
Of course, Glen Campbell did eventually become one of the Beach Boys.
Don't forget the late, great Chuck Day. He improvised the opening riffs for "Secret Agent Man" and played second guitar on a lot of the Mamas and the Papas best hits. Also the father of Cass's child.
Somewhere in my top 10 most overrated albums of all time.
Save your rotten tomatoes and or fist sized stones. I'll dodge them all!!
Andy K Jong Il @ 31:
amazing that John Coltrane piece, worth listening to more.
SoM songs shorter and made for set piece scenes for the movie, still good.
Julius Wechter on tympani and vibes:
He was in the Martin Denny "Quiet Village" exotica group, and later led the Baja Marimba Band. Vibraphone was really big back then, even in Nashville, played by Charlie McCoy, the ultimate studio utility man.
Two baritone saxes? A bit over the top, I'd say.
Studio time is expensive. You don't waste it waiting for amateur musicians to get their act together.
Yes, the wrecking crew. Yes, Carole Kaye. Now look up the Funk Brothers and James Jamerson.
Thanks, big Wrecking Crew fan and Pets sounds fan. The lady bass player (name escapes me atm) is the stuff . . . bass line from Good Vibrations for example . . . Immortal stuff . . .
Randall Cryer @ 37, don't ask me why but that makes me think it's past time for the C&L Late Night Music Club to do a Dick Dale tune.
Andy K Jong Il @ 26:
its cool
i saw a mini doc on her a few years back, and fell in love
what she can do on a bass and a guitar is totally astounding
BeeSting @ 38:
funny, cuz pet sounds was the album that pushed the beatles to make sgt peppers...and paul still says that god only knows is the greatest pop song ever recorded
when i first heard pet sounds in its entirety, i was underwhelmed
but then i listened to it again and again...taking into context when it was released
to me, it along with forever changes by love, may be the most important albums of the time
and you really have to read wilson's original lyrics sheet to understand why...as he perfectly described teenaged angst and elevates surf music to a new level
and mike love remains the anti-christ
Uncle_Joe@45
While growing up, I knew Pet Sounds only by its 3 hit singles. I was born in '65, so I didn't buy the album when it was released, and my parents weren't Beach Boy fans, so I never knew the album...Then, one morning in about 1985, a local dj named Steve Aldrich played it in its entirety on WLAV. I was hooked immediately!
I disagree with your appraisal of Love. IMO, he's the devil hisself!
Mike_Aimer@41
Yeah, the Funk Brothers were great, too. Another reference I edited out for brevity- like Booker T & the MG's.
But what differentiates The Wrecking Crew from The Funk Brothers, is that the latter group played exclusively for one label (and that label, Motown, had a pretty distinct sound), while The Wrecking Crew recordings were on many different labels and in many different styles.
Not that The Funk Brothers weren't capable of doing the same, mind you, but, musically, Detroit was a one company town.
My father had this on vinyl and it was one of the first albums I stole from him. The second ablum I took was Sgt Pepper. Pet Sounds is truly one of the greatest albums ever produced. Smile is a great album also to bad his vocals are not as strong as they once were.
Great info. Heard this song a million times and never knew this. Thanks AndyK!
Apparently no one remembers Tommy Tedesco as the guitar player on the band on the Martin Mull hosted faux talk show "Fernwood Tonight."
He used to do a great column in Guitar Player magazine, too, called "Studio Log."
The Stax backing band (Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Donald Dunn, Al Jackson) were more influential and recorded better music.
Do you notice how it was only American acts that did this? True, for some odd reason George Martin replaced Ringo on the first couple of recordings, but he (thankfully) quickly came to his senses. Beatles, Stones, Who, they never used studio bands. There seemed to be a dichotomy between British and American early 60's pop, where one was very keen on writing and performing all the material, while the other was happy to stick to the teen idol model. But thanks to the many major changes the Invasion brought, this practice was pretty much gone by the late 60's.
I can understand the argument for polished studio pros being used. But economic and efficiency issues shouldn't be the only factors (at least for anything other than muzak). Originality should be even more important. I can't imagine that any record by the Beatles, Stones, Hendrix, Rascals, Cream, or name any from '66 on would have come out better with all studio hired guns.
Follow up thought:
If the Wrecking Crew were allowed to move beyond their hired gun role and were given creative free reign as a group, why that might have produced the greatest music ever heard!
On The Beach Boys' single "Barbara Ann", you can hear legendary Wrecking Crew drummer extraordinaire Hal Blaine providing the beat ... on a couple of overturned ash trays. Listen for Brian Wilson during the middle instrumental bridge where he shouts out "Hal and his famous ash trays!"
Just heard Glen Campbell interviewed on a local radion station here in LA and he talked a bit about the Wrecking Crew, I had never heard about them before. What really surprised me was that he cited Django Reinhardt as his biggest influence. They played a bit of Django and them a bit of Glen and sure enough you could really hear the influence.
Carol Kaye... Absolutely has got to be the one woman referenced in the thread leadin.. One of the greatest bassists noone (generally outside music) has ever heard of... It would be a lie to say I wasn't influenced to some degree by her, given my age and the times I grew up in. Anyone who was influenced to take up music by what they were hearing in the sixties owes a certain respect and acknowledgment to her and the body of work she is directly involved in. Just like that old tagline says, it is the soundtrack of our lives, and she laid down the bottom end with supreme competence.
Of course all the musicians here know about her. Still, any and all props given to Ms. Kaye are all totally deserved. I'm glad she is still around and working. Any musician could do a lot worse than to follow in her rather large footsteps. For my money, she's a giant within the bassist community.. Right up there with the Bootsie Collins's, and the Enthwistle's and the Squire's and all the rest of the great ones whose names may be more familiar to the public.................JD
The Wreaking Crew did a lot of playing on early Byrds tracks also.
There were a few studio outfits that were around in those days like the Wrecking Crew
The Stax House Band,American Studios Rhythm section (150 top 40 hits) The Funk Brothers (motown)
In NY that tradition extended beyond the years of the Wrecking Crew with bands from Rosebud Studios
With Steve Gadd,Richard Tee,Eric Gale and Ralph Macdonald who was responsible for many great records.
The Wrecking Crew were the go to guys on the west coast
Peace, jason
Tommy Tedesco's son, Danny, made a documentary of The Wrecking Crew that I saw at the Nashville Film Festival this year. It was amazing!
http://wreckingcrew.tv/
Check it out!
Carol Kaye developed the bass-line for "The Beat Goes On" for Sonny & Cher even though she played the guitar on that recording. She played guitar on Shelley Fabares hit, "Johnny Angel" and "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" for the Righteous Bros. She is an incredible musician.
There were a few other musicians that recorded with that group occasionally: David Gates, Delaney Bramlett, and Mac Davis. Incidentally, Delaney Bramlett has been hospitalized for the past month due to a botched operation. His wife Susan has requested prayers and good thoughts for him.
This is it, in Hal Blaine's own words:
Hal Blaine and the Wrecking Crew: The Story of the World's Most Recorded Musician by Hal Blaine and Mr. Bonzai (Paperback - April 1, 2003)
Buy new: $19.95 $14.96 29 Used & new from $12.05
Get it by Wednesday, Aug 13 if you order in the next 2 hours and choose one-day shipping.
3.7 out of 5 stars (7) Eligible for Amazon Prime
Books: See all 34 items
Andy K Jong Il @ 1:
Well, all of this is news to me, so don't feel bad. I love much of the work which I'm aware that the wrecking crew also provided for musicians and musical acts as diverse as Simon and Garfunkel and The Partridge Family, not to mention so many tv advertisements of the day. Superb musicianship throughout, where these guys and gals were concerned.
Weems @ 59:
The teaser is fantastic. I need to see it :D
gary @ 60:
Susan has got them from me. I prefer to think of my outsent prayers as being more of a 'positive vibes' kind of thing though.
IIRC, Blaine played the greatest drum intro in rock 'n' roll history: "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes. Bump-ba-bump POW!
The Crew also played on the 5th Dimension's hits of the late 60s/early 70s. I learned to recognize their sound from the Dimension's and the Partridges' albums. And before anyone starts knocking David Cassidy & Co., his/their first three LP's are fantastic, especially "Sound Magazine" which was the first record I ever bought on the day it came out (I cut junior high school classes to buy it). And I'm not even remotely in the "Partridge Family" demographic.
Pianist Larry Knechtel...I can hear him banging away in the background of Andy Williiams' 1978 disco version of "Love Story" (yes, there is such a record, but it's ridiculously rare).
Andy K. Jong: The Funk Brothers were under exclusive contract to Motown; however, many of them "moonlighted" at other Detroit labels. One competitor, Ed Wingate, used the Brothers so frequently, Berry Gordy ended up buying out his companies and studio just to shut him up. Find "Hungry for Love" by the so-called San Remo Golden Strings, released on Wingate's Ric-Tic label (and re-released on a Gordy LP). That is mainly the Funk Brothers, and it sounds just like 'em. Detroit was far from a "one company town" - see Seabear Studios' survey of the Detroit soul scene at http://www.seabear.se/Front.php .
Finally: Carol (no trailing "e") Kaye was indeed a magnificent musician. However, she has one flaw which kills her in my book: her claim to have played bass on many mid-60s Motown classics. Anyone who lays false claim to James Jamerson's masterworks needs a kick in the rear end! Analysis of Kaye's claims: http://rateyourmusic.com/board_message/message_id_is_1307107 .
Oh, there is a studio recording of Kaye on the "Mission: Impossible" theme. Hammond B-3 organist Jimmy Smith cut a version for his 1968 "Livin' It Up!" LP, for which Kaye was the bassist. The album can be downloaded in its entirety, for free and legally, through Spiral Frog (free membership required):
http://www.spiralfrog.com/download/album/147776/Livin'ItUp!/
--RB
Clarification: Motown did record some tunes in L.A. during that time, and it's quite likely that Kaye played on some of them: definitely The Miracles' "More Love"; "All I Need" (worst Temptations single EVER) "The Happening" by The Supremes (co-written for a Doris Day movie by Holland-Dozier-Holland and hackmeister Frank facrissakes DeVol!). Just about every Motown tune written and/or produced by Frank Wilson was cut in L.A. (Wilson inherited some of the Holland-Dozier acts.)
Kaye and Blaine also are at odds over the origin of the "Wrecking Crew" name itself; see the Rate Your Music link above for more.
I worship at there feet, you have no 60's music without them, you couldn't even reproduce what they did today, Goldstar Recording Studio on the corner of Santa Monica & Vine is a Lamacha shopping center. It was the way the tubes sounded on that day the brand of tape they used the strings on the guitars you name it ... it's now gone to the future of 1's & 0's
NO MORE WARM (Pet ) SOUNDS :( The beach is polluted.
J C B
Tim Ed Anshabby @ 52:
huh??
ever heard of Joe Meek? Jimmy Page? John Paul Jones? Nicky Hopkins? Ian Stewart? studio players all - played on HUNDREDS of brit singles / albums. The Rascals singles and albums are littered with studio players. Your first two sentences are just plain wrong. The first 3 Beatles albums were filled (or fillered) with cover tunes. There are hundreds of examples of groups on both sides who did just the opposite of what you're claiming. Yes, the fabs changed things, but they were mimicking Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent, not Bobby Vee and Pat Boone. They also weren't adverse to asking a symphony clarinet player to stop by and record a bit for when I'm 64, (amung others...) either.
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