If you have ever heard "Happy Together" by the Turtles, The Byrds "Mr. Tambourine Man", "Day Dream Believer" song by the Monkees, or "Close to You" by the Carpenters, you have heard the group of studio musicians called "The Wrecking Crew." They were regular contributors to hit songs in Los Angeles from about 1958 to 1965. The composition of the Crew varied, but if you lived in Los Angeles and needed bass, drums, guitar, horns or other instruments for your recording, you called on the in The Wrecking Crew.

According to the film, the musicians got the name "Wrecking Crew" from jazz musicians who felt they were "wrecking" music with their rock and pop stylings. Whatever they case, this group of musicians were called if you wanted to record a hit song.

The film features interviews with the players, old footage of them performing together and interviews with musical luminaries such as Cher and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. Wilson used The Crew for most of the backing tracks on the seminal album, "Pet Sounds." The crew could read musical scales, take direction, and write parts for the songs if needed. They were flexible and served the client first even if they talked about them behind their back after the session and on camera during the film. And as the film implies, the Crew was responsible for more than one song becoming a hit.

The footage and interviews in the film proves how important these musicians were to popular music of the late 50s and early 60s. In the 60s, bands such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Doors, and so forth, left the Wrecking Crew with fewer jobs, for they had the talent to play their own instruments. Some of the musicians from the Crew, notably father of the director, guitarist Tommy Tedesco, got jobs playing for film soundtracks other records after the studio jobs dried up. Other members went on to record their own records, some even becoming big stars on their own such as Leon Russell and Glen Campbell. Yes, those stars were part of the Crew.

The film shares a unique time of music and a unique set of musicians with us. Watching the film gives us a view of the inner workings of one of the greatest groups of studio musicians in the history of popular music. And it entertains us all the way.

The set and filming is nothing scream and shout about, but the music leaves us with Good Vibrations.

Rating: Pay Full Price.

People who play or like music will enjoy by this film.

Peace, Tex Shelters

Even if you didn't grow up with the music, you're bound to recognize nearly all of it. And the film is done well enough that you should enjoy it even if the subject matter doesn't fascinate you right off the bat.

I first saw this film as a preview in Alameda when the director was showing it in private screenings to raise the money to pay the royalties. There are a lot of very famous, well-known songs and he was determined to see everyone got paid. After all, it's about a group of studio musicians who worked for a living.

Just saw it again, and it wears extremely well. It's a documentary, and there's naturally there's some nostalgia, but mostly it's a celebration that mirrors the light-hearted spirit of one of the main subjects, the director's father, Tommy Tedesco.

Like I said up front, if you grew up in the 60's or are a musician, it's a must see. For me it's a 9, but I lowered the rating a point as I realize not everyone is going to be as fascinated by the subject matter as I am.

Denny Tedesco directed this documentary about a group of session musicians in the center of popular music during the 60's collectively known as The Wrecking Crew. One of the stuffy old timers proclaimed that these new young players would wreck the music industry. Unlike the old timers who sometimes look down on rock and roll, these kids love the new music and often collaborated with the artists. The exact number of musicians vary and nobody really agrees on its members. One of them is Tedesco's father Tommy. They were there at the dawn of rock and roll, playing for Brian Wilson among many others, and are the ultimate unknown contributors to everybody's soundtracks of their lives including TV themes and commercial jiggles.

The accolades are well deserved. They are late in coming but better late than never. It's amazing how much of the sound of the day were created by these musicians. They not only played off the sheets. They also riff new sounds not on the sheets. The stories in the film are mostly divided into the personal and the musical. The personal stories of each musician are not necessarily the most dramatic. Essentially, they barely had a personal life. Their families rarely saw them. They were so sought after that artists waited for them before booking studio time. They worked non-stop. Glen Campbell seems to be the only one who made it big. The music stories are fascinating for nostalgic purposes and that most people never considered their favorite bands not playing their own music. There is a Milli Vanilli naivety to music listening and by the 70s, the newer bands have the musical rigor to their performances. Nevertheless, I was still surprised at how much they contributed to the recordings. The nostalgia factor works best if one grew up on these songs. My time was a couple of decades after this and this movie is mostly academic for me. This would make for a great musical film if one could get the licenses for the songs.