Hello Again Kats & Kittens, Friend & Fiend,
Social distancing is really working in Toronto, ON……Privacy?…not so much……thanks PK.
ONWARD!
SESSION PLAYAH
Picture this…a tense recording session, frayed edges all around. The“Artist” scoring a “righteous” meltdown, The “Producer” weeping in a corner, The “Engineer” stares at foam walls…the door opens, a Dude or Dudette enters, ciggie on the lips, shades on the eyes…back lit by God…nothin’ but cool… This is the Session Musician… Stabilizer, Magician, The Pro from Dover, Whiz kid with the Whiz bang! STRESS BE GONE! The Session chills out…One Kool Kat or Kitten.
Today we frolic with these pros in studio … Beginning with THE WRECKING CREW…
THEE TICKET TO RIDE for LALA recording artists in the 60s & 70s… During this time the “Producer” ran things, you play this…let’s book that trumpet player…they made the hit, they got rich. The Session players made good too, often high tailing across LALA from one session to another.
The “Artist”, a lot of times had no control, they were for the press & sizzle & public use only…that is until the likes of Messieurs CROSBY, STILLS, & NASH, took it upon themselves to self produce,“We don’t need no Dr.” We write our own tunes. We can produce our own music…
THE MONKEES shipped rock producer DON KIRSHNER to “Clarksville” after two albums with THE WRECKING CREW… they still used “The Crew” for added flavor but produced their own stuff. In a blink the Producer/Auteur was mostly gone. PHIL (wig) SPECTOR who?, JACK NITZSCHE?, exit stage right.
The list of hits is astounding! The WRECKING CREW recorded songs by nearly every major-league American pop performer, they are on more 60s hits than anyone else…BEACH BOYS, MONKEES, MAMAS & THE PAPAS, JAN & DEAN, DEAN MARTIN, GARY LEWIS & HIS PLAYBOYS, RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS, BYRDS, RONETTES, CRYSTALS, JOHNNY RIVERS, SONNY & CHER, IKE & TINA TURNER, FRANK SINATRA, NANCY SINATRA, BARRY MCGUIRE, GARY PUCKETT & HIS GAP, PAUL REVERE & HIS RAIDERS, GRASS ROOTS, SIMON & GARFUNKEL, TINY TIM(yes him), 5TH DIMENSION, GLEN CAMPBELL, HERB ALPERT & HIS BRASS, CARPENTERS, CAPTAIN & TENNILLE, THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY, NEIL DIAMOND….there’s more.
The world would not have “PET SOUNDS” without THE WRECKING CREW. Let that sink in.
Guitar captain, TOMMY TEDESCO…the magician..
Skins man HAL BLAINE, Guitar virtuoso GLEN CAMPBELL, Keys master LEON RUSSELL…moved to LALA at 16, got session work, it worked out for him.
You like TV themes? The “CREW” recorded a slew…The Twilight Zone, Green Acres, Bonanza, M*A*S*H*, Batman, Mission: Impossible & Hawaii Five-O… ”Book’em Dano…for another session.”
All-stars one & all… here’s a smidgen of the musos in the crew… Jim Gordon, Jim Keltner, Earl Palmer, Joe Porcaro, Plas Johnson, Vinnie Bell, Dennis Budimir, James Burton, Glen Campbell, Al Casey, Max Bennett, Carol Kaye, Larry Knechtel, Joe Osborn, Bill Pitman, Mac Rebennack (Dr. John), Howard Roberts, Irv Rubins, Louie Shelton, P.F. Sloan, Billy Strange, Tommy Tedesco, Al Vescovo, Al De Lory, Larry Knechtel, Mike Melvoin, Don Randi, Mike (Michel) Rubini, Leon Russell, Chuck Berghofer, Jimmy Bond, Red Callender, Lyle Ritz, Sonny Bono, Bud Brisbois, Roy Caton, Chuck Findley, Ollie Mitchell, Tony Terran.
By the by, a great docu from TOMMY TEDESCO’S son DENNY is out, titled “The Wrecking Crew”…KENT HARTMAN’s book of said “Crew”…also BILL POHLAD’S fil’em. “Love & Mercy” about BRIAN WILSON & his struggles…spends time with the Wrecking Crew……wonderful!
EARL PALMER taking a break.
“WIG” SPECTOR pre-hair pieces…Wall of Sound was created with the WRECKING CREW.
CAROL KAYE in a man’s world…”The Beat Goes On” because of Ms. KAYE’S bassline. Ms. KAYE has played on over 10,000 recordings.
“Pet Sounds” recording…BRIAN WILSON with HAL BLAINE…BRIAN couldn’t get THE BEACH BOYS to play what was in his head…THE WRECKING CREW could & did.
Pro Musos must stretch arms once in a while, right? They record their own compositions, make their own albums, heck the band is sitting right there……HAL BLAINE, PLAS JOHNSON, & BILLY STRANGE had a few…Many are in the playlist today…one might notice the non-notable names below.
End of today’s session…….time for a timeout & a ciggie…
Thanks for listening, until tomorrow.
Peace & Distance.
