"Winner of the Oregon Book Award for General Nonfiction and Los
Angeles Times bestseller
"It makes good music sound better."--Janet Maslin in The New York
Times
""A fascinating look into the West Coast recording studio scene of
the '60s and the inside story of the music you heard on the radio.
If you always assumed the musicians you listened to were the same
people you saw onstage, you are in for a big surprise "
--Dusty Street, host of "Classic Vinyl" on Sirius XM Satellite
Radio
If you were a fan of popular music in the 1960s and early '70s, you
were a fan of the Wrecking Crew--whether you knew it or not.
On hit record after hit record by everyone from the Byrds, the
Beach Boys, and the Monkees to the Grass Roots, the 5th Dimension,
Sonny & Cher, and Simon & Garfunkel, this collection of
West Coast studio musicians from diverse backgrounds established
themselves in Los Angeles, California as the driving sound of pop
music--sometimes over the objection of actual band members forced
to make way for Wrecking Crew members. Industry insider Kent
Hartman tells the dramatic, definitive story of the musicians who
forged a reputation throughout the business as the secret weapons
behind the top recording stars.
Mining invaluable interviews, the author follows the careers of
such session masters as drummer Hal Blaine and keyboardist Larry
Knechtel, as well as trailblazing bassist Carol Kaye--the only
female in the bunch--who went on to play in thousands of recording
sessions in this rock history. Readers will discover the Wrecking
Crew members who would forge careers in their own right, including
Glen Campbell and Leon Russell, and learn of the relationship
between the Crew and such legends as Phil Spector and Jimmy Webb.
Hartman also takes us inside the studio for the legendary sessions
that gave us "Pet Sounds, ""Bridge Over Troubled Water, " and the
rock classic "Layla," which Wrecking Crew drummer Jim Gordon
cowrote with Eric Clapton for Derek and the Dominos. And the author
recounts priceless scenes such as Mike Nesmith of the Monkees
facing off with studio head Don Kirshner, Grass Roots lead
guitarist (and future star of "The Office") Creed Bratton getting
fired from the group, and Michel Rubini unseating Frank Sinatra's
pianist for the session in which the iconic singer improvised the
hit-making ending to "Strangers in the Night."
"The Wrecking Crew" tells the collective, behind-the-scenes stories
of the artists who dominated Top 40 radio during the most exciting
time in American popular culture.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!