The Wrecking Crew

The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best-Kept Secret

By: Kent Hartman

Narrated by: Dan John Miller

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Winner, History, 2013

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 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, who went on to play in thousands of recording sessions. Listeners 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.

©2012 Kent Hartman (P)2012 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[ The Wrecking Crew] has the...potent excitement of a collection of greatest hits. It makes good music sound better." (Janet Maslin, The New York Times)

For those who love 60’s music

Growing up I listened to 60’s and 70’s music, so it was great to hear the story about the musicians behind the music. Great narrative, easy to listen to, and most of all, great stories and memories!

Superb revelations...!!!

Grew up in. with the sounds of this music ringing in my ears every day. there was no internet there was no Google there were only the album jacket liner notes which we devoured repeatedly to learn about the performers and lyrics of the anthems we loved. WHO KNEW these Geniuses of the studios even existed...!?!? I was a drummer working in Saloon bands throughout that time and rarely heard the names of Studio musicians whom I could even recognize what instrument they played. this in-depth journalistic project enabled me a virtual seat in the studios where some of the greatest musicians brought their genius to the soundtrack of Our Lives. names that we're never publicly known are revealed with all of their Splendor and sometimes sorrow. there's far too much present for me to comment on and I will definitely listen again. these stories filled in a huge gap in my musical vocabulary. if you are a fan of music from Elvis through FM radio this presentation will be more than just entertainment. 👍👍👍👍👍

Will change the way you listen to music

I am a fan of the music from the 60's and the 70's, heck truth told there is just about no music I do not enjoy. So as to not give the "plot Away" too badly it tells the history of how the in studio music was recorded during the heyday of Rock and roll. Touches on the Beach Boys, Phil Spector and an interesting story about Glenn Campbell. it's a must read if you enjoy the ins and outs of Rock and Roll.

Loved It.

Really enjoyed this book. I listened along with my Amazon Music account so I was able to access nearly every song mentioned. This music was the sound track of my childhood and teen years. It gave this music a new demension. It opened up my ears to music I had previously just over looked. I will get Kent Hartman's next book "Goodnight L.A." as soon as it is available .

A very entertaining an eye-opening book

Who doesn't love rock and roll? As I was listening to this book I found myself frequently stopping to search YouTube to pull up each song. The book gave me a lot more insight and meaning to the songs that I have loved my entire life. I'm very happy that I chose to listen.

Great behind the scene history of rock and roll.

If you are at all interested in the LA rock/pop music of the 60s and 70s you will love this book. Phil Spector, Sonny Bono, Glen Campbell and Leon Russell are some of the stars that are covered here. The real stars of this book are the unknown (to the general public) musicians who made good songs great. A must read.

History of One of Pop's Greatest Treasures

I have already seen the documentary of The Wrecking Crew made a few years back, and I also saw "Love & Mercy" which showed a re-enactment of the Pet Sounds sessions. What was so great about this book (and in many ways, superior) is that it details how they somehow got associated with each other, the major figures who made it happen, and the insights of these movers and shakers that kept them going, simply because [name] used them. And this continued, until work dried up in the mid-1970s, when music production changed.

A fascinating glimpse in pop music history, not often told.

Audible 20 Review Sweepstakes Entry

Great info and reminds you of all the greats!

I loved the walk down memory lane and all the background info I never knew. My only suggestion would be to include a PDF with albums/songs/artists/producers. I'm going to buy the kindle version now so that I can look it all up and create my own list. Basically you have to get the print copy also if you want to make any references.... I think it would be easy to create a PDF companion for this book.

Amazing

Such an insightful book about an amazing time for music in the 60s and 70s.

Enjoyable dumb-down of fascinating era

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Despite all the gee-whiz fluff, this was a thoroughly enjoyable listen. Much was glossed over or mentioned on the fly, sorta rock and roll history for a fifth grader. But this is a vast topic that has received little attention as an integrated history. The author deserves a lot of credit for tracking how those of the Wrecking Crew created a huge body of fantastic work that they will never get credit for. My only real beef with the presentation is how he glossed over so much of the dark side that affected so many artists, such as the inexplicable freefall of Tommy Sands from superstar to invisible or Brian Wilson's years in psychotic hell. Were the individuals of the Wrecking Crew just wind-up (albeit great) musicians or did they have a personal relationship with those they made rock and roll kings? Didn't they notice the lives around them that were crashing? No personal insights were included, just antidotes.