Description
This deluxe 4-CD box set presents part of the story of “The Wrecking Crew,” the house band for many American West Coast pop/rock hits in the mid-60s. This is the first time this grouping of songs has appeared together. Each song was chosen because of a connection to the Wrecking Crew session musicians. The credits of the musicians listed were compiled from contracts provided by the American Federation of Musicians.
Drummer Hal Blaine popularized the name “Wrecking Crew” in his 1990 memoir, attributing it to older musicians who felt that the group’s embrace of rock and roll was going to “wreck” the music industry. Some of Blaine’s colleagues corroborated his account, while guitarist/bassist Carol Kaye contended that they were called “the Clique.” Another unofficial name was “the First Call Gang”, sometimes used in the 1950s for an early version of the group headed by bassist Ray Pohlman which featured some of the same musicians. The unit coalesced in the early 1960s as the de facto house band for Phil Spector and helped realize his Wall of Sound production style. They subsequently became the most requested session musicians in Los Angeles.
Track Listing
Disc 1:
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- (Ronettes) – Be My Baby
- (The Moments) – Walk Right In
- (Gary Lewis and The Playboys) – This Diamond Ring
- Jewel Akens – The Birds and the Bees
- (Ritchie Valens) – La Bamba
- (Shelly Fabre) – Johnny Angel
- (The Byrds) – Mr. Tambourine Man
- Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr – Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr discuss Stoned Soul Picnic
- (5th Dimension) – Stoned Soul Picnic
- (The Routers) – Let’s Go Pony
- (April and Nino) – Deep Purple
- (Ritchie Valens) – Donna
- (Chris Montez) – Let’s Dance
- (Mike Melvoin) – Mike Melvoin Drummer Joke
- Dean Torrence – Dean Torrance talks about Baby Talk
- (Jan and Dean) – Baby Talk
- (The Mamas and The Papas) – Monday Monday
- (The Teddy Bears) – To Know Him Is To Love Him
- (The Sandpipers) – Guantamera
Disc 2:
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- (The Beach Boys) – Good Vibrations
- (The Mamas and The Papas) – California Dreamin’
- (Tommy Roe) – Dizzy
- Barry McGuire – Barry McGuire talks about Eve of Destruction
- (Barry McGuire) – Eve of Destruction
- (The Association) – Windy
- (5th Dimension) – Up Up and Away
- (Herb Alpert) – This Guy’s In Love With You
- (Harry Nilsson) – Everybody’s Talkin’
- (Miss Toni Fisher) – The Big Hurt
- (The Monkees) – Mary Mary
- (Sonny and Cher) – The Beat Goes On
- (Jack Nitzsche) – Baja
- (The Shacklefords) – California Sunshine Girl
- (Michael Nesmith) – Flying Telecaster
- (Michael Nesmith) – You Told Me
- (Suzi Jane Hokom) – Little War
Disc 3:
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- (Glen Campbell) – Witchita Lineman
- (The Grass Roots) – Midnight Confessions
- (The Beach Boys) – God Only Knows
- (Wayne Newton) – Danke Shoen
- Louie Shelton – Louie Shelton takes about Valleri
- (The Monkees) – Valleri
- (Sam Cooke) – Another Saturday Night
- (The Marketts) – Out of Limits
- (Ann-Margret and Lee Hazlewood) – Sleep in the Grass
- (Paul Revere and the Raiders) – Indian Reservation
- Mike Melvoin – Mike Melvoin Saxophone Player Joke
- (Cher) – Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves
- (Seals and Crofts) – Summer Breeze
- (Jack Nitzsche) – The Lonely Surfer
- Hal Blaine – Hal Blaine 3 Piece Suit Joke
- (The Tijuana Brass) – Whipped Cream
- (The Mamas and The Papas) – Dedicated to the One I Love
- (Ray Charles) – Bein’ Green
- (Bobby Sherman) – Julie Do Ya Love Me
- (Lee Hazlewood) – Forget Marie
Disc 4:
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- (Hal Blaine) – The Beat Goes On
- (Al Casey) – Surfin’ Hootenanny
- (Billy Strange) – James Bond Theme
- (Tommy Tedesco) – Walking and Talking
- (Al Delory) – Floreando
- (Don Randi and John DePatie) – DePatie Melt
- (Buddy Collette) – Safari West
- (Hal Blaine) – Deep Drum
- (Mike Deasy) – Lost In The Shuffle
- (Frank Capp) – Cute
- (Dennis Budimir) – Concierto De Aranjuez
- (Emil Richards) – Ciao Bella
- (Michel Rubini) – Blues Cha Cha
- (Lyle Ritz) – Beginner’s Luck
- (Chuck Berghofer) – Afternoon In Paris
- (Barney Kessel) – Begin the Blues
- (Tommy Tedesco) – Room 2000
- (Plas Johnson) – Grease Patrol
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