Wrecking Now

THE WRECKING CREW (A-minus) - Much like "20 Feet From Stardom," this look back at studio musicians in the 1960s is a delight, beyond just the sheer joy of the music.

Unsung heroes get their due, thanks to Denny Tedesco, the son of legendary session guitarist Tommy Tedesco, who died in the '90s. Denny pulls together interviews from the last 20 years, including those featuring his dad -- such as a roundtable with other L.A. studio hands known as the Wrecking Crew. The film resurrects Dick Clark and other participants of the Wrecking Crew who died before the film's release this year.

These men (and one woman) are behind many of the mega-hits of the era -- sitting in for the Beach Boys, the Byrds, the Association ("Windy") and the Monkees. They backed Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Simon & Garfunkel, Sonny & Cher, the Mamas & the Papas, the 5th Dimension, Herb Alpert, Henry Mancini, Carole King -- and on and on. Tommy Tedesco's guitar is familiar from TV themes, including "Bonanza," "Batman" and "MASH."

The son avoids creating a sappy valentine to his father (though we could have used one or two fewer home-movie clips) and instead celebrates the hugely talented folks who never got their names in the album liner notes. Archival footage and photos re-create a giddy era of pure pop music. Cher joins a cavalcade of reverential talking heads, including the two most famous Wrecking Crew alums, Glen Campbell and Leon Russell. Songwriter Jimmy Webb hangs around, too.

The members are mostly dismissive of those who say they never got the glory they deserved. But a little bitterness does poke through. One musician laments the record companies' practice of following up a perfectly crafted pop song by rounding up "a bunch of white kids out of high school" to tour behind it.

The film is not just about the songs but about the process. Like the recent feature "Love & Mercy," Tedesco's documentary revels in the technical wonk of record production. The musicians re-create iconic riffs: the opening bass line to "Let the Sunshine In," the saxophone intro to "Pink Panther Theme," the upright bass intro to "These Boots Are Made for Walking," and the opening drum beats to "A Little Less Conversation." Carol Kaye (the token woman) walks us through the bass line she created to kick off "The Beat Goes On."

It all ended pretty quickly, with the onset of the singer-songwriter era. But that beat goes on and on.

A POEM IS A NAKED PERSON (B-minus) - One member of the wrecking crew who broke through as a solo performer (along with Glen Campbell) was Leon Russell. Created by the legendary Les Blank, this is a 1974 film that is only now getting a full release.

In the style of the Maysles brothers, Blank's camera is mostly a blank stare, unremarkably recording events as they unfold. He captures the sights and sounds of Oklahoma (Russell was born in Tulsa) and the life of touring in the early '70s. Russell -- at this point quite hirsute but not yet hiding behind sunglasses -- is a curious character, but he's not the most compelling subject for a film. Blank lets his camera wander to random locals and studio rats to fill in the gaps. It's not a wrecking crew so much as a motley one.

Believing this to be his big breakthrough, Blank waxes artistic. He is rather obsessed with rivers and streams. He captures an incredible sunset rippling on water, accompanied by Russell's version of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry."

It's moments like that -- along with a few stirring live performances by Russell -- which make "Poem" worth a 90-minute trip to a much simpler time.

BONUS TRACKS
The trailer to "The Wrecking Crew":



Best cover song ever? Willie Nelson with Leon Russell's "Song for You":




Willie and Leon from their under-appreciated 1979 album, this bluesy number:



And one for the road: