I do like a documentary. I also like music. So you can imagine how much I enjoy a music documentary. Obviously I don’t like every type of music but I do have quite catholic tastes. One documentary that I particularly liked was 2008’s The Wrecking Crew! which, due to arguments over the music rights, wasn’t released until 2015. The Wrecking Crew of the title were a group of session musicians who had sat in on most of the Top 40 hits recorded in the USA during the sixties and seventies. They were, pretty much, unknown and often were hidden behind another group’s names; they recorded tracks claimed by The Byrds, The Monkees, and The Beach Boys.
Last week I was sent the press release for a film which seemed like The Wrecking Crew! for the next generation – Immediate Family. Once again we have a group of exceptionally talented musicians who are the first call when an artist needs someone to come into the studio and lay down a backing track in the fewest number of takes. The difference this time is that these guys got their names on the album sleeve notes. I suppose that is down to them working on album tracks whereas the Wrecking Crew were mainly working on singles. In my youth a single was usually sold in a sleeve advertising the label rather than the song or artist.
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The Creative Input Of These Session Guys…
I remember my teenage years when I graduated from buying singles to buying albums. The course of the afternoon would be unchanged; get on bus, go into town, buy records, get back on bus, and go home. The big game changer for me was the fact that album sleeves tended to have loads of things to read! It might be a biographical piece about the artist or it could be quasi-philosophical ramblings about the music. Lyrics were good. At least it prevented those mondegreens like “Excuse me while I kiss this guy” courtesy of Jimi Hendrix’s song Purple Haze or “The girl with colitis goes by” thanks to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds by The Beatles.
What were always interesting were the lists of featured artists. With a recording by a group you knew who the members of the band were and what they contributed to the recording; the singer sang, the guitarists played various guitars, the drummer hit or shook things, and often they’d all be credited with “Backing Vocals”. Occasionally though there’d be total strangers brought in to provide some brass blowing or harp plucking. The big difference would be in the case of solo artists. They’d usually be credited as the singer and whatever their instrument of choice was. That usually meant there was a lot of filling in to be done, which is where we meet the cast of Immediate Family.
…Can Not Be Overstated
When you think of “supergroups” you tend to think of acts like Cream, The Travelling Wilburys, or Blind Faith drawing in the talents of Eric Clapton, Jeff Lynne, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood, et al. However, unless you are a sleeve note connoisseur, it’s highly unlikely that you’d think of the names Danny Kortchmar, Waddy Wachtel, Leland Sklar, and Russ Kunkel. And that would be a real shame as they are incredibly talented musicians. They have performed with loads of the biggest names in music; Phil Collins, Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards, Lyle Lovett, and Linda Ronstadt most of whom testify to the immense talent and influence of this group.
I mentioned earlier that I really enjoyed The Wrecking Crew!. One of the things that really caught my eye was when I read the press handout was that the director was Denny Tedesco who had also directed The Wrecking Crew!. For me it was a no brainer…I had to see Immediate Family! And I was not disappointed. Immediate Family had the same blend of talking heads, archive footage, and, perhaps most importantly, fantastic music. Immediate Family is a hundred minutes of pure enjoyment. It is entertaining, informative, and brimming with nostalgia. Immediate Family is available on digital from 03/03/2025 courtesy of Miracle Media.
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