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

Interesting book about 60's studio musicians, The Wrecking Crew, in LA making hits for many groups. Had a chance to take Bass lessons from Carol Kaye, what a great and talented lady! Glad all these studio musicians are finally getting some credit for all the hits they created and the music that touched so many people's lives.

Very interesting read for a musician. The music business today is nothing like it was during the 60's & 70's. Some of that may be good but the level of studio musicianship is definitely not the same.

Maybe this is only for a musician to enjoy, because I sure enjoyed it. But if you're a fan of 60's rock, and hit records, then this will certainly be a revelation. It's the TRUE story behind the biggest hits of the 60's and 70's. Not how the songs were written, but how they were recorded. And how this small group of talented musicians made hit after hit for everyone from Frank Sinatra to Sonny and Cher to The Beach Boys to The Carpenters and the 5th Dimension. Even Glenn Campbell. No...not that they played fro Glenn Campbell...but that he was ONE of them. Yes, Glenn is one of the guitars you hear on the Beach Boys middle 60's hits, before he became a star himself. And before he was convicted of murder...Phil Spector and his Wall-Of-Sound which made him the top producer of the 60's, came from, you guessed it, The Wrecking Crew. This is like going behind the curtain of the Wizard of OZ, and seeing how the magic was made. Worth the read. Only thing missing? They should have included a CD with the songs the book talks about.

Bought this for my brother, the musician in the family, and he loved it....really told him alot about the behind the scenes of some really great bands of that era. He collects books of bands and musician biographies and he's really glad to include this one.

Fantastic book about how recordings are really made. The credited group is almost immaterial. Yes their vocals are used but not their musical abilities. Read about the real pro musicians and how they wrk together to create a hit.

Loved reading about the musicians who played on all these records I heard growing up. I knew most of the music was played by session musicians and here are the details. Don't really like the style/format of the hook, but that's a minor, personal quibble.

Very entertaining and enlightening story of the unknown impact on the recording industry of these musicians, producers and others. Recommended reading for baby boomers who grew up with the music of the 60's era

This book tells the stories behind the California music scene of the late fifties and early sixties. Well researched and written, Mr. Hartman does a good job of telling the secrets behind the studio musicians that made the "stars" famous.

A great collection of anecdotes, going a good way to help chronicle the greatest era in popular music. The only thing keeping it from 5 stars is the hastily wrapped ending. A coda, with perhaps a "where are they now?" would have made this book perfect.

The back story of The Wrecking Crew is amazing! My husband learned about them from a documentary no doubt still available on one of the many cable channels.

All the bands they played with and for are astounding. Many of the bands back in the day (and now, no doubt) can't play their own instruments, so this superbly talented bunch of studio musicians played on the records. They even played on Frank Sinatra tunes. From the great Leon Russell to Glen Campbell all took their turns lending their chops to so many songs. The Wrecking Crew is deservedly in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Monkees, The Beach Boys only sang and never did play their instruments, The Byrds (while they were still learning), The Association and so many more. Def a must read for anyone interested in the truth behind many, many bands. My best friend's brother played violin on many tracks but unfortunately he's not mentioned in here.There were so many players over the years (at least 40) that it would have been impossible to mention them all. I highly recommended this book to anyone interested in1960s music history.

The back story of The Wrecking Crew is amazing! My husband learned about them from a documentary no doubt still available on one of the many cable channels.

All the bands they played with and for are astounding. Many of the bands back in the day (and now, no doubt) can't play their own instruments, so this superbly talented bunch of studio musicians played on the records. They even played on Frank Sinatra tunes. From the great Leon Russell to Glen Campbell all took their turns lending their chops to so many songs. The Wrecking Crew is deservedly in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Monkees, The Beach Boys only sang and never did play their instruments, The Byrds (while they were still learning), The Association and so many more. Def a must read for anyone interested in the truth behind many, many bands. My best friend's brother played violin on many tracks but unfortunately he's not mentioned in here.There were so many players over the years (at least 40) that it would have been impossible to mention them all. I highly recommended this book to anyone interested in1960s music history.

A very fascinating look at the early days of rock and roll and the musicians who played on virtually everything you heard on the radio. I thought I knew a lot about music, but I learned a lot. If you ever wondered how groups like the Beach Boys or Grass Roots seemingly churned out hit song after hit song, here's where you'll find the answer.

I definitely enjoyed reading the real story of all the songs which formed the soundtrack of my wildly misspent youth! The narrative is a bit disconnected, but none the less engaging for that. A good read for the boomer generation.

I already knew some of this story due to associated rock history readings but this book fills in all the blanks. Well written, good storytelling about the individual musicians' backgrounds and how it all came together to create a group of the most frequently recorded people on the planet.

Anyone who loves the music of the sixties will love this book. The big surprise is that much of the music you heard in the sixties wasn't performed by the band that took credit for it: a small, highly talented group of well-paid session musicians known as "the wrecking crew" did most of the studio work. It's about time that they got credit for it. The book is well written but episodic. After a great beginning, it follows a formula of, "this is how this song was created and then this is how the next hit was created, etc., etc.." Also, I questioned some of the historical details because I've heard some of these stories elsewhere and they were told differently from the way this book relates them. The author may have used some artistic license here and there. I'm still giving it four stars because I enjoyed it.

For anyone listening to music evolve through the 60s, this book is a must read! That era defined so much that still stands strong today. As we've evolved into the digital realm, many artists are now paying big bucks to record using the analog techniques pioneered by the musicians and producers in this book.

I would like to say hard to put down, but it wasn't. You HAVE to put it down because for nearly every song described I needed to switch over to Rhapsody and have a listen to the music.

Surprises around every corner in this look at, for me, the Golden age of rock and roll music!

The secrets revealed. The magic behind the music, both brilliant and madness comes to life in this wonderful revelation about music's best kept secret. No amount of kudos or heartfelt love can equel the amount of joy they brought to millions of listeners.....

Nice book about the lives of studio musicians. Many of the anecdotes related in the book have been available for years, so for those looking for something new--it's not here. Still, if you love the music of the era, it's a fun read. Hartman has an annoying (to me anyway) way of starting on a subject and flashing "back and forth" between one musician to another. Besides that-it is really a good primer on the system that has been in place since the birth of the recording studio. Hartman does touch on the fact, over and over, that few musical artists actually played on their own records and that the arrangement and engineering is vital to making a hit record. It is more so today, with Pro tool and auto-tune and singers like Brittany and Taylor who actually couldn't carry a tune live if they had to.

Having bought "The Making of Pet Sounds" and other Beach Boy collections over the last 20 years I was already acquainted with The Wrecking Crew and knew most of the musicians from the 60's version of The Crew. Wonderful memories flood back with details from Phil Spector's sessions, Brian Wilson sessions, Frank Sinatra and even Grass Roots and Turtle recording sessions. Good stuff!

I absolutely loved this book! As a musician myself, learning the history of how some of the biggest musical hits of all time came to be, as well as the amazing artists behind those hits, was intriguing. Fascinating!!