Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2
#287603 03/12/15 02:18 AM
Off-Topic
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 5,139
90 dB Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 5,139
These guys (and Carol) wink are legends. The book was OK. This looks better. The trailer is worth watching if you're a Brian Wilson admirer.


http://www.musicrow.com/2015/03/new-documentary-to-highlight-the-wrecking-crew/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UqNvMOdhGU






Last edited by 90 dB; 03/12/15 02:19 AM.
Off-Topic
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,475
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,475
I help fund the movie with my Kickstarter contribution, and I'm going to get the DVD in June.

These people are finally getting their due as the soundtrack of a generation.

Insights and incites by Notes


Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
Off-Topic
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
looking forward to this... it plays in Winston-Salem on Mar 31

meanwhile, there are lots of trailers on youtube... maybe the whole film if you add up all the snippets

Last edited by Pat Marr; 03/13/15 03:44 AM.
Off-Topic
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,732
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,732
It's amazing how much music those guys actually did and never really got the credit they deserved.

I looked at Tommy Tedesco's sheets and saw that he played on the BatMan theme and the show..... then just by coincidence, my wife, who is the TV watcher and channel surfer in this house, just happened to flip into the BATMAN show from the 60's and we watched the show.... I was listening to the music..... and when the credits rolled..... you guessed it, no credits to the musicians who played the music.


A side bar to the Tedesco story.... One day, here in Wilson NC, I went into the place where I was getting my hair cut at the time and like so many times before, got a brand new hair stylist. She looked kind of emo.... typical stereotype Goth.... black fingernails, dark lipstick..... black clothes....

So as she starts to work on my hair, I strike up a conversation and said "So... you ain't from around these parts are you?"
Her: nope... I'm passing through and needed some money
Me: So where are you from?
Her: LA

I had noticed her license on the wall and of course her name on the license....

Me: I see your name is Tedesco ..... I'm wondering if you know anybody by the name of Tommy out there in LA?
Her: Oh yeah, that's my crazy Uncle Tommy.... he's pretty cool actually but the rest of the family thinks he's crazy...

We had a really cool conversation about LA, music, and her guitar virtuoso Uncle Tommy. By the time I returned to get my hair cut the next time.....she had moved on.

Last edited by Guitarhacker; 03/13/15 12:53 AM.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Off-Topic
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
Quote:
It's amazing how much music those guys actually did and never really got the credit they deserved.

I looked at Tommy Tedesco's sheets and saw that he played on the BatMan theme and the show..... then just by coincidence, my wife, who is the TV watcher and channel surfer in this house, just happened to flip into the BATMAN show from the 60's and we watched the show.... I was listening to the music..... and when the credits rolled..... you guessed it, no credits to the musicians who played the music.


Probably because of the way they sold their work. Musician for hire in those days was probably not much different than paying somebody by the hour to dig a ditch.

Looking back, all of these guys and gals probably kick themselves for not having a better understanding of the contractual side of the music business... but then, that's also probably why they got so much work. The people who KNEW the business side knew they were working by the hour, not asking for residuals or recognition, and they jumped at the chance to get that much skill for so little compensation.


They had some of these guys washing windows when there were no sessions going on! That tells you how they regarded them... The movie is just lip service, and that's free.

Harry Nilsson washing windows

In fact, the people who own the rights to the music in the movie will be the ones who make most of the money from this film... not the Wrecking crew. So in a way the same guys are screwing the Wrecking Crew all over again, using their story as an opportunity to make money in a spinoff kinda way..

I'd love to know what the wrecking crew musicians are making from this film... and what the owners of the song rights are making.

Last edited by Pat Marr; 03/13/15 03:54 AM. Reason: added Nilsson link
Off-Topic
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
interesting story about the hair stylist from LA, Herb!

Off-Topic
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,475
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,475
Carol Kay is quoted as saying at one time she was making more money than the President of the USA.

Hal Blaine supposedly played drums on over 30,000 songs.

A lot of bands that you thought were playing their own instruments on the record were not. They had to go home and learn the licks the "Wrecking Crew" put on the records to include them in their live shows.

In a way, we listened to some incredibly good jam sessions.

Insights and incites by Notes


Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
Off-Topic
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,734
P
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
P
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,734
realtracks pgmusic's wrecking crew


Lenovo YOGA 900 Window s 10 Home 64bit M4 pro Mac mini 1tb HD 24GB mem casio wk7500 presonus audiobox i2 usb interface
casio wk-7500
biab & realband 2025 everything pk both with Current builds
Off-Topic
E
eddie1261
Unregistered
eddie1261
Unregistered
E
Remember too Pat that a lot of those guys were also live play musicians. Hal Blaine played in Vegas for years as well as doing all that session work. John Denver and Nancy Sinatra alone kept him rolling in dough and that was in tandem with the studio money. I think in the movie he said he made $5000 a week with John Denver and that ran like 10 years. Do THAT math, and that was just one gig.

#287935 03/14/15 04:02 AM
Off-Topic
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
Originally Posted By: eddie1261
Remember too Pat that a lot of those guys were also live play musicians. Hal Blaine played in Vegas for years as well as doing all that session work. John Denver and Nancy Sinatra alone kept him rolling in dough and that was in tandem with the studio money. I think in the movie he said he made $5000 a week with John Denver and that ran like 10 years. Do THAT math, and that was just one gig.


I should qualify my statement.

I realize most of these people made good money... especially for musicians.

But there's a difference between working for an hourly wage and working for a stake in anything that can continue generating income long after you worked on it. I don't know for sure whether any of these people negotiated any kind of residuals... I'd almost bet they didn't. So even though they made good money while they worked, as soon as the hourly worker stops working, the money stops flowing.

It doesn't work that way for the people who hired them. That's the point I was trying to make.

#287936 03/14/15 04:04 AM
Off-Topic
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 5,139
90 dB Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 5,139
Originally Posted By: eddie1261
Remember too Pat that a lot of those guys were also live play musicians. Hal Blaine played in Vegas for years as well as doing all that session work. John Denver and Nancy Sinatra alone kept him rolling in dough and that was in tandem with the studio money. I think in the movie he said he made $5000 a week with John Denver and that ran like 10 years. Do THAT math, and that was just one gig.




And John Denver toured a LOT.


http://www.johndenverclub.com/JOHN_DENVER_SPAIN_ENG/Concerts..html





Off-Topic
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
Originally Posted By: pghboemike
realtracks pgmusic's wrecking crew


exactly! The same bunch of studio musicians playing on everybody's recordings!
LOL! What a great observation!


Muscle Shoals had the Swampers...
LA had the Wrecking Crew...
and everybody else has the RTA (Real Tracks Artists)

Off-Topic
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,086
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,086
Thanks for the head ups Bob. Looking forward to seeing it.

"Beach Boy" pick. LOL!


Josie

Off-Topic
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,079
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,079
Quote:
Originally Posted By: pghboemike
realtracks pgmusic's wrecking crew


exactly! The same bunch of studio musicians playing on everybody's recordings!
LOL! What a great observation!


Absolutely brilliant pghboemike.


fascinating article/video, what a bunch of talented musicians

Alyn

Off-Topic
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,475
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,475
Since the beginning and for most of time, musicians have made money by playing music. Profits from recordings were a blink of the eye in the history of musicians and most musicians on records never got residuals.

When we were being courted by Motown, our lawyers and manager figured out how much we would make at Motown's final offer of 2 cents per record. By the time we paid Motown's inflated recording costs, inflated promotional costs, and inflated distribution costs, we would have to sell at least a million records to break even. (The costs were to come out of our royalties.) And in the late 1960s a million record sales was not common.

Motown wanted songwriter and publisher rights for themselves. They said they might give us partial songwriting credits if they felt our contribution was big enough (in other words, dream on).

That's why so many one-hit or few hit wonders ended up playing in bars again.

Now if the record did the equivalent of today's term 'going viral', and you sold a few million on your first release, you could negotiate a better deal for the next one. If not, the second one would be paid for you in advance and it would not get promoted. At least that was what the manager and lawyers relayed to us.

So the Studio musicians at the Wrecking Crew, Muscle Shoals, Stax and other magic places were probably making more money than most of the stars they were recording the background music for.

Insights and incites by Notes


Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
Off-Topic
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913
R
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
R
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913
Speaking of John Denver: My next door neighbor makes nearly a living as the flautist for a John Denver tribute band that does pretty well for themselves. They play with many tier 1 and 2 symphony orchestras.

Notes, thanks for funding the Kickstarter!

-Scott

Off-Topic
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,475
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,475
It was selfish Scott. I wanted to see the movie, and the way those things go around here, it may not make it to my local theater.

And if it does, (a) it will be too cold in there (b) they will have pumped up the volume to ear damaging levels and (c) there will be a number of rude people in the audience who don't respect the fact that some people come to watch the movie and not have a party.

Plus I'll have the DVD to play whenever I want.

I've admired Carol's bass playing for years. Usually simple, to the point, and just right for the song. She hides her technique so you hear a solid bass line, not a show-off. Visiting The Wrecking Crew website, I heard her play 6 string guitar, and found she is quite an accomplished guitarist as well.

I've learned so many parts that these people created while playing sax, bass, keys, guitar and flute in cover bands, that I feel that these folks were some of my teachers.

I'm looking forward to finally seeing the movie.

Insights and incites by Notes


Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
Off-Topic
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Session players are simply contract labor just like gazillions of other types of contract labor. If somebody is a physics major and contracts for 18 months with a tech company to help develop a warp drive or whatever, anything he discovers or invents while working with them belongs to that company and people sign contracts to that effect upfront. Musicians aren't the only ones who can be very creative and royalties from inventions are just as large if not larger than royalties from hit records.

I know we all like to think musicians get continually screwed (we do) but we're not the only ones. The exact same thing goes on in non music corporate America every day. We all have the same choice. Hire yourself out for a wage or fixed contract amount with bene's or form your own company and keep it all assuming there's anything left after expenses.

After my third failed attempt at self employment it was back to the 'for hire' grindstone. I gave it three good shots, didn't work, that's the way it goes.

Bob


Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
Off-Topic
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,342
Veteran
Online Content
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,342
Originally Posted By: jazzmammal
Session players are simply contract labor just like gazillions of other types of contract labor. If somebody is a physics major and contracts for 18 months with a tech company to help develop a warp drive or whatever, anything he discovers or invents while working with them belongs to that company and people sign contracts to that effect upfront. Musicians aren't the only ones who can be very creative and royalties from inventions are just as large if not larger than royalties from hit records.

I know we all like to think musicians get continually screwed (we do) but we're not the only ones. The exact same thing goes on in non music corporate America every day. We all have the same choice. Hire yourself out for a wage or fixed contract amount with bene's or form your own company and keep it all assuming there's anything left after expenses.

Bob


This is spot on. I put almost 40 years in research for a once very large photo company. Our job was to invent and that we did. I am on 25 patents but the company owns the technology. Granted the more I did the more I got paid but I would be at least a millionaire it I owned the technology.


I think my wife has started to show the first signs of dementia.
She said she can't remember what she ever saw in me!

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Off-Topic
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 5,139
90 dB Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 5,139
Some interesting info on the sessions that Hal Blaine played on, by year:


http://www.halblaine.com/discography/

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!

Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!

We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!

Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.

Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.

There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!

Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!

Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.

If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!

Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!

Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!

We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!

There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.

When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.

Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.

Happy New Year!

Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.

Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!

Season's Greetings!

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!

The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.

Team PG

Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window

In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.

Watch the video.

You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!

Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe

This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.

Watch the video.

You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!

Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®

With your version 2026 for Windows Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!

These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!

This Free Bonus PAK includes:

  • The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK: -For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles. -For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles. -For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
  • MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
  • Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
  • Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
  • Playable RealTracks Set 5
  • RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
  • SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
  • Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)

Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:


  • 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
  • FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
  • MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
  • Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
  • Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
  • RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
  • SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)

Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!

Forum Statistics
Forums57
Topics85,807
Posts796,438
Members39,961
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
Newest Members
Fanomez, Rohde, Dobrnjac, MaxxFV, jwagner51
39,960 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 189
Noel96 132
DC Ron 105
rsdean 102
DrDan 97
dcuny 97
Today's Birthdays
Ed Haberle, Primo
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5