Wrecking Crew's Hal Blaine

[davidasix]

Perhaps he didn't sing, but he contributed to the sound on those great albums - he is Hal Blaine, of course.

Here is a great blog article from the Wall Street Journal (yes, it is a strange source)

Who Else Made More Hit Songs?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 29718.html

Dave

[CassFanForLife]

Hey there Dave....
That was an interesting article to have read...I enjoyed reading it and being educated.....Thankyou for sharing the link.

[John Sands]

excellent article. Thanks a lot for posting. In his 80s already. Does time fly or what? What if any Cass material did he play on? I forget if he was on the 'Dream a Little Dream' album.

[Nicole]

Hi Dave and John,
Dave, awsome article! Thanks for posting. John, I'm not sure, but I think Hal Blaine played on Cass's first solo album, Bubblegum, Lemonade and a Little Something for Mama.
Take care,
Nicole

[John Sands]

I think you're right Nicole. He played on those early tracks

[Nicole]

Hi John,
Thanks
Take care,
Nicole

[Midnight Voyager]

Nice read. The difference is, as I see it, some of these groups were fully formed bands, with every member contributing instrumentally. This interview sheds light on the reason why they would allow other musicians (i.e. The Wrecking Crew) to play on their records. The Mama & Papas were primarily a vocal group, so they needed a band for their records and live performances. There wasn't anything dubious about that.

In fact, the Mamas & Papas benefitted greatly by having one of greatest "sessions" bands. I'm curious to know if most them appeared in their live shows? I only recently was suprised to know that, in their Monterey Pop performance, the backing band configuration wasn't their usual touring band -- another factor that contributed to their lack-luster performance.