[Gasshog]

Ssholes the Beach Boys mainly used the wrecking crew in the mid60s. They were great live in the 70s especially.

[circlecity]

"In fact, the band barely played on Pet Sounds. The famed Wrecking Crew provided the music for the album, as they did for many of our most beloved albums from that time period."

This is just not true. The "music" for the Pet Sounds album was provided by Brian Wilson who wrote every song, wrote the charts for every instrument in the Wrecking Crew studio orchestra and produced the album in a very hands on manner, instructing the Wrecking Crew virtually note by note on how he wanted his music played. The vocals on the album (ie. the trademark Beach boys sound) were performed and arranged by the Beach Boys. The Wrecking Crew was just the hired musicians Brian used to lay down instrumental and backing tracks while the band was out touring. They were an incredibly talented studio band but giving them credit for Pet Sounds is way wrong.

[daler]

I've seen a lot of top-tier R&R bands in my many years.

The absolute best live kick-ass pure R&R performance my ears ever witnessed was a 1972 Alice Cooper concert.