Hawaii Five-O - The Ventures in Concert
![The Ventures - Hawaii Five-O [DVD]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41r-Ud67raL._SY445_.jpg)
This concert was recorded live at Doc Severinsen's Music Showplace, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, on 31 March 1984. It was released on DVD by All Stars in 2005. The quality of the sound is excellent. The quality of the picture is not excellent, but acceptable, considering that the recording was done many years ago.
For this concert the line-up of the band is as follows:
* Nokie Edwards (died in 2018), lead guitar
* Paul Warren, bass guitar
* Mel Taylor (died in 1996), drums
* Don Wilson, rhythm guitar
Paul Warren stands in for Bob Bogle, who had a skiing accident shortly before this concert. Bob Bogle (co-founder of the band) died in 2009.
For more information about the band, see Del Halterman, Walk Don't Run: The Story of the Ventures (2008 2009). Paul Warren is mentioned on pp. 239, 270-274, 284.
There are two sets:
** The first set (tracks # 1-16) runs for about 45 minutes.
** The second set (tracks # 17-25) runs for about 25 minutes.
[On the back cover the total running time is listed as 82 minutes, but this is not true. As you can see from the above, the total running time is about 70 minutes.]
Both sets begin with the same song: Walk Don't Run. This is the signature song of the Ventures, because it was their first major hit in 1960. They (almost) always begin a concert with this song.
During the first set they play some famous instrumental tracks:
02. Out of Limits
04. Slaughter on 10th Avenue
07. Penetration
08. (Ghost) Riders in the Sky
14. Pipeline
15. Wipe Out
[On track # 8 there is an inset in the main picture with a close-up on the fingers of Nokie's left hand, which allows us to follow his fabulous finger work.]
Two tracks from the first set deserve to be placed in a special category, because they stand out from the others, because they are acoustic or semi-acoustic:
12. El Bimbo
13. Alabama Jubilee
In both cases Nokie does some incredible finger work on the guitar. And yet it seems so easy when he does it!
From the first set I also have to mention an excellent cover version of House of the Rising Sun by the Animals.
The Ventures seem to have a good sense of humour. They can make a joke about themselves, which is (in my opinion) an important quality. The first set includes a vocal track (Runaway) where Don is the singer. Introducing this song, Mel says:
"As most of you know ... we are basically known as an instrumental group, and we don't very often sing, and you are going to find out why right now!"
Actually, Don's voice is not too bad, and whether we like it or not, we can understand why the members of the band like to do a song like this on stage, just for fun, just to do something different.
During the second set they play a few more famous instrumental tracks:
19. Secret Agent Man
20. Tequila
22. Perfidia
Track # 23 (Hawaii Five-O) is the title song of the album. This is the theme song from an American police drama which ran on CBS for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980. It was the longest running crime show on American television, until Law & Order surpassed it in 2003. The Ventures recorded the theme song in 1968, and their version of the song was a great hit for them in 1969.
[The television show is named after a fictional police unit on Hawaii, which is the 50th state of the US, but the last character of the title is written with the capital letter O. In 2010 CBS started a new version of the old police drama, and this time the title is Hawaii Five-0. Now the last character is written with a zero.]
The second set of the concert ends with two encore numbers. Don explains that they were asked to play these tracks again, and it seems they are happy to comply. They play them with the same drive and energy which they showed the first time:
24. Pipeline
25. Wipe Out
In 1984 the Ventures had been playing for more than 25 years, but for some strange reason they did not want to draw attention to this fact. This is clear on at least two occasions:
(a) At the end of Walk - Don't Run, Don says: "That's our very first release back in 19..." and then he deliberately avoids saying 60, instead he says something else which is impossible to understand.
(b) Track # 12 (El Bimbo) was a number one hit for the band in Japan. Introducing this song, Don says: "You know we have had the pleasure of being in Japan almost every year for the past ... eh ... couple of years anyway ... give or take 15 eh..." Apparently, he does not want to say that the band has been going to Japan to give concerts there almost every year since 1965.
Twenty five successful years in the music business is an impressive accomplishment. There is absolutely no reason to be embarrassed about it and try to cover it up.
In 1989 the band could celebrate their 30th anniversary. To mark the occasion Toshiba released a DVD entitled The Ventures: The 30th Anniversary - Super Session. The super session, where the Ventures are joined by several other artists, was recorded in New York in 1983.
Hawaii Five-O (aka The Ventures in Concert) - the album under review here - is a great product. It is a good thing the concert in Oklahoma City was recorded, and even better that it is now available on DVD. If you do not know much about the Ventures, this album is a good place to start. If you already know and like them, you will enjoy this album where you can see one of their outstanding performances on stage.
PS. Beloved invaders: The Ventures (1966): The Golden Era of the Ventures was recorded in Japan in 1965 and 1966. It was shown as a movie in Japan in 1966 (total running time 82 minutes). It was released on a DVD in 2004 (EMI Toshiba, TOBW-3168).
This concert was recorded live at Doc Severinsen's Music Showplace, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, on 31 March 1984. It was released on DVD by All Stars in 2005. The quality of the sound is excellent. The quality of the picture is not excellent, but acceptable, considering that the recording was done many years ago.
For this concert the line-up of the band is as follows:
* Nokie Edwards (died in 2018), lead guitar
* Paul Warren, bass guitar
* Mel Taylor (died in 1996), drums
* Don Wilson, rhythm guitar
Paul Warren stands in for Bob Bogle, who had a skiing accident shortly before this concert. Bob Bogle (co-founder of the band) died in 2009.
For more information about the band, see Del Halterman, Walk Don't Run: The Story of the Ventures (2008 2009). Paul Warren is mentioned on pp. 239, 270-274, 284.
There are two sets:
** The first set (tracks # 1-16) runs for about 45 minutes.
** The second set (tracks # 17-25) runs for about 25 minutes.
[On the back cover the total running time is listed as 82 minutes, but this is not true. As you can see from the above, the total running time is about 70 minutes.]
Both sets begin with the same song: Walk Don't Run. This is the signature song of the Ventures, because it was their first major hit in 1960. They (almost) always begin a concert with this song.
During the first set they play some famous instrumental tracks:
02. Out of Limits
04. Slaughter on 10th Avenue
07. Penetration
08. (Ghost) Riders in the Sky
14. Pipeline
15. Wipe Out
[On track # 8 there is an inset in the main picture with a close-up on the fingers of Nokie's left hand, which allows us to follow his fabulous finger work.]
Two tracks from the first set deserve to be placed in a special category, because they stand out from the others, because they are acoustic or semi-acoustic:
12. El Bimbo
13. Alabama Jubilee
In both cases Nokie does some incredible finger work on the guitar. And yet it seems so easy when he does it!
From the first set I also have to mention an excellent cover version of House of the Rising Sun by the Animals.
The Ventures seem to have a good sense of humour. They can make a joke about themselves, which is (in my opinion) an important quality. The first set includes a vocal track (Runaway) where Don is the singer. Introducing this song, Mel says:
"As most of you know ... we are basically known as an instrumental group, and we don't very often sing, and you are going to find out why right now!"
Actually, Don's voice is not too bad, and whether we like it or not, we can understand why the members of the band like to do a song like this on stage, just for fun, just to do something different.
During the second set they play a few more famous instrumental tracks:
19. Secret Agent Man
20. Tequila
22. Perfidia
Track # 23 (Hawaii Five-O) is the title song of the album. This is the theme song from an American police drama which ran on CBS for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980. It was the longest running crime show on American television, until Law & Order surpassed it in 2003. The Ventures recorded the theme song in 1968, and their version of the song was a great hit for them in 1969.
[The television show is named after a fictional police unit on Hawaii, which is the 50th state of the US, but the last character of the title is written with the capital letter O. In 2010 CBS started a new version of the old police drama, and this time the title is Hawaii Five-0. Now the last character is written with a zero.]
The second set of the concert ends with two encore numbers. Don explains that they were asked to play these tracks again, and it seems they are happy to comply. They play them with the same drive and energy which they showed the first time:
24. Pipeline
25. Wipe Out
In 1984 the Ventures had been playing for more than 25 years, but for some strange reason they did not want to draw attention to this fact. This is clear on at least two occasions:
(a) At the end of Walk - Don't Run, Don says: "That's our very first release back in 19..." and then he deliberately avoids saying 60, instead he says something else which is impossible to understand.
(b) Track # 12 (El Bimbo) was a number one hit for the band in Japan. Introducing this song, Don says: "You know we have had the pleasure of being in Japan almost every year for the past ... eh ... couple of years anyway ... give or take 15 eh..." Apparently, he does not want to say that the band has been going to Japan to give concerts there almost every year since 1965.
Twenty five successful years in the music business is an impressive accomplishment. There is absolutely no reason to be embarrassed about it and try to cover it up.
In 1989 the band could celebrate their 30th anniversary. To mark the occasion Toshiba released a DVD entitled The Ventures: The 30th Anniversary - Super Session. The super session, where the Ventures are joined by several other artists, was recorded in New York in 1983.
Hawaii Five-O (aka The Ventures in Concert) - the album under review here - is a great product. It is a good thing the concert in Oklahoma City was recorded, and even better that it is now available on DVD. If you do not know much about the Ventures, this album is a good place to start. If you already know and like them, you will enjoy this album where you can see one of their outstanding performances on stage.
PS. Beloved invaders: The Ventures (1966): The Golden Era of the Ventures was recorded in Japan in 1965 and 1966. It was shown as a movie in Japan in 1966 (total running time 82 minutes). It was released on a DVD in 2004 (EMI Toshiba, TOBW-3168).
*****
No comments:
Post a Comment