The Ventures Live in Japan 1990
The Ventures were formed as a band in 1958. They made their first recording in 1959 and had their first major hit in 1960. Since then they never stopped playing. They are still playing today, more than fifty years after the band was founded.
Over the years they have given so many concerts in the US, Japan, and other countries that it must be difficult even for the members of the band to keep track of them. In addition, they have released more than 200 albums, including compilations and recordings of live concerts.
They have composed hundreds of original tracks; they have played traditional instrumental tracks and cover versions of popular songs performed by other bands or artists such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, etc.
The output is amazing. But this band is not just about quantity. It is also about quality. The members of the band are highly skilled. In 2008, fifty years after the founding of the band, the Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in recognition of their contribution to the world of popular music. John Fogerty - today a solo artist, formerly the lead singer of Creedence Clearwater Revival - did the presentation. According to the fans, this recognition was long overdue.
For more information about the band, see Walk Don't Run: The Story of the Ventures by Del Halterman (2008, 2009).
The album under review here is a recording of a concert in Japan in 1990. It was released on a DVD by Toshiba-EMI in 2005. The total running time is about 51 minutes. The quality of picture and sound is surprisingly good, considering that the recording was done many years ago.
For this concert in 1990 the line-up of the band is as follows:
*** Lead guitar: Gerry McGee, who joined the band in 1968 when Nokie Edwards left the band to pursue other interests. Nokie came back in 1972 and left again in 1984. For a while both of them were members. They took turns on the lead guitar, with one standing in for the other. Nokie Edwards died in 2018. Gerry McGee died in 2019.
*** Rhythm guitar: Don Wilson, who was one of the two founders of the band in 1958. He is still with the band.
*** Bass guitar: Bob Bogle, who was one of the two founders in 1958. He played with the band until shortly before his death in 2009. He was replaced by Bob Spalding (who had, in fact, been filling in from time to time since 1981).
*** Drums: Mel Taylor, who joined the band in 1962. He played with the band until his death in 1996 (except for the years 1973-1978). He was replaced by his son Leon Taylor.
There are 16 tracks on the DVD, including the brief opening in which the Japanese announcer calls out the name of the band (which we already know). The remaining 15 tracks can be divided into five groups.
In the first group we find six traditional instrumental tracks:
03. Apache
04. Manchurian Beat
07. Diamond Head
08. Wipe Out
13. Slaughter on 10th Avenue
14. Pipeline
In the second group we find two cover versions of popular songs performed by other bands:
09. The House of the Rising Sun by the Animals
11. Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones
In the third group we find two tracks which deserve to be placed in a separate category, because they are really excellent:
06. Miss Brand-New Day
12. Seaside Story
In the fourth group we find two tracks which deserve to be placed in a separate category, because they stand out from the others, because they are acoustic or semi-acoustic:
05. Hokkaido Skies
11. Ellie My Love
In the fifth group we find some Ventures classics:
02. The opening track is a medley of three songs: Walk Don't Run, Perfidia & Lullaby of the Leaves.
15. The pen-ultimate track Stars on Guitars is in fact a medley of no less than twelve different songs, including Satisfaction, Apache, Out of Limits, Let's Go, Wipe Out, Pretty Woman, Secret Agent Man, and Walk - Don't Run.
[Walk Don't Run is the signature song of the Ventures, because it was their first major hit in 1960. They begin almost every concert with this song.]
16. The ultimate track is Caravan, which includes a long but brilliant drum solo by Mel Taylor. During one part of this solo, Mel uses his drum sticks to play on Bob Bogle's bass guitar, which gives a very special effect!
In 1990 the Ventures had been playing for more than 30 years. You might think that playing these tracks over and over would become just a boring routine. But when you look at them performing on stage, you can see that this is not the case at all. They enjoy playing these tracks, and they play them very well.
PS # 1. Some fans might be disappointed to learn that Nokie Edwards does not play on this album. Don't be. Enjoy Gerry McGee on the lead guitar. I recommend in particular tracks # 5 & 6, Hokkaido Skies and Miss Brand-New Day, where he really gets a chance to show his talent. If you want to see Nokie Edwards in action, turn to the following items:
* Hawaii Five-O (aka The Ventures in Concert), a concert recorded in Oklahoma City in 1984 and released on DVD in 2005.
* The 30th Anniversary - Super Session, recorded in New York in 1983 and released on DVD in 1989.
* 45th Anniversary Live, recorded in Tokyo in 2004 and released on DVD in 2009.
PS # 2. Beloved invaders: The Ventures (1966): The Golden Era of the Ventures was recorded in black-and-white 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 DVD in 2004 (EMI Toshiba, TOBW-3168).
The Ventures were formed as a band in 1958. They made their first recording in 1959 and had their first major hit in 1960. Since then they never stopped playing. They are still playing today, more than fifty years after the band was founded.
Over the years they have given so many concerts in the US, Japan, and other countries that it must be difficult even for the members of the band to keep track of them. In addition, they have released more than 200 albums, including compilations and recordings of live concerts.
They have composed hundreds of original tracks; they have played traditional instrumental tracks and cover versions of popular songs performed by other bands or artists such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, etc.
The output is amazing. But this band is not just about quantity. It is also about quality. The members of the band are highly skilled. In 2008, fifty years after the founding of the band, the Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in recognition of their contribution to the world of popular music. John Fogerty - today a solo artist, formerly the lead singer of Creedence Clearwater Revival - did the presentation. According to the fans, this recognition was long overdue.
For more information about the band, see Walk Don't Run: The Story of the Ventures by Del Halterman (2008, 2009).
The album under review here is a recording of a concert in Japan in 1990. It was released on a DVD by Toshiba-EMI in 2005. The total running time is about 51 minutes. The quality of picture and sound is surprisingly good, considering that the recording was done many years ago.
For this concert in 1990 the line-up of the band is as follows:
*** Lead guitar: Gerry McGee, who joined the band in 1968 when Nokie Edwards left the band to pursue other interests. Nokie came back in 1972 and left again in 1984. For a while both of them were members. They took turns on the lead guitar, with one standing in for the other. Nokie Edwards died in 2018. Gerry McGee died in 2019.
*** Rhythm guitar: Don Wilson, who was one of the two founders of the band in 1958. He is still with the band.
*** Bass guitar: Bob Bogle, who was one of the two founders in 1958. He played with the band until shortly before his death in 2009. He was replaced by Bob Spalding (who had, in fact, been filling in from time to time since 1981).
*** Drums: Mel Taylor, who joined the band in 1962. He played with the band until his death in 1996 (except for the years 1973-1978). He was replaced by his son Leon Taylor.
There are 16 tracks on the DVD, including the brief opening in which the Japanese announcer calls out the name of the band (which we already know). The remaining 15 tracks can be divided into five groups.
In the first group we find six traditional instrumental tracks:
03. Apache
04. Manchurian Beat
07. Diamond Head
08. Wipe Out
13. Slaughter on 10th Avenue
14. Pipeline
In the second group we find two cover versions of popular songs performed by other bands:
09. The House of the Rising Sun by the Animals
11. Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones
In the third group we find two tracks which deserve to be placed in a separate category, because they are really excellent:
06. Miss Brand-New Day
12. Seaside Story
In the fourth group we find two tracks which deserve to be placed in a separate category, because they stand out from the others, because they are acoustic or semi-acoustic:
05. Hokkaido Skies
11. Ellie My Love
In the fifth group we find some Ventures classics:
02. The opening track is a medley of three songs: Walk Don't Run, Perfidia & Lullaby of the Leaves.
15. The pen-ultimate track Stars on Guitars is in fact a medley of no less than twelve different songs, including Satisfaction, Apache, Out of Limits, Let's Go, Wipe Out, Pretty Woman, Secret Agent Man, and Walk - Don't Run.
[Walk Don't Run is the signature song of the Ventures, because it was their first major hit in 1960. They begin almost every concert with this song.]
16. The ultimate track is Caravan, which includes a long but brilliant drum solo by Mel Taylor. During one part of this solo, Mel uses his drum sticks to play on Bob Bogle's bass guitar, which gives a very special effect!
In 1990 the Ventures had been playing for more than 30 years. You might think that playing these tracks over and over would become just a boring routine. But when you look at them performing on stage, you can see that this is not the case at all. They enjoy playing these tracks, and they play them very well.
PS # 1. Some fans might be disappointed to learn that Nokie Edwards does not play on this album. Don't be. Enjoy Gerry McGee on the lead guitar. I recommend in particular tracks # 5 & 6, Hokkaido Skies and Miss Brand-New Day, where he really gets a chance to show his talent. If you want to see Nokie Edwards in action, turn to the following items:
* Hawaii Five-O (aka The Ventures in Concert), a concert recorded in Oklahoma City in 1984 and released on DVD in 2005.
* The 30th Anniversary - Super Session, recorded in New York in 1983 and released on DVD in 1989.
* 45th Anniversary Live, recorded in Tokyo in 2004 and released on DVD in 2009.
PS # 2. Beloved invaders: The Ventures (1966): The Golden Era of the Ventures was recorded in black-and-white 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 DVD in 2004 (EMI Toshiba, TOBW-3168).
*****
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