This book about the Ventures – the first and so far the only full-scale account of the world’s number one instrumental band published in English - is written by Del Halterman, who has been an avid fan for many years.
The title is Walk Don’t Run, because this tune was the first hit for the band in 1960.
This book covers 50 years of rock & roll: from 1958, when the band was formed, to 2008, when the band was formally inducted into Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
There are two editions: the first from 2008, the second from 2009. On the back cover of both editions there is a photo which shows six persons:
* Nokie Edwards (1935-2018)
* Bob Spalding (born 1947)
* Leon Taylor (born 1955) (son of Mel Taylor)
* Bob Bogle (1934-2009)
* Gerry McGee (1937-2019)
* Don Wilson (1933-2022)
No date is given for this picture, but it was probably taken around 2002.
Mel Taylor (1933-1996) was a member of the Ventures from 1962 until his death in 1996 (except the years 1973-1978).
According to the title page, this book is written by Del Halterman in collaboration with Bob Bogle and Don Wilson (co-founders of the band) and Josie Wilson (Don Wilson’s mother, who played an important role in the business side of the band, especially during the early years).
There are many illustrations in this book. There is a picture on almost every page. All illustrations are in black-and-white, and the quality is often poor, but we cannot blame the author for this. Old pictures are often of poor quality. Instead, we should be happy that the author has found some pictures to illustrate the text.
This book is a veritable goldmine of information about the Ventures. Everything you have always wanted to know about the band, such as:
* The guitars, the drums, and the amplifiers they have used
* The concert tours they have done
* The studio recordings they have done
* The albums they have released
* The producers they have worked with
* Their friends and associates
Among the many fascinating facts found in this book I will mention just two:
# 1. The Ventures worked hard to get a hit, and they kept up the hard work even after they had a long line of hits.
During a 1972 tour in Japan, they played 100 concerts and gave nine television appearances in the space of 76 days.
Bob Bogle later said:
“On days when we played only one concert, it was like having a day off.”
[Page 201]
# 2. The Ventures are highly dedicated to their fans. One day during the 1970s, they were scheduled to play at a small club in Ohio, five miles out of town. It was in the middle of the winter, and some people had come on snowmobiles.
Inside there was an audience of less than twenty people. The club owner had paid an advance, but refused to pay more, because hardly anyone had shown up.
That is when Bob Bogle said:
“If twenty people drove through this weather to see the Ventures play, then we’re playing.”
[Page 254]
The Ventures have done many tours in Japan, giving concerts almost on a daily basis.
There is much to like in this book, but I have to mention a few things which bother me:
# 1: On page 151, we hear about the tour to Indonesia in 1967. In order to give some background information, Halterman refers to events of 1965:
“An attempted Communist coup triggered an anti-Communist government takeover by the army.”
There was no “attempted Communist coup.” The army made it up and used it as a pretext for a military coup.
# 2: On page 269, we hear about the super session recorded in New York in 1983. Halterman claims it was released on a DVD “after five years,” this means in 1988.
But later, on page 293, he says the super session was released on a DVD in 1989, although it was “six years old.”
The last version is correct.
# 3: In the first edition of the book there is a discography of the most important albums released by the Ventures.
In the second edition, the list has disappeared. Instead, there is a reference to a website on the internet (sandcastle) which includes an (almost) complete discography.
I do not mind the reference to the website, but why delete the list from the first edition?
# 4: In the first edition of the book there is an index which seems to be detailed and comprehensive.
In the second edition, there is an index which is incomplete. Several persons who are mentioned several times are not listed.
Why change a detailed and comprehensive index to one that is incomplete?
# 5: Between the first and second edition of the book the author revised the text in many instances. The revision is most unfortunate: there are many cases where a word is missing and many cases where a word is printed, although it should have been deleted.
The worst case is found on page 327 where eight words which belongs to
one paragraph are left floating at the end of another paragraph. The eight words:
“only to learn that at that very moment.”
In the world of publishing, the second edition of a book is usually an improvement, because minor mistakes have been corrected.
But in this case the change went the other way: sentences, which were correct in the first edition, were rewritten, rather carelessly, so new mistakes appear in the second edition.
I hoped there would be a third edition of the book where the flaws mentioned were corrected.
Sadly, this has not happened.
Like Halterman, I have been an avid fan of the Ventures for many years, but I will not automatically give five stars to a product just because it is connected with the band.
In order to prove this point, I have decided that this volume – even
though it is an excellent and fascinating account – can only get a rating of
four stars (80 percent).
*****
Walk Don’t Run:
The Story of the Ventures
By Del Halterman
(First edition 2008)
(Second edition 2009)
*****
The Ventures:
Stars on Guitars
A documentary film which
premiered in 2022
Writer and director: Staci Layne Wilson
(daughter of Don Wilson)
*****
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