Major Motion Picture by the Ventures (1991)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Major Motion Picture by the Ventures was released in 1991.

 

On this album the Ventures play instrumental versions of famous movie themes.

 

There are 12 tracks, and the total running time is about 44 minutes.

 

Here is some background information about some of the tracks:

 

# 1: Unchained Melody is the theme song from the 1955 movie Unchained starring Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch.

 

The song is written by Alex North (music) and Hy Zaret (music). Todd Duncan (1903-1998) sings the song on the soundtrack.

 

# 2: Axel F / Miami Vice is a mix of two instrumental themes.

 

Axel F is the theme from the 1984 movie Beverly Hills Cop starring Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley (hence the title of the theme).

 

The theme is written by the German musician Harold Faltermeyer.

 

Miami Vice is the theme from the US crime show Miami Vice starring Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas, which ran on US television 1984-1990.

 

The theme is written by Jan Hammer, who was born in Prague in 1948 in what was then Czechoslovakia.

 

# 4: St. Elmo’s Fire is the theme song from the 1985 movie St. Elmo’s Fire starring Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore and many others.

 

The song was originally written by the Canadian composer David Foster and the British musician John Parr for the Canadian athlete Rick Hansen who was at the time going round the world in a wheelchair. The song was a hit for Parr in 1985.

 

# 5: Ghostbusters (written and performed by Ray Parker) is the theme song from the 1984 movie Ghostbusters starring Dan Aykroyd.

 

# 6: What a Wonderful World (written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss) was recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1968.

 

It is featured in the 1987 movie Good Morning, Vietnam starring Robin Williams.

 

# 7: Oh, Pretty Woman (written by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees) is featured in the 1990 movie Pretty Woman starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.

 

This song was a hit for Roy Orbison in 1964. The Ventures did a cover version of the song on their album The Ventures Knock Me Out from 1965.

 

They did a new version of the song for this album Major Motion Picture.

 

# 10: Never Ending Story is the theme song from the US version of the 1984 German-American movie Never Ending Story based on a novel by Michael Ende.

 

The song is written by Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey and was performed by Limahl (born Christopher Hamill) and Beth Anderson.

 

# 11: Chariots of Fire is the theme of the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire about the 1924 Olympics.

 

The theme is written by the Greek composer Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou, whose artist name is Vangelis.

 

# 12: Arthur’s Theme (Best that You Can Do) is the theme song of the 1981 movie Arthur starring Liza Minelli and Dudley Moore.

 

This song is written by four persons: Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Peter Allen, and Christopher Cross.

 

It was a hit for American singer and songwriter Christopher Cross in 1981.

 

The Ventures have been described as the world’s best cover band, and with good reason.

 

When they decide to do a cover version of a song, the result is usually great (sometimes the cover version is even better than the original).

 

This album is no exception. The themes are well chosen, and the Ventures play them very well.

 

Fifteen years later (in 2006) the band released another album with the same topic:

 

Your Hit Parade II: Featuring Screen Hits

 

On the album from 2006 there are 16 tracks plus two bonus tracks, a total of 18 tracks. There is no overlapping between the two albums.

 

Both are great.

 

Both are highly recommended.

 

*****

Your Hit Parade II

Featuring Screen Hits

by the Ventures

(Released on a CD in 2006)

 

*****

 

Tele-Ventures by the Ventures (1996)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tele-Ventures - The Ventures Perform the Great TV Themes - was released on a CD in 1996.

 

There are 25 tracks on this album. The total running time is about 67 minutes. The average running time for each track is more than two minutes and 30 seconds.

 

The CD comes with a booklet which you can take out. In the booklet there is a list with credits for each of the 25 tracks (three pages).

 

In addition, there is an essay about the album written by Steve Kolanjian (three pages).

 

At the end of his essay, we find the following message:

 

“This CD is dedicated to the memory of Ventures drummer Mel Taylor, who passed away during the production of this package. He will be missed.”

 

On this album, the Ventures play cover versions not of popular songs but of famous TV themes.

 

There is only one original Ventures composition here: track # 6 – Dick Tracy – which is written by the members of the band: Bob Bogle, Don Wilson, Nokie Edwards, and Mel Taylor.

 

In some cases, a TV theme is great, because it is catchy and harmonious. When it is played by the Ventures, it is sometimes better than the original.

 

In other cases, a TV theme is not so great. Even when it is played by the Ventures, it is still not so great. 

 

We cannot blame the band for this. They do their best with every theme.

 

A big band appears in the background on nine tracks: # 1, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 22, 24 & 25. But in my opinion, this is not always a good idea.

 

It does not feel like the Ventures with a big band in the background.

 

I think the Ventures get the best results when they play alone, or when they have just a keyboard or a piano in the background.

 

Obviously, some tracks are better than others. I have divided them into four categories:

 

Category one

Four tracks deserve only two stars:

# 4, 11, 13 & 15.

 

Category two

Nine tracks deserve three stars:

# 1, 3, 14, 16, 17, 18, 21, 23 & 24.

 

Category three

Eight tracks deserve four stars:

# 6, 7, 8, 12, 19, 20, 22 & 25.

 

Category four

Four tracks deserve five stars:

 

# 02 – Secret Agent Man

# 05 – The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

# 09 – No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach’s in)

# 10 – Action

 

Let me add some information about some of the other tracks:

 

Track # 1 = Hawaii Five-O

 

This is the theme of 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 in 1968, and it became a great hit for them in 1969.

 

In his essay Steve Kolanjian writes:

 

“The song helped the show in its rating (the show became the longest running crime series ever) and the show helped the song (The Ventures reached # 4).”

 

His statement about “the longest running crime series ever” was true when he made it in 1996.

 

The crime show was named after a fictional police unit on Hawaii, which is the 50th state of the US, but the last character of the title was written with the capital letter O.

 

In 2010, CBS started a remake of the series, and this time the title is Hawaii Five-0. This time the last character is written with a zero.

 

Track # 12 = Mission Impossible

 

This is the theme of a secret agent drama which ran from 1966 to 1973. A remake of the series ran from 1988 to 1990.

 

It is also the title of several movies starring Tom Cruise. 

 

Here is the list of movies:

 

# 1. From 1996

# 2. From 2000

# 3. From 2006

# 4. From 2011 - Ghost Protocol

# 5. From 2015 - Rogue Nation

# 6. From 2018 - Fallout

# 7. From 2023 - Dead Reckoning (Part one)

# 8. Scheduled for June 2024 - Dead Reckoning (Part two)

 

Track # 22 = Charlie’s Angels

 

This is the theme of an action drama with several sexy detectives which ran from 1976 to 1981.

 

It is also the title of a movie which was released in the year 2000. A sequel, which has the title Full Throttle, was released in 2003.

 

When we are talking about an album with 25 tracks, we cannot expect each track to get a rating of five stars.

 

Even a dedicated fan (such as me) does not automatically like everything recorded by the Ventures.

 

Sometimes we are disappointed. Sometimes we want to ask: “Why in the world did the Ventures decide to record this tune?”

 

But when we are dealing with an album by the Ventures, we have high expectations. In most cases, they are fulfilled.

 

This case is no exception: 

 

Tele-Ventures is a great album. The Ventures perform the Great TV Themes, and it is a great performance.

 

It is highly recommended.

 

*****