The Ventures are the greatest cover band ever...

**TRichardsbass** · #1 12-20-2010, 08:04 AM

Just got a whole dump of Ventures vinyl at $4 each. I don't think there is more then one original on the five albums I just got.

Gotta love the Ventures.

Long live instrumental rock.

basswave · #2 12-20-2010, 08:07 AM

I'm with you on that...

Phalex · #3 12-20-2010, 08:36 AM

Uh oh! Better send ASCAP a letter with all the song listings and a check! At $4.00 you can bet that the original artists aren't being properly compensated!

I kid, I kid....

I have a bunch of Ventures albums someplace..... I haven't had a turntable that works since sometime in the 80s.....

Mr-Wunderful · #4 12-20-2010, 08:46 AM

The Ventures Christmas album has been getting lots of play around here lately.

Richland123 · #5 12-20-2010, 09:17 AM

My current band does many instrumental tunes, including many covered by The Ventures. Yes, you are correct that they are the masters of cover instrumental versions of songs. Out of all the ones we do, only Surfrider was written by the band members. Here are a few of their hits.

Walk, Don't Run - Originally by Johnny Smith and The Ventures used the Chet Atkins rendition as their inspiration.
Pipeline - Originally by The Chantays
Hawaii Five-0 Theme - The Ventures originally recorded it and had a huge hit with it but it was written by Morton Stevens
Perfidia - Done by many before The Ventures
Batman Theme - Originally by Neal Hefti

Pilgrim · #6 12-20-2010, 09:20 AM

The OP is 1000% right! The Ventures are exceptional.

I play in a surf band and we play a lot of their stuff and that of the Chantays and other bands of the period. Once you start drilling into their albums, you find that the Ventures can play a surf version of ANYthing!

JTE · #7 12-20-2010, 09:26 AM

The guy who owns the store I used to manage grew up on The Ventures. He started playing guitar in 1954, and he's the one who turned me on to the wonderful Jazzmaster guitar. We played together in a country band for a few years too, and we always did an instrumental at the end (and often at the start) of each set. I got to play a lot of Ventures stuff with him.

Just yesterday I was trying to work out a Ventures-inspired solo guitar version of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen". Also, if you use a Strat or a Jazzmaster through a Fender amp with really good reverb and a very clean settign, Randy Rhoade's riff on "Crazy Train" makes a GREAT surf riff!

John

champbassist · #8 12-20-2010, 09:30 AM

My first guitar teacher was (still is

) an absolute Ventures worshiper. It rubbed off on me for sure. Really love their stuff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRichardsbass

Long live instrumental rock.

Big +1 on that

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phalex

Uh oh! Better send ASCAP a letter with all the song listings and a check! At $4.00 you can bet that the original artists aren't being properly compensated!

LOL!!!!

etoncrow · #9 12-20-2010, 10:51 AM

First band I was in, The Celestials, only did instrumenals; among those songs was "Windy and Warm" by the Ventures but we also did covers of the Ventures covers.....our "theme" song or "break" song was the Ventures cover of the TV theme from "Outer Limits"

Richland123 · #10 12-20-2010, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by etoncrow

First band I was in, The Celestials, only did instrumenals; among those songs was "Windy and Warm" by the Ventures but we also did covers of the Ventures covers.....our "theme" song or "break" song was the Ventures cover of the TV theme from "Outer Limits"

Interestingly, the tune Out Of Limits (it was not called Outer Limits) originally done by The Marketts (which was actually similar to the Twilight Zone TV theme song) and later covered by The Ventures was not the theme song for the Outer Limits TV show as many people thought.

Original Outer Limits TV show opening music and voiceover.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ctjh...eature=related

Original Twilight Zone TV show theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVSRm...eature=related

Out Of Limits - The Marketts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkNURKISx5U

Out Of Limits - The Ventures version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKAtzs0yc2U

etoncrow · #11 12-20-2010, 12:03 PM

I stand corrected. Fifty years and forty-gazillion brain cells ago I reckon I am damn lucky to remember the name of my own band....

kenfxj · #12 12-20-2010, 12:07 PM

I love The Ventures. As a little boy I inherited Golden Greats by The Ventures.

It took me awhile to realize there was actually music on the record, but once I got around to playing the LP I was hooked. Walk Don't Run, Pipeline, Tequila, Telstar, Wipeout... I loved it.

plangentmusic · #13 12-20-2010, 12:13 PM

Killer cover band. But they also had some nice originals!

My homage to a great overlooked Ventures composition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z2_aOKRJEM

Richland123 · #14 12-20-2010, 12:13 PM

The Ventures 2008 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony. The shame is that they put speeches over top of the live performance. What an awful way to produce a TV music show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIe6E...1&feature=fvwp

Basshappi · #15 12-20-2010, 01:37 PM

I have a deep and abiding love for surf music.
Covers or originals don't matter, The Ventures rock!

JTE · #16 12-20-2010, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenfxj

I love The Ventures. As a little boy I inherited Golden Greats by The Ventures.

It took me awhile to realize there was actually music on the record, but once I got around to playing the LP I was hooked. Walk Don't Run, Pipeline, Tequila, Telstar, Wipeout... I loved it.

Man, I got the cassette if that album when I was 16!!!! I was strangely attracted to Jazzmasters ever since for some reason. I even had a gold one... wonder what Freud would have said 'bout that.

champbassist · #17 12-20-2010, 07:07 PM

My favorite Ventures song

Calcutta