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--- In , "supertwangreverb"
<supertwangreverb@y...> wrote:
> Wow! I really couldn't compare the Shadows with the Ventures. I
> like the Shads but the Ventures BLOW em away IMO. Someone once
said
> on the Fender Forum this of the Shads, "nice try for a bunch of
> english guys."
BLASPHEMY!!!! You must die!
Seriously, that is just soooo wrong, and shows utter ignorance not
only of history but also of much of the Shadows material... I mean,
how much of their stuff has that guy actually heard?
> IMO the Ventures were at their best starting off with
> their last "Fender" album "Lets Go!" uptil about "Wild Things" in
> 1966. I really like the Ventures when they used the Mosrite
> guitars, the Mosrite Fuzzrites, and the organs.
> For good Ventures albums check out, "the Ventures in Space," "The
> Ventures: Knock Me Out," "the Ventures Walk Don't Run Vol. 2,"
> and "the Ventures Live in Japan 1965." I could argue reasons for
> them to be in the ROHF based just on the "Live in Japan '65."
Bill, we're in full agreement on this. I suspect that most surf
music fans are in agreement on this. The Ventures from '63 to '66
were da bomb! And '64 and '65 were their most outstanding years.
Nokie was playing like a man possessed at that point.
> But I still like their earlier Fender albums that Bob played lead
> on too.
Also agreed.
> I just don't like anything with Gerry McGee on it.
Also agreed. He just doesn't do it for me.
> What the hell were the Shadows doing in the mid '60s? "Rhythm and
> Greens" "yeah baby ohh ahhh!!!" ????? :)
Ah, this is where our agreement drastically collapses! Rhythm and
Greens, first of all, was just a joke. It was supposed to make of
the early Beatles and their ilk and their idiotic (early) lyrics and
dumb rhythm & blues imitation sounds and songs. I think most surf
fans can appreciate this sentiment. I mean, think of Potato Bug from
Bikini Beach! The surfers had the same idea.
Second, '65 saw the release of a bunch of great singles by the Shads,
as well as one of their best albums, Sound of the Shadows. Hank, as
well as every other member of the band, also achieved a level of
musicianship on this album that was quite incredible. And though it
didn't rock nearly as hard as the Ventures circa '65, it did have its
supremely energetic moments, such as The Lost City (with an
incredible, biting tone), National Provincial Samba, Breakthru, and
Deep Purple. The Shadows were steered wrong by their management
during those years, and they became gradually softer, but they could
definitely rock. And yes, their most rocking moments were in '60
and '61, when the Ventures sounded like a band that grandma would
love. The Shads were pumping out Man Of Mystery (described by Brian
May as the 'heaviest, most metallic-sounding thing he had ever heard
up to then'), The Savage, Gonzales, The Frightened City, and so on.
Nothing that the Ventures did until at least '64 could match that
sort of intensity. So, let's give the Shads their due, please.
Ivan
PS For a great demonstration of what a rocking band the Shads were,
one really must check out their early work ('59-'61) with Cliff
Richard. For example, Nine Times Out of Ten is as fast and heavy as
any American r&r song from '54-'60, and Hank's solo is
UNBELIVABLE!! Pure electricity! And totally improvised, as were
all of his solos in all of the early years. And don't even get me
started on his tone in that song...
