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There is a good long list of name guitarists who site the Ventures as their
primary influence. If it's not as long as the Shadows, it's 'cause the media was
not as concentrated and kids here had much more exposure to other influences.
Some of those in the U.K. that site the Shadows as an influence also site the
Ventures, Peter Frampton for one. Bob Berryhill of the Surfaries told me of the
early surf days, "we were all trying to be the Ventures". I know he doesn't
really speak for everyone, but there is enough evidence to indicate that many
surf bands where influenced by the Ventures.
That aside, I really think there is something to making it in the U.S. Yes, I
know it's not the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but this is the place
where rock was born. This is the proving ground. If you can get the attention of
the U.S., then you're a cut above. Did the Ventures have an advantage being born
here? Yep. But many other instrumental acts being born in the U.S. didn't make
it, try as they all did.
Was being English a disadvantage for the Shadows? Ask the Beatles.
-Marty
----- Original Message -----
From: ipongrac
To:
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2005 5:43 AM
Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Re: The Shadows & the Ventures
--- In , "supertwangreverb"
<supertwangreverb@y...> wrote:
>
> > 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')
>
> I wonder if Brian May had heard of Link Wray!
I have no idea, but here's a story along these lines:
Pete Townshend (of the Who) said on occasion that if it wasn't for
Link Wray he never would have picked up the guitar. BUT, when I was
talking to Bruce Welch, the rhythm guitarist for the Shadows and one
of the band's two primary songwriters, in 2003 (BTW, I HIGHLY
recommend sitting down with one of your heroes and shooting shit late
into the night, if you ever get a chance - it's quite choice! :) he
told me that recently he was inducted into some sort of hall-of-fame-
like thing (I forget what it was exactly), and it was Pete Townshend
that introduced him. Pete said the following: "When I was a young
lad, learning to play the guitar, everybody I knew that was also
learning to play wanted to be Hank. Not me. I wanted to be him
(points to Bruce)!" (That actually makes a lot of sense - Townshend
is a hell of a rhythm guitarist, and a piss-poor lead guitarist!)
Not only were the Shads the primary inspiration for pretty much all
British guitarists of the early sixties, but obviously even for the
guys that HAD heard Link Wray.
I'd say that the impact that the Shadows had on all of subsequent
rock and roll is considerably larger than the Ventures. If you think
about the guys that started playing the guitar because of the
Shadows, it reads like who's-who of sixties and seventies guitar
scene: Brian May (Queen), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Mark Knopfler
(Dire Straits), Pete Townshend (The Who), Peter Frampton (who just
recorded an instrumental album, incidentally), Ritchie Blackmore
(whose earliest gig was playing Shadows-like instrumentals in a band
called the Outlaws - one of Joe Meek's bands), etc. For God's sake,
the tribute to the Shads called "Twang!" besides these guys also had
songs by Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) and Andy Summers (the Police)! I
know that the Ventures were very influential, but it pales to the
Shadows. In fact, I rarely see players explicitly pointing out the
Ventures as the reason why they became guitarists, whereas almost
every time you read an interview with a British guitarist they'll
talk about the Shads.
Here's a reason why the Shadows are at least as worthy, and in my
opinion, more worthy than the Ventures to get inducted into the R&R
HOF, but ultimately who cares. If they care, great, I really hope
they get in. Both of them, actually. They definitely deserve it.
Ivan
.
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