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Hi again, Boulder Bob -
'Bout your comments, as follows...
>...but if you want to get some inspiration
> for a DRIVING band, just listen to Mel ROCKING AWAY back there
and you can't miss Don Wilson's rhythm guitar - which is an integral
part of The Ventures sound, and it's on every cut if you pick it out.
I couldn't agree with you more. Mel Taylor sure did rock! He was
the perfect drummer for the band. The only other guy at the time
that would have sounded as good could have been Hal Blaine, but he
was way too busy playing on all the hits recorded in L.A. (including
some by The Ventures!)
> If you listen to records made in the 60's many of them sound kind
of wimpy (check out "Fresh Cream, for example)compared to today's
angry stuff
I gotta disagree with you there. Fresh Cream just sounds dated in
the recording department - all that midrange, very little nice bottom-
end punch, etc. But Cream most assuredly were a monstrous wall of
sound live. Although I missed seeing them live in their heyday, I
did shortly thereafter get to see Blind Faith, which was 2/3 of Cream
plus Steve Winwood. And they sure enough kicked serious butt. In my
opinion, if you stuck Cream on the same stage as most of today's hard
rock bands, they would give them a good scare.
>- The Ventures were rarely, if ever, angry like Link Wray. But
> they rock, in a VERY WHITE kind of way. Which really is the essence
> of surf music, isn't it?
Now, I do agree with you here. For me, that's what makes them so
fabulous. They created this certain style of music (well,
concurrently with The Shadows). And that's also what I love when I
watch them in concert on the Beloved Invaders video. They just STAND
THERE AND PLAY, and it's sufficient and wonderful. There are certain
tunes that were covered by The Ventures which I consider the best
versions ever recorded. An example is their version of Needles and
Pins, which just destroys me.
There was (and is) something uniquely magical about The Ventures,
analogous to the way the Beatles were magical.
- Eric Up North
