The Fabulous Ventures

The Ventures - "The Fabulous Ventures" (1964) - Dolton Records

Hello Friends,

We've got another great Ventures record on the turntable tonight.

Released on the heels of their ground-breaking Ventures in Space LP, The Fabulous Ventures, their 15th(!) release, gets things back down to Earth on an album evenly split between fairly well-known covers ("Needles & Pins", "The Cruel Sea", "Tall Cool One", "Only The Young", "Fugitive" & "The Pink Panther Theme") and lesser-know, but no less great, originals.

The record kicks off with a mid-tempo, surf'd-up take on Jack Nitzsche & Sonny Bono's classic, "Needles & Pins", but things get really fired up on the next track, "Runnin' WIld".



The original, "Eleventh Hour", is slow, swampy and scary.  Like David Lynch-scary. Seemingly innocent on the surface, but once you dig a little deeper, there's hardly any words to describe the evil that lurks beneath.  This song would not sound out of place on some Twin Peaks' jukebox!



Side Two's original compositions "Journey to the Stars" (a surf-rock shredder reminiscent of early Dick Dale) and "Walkin' With Pluto" are probably leftovers from the aforementioned Ventures In Space record.

A short, fun record that clocks in under 30 minutes without a single song lasting longer than 3 minutes.  The notes and tones coming from Nokie Edwards and his twangy Mosrite Mark I guitar continue to impress the listener to this day.  

In some ways, Edwards was just as influential on rock & roll music than fellow Washingtonian, Jimi Hendrix.  Of course, no one would debate how Hendrix had the skills, the stage presence and talent of a true rock & roll deity.  Whereas Hendrix was blowing people away with the things he was doing with (and to) his guitar, just think about the thousands and thousands of kids growing up in the 60's that would pick up a five-and-dime guitar and learn to play a string at a time by following along on a Ventures album like this one.    

The bottom line is you really can't go wrong with The Ventures!

RATING: 4 bands that launched 1000 bands out of 5

Pebbles volume 4

Pebbles, volume 4 (1979) - BFD Records 

Hello Friends,

Tiki T. and I have recently started collecting the Pebbles LP series courtesy of the BFD & AIP Record labels.  Awesome compilation records, first released in the late 70's, subtitled as "Artyfacts from the First Punk Era".  

They're a good companion to the more popular NUGGETS series-- records filled with 2 or 3 minute punk masterpieces mostly from the years of 1966 thru 1969.  Bands consisting of pimply-faced kids in basements and garages scattered throughout the country.  Some bands (and band members) would go on to bigger and better things, but most would only end up playing local teen centers, VFW Halls, dive bars and local college radio stations.  Only a few would be fortunate enough to open for a touring national act like Herman's Hermits, The Jefferson Airplane or The Animals.  A handful would be fortunate to record a 7" or two and then call it a day fading off into rock & roll obscurity.  

One-Hit and No-Hit Wonders. Footnotes in the Rock & Roll History Books.

Some of the greatest rock and roll songs ever written may have only been heard by a handful of ears. These records provide a time capsule into an honest and less-cynical past.  Behind every band, there's a story; some are triumphant; some are tragic; many are uneventful... but who doesn't love a good rock & roll story?    

Tonight we've got the fourth Pebbles LP on the turntable, better known as "The Surf One".  Eighteen tracks that are a bit of a departure from the usual Pebble LP as these songs are all unified by a surf rock theme! Honestly, its not our favorite Pebbles LP thus far.  Its fun but not as weird or grungy or dangerous as previous Pebbles' entries! Surfs up kiddies!

Side One
1. "Summer Means Fun" - Bruce & Terry.  Sounds like an early Beach Boys record and there's probably good reason for that as "Bruce" was longtime Beach Boy Bruce Johnston and "Terry" was Terry Melcher-- producer extraordinaire, son of Doris Day, friend of Charlie Manson. 
2. "Anywhere the Girls Are" - The Fantastic Baggys. P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri's surf & hotrod L.A. studio band.  Sloan and Barri would write and sing backup on some Jan & Dean records in '63 & '64. 
3. "R.P.M." - The Four Speeds. A hoppin' little hot rod number by another L.A. studio band featuring Gary Usher.  Most notable because this track features Dennis Wilson on drums. (This was the B-Side to The Four Speeds only single, "My Sting Ray".)
4. (bonus track) - Jan & Dean Coca Cola commercial. Yawn!
5. "Masked Grandma" - The California Suns.  A sequel of sorts to Jan & Dean's "Little Old Lady from Pasadena" (but a little bit meaner!) We like the kazoo solo, I guess.
6. "Top Down Time" - The Dantes. More surf's up, hot rod doo-wop.    
7. "Custom Caravan" - The Pyramids.  Another Gary Usher-penned hot rod tune featuring some pretty good drumming!  Actually, The Pyramids were in reality a complete band and not just some studio geeks hanging out trying to record the next big hit (like a lot of the songs on this collection!)
8. "California Sun '65" - The Rivieras.  South Bend, Indiana's own, The Rivieras gave the world this jukebox classic complete with a driving rhythm section, twangy lead guitar, a fun organ.  Ramones did a decent cover of this.  You could almost hear Joey Ramone singing on this version.
9. "New Generation" - The Trashmen.  From the other Midwest surf capitol, Minneapolis, Minnesota.  This is probably the most Garage-sounding track on the LP.  I guess there's something to be said for landlocked surf bands!  This wins our pick for best on the album!  A true teen anthem! We especially like the sound affect at the end of the lyric, "You couldn't wake them Sunday with a hydrogen bomb..."   

Side Two
1. "Pamela Jean" - The Survivors.  Written by Brian Wilson.  Arranged by Brian Wilson.  Sung by Brian Wilson. But this is NOT the Beach Boys (actually, it probably is!)
2. "Sacramento" - Gary Usher.  Usher, who co-wrote a number of early Beach Boys hits with Brian Wilson, including the phenomenal "In My Room", co-wrote and co-produced this song with Brian.  Its no surprise that it sounds a lot like the early Beach Boys.  (But what the hell on this record doesn't?  I mean, come on, we're itching for something a little slimier, grimier and sleazy!  This is a decent song but where's the twang?  Where's the Dick Dale-sounding stuff?  Heck, at this point we'd settle for some second rate Santo & Johnny!)
3. "Thinkin' 'Bout You Baby" - Sharon Marie.  Oh hey, guess what kids?  This song was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love in 1964 and recorded by Brian.  It was later reclaimed by the Beach Boys on their 1967 record, Wild Honey.
4. "Hot Rod High" - The Knights.  Another Gary Usher hot rod/surf rock studio band.
5. "School is a Gas" - The Wheelmen. More. Gary. Usher.  This one a re-working of The Hondell's "School is a Drag."
6. "Image of a Surfer" - Lloyd Thaxton.  Kind of a novelty, spoken-word song by L.A. fixture/disc jockey, Lloyd Thaxton aka the poor man's Dick Clark or the West Coast Murray the K.
7. "Beach Ball" - The City Surfers.  Co-written by Jim McGuinn.  Fun Spector-sounding beach song that wouldn't sound out of place in a Flintstones episode!
8. "London's A Lonely Town" - Dave Edmunds.  This seems to be a very un-Pebbles-like entry!  Overproduced, slick-sounding rockabilly from circa 1976.  Not a terrible song, but definitely doesn't fit in with whole Pebbles-theme! 
9. "The Fun We Had" - The Ragamuffins.  Bittersweet ending to the record written, arranged and sung (in glorious falsetto) by California impresarior, Gary Zekley, who wrote "Sooner or Later" for The Grass Roots and "Superman" for The Clique (later covered by R.E.M).

Like I said, a bit of a let down after some other great Pebbles' LPs.  That being said, the weather is great, the girls are in their summer clothes and we're headed down to the local malt shop for a classic car show.  Tiki... where's my Pomade?

RATING: 3 ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-bird-bird-bird-ba-ba-bird-is-the-word out of 5

Spring Is Here Again

The Beach Boys - "Concert" (1964) - Capitol Records

Hello Friends and Happy Spring!

Its been a long, cold, lonely Winter and we're getting ready for some longer days, warmer nights and colder drinks!  HALLE-FUCKING-LUJAH!!!

Tonight we've got The Beach Boys first # 1 LP-- and first "live" album-- on the turntable.  Hopefully it helps us melt some snow off the tiki bar! 

(We say "live" because we suspect there's a fair amount of overdubbing and roller coaster-style crowd noise included as enhancements, but who are we to bicker?)

Its a great, fun live set with their harmonies and instruments sounding in fine form.  The album would mark one of the last live performances that Brian Wilson would play with the group as he would go cuckoo-bananas shortly thereafter and concentrate more on songwriting and production. He does a great job singing his ballad, "In My Room"-- which, in hindsight, ends up being sadly prophetic.

In addition to "In My Room", they perform their early classics, "Fun, Fun, Fun", "Little Deuce Coupe", "Hawaii" and "I Get Around".  They cover Dick Dale's seminal surf-instrumental, "Let's Go Trippin", Jan & Dean's "Little Old Lady From Pasadena", The Rivington's "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow", The Four Freshmen's "Graduation Day", Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" and Dennis Wilson sings a great version of Dion's "The Wanderer".

And holy crap, they do "The Monster Mash"!

Thanks to Shelby & Bobby for finding this for us!

RATING: 4.5 Worlds Where I Can Go And Tell My Secrets To out of 5

2 Days of Xmas: The Beach Boys - "The Beach Boys Christmas Album" (1964)

The Beach Boys - "The Beach Boys' Christmas Album" (1964) - Capitol Records

Hello Friends,

Surf's up tonight at the Christmas party tiki bar and we got another classic on the ol' Holiday turntable!

"Oh... I hope its the 'Get A Life' DVD box set!'
(Gil Elvgren)

Clocking in at just 27 minutes, The Beach Boys Christmas Album is must for every holiday record listening party!  Along with Elvis's & Phil Spector's, its one of the few bona fide rock & roll Christmas LPs.

Side One contains five (!) original tunes which have now pretty much become holiday standards: "Little Saint Nick", "The Man With All The Toys", "Santa's Beard", "Merry Christmas, Baby" & "Christmas Day."  The rest of the album is rounded out with more traditional standards with the familiar Beach Boys harmonies and Brian Wilson arrangements!



FUN FACT: Hey Kids, the song "Christmas Day" is the first Beach Boys song to feature founding member, Al Jardine on lead vocals!

RATING:  5 Auld Lang Synes out of 5

Walk Don't Run

The Ventures - "Walk Don't Run" (1960) - Dolton 

Hello Friends,

Tonight we're rocking out to the debut album by The Ventures.  Hailing from Tacoma, Washington, The Ventures' big guitar sounding surf rock instrumentals influenced an entire generation of budding musicians who practiced these songs with their neighborhood buddies in countless suburban garages!  



From the chart-topping title track to their versions of "Raunchy", "Morgen", Duke Ellington's "Caravan" and Santo & Johnny's "Sleepwalk", this album is 27 minutes of twangy bliss-- thanks, in no small part, to lead guitarist's Bob Bogle's whammy bar virtuosity!  

Listening to "My Own True Love (Tara's Theme)" sounds like a slow dance at an early 1960's high school dance when the Civics teacher, Mrs. McGillicuddy, breaks you and your partner up for dancing too close!

And even though those guys in the background aren't really the Ventures (the band was unavailable for the photo shoot), its a great album cover! Check out the heels on that brunette!  Yowsa!

RATING: 5 Cities of Destiny out of 5