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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Audio CD
There are two albums on this CD. The first (tracks # 1-12) "The Ventures play Telstar, the Lonely Bull, and others" was released in January 1963. The second (tracks # 13-24) "(The) Ventures in Space" was released in January 1964. This compilation (2 albums on 1 CD) was released by EMI in 1992. The total running time is about 58 minutes.
The CD comes with a booklet which you can take out. Here you will find pictures of the band taken from album covers and a list with credits for all 24 tracks. In addition, there is a brief essay about the band and the two albums written by the American author and journalist Dawn Eden (born 1968).
Here is some background information about the tracks. Let us begin with the album released in 1963.
#1: Telstar was a hit for the British band the Tornados in 1962. It is written by Joe Meek (1929-1967).
# 2: The Lonely Bull was a hit for Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in 1962. It is written by Sol Lake.
# 3: Mexico was a hit for Bob Moore and his Orchestra in 1961. It is written by Boudleaux Bryant and his wife Felice Bryant.
# 4: Calcutta was a hit for Lawrence Welk in 1961. It is written by Heino Gaze and Hans Bradtke.
# 5: Apache was recorded by the British band the Shadows in 1960 and by the Danish guitarist Jorgen Ingmann in 1961. It is written by Jerry Lordon (1934-1995).
# 6: Never on Sunday is featured in the 1960 movie "Never on Sunday" starring Melina Mercouri and Jules Dassin. It is written by the Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis (1925-1994).
# 7: Tequila was a hit for the American band the Champs in 1958. It is written by Chuck Rio, a pseudonym for Danny Flores, who was a member of this band.
# 8: Green Onions was a hit for Booker T. and the M.G.s in 1962. It is written by Steve Cropper, Booker T. Jones, Al Jackson Junior, and Lewie Steinberg, who were all members of this band.
# 9: Percolator was a hit for Billy Joe and the Checkmates. It is written by Lou Bideau and Ernie Freeman.
# 10: Red River Rock was a hit for Johnny and the Hurricanes in 1959.
# 11: Let there be drums was a hit for the famous American drummer Sandy Nelson in 1961. It is written by Nelson and his guitarist Richard Podolor.
# 12: Last Night was a hit for the Mar-Keys in 1961. Members of this band later formed Booker T. and the M.G.s.
Let us now turn to the album released in 1964. The tracks can be divided into two categories: (a) cover versions of tunes written by others and (b) original tracks written by one or more members of the band. There are eight cover versions:
# 13: Out of Limits was a hit for the Marketts in 1963. It is written by Michael Z. Gordon, who was a member of this band.
# 15: Moon Child is written by Julius Wechter and his wife Cissy Wechter. Julius worked with Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. Later he formed his own band, the Baja Marimba Band.
# 16: Fear is the theme from the American television series "One Step Beyond," which ran 1959-1961. It is written by Harry Lubin.
# 18: War of the Satellites is written by Danny Hamilton (1946-1994), who was at the time a young musician and a friend of the band. He and his brother Judd were members of the short-lived American band the T-Bones. In 1966 they had a hit with No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's in). This tune was recorded by the Ventures. It is included on the 1996 compilation Tele-Ventures.
# 19: The Bat is the theme from the 1959 movie "The Bat" starring Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead. It is written by Lou (or Louis) Forbes.
# 20: Penetration was a hit for the American band the Pyramids in 1964. It is written by Steve Leonard, who was a member of this band.
# 23: The Fourth Dimension is written by Terry Wadsworth and Gary Hodge. It was first recorded by the Seattle band the Frantics (also known as the Four Frantics) who called it Werewolf. The Ventures renamed it to fit the theme of the album.
# 24: The Twilight Zone is the theme from the television series "The Twilight Zone," which ran 1959-1964. It is written by Marty Manning (1916-1971).
There are four original compositions:
# 14: He never came back
# 17: Exploration in terror
# 21: Love Goddess of Venus
# 22: Solar Race.
The Ventures were one of the first pop/rock bands to build an album around a theme. "Ventures in Space" is a good example of this concept. Most tracks on this album have an eerie sound, as if the music comes from outer space.
[The Ventures seemed to like the space theme a lot. It began with the previous album, where we have the track Telstar, and continued with the next album "The Fabulous Ventures" (released in July 1964), where we have the track Journey to the Stars.]
[Here is a link to a CD with this album: Wild Things/Fabulous Ventures.]
The album from 1963 shows the Ventures searching for their sound and their style. They had not found it yet, but you can hear that they have a lot of potential.
The album from 1964 shows the Ventures experimenting successfully with new effects. This album includes four original compositions which demonstrate the creativity of the band.
In my opinion the album from 1963 deserves two stars, while the one from 1964 deserves four. Thus the average rating for the whole CD is three stars.
The CD comes with a booklet which you can take out. Here you will find pictures of the band taken from album covers and a list with credits for all 24 tracks. In addition, there is a brief essay about the band and the two albums written by the American author and journalist Dawn Eden (born 1968).
Here is some background information about the tracks. Let us begin with the album released in 1963.
#1: Telstar was a hit for the British band the Tornados in 1962. It is written by Joe Meek (1929-1967).
# 2: The Lonely Bull was a hit for Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in 1962. It is written by Sol Lake.
# 3: Mexico was a hit for Bob Moore and his Orchestra in 1961. It is written by Boudleaux Bryant and his wife Felice Bryant.
# 4: Calcutta was a hit for Lawrence Welk in 1961. It is written by Heino Gaze and Hans Bradtke.
# 5: Apache was recorded by the British band the Shadows in 1960 and by the Danish guitarist Jorgen Ingmann in 1961. It is written by Jerry Lordon (1934-1995).
# 6: Never on Sunday is featured in the 1960 movie "Never on Sunday" starring Melina Mercouri and Jules Dassin. It is written by the Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis (1925-1994).
# 7: Tequila was a hit for the American band the Champs in 1958. It is written by Chuck Rio, a pseudonym for Danny Flores, who was a member of this band.
# 8: Green Onions was a hit for Booker T. and the M.G.s in 1962. It is written by Steve Cropper, Booker T. Jones, Al Jackson Junior, and Lewie Steinberg, who were all members of this band.
# 9: Percolator was a hit for Billy Joe and the Checkmates. It is written by Lou Bideau and Ernie Freeman.
# 10: Red River Rock was a hit for Johnny and the Hurricanes in 1959.
# 11: Let there be drums was a hit for the famous American drummer Sandy Nelson in 1961. It is written by Nelson and his guitarist Richard Podolor.
# 12: Last Night was a hit for the Mar-Keys in 1961. Members of this band later formed Booker T. and the M.G.s.
Let us now turn to the album released in 1964. The tracks can be divided into two categories: (a) cover versions of tunes written by others and (b) original tracks written by one or more members of the band. There are eight cover versions:
# 13: Out of Limits was a hit for the Marketts in 1963. It is written by Michael Z. Gordon, who was a member of this band.
# 15: Moon Child is written by Julius Wechter and his wife Cissy Wechter. Julius worked with Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. Later he formed his own band, the Baja Marimba Band.
# 16: Fear is the theme from the American television series "One Step Beyond," which ran 1959-1961. It is written by Harry Lubin.
# 18: War of the Satellites is written by Danny Hamilton (1946-1994), who was at the time a young musician and a friend of the band. He and his brother Judd were members of the short-lived American band the T-Bones. In 1966 they had a hit with No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's in). This tune was recorded by the Ventures. It is included on the 1996 compilation Tele-Ventures.
# 19: The Bat is the theme from the 1959 movie "The Bat" starring Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead. It is written by Lou (or Louis) Forbes.
# 20: Penetration was a hit for the American band the Pyramids in 1964. It is written by Steve Leonard, who was a member of this band.
# 23: The Fourth Dimension is written by Terry Wadsworth and Gary Hodge. It was first recorded by the Seattle band the Frantics (also known as the Four Frantics) who called it Werewolf. The Ventures renamed it to fit the theme of the album.
# 24: The Twilight Zone is the theme from the television series "The Twilight Zone," which ran 1959-1964. It is written by Marty Manning (1916-1971).
There are four original compositions:
# 14: He never came back
# 17: Exploration in terror
# 21: Love Goddess of Venus
# 22: Solar Race.
The Ventures were one of the first pop/rock bands to build an album around a theme. "Ventures in Space" is a good example of this concept. Most tracks on this album have an eerie sound, as if the music comes from outer space.
[The Ventures seemed to like the space theme a lot. It began with the previous album, where we have the track Telstar, and continued with the next album "The Fabulous Ventures" (released in July 1964), where we have the track Journey to the Stars.]
[Here is a link to a CD with this album: Wild Things/Fabulous Ventures.]
The album from 1963 shows the Ventures searching for their sound and their style. They had not found it yet, but you can hear that they have a lot of potential.
The album from 1964 shows the Ventures experimenting successfully with new effects. This album includes four original compositions which demonstrate the creativity of the band.
In my opinion the album from 1963 deserves two stars, while the one from 1964 deserves four. Thus the average rating for the whole CD is three stars.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
34 reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
The Ventures Really Knock Me Out
12 Jan 2003
Format:Audio CD
I admit it. I am a Ventures nerd! Two of their finer albums on one CD is hard to miss. Their covers are better than the originals as evident by "Out Of Limits" (Marketts)and "Telstar" (Tornados0. Their rendition of "Penetration" is excellent the the effect of their maturing productios are evident here.("Penetration" originally done my The Pyramids).
Herb Alpert's "The Lonely Bull" is well done here and they make it there own. "Apache" is a classic, and many people learned to play guitar by using this record, (It latter appeared on "Play Guitar With The Ventures")
"The Ventures In Space" starts the period in which the Ventures put out album after album of pure magic, with the use of Mosrite Guitars always showcased, and the "Fuzz Bass" lines took hold. Songs like "Tequila" and "Solar Race" are Venture classics.
This group was integral to music in the sixties, with many artists directly affected by their music. This is a worthy addition to any collection, and is way ahead of its time. I still have the original Dolton LP's in Vinyl, but these CD's are excellent up-issues. Mandatory for any Ventures Fan,
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
The Outer Limits of Surf Music
21 Jan 2005
Format:Audio CD
When the Ventures' back catalogue was reissued on CD in the 1990s, most combined two LPs on a single CD. "Telstar" and "In Space" were early 1960s hit LPs, recorded right around the time the Ventures won an endorsement deal with Mosrite guitars and adopted a tough, fuzzed-out sound. As a bonus, this CD has a useful and accurate booklet.
"Telstar" has more variety than "In Space," featuring a very aggressive version of "Green Onions," a faithful rendition of Herb Alpert's "The Lonely Bull" and the amazing title track with its Star Trek-like electric organ. "In Space" is a collection of sci-fi themed songs. Some are originals, some aren't; "He Never Came Back" is a fantastic original song in a "Monster Mash" vein. It's hard to believe, but the Ventures didn't use synthesizers on "Outer Limits," relying instead on steel guitars, reverb, electronic organs, creative mic placement, and tape manipulation. While nothing on this CD is surf music in the purest sense, the Ventures helped define surf music to such a degree that it's hard not to think of this as surf in the broadest possible sense.
While the Ventures' playing on all their LPs is always first-rate, special mention must be made here of Mel Taylor. He's something of a forgotten name among rock drummers, but in his day he was quite impressive - influencing (among others) Keith Moon of the Who. The Ventures are often mentioned as a band that budding rock guitarists should listen to, but I would go further and suggest that young rock drummers could learn quite a bit from Taylor's excellent style.
I highly recommend this CD.
"Telstar" has more variety than "In Space," featuring a very aggressive version of "Green Onions," a faithful rendition of Herb Alpert's "The Lonely Bull" and the amazing title track with its Star Trek-like electric organ. "In Space" is a collection of sci-fi themed songs. Some are originals, some aren't; "He Never Came Back" is a fantastic original song in a "Monster Mash" vein. It's hard to believe, but the Ventures didn't use synthesizers on "Outer Limits," relying instead on steel guitars, reverb, electronic organs, creative mic placement, and tape manipulation. While nothing on this CD is surf music in the purest sense, the Ventures helped define surf music to such a degree that it's hard not to think of this as surf in the broadest possible sense.
While the Ventures' playing on all their LPs is always first-rate, special mention must be made here of Mel Taylor. He's something of a forgotten name among rock drummers, but in his day he was quite impressive - influencing (among others) Keith Moon of the Who. The Ventures are often mentioned as a band that budding rock guitarists should listen to, but I would go further and suggest that young rock drummers could learn quite a bit from Taylor's excellent style.
I highly recommend this CD.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Instrumental Music??
3 Feb 2006
Format:Audio CD
Like Frank Zappa, The Ventures have about eight billion albums out there, so it might be hard for a newcomer to know where to start. While nothing of The Ventures' is bad, this cd is an excellent place to start(it's also one of the easiest to find and not pricey either). The Ventures are usually considered a surf rock group, and though they had some of the most famous recordings in that genre, they never restricted themselves to that. They're basically an instrumental rock group. Don't be discouraged if you're looking for surf rock, throw on Telstar and find it doesn't sound like Dick Dale(we only need one Dick Dale). Telstar will really grow on you. It gives you a nice taste of everything. Once you get to In Space, you'll notice that album has more of a surf sound. Both albums are great and a nice pair for the price, giving you a cd just short of an hour. The Ventures were a top group back in the day before those longhaired commies from England came barging in. This was back in the day when instrumental music could top the charts. Imagine that! When was the last time an instrumental tune charted? The Ventures are still alive and kickin', but they have to go to Japan to get any respect anymore. It's a real shame. Good music, good musicians, good times. Good cd.
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