The Gretsch Pages: Discussions: On the 'tube: Ventures - Gretsch content!!!

Welcome to the Gretsch Pages

Ventures - Gretsch content!!!

- Rated: 115 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 5:28 p.m. wenzel:

I never realized how ahead of their time the Ventures were. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRMSNiSaP7s&feature=related

I also noticed that the drummer was playing a Gretsch drum kit, which was cool. These guys were smokin' hot and the solo's were and are way better than 90% of the stuff I've heard from a million other bands so to speak. I even think that I'd be willing to say that for rock of this sort that they even destroy George Harrison as a soloist. These guys sounded like themselves, while at the same time sounding like the Kinks and other bands that I love, they really ripped it up!!! I know there are die-hard Ventures fans out here, so I wanted to just get some conversation started up on this topic.

Chris
- Rated: 50 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 5:40 p.m. Richard Hudson:

Wow!!! Big Ventures fan here from way back. Nokie Edwards is my buddy. He is about as smooth as they come. That was him playing those hot solo leads.

Man, The Ventures always had the most knocked out drummer. They have to be the greatest all guitar band of all time.

Thanks for that one Wenz.

Richard
- Rated: 20 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 7:06 p.m. gresco:

Wenz, you started me on a trip into the past, viewing all the Venture vids. (Always been a fan.)

I came across a later one (2004) showing our friend Nokie Edwards on lead guitar. I was particularily impressed with his version of Sleepwalk, (2nd song.)

I know you had been working on the song recently. Check it out Nokie
- Rated: 30 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 7:43 p.m. Beatles6120:

They sure hated playing Mosrites!!!
- Rated: 115 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 8:33 p.m. wenzel:

Richard, glad you enjoyed it!

gresco, their version had a lot more complicated arpeggios than Brian Setzer's version did. I liked it a lot! I hope my version that I'm going to record really soon turns out half as good. It's really going to be as modern, yet era replicated as possible. I'm going to try and recreate the tune as closely as I can to Santo and Johnny as I can, but as if they stepped into a studio now to record it. We'll see. In my head it is going to sound awesome, but time will tell...

6120, yeah, those guitars rock!!!
- Rated: 66 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 8:45 p.m. Walter Broes:

Wenzel said:
I never realized how ahead of their time the Ventures were.

These guys were smokin' hot and the solo's were and are way better than 90% of the stuff I've heard from a million other bands so to speak. I even think that I'd be willing to say that for rock of this sort that they even destroy George Harrison as a soloist. These guys sounded like themselves, while at the same time sounding like the Kinks and other bands that I love, they really ripped it up!!! Chris
I like the Ventures fine, but I'm having some trouble with your post...how were they ahead of their time? And I don't quite get the Harisson comparison and the "this style of rock" either - What do the Beatles have in common with the Ventures? Or the Kinks and the Ventures?

I'm not really understanding your post, except you're saying the Ventures are great.
- Rated: 12 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 8:46 p.m. SJB66:

Hey Chris, Those video's wre great. I have been trying to collect the original Venture's Lp's for the last couple of year's. I have about 25 of them now, and I keep looking for more. I never get tired of thier music. Karl
- Rated: 83 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 9:14 p.m. Deed Eddy:

Mel Taylor, the drummer for The Ventures, passed away much too soon. His son, Leon, has taken his place.

Here's that same song, twenty years later...

with a big fan sitting in...
- Rated: 115 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 9:17 p.m. wenzel:

Walter, I'm saying that their lead stuff in this one song could hold its own against many modern rock bands. I also meant that if you told George and the Ventures guitarist to rip it up that the ventures would come out ahead. The solo parts in this song on lead guitar sounded super clean and were not sloppy like the Kinks were sometimes. He obviously had "it", whatever it is. Not knocking George or the Kinks, I just think as a lead guitarist, especially at this time that he was cleaner, yet still could rock your socks off. It's my opinion. George played 60's rock and so did the Kinks, a little different style, but in the solo it was all of the same old school R&R going on. Man, I love this stuff...
- Rated: 66 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 9:24 p.m. Walter Broes:

I really think you have a strange frame of reference, and are comparing apples and oranges - and I don't see the comparison or the reason for it.

But this stuff is great, sure, by all means.
- Rated: 115 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 9:24 p.m. wenzel:

Deed, was that Max Weinberg on drums? That was awesome. I think he's one of my favorite drummers of the modern time. Everytime I watch Conan O'Brien I always am glued to his style of drumming...

Walter, does it matter in what way I compare things? You might compare things differently and I respect that we're different. I am looking at it from my point of view and strictly from a solo guitarist point of view. He's rockin and sounds similar to stuff George and the Kinks played, only better in this video to my ears.

I was imagining that I was watching them on stage in that exact performance and if I had seen them TODAY, I'd still say the same thing. I don't think many people would say that his solo's didn't rock the house. I could name a number of tunes by the Beatles and the Kinks that sounded similar to this, but I don't want to waste your time.
- Rated: 22 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 10:20 p.m. MrAstroJet:

I suspect that if there was an influence, Nokie and Co. may have influenced the Beatles and Kinks, not the other way around.

Not everyone patterned themselves after the British Invaders. OTOH, there was Hank Marvin and the Shadows and a lot of other instrumental bands that used a ton of reverb. You've got to figure that ol' Hank influenced a lot of English guitarists.
- Rated: 9 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 10:22 p.m. Space Jase:

Those were some rippin' solos. Reminded me of Dave Davies too.

Speaking of Dave, I just noticed this article today. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/sep/25/kinks.raydavies (sorry if that's too off topic)
- Rated: 40 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 10:23 p.m. roadjunkie:

I always liked this version but alas it couldn't save the Magic Hour!

Sick humor content advisory

You'll need to log in to post.