Collection 1960-62 (CD) – The Ventures

The sub-genre of guitar instrumental hits is a fascinating musical strand of rock ‘n’ roll, with Duane Eddy representing it’s primary high-profile chart vanguard, but it was with groups like The Ventures in the USA and The Shadows in the UK that it expanded in the first years of the ’60s to inspire a generation of teenagers to buy a guitar and learn to play the hits – indeed, the Ventures were later afforded the occasional accolade of being “The Band that Launched a Thousand Bands”. They formed in Seattle in 1958, playing local gigs, and heard “Walk Don’t Run” as a solo finger-style piece on a 1958 Chet Atkins album – their decision to adapt it was an inspired one. It was released on the small Dolton label on the west coast, owned by country star Bonnie Guitar, and sold a million copies reaching No. 2. They went on to become one of the industry’s most longest-running and successful groups worldwide, building an especially strong following in Japan. This great-value 64-track collection (some of their records were legendarily short) is a comprehensive overview of the initial era of the career, comprising all their A & B sides during the period, and the complete content of their first four albums, “Walk Don’t Run”, “The Ventures”, “Another Smash” and “The Colorful Ventures”, plus selected tracks from their 1962 LP “Twist With The Ventures”. It is therefore a comprehensive look at their formative career, naturally including classics like “Walk Don’t Run”, “Perfidia”, “Ram-Bunk-Shush” and “Lullaby Of The Leaves”.

Track List

1. Cookies and Coke
2. The Real McCoy
3. Walk Don’t Run
4. Home
5. The McCoy
6. Perfidia
7. No Trespassing
8. The Twomp
9. Heart on My Sleeve
10. Ram-Buck-Shush
11. Lonely Heart
12. Lullaby of the Leaves
13. Ginchy
14. Theme from Silver City
15. Bluer Than Blue
16. Blue Moon
17. Lady of Spain
18. Yellow Jacket
19. Genesis
20. Instant Mashed
21. My Bonnie Lies
22. Lolita Ya-Ya
23. Lucille
24. The 2000 Pound Bee – Part 1
25. The 2000 Pound Bee – Part 2
26. Morgen
27. Raunchy
28. My Own True Love – Tara’s Theme
29. The Switch
30. Night Train
31. Caravan
32. Sleep Walk
33. Honky Tonk
34. The Shuck
35. Detour
36. Hawaiian War Chant
37. Harlem Nocturne
38. Blue Tango
39. Ups ‘N Downs
40. Lonesome Town
41. Torquay
42. Wailin’
43. Moon of Manakoora
44. Ghost Riders in the Sky
45. Wheels
46. Bulldog
47. Beyond the Reef
48. Raw-Hide
49. Meet Mister Callahan
50. Trambone
51. Last Date
52. Josie
53. Green Leaves of Summer
54. Blue Skies
55. Greenfields
56. Red Top
57. White Silver Sands
58. Yellow Bird
59. Orange Fire
60. Driving Guitars – Ventures’ Twist
61. The Twist
62. Road Runner
63. Moon Dawg
64. Shanghied