Guest Reviews - 5

On Stage

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Here's a fifth guest review of Ventures albums. This one is again by fellow Ventures fan Tony Meloche.]

First, the bad news - then the good news. The bad news is that a flat-out lie was perpetrated on Ventures fans with the release of this album - which proclaims proudly on the front: "Around the world - in Japan, England, and the U.S." Nope - the entire album was recorded in Japan, and to this writer's knowledge, the Ventures have never yet performed in England as of this writing (unusual, considering the fierce loyalty of their UK fans). Further, the voice of Bing Concepcion, the announcer in the opening set is authentic, but the other "voice overs" (and a great deal of the crowd screams and whistles) were studio additions (Japanese crowds are extrememy polite, and quiet down immediately after a tune is introduced). The best answer to this deception that I can guess is that the producers and marketers thought that a true "world tour" atmostphere would improve sales of the album. I think it is safe to say that the Ventures had no input into this decision, if they were even aware of it.

So what's the good news? It is substantial, for Ventures fans. The playing of the Ventures, throughout this album, is *electrifying*, as is the quality of the remote recording. Both are better, in this author's opinion, than the well-known 2-albums-to-CD recording "The Ventures Live in Japan - 1965". In that disc, the Ventures play well, (it's hard to imagine the Ventures *not* playing well), but there is more of a sound of them being many nights in to a grueling tour. Everything in the "On Stage" album has a sparkling "first night" sound to it. My personal opinion, (not a popular one), is that the engineering on the "Live in Japan 1965" CD is wretched, also.

Enough already. What about the playing in "On Stage"? Hang on, because it gets *good* from this point forward!

The album opens with the perfect choice (considering that place and time): "Wipe Out". Both Don and Bob do their usual excellent job on this song, but the spotlight belongs to Nokie and Mel. Slack-jawed solo work by both gentlemen dominates this cut. It's been 34 years since I first heard it, and I still am amazed by it (the exact same comments apply to "Caravan", below, incidentally). Also noteworthy is the VERY . . .ah . . "crisp" tempo! All of the Ventures observed in later years that their tempos in these early days of their first tour were extreme, for most of the numbers (was Mel pumped? Oh yeah!!). But they are entitled to their opinions, I am entitled to mine, and much of the incredible magic of this album is caught up in the (admittedly) very quick tempo, I feel.

Next in line is "Journey to the Stars", beautifully done, and very similar in sound to the studio version, considering it was without organ. Nokie's creativity in "filling in the gaps" in this tune (and the next), is admirable, considering the lack of studio goodies. I do not understand, though, why a basic Ventures sound by this time - fuzztone - was not used in these performances. Fuzz was a basic, single pedal unit, and could easily have been used, but the Ventures did not use it on tour, at that time. Curious.

Cut number three is "Slaughter on 10th Avenue", and again, a good re-creation of the studio feel without the soprano sax playing through a Leslie speaker, as used in the original recording. It is worth noting that the closer to the original recording Nokie was, the closer his solo work to that recording. Understandably, as the years went on, his solos tended to vary a great deal - but still brilliantly - from the originals he played. This makes perfect sense if you think about it.

Track four is probably the most widely discussed rock instrumental of that era - "Caravan". This classic Ellington/Mills/Tizol number is reborn at the hands of the Ventures. It goes all the way back to their first album (where I believe Bob Bogle played lead on it). It can take a *long* time to appreciate all the esoteric skill that went into this live performance. Nokie, once again, has three solos that have left many guitarists scratching their heads, and Mel serves up a perfect solo of his own. The bass solo heard in the tune is Mel playing the low "E" of Bob's bass with his drumsticks while Bob fingers the correct notes. The Ventures did not invent this routine - it goes back to Gene Krupa playing a tune called "Big Noise form Winnetka" with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in the 40's, but it is still a great stage bit in live performance. Nokie also - and effortlessly - uses a dazzling bag of tricks that only guitarists would recognize and appreciate for their tremendous technique. This is the first clearly recorded example (in the last solo), of Nokie using both the flat pick and his fingers in a hybrid picking style - something that has become the mainstay of his live performances today.

Track five is "Pedal Pusher", another recent (Walk, Don't Run Vol. II) cut from a Ventures album. The organ is little missed in this one - Nokie makes it seamless. Listen close to appreciate Bob's solo-quality bass work in this tune.

Track six is "Apache '65", which the Ventures had updated and modified from the original Jerry Lordan creation. The "bird call" effects (later used in "Diamond Head") were a guitarist - I'm not sure who - scratching their fingernail on a muted bass string.

Track seven brings us to the Ventures own take on the classic "Bumble Bee Boogie", which they call simply "The Bumblebee". Here is a live version of a tune that surpasses the studio version, as good as it was - the most magical thing that can happen in a live performance.

Track eight gives us yet another bewhiskered Ventures original titled "Driving Guitars" (aka "Venture's Twist"). The song is reborn in this live performance. Absolutely breathless in tempo; in just one minute and 43 seconds, the world's most perfect lesson in how surf guitar is *played* is over with. The tribute to Dick Dale is very obvious in this tune.

Track nine is the famous "Ventures Medley" of "Walk, Don't Run," " Perfidia", and "Lullaby of the Leaves". Mel's drumming again sends this to stratospheric heights. Nokie sticks very close to the original performances throught this trio. Don's sheer glee at rhythm guitar comes through clearly, especially in "Perfidia", a tune he obviously enjoys playing.

With track ten, we come to a Ventures live number as famous as "Caravan" - the irrepressable "Yellow Jacket". Written by the Ventures before Mel joined the group, (and primarily a Bob Bogle creation), it harks back to "The Colorful Ventures", one of their earliest albums, but is a perfect vehicle for a Nokie Edwards flight of fancy. Nokie's devotion to Les Paul is evident in this number, with his carefully created "insect" sounds. Compare to Les Pauls's train effects in "Alabamy Bound", if you can find it, and you'll see what I mean. Don's rhythm work is especially noteworthy in this cut, too.

The legend on the original album's back cover states: "We are only sorry we could not bring you all of the performances, but here are the very best". The procucer, Dick Glasser, deserves a nod here - the decision was ultimately his, and it is hard to imagine better individual performances he could have chosen. With the "Live in '65" CD you will get considerably more "bang for the buck". But the performances are no better - in some cases not as good, in my opinion - and the mastering is superlative on this recording (if you can excuse the fake voiceovers and excessive teeny-bopper screaming). Ultimately, the music is what counts the most - and this was the absolute pinncale of what The Ventures were capable of in live performance of their music. And lo, these many years later, it still stands as one of the very best "live" rock albums ever recorded. Good listening to you, until next time.

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Last Updated: January 1, 2003