They inspired nearly everyone who came after them

May 19, 2023 8:03 PM

The 2020 documentary The Ventures: Stars On Guitars [1h30m] tells the story of the most famous instrumental rock and roll band in the world. Having released hundreds of albums across over six decades, this garage band from Tacoma became a global influence on rock and guitar playing whose influence goes beyond measure. If you think you aren't interested in or have no connection to this, you're probably mistaken.
posted by hippybear (6 comments total)

You've just been killing it on these documentaries, hippybear!
posted by gentlyepigrams at 9:33 PM on May 19, 2023 [1 favorite]

Seconding gentlyepigrams, and also favoriting this:

If you think you aren't interested in or have no connection to this, you're probably mistaken.

I am totally looking forward to seeing this (and I say that as a total lyrics freak who struggles some with instrumental music),

and I also just realized I really need to forward all your posts to a friend of mine who loves music and loves documentaries.

Thank you for lovingly tending MetaFilter, hippybear. You are a treasure.
posted by kristi at 10:11 PM on May 19, 2023 [4 favorites]

Five tracks by the Ventures:

Walk, Don't Run

where surf music began

Perfidia

the sequel

Telstar

I now know it's Joe Meeks' song, which has its charms; but this was the first version I knew

Walk, Don't Run '64

the Pipeline update, where the lead guitarist and bass player from the original recording switched roles

Slaughter on Tenth Avenue

Live in Japan, 1993. Somebody tell me the expression I once heard, three things indicating Summer in Japan: ..., ..., and the Ventures (because they toured there every year)

Japan, but not the Ventures: trailer for Cary Grant's last film, "Walk, Don't Run" where he portrayed a race-walker in the '64 Olympics.
posted by Rash at 10:13 PM on May 19, 2023 [1 favorite]

Holy shit. "Hundreds" is not an exaggeration.
posted by Halloween Jack at 11:05 PM on May 19, 2023

I love the instrumental covers they did for the Pops in Japan albums:
The Ventures - Stranger in Midosuji | Ouyang Fei Fei - Ame no Midosuji
The Ventures - Hokkaido Skies | Okumura Chiyo - Kitaguni no Aoi Sora
The Ventures - Black Sand Beach | Kayama Yuzo - Black Sand Beach
The Ventures - Kyoto Doll | Nagisa Yuko - Kyoto no Koi
posted by sukeban at 8:50 AM on May 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

Live in Japan, 1993 . Somebody tell me the expression I once heard, three things indicating Summer in Japan: ..., ..., and the Ventures (because they toured there every year)

Dudes stuck to their formula even closer than Slayer.
posted by alex_skazat at 2:57 PM on May 20, 2023