Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA The Ventures - In The Vaults Volume 2 | Much of this is not very good, that is to say the performances are tentative, like maybe they were early in the arranging stage and never got beyond that. "Sugaree" is a spunky vocal interpretation of the same standard that the Grateful Dead used to do. |
Picks: Golden Earrings, Stick Shift, Forty Miles Of Bad Road, True Love, Teen Beat, Ventures Stomp, Deep Purple, Walkin' With My Angel, Travelin' Man, Greensleeves, Bongo Rock, Tossin' and Turnin', Blue Hawaii, What'd I Say, Hawaiian Surfing, Tammy, Stagger Lee, Hawaiian Wedding Song, Taboo, Danny Boy, Lites Out, High Tide, Spanish Armada, Saigon, Harlem Nocturne
Track by Track Review
MOR Surf (Instrumental)
Very soft and beautiful, this track sports a sultry romantic sound. A classic melody made to shimmer with gentle vibrato and island whammy.
Rock (Instrumental)
Duals' "Stick Shift" finds its way across the speakers without much drive. The drums are cool, but the track lacks the spunk of the original, except for the drums. Still, it's different and interesting.
Forty Miles Of Bad Road Rock (Instrumental)
Duane Eddy's "40 Miles Of Bad Road" is weakly delivered. pristine, but without the power of the original.
MOR Rock (Instrumental)
Soft shimmering guitar, quite beautifully playing this classic melody. A little too sappy for my taste.
Teen (Instrumental)
Sandy Nelson didn't mean this to be so thick. Jerry McGee played it when he was with Sandy Nelson. It retains the rhythm dominated feel of the Sandy Nelson original, and adds excellent dry guitar chops. The mix is very good.
Country Rock (Instrumental)
Spunky drums, a country riff, and some kinda fun... this is unusually structured and quite enjoyable. Not a hint of surf, but excellent fun.
Near Surf (Instrumental)
Island whammy leads this into a near surf feel, but doesn't quite deliver the goods. Too sappy.
Country (Instrumental)
"Walkin' With My Angel" is a mighty fun country tune, with great spirit despite its weak guitar tone. Lots of fun.
Rock (Instrumental)
Ricky Nelson's "Travelin' Man" is a better vehicle than you'd think... melodic and interesting. The guitars are dry, but the grins are all around.
Greensleeves MOR (Instrumental)
A tepid performance of "Greensleeves."
Surf (Instrumental)
Preston Epps classic brought the bongo drum into the forefront of rock and out of the restrictive realm of Maynard G. Crebbs and the "dead" Beat Generation. This is a mostly tame rendering, OK for a party, with hot sax from Mike Rose. Some of the guitar work, however is really big hall power chord stuff. Among the more unusual and inspired arrangements on this disc.
Tossin' and Turnin' Rock (Instrumental)
"Tossin' and Turnin'" is not very interesting... no character and a tentative performance.
Surf (Instrumental)
A natural choice, done in an Adventures In Paradise style. Pretty, but unremarkable.
What'd I Say Rock (Instrumental)
Aside from the glissandoes... just OK.
Polynesian Surf (Instrumental)
Tribal military drums a la Roy Orbison's "Leah" under a moderate lead. Underdeveloped, but with potential. More Hawaiian than surf.
Soft Rock (Instrumental)
Silky and sappy... pretty but unmemorable.
Country (Instrumental)
The old R&B classic... countrified and smooth.
Hawaiian Romantic (Instrumental)
Beautifully smooth and silky, soft and romantic. Great for your next wedding.
Soft Rock (Instrumental)
The exotica classic finds a different life in a guitar format, with an interesting and enjoyable arrangement.
Danny Boy MOR (Instrumental)
Centuries of versions... this is uninspired and sappy.
Lites Out
Rock (Instrumental)
The arrangement here seems underdeveloped. The organ lead is cheesy and at odds with the drums.
Surf (Instrumental)
Surf rhythm guitar and a slight melody over "Caravan" drums. Interesting and unusual, but restrained. This is not the Lively Ones tune.
Rock (Instrumental)
Duane Eddy and Jeff Baxter trade leads backed by the Ventures. The tune and arrangement are of the Duane Eddy mold, and the pace is slow to moderate. Precise, dance floor stuff.
Near Surf (Instrumental)
Thundering drums and ringing guitar, an Asian sorta melody, and an intensity missing from many others here. Exotica and magnetic.
Rock (Instrumental)
Earl Hagen's classic track made a rock instro standard by the Viscounts is very nicely done here. It's not raw like the Viscounts version. It's very pretty, like a romantic version of an Earl Stanley Gardner novel. Excellent playing, subtle and small combo jazzy.