Their first wide-release single, "Walk, Don't Run" (1960), brought international fame to the group, and is often cited as one of the top songs ever recorded for guitar. In the 1960s and early 1970s, 38 of the band's albums charted in the US, ranking them as the 6th best album chart performer during the 1960s, and the band had 14 singles in the Billboard Hot 100. With over 100 million records sold, the Ventures are the best-selling instrumental band of all time.
The Ventures have had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. The band was among the first to employ and popularize fuzz and flanging guitar effects, concept albums, and twelve-string guitars in rock music. Their instrumental virtuosity, innovation, and unique sound influenced many musicians and bands, earning the group the moniker "The Band that Launched a Thousand Bands". Their recording of "Walk, Don't Run" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for its lasting impact, and in 2008 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Don Wilson and Bob Bogle first met in 1958, when Bogle was looking to buy a car from a used car dealership in Seattle owned by Wilson's father. Finding a common interest in guitars, the two decided to play together, while Wilson joined Bogle performing masonry work. They bought two used guitars in a pawn shop for about $10 each. Initially calling themselves the Versatones, the duo played small clubs, beer bars, and private parties throughout the Pacific Northwest. Wilson played rhythm guitar, Bogle lead. When they went to register the band name, they found that it was already taken. Disappointed, they cast about for an appropriate name. Wilson's mother suggested the name "The Ventures", upon which they eventually agreed in 1959.
During their first years (1958–1961), the Ventures played Fender guitars (a Jazzmaster, a Stratocaster and a Precision Bass) for both their live performances and their recording sessions. These instruments are prominently visible on the covers of two early albums: The Ventures and The Colorful Ventures. From 1962 to 1963 they used two Jazzmasters with a Precision Bass, shown on the album cover of "Bobby Vee meets The Ventures". Then in early 1963, California guitar manufacturer Mosrite re-branded their uniquely styled, futuristic-looking Mark 1 electric guitar model for the Ventures by applying decals that stated "The Ventures Model" on the headstock. The band adopted these guitars (which included a bass model) and first used them on The Ventures in Space (1963), one of their most influential albums because of the unique, otherworldly guitar sounds it contained. From 1963 through 1968, a statement on their album covers announced that the Ventures used Mosrite guitars "exclusively" (the Ventures and designer Semie Moseley were partners in the distribution of these instruments). After the expiration of their contract with Moseley, the Ventures returned to playing mainly Fender guitars. Only rarely have they used Mosrite guitars since that contract ended.
In the mid-1990s, Fender issued a limited edition Ventures Signature Series of guitars consisting of a Jazzmaster, a Stratocaster, and a Fender Jazz Bass, all with specifications determined by the band.
Aria Guitars and Wilson Brothers Guitars have subsequently issued Ventures Signature Model instruments. The Wilson Brothers guitar, in particular, is closely modeled physically on the original Mosrite design.
The Ventures pioneered the use of special effects on such songs as "The 2000 Pound Bee", recorded in late 1962, in which lead guitarist Nokie Edwards employed a fuzz pedal. Edwards' use of "fuzz tone" predated the "King of Fuzz Guitar", Davie Allan of The Arrows, by at least three years. In addition, Edwards was among the first to use the twelve-string guitar in rock. The 1964 The Ventures In Space album was a primer in the use of special guitar effects, and made pioneering use of 'reverse-tracking'. The Ventures In Space, because of its ethereal space-like effects, was deemed an influence on the later 1960s San Francisco psychedelic generation, as well as being cited as a favorite by Keith Moon of the Who.
The band's cover of the Tornados' "Telstar" (released in January 1963) featured one of the first instances of flanging on a pop record. The song "Silver Bells" on The Ventures' Christmas Album, released in November 1965, has one of the first recorded uses of a talk box as a musical effect, voiced by Red Rhodes.
The Ventures have had an influence on many musicians, both professional and amateur. Their instructional album, Play Guitar with the Ventures, was the first such record to chart on the Billboard Top LPs list, peaking at No. 96, and taught thousands of budding guitarists how to play the guitar. George Harrison stated in a Guitar Player interview that he preferred the American guitar sound of the Ventures to British contemporaries. When asked to name the most influential rock guitar solos, Joe Walsh said he would have to include the entire song "Walk, Don't Run" because it changed so many guitar players' lives. John Fogerty, during his introduction of the Ventures at their Hall of Fame induction, said that it "kicked open a whole movement in rock and roll... The sound of it became 'surf music' and the audacity of it empowered guitarists everywhere." Stephen Stills told Ventures guitarist Don Wilson that he learned to play on Ventures records. Jeff Baxter and Gene Simmons were early members of the Ventures Fan Club. Carl Wilson called the Ventures a major influence on his early guitar playing, stating that the Beach Boys had learned to play all of their songs by ear.
Bob Bogle lived in Vancouver, Washington, for years and died there on June 14, 2009, of non-Hodgkin lymphoma; he was 75.
Nokie Edwards died on March 12, 2018, due to complications after hip surgery. He was 82.
Gerry McGee died on October 12, 2019, after having a heart attack and collapsing onstage four days earlier in Japan. He was 81.
Don Wilson continued to record with the band, but retired from touring at the end of 2015. He died of natural causes on January 22, 2022, at the age of 88.
Mel Taylor died on August 11, 1996, of cancer, at the age of 62. He was diagnosed two weeks before his death.
1999 A.D
The Ventures Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Water's gonna overflow
Swamp's gonna rise
No boat's gonna row
Now, you can train on down
To Williams Point
You can bust your feet
You can rock this joint
You're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow.
Now, don't you try an' move me
You're just gonna lose
There's a crash on the levee
And mama, you've been refused
Well, it's sugar for sugar
And salt for salt
If you go down in the flood
It's gonna be your own fault
Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
You're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow.
Well, that high tide's risin'
Mama, don't you let me down
Pack up your suitcase
Mama, don't you make a sound
Now, it's king for king
Queen for queen
It's gonna be the meanest flood
That anybody's seen
Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
You're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow.
The Ventures' song "1999 A.D" is a rock instrumental that pays tribute to Bob Dylan's folk classic "It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue." However, instead of Dylan’s scathing lyrics, the song is composed of a series of ominous warnings about an impending environmental disaster. The opening line, "Crash on the levee, mama, water’s gonna overflow," alludes to the potential collapse of levees along the Mississippi River, a major environmental concern since the Great Flood of 1927.
The song proceeds with warnings and ominous forebodings about the possible flood, with lines like "swamp’s gonna rise," "no boat’s gonna row," and "that high tide’s risin’. Mama, don’t you let me down." The lyrics suggest that people should be prepared, pack up, and move before it's too late. The song ends with a warning that if people don't take necessary precautions and go down in the flood, it will be their own fault.
Overall, "1999 A.D" is a sobering reminder of the power and capriciousness of nature, and serves as a call to action for people to take stronger measures to protect themselves and the environment.
Line by Line Meaning
Crash on the levee, mama
A crash is happening on the levee and the singer is calling out to their mother.
Water's gonna overflow
The water is going to overflow due to the crash on the levee.
Swamp's gonna rise
As a result of the crash and overflow, the swamp is going to rise.
No boat's gonna row
Because of the rising water and flood, boats will not be able to navigate.
Now, you can train on down
An alternative is proposed; they can take a train down.
To Williams Point
The suggested destination is Williams Point.
You can bust your feet
The journey to Williams Point on foot may be strenuous.
You can rock this joint
Once they arrive, they can party and dance to music.
But oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
The artist is concerned that their mother will miss her best friend during the flood.
You're gonna have to find yourself
The mother will have to find a new best friend to replace the one she'll miss.
Another best friend, somehow.
It will be difficult, but the mother will need to find a way to make a new friend.
Now, don't you try an' move me
The artist refuses to budge.
You're just gonna lose
If the mother tries to move the singer, she will lose.
There's a crash on the levee
Again, the singer reminds the mother of the crash on the levee.
And mama, you've been refused
The singer has already turned down the mother's attempt to move them.
Well, it's sugar for sugar
A phrase that conveys that what goes around comes around.
And salt for salt
What one gives is what they get in return.
If you go down in the flood
If the mother doesn't heed the warning, she will be negatively affected by the flood.
It's gonna be your own fault
The mother will be solely responsible for her fate in the flood.
Well, that high tide's risin'
The flood is getting worse as the high tide rises.
Mama, don't you let me down
The artist is relying on the mother to not disappoint them.
Pack up your suitcase
The mother should be prepared to evacuate.
Mama, don't you make a sound
The mother should be silent when leaving.
Now, it's king for king
The artist extends the earlier phrase and says that one will receive like for like.
Queen for queen
If the mother protects the singer, she will receive protection in return.
It's gonna be the meanest flood
It will be a harsh and terrible flood.
That anybody's seen
It will be the worst flood anyone has seen.
Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
The artist still has concerns about the mother missing her friend.
You're gonna have to find yourself
Once more, the artist reminds the mother that she must find a new friend.
Another best friend, somehow.
Again, it will be difficult, but the mother will have to find a way to do so.
Contributed by Gianna V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.