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.
Eleanor Rigby
The Ventures Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ah look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby, picks up the rice
In the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face
That she keeps in a jar by the door
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Father McKenzie, writing the words
Of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working, darning his socks
In the night when there's nobody there
What does he care
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Ah look at all the lonely people
Ah look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby, died in the church
And was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt
From his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
The song "Eleanor Rigby" by The Ventures is a haunting ballad that paints a picture of the loneliness and isolation that can exist in urban life. It begins with the repeated refrain "Ah look at all the lonely people," as if calling attention to the isolation that pervades the city. The song then tells the stories of two individuals, Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie, who are both trapped in their own loneliness. Eleanor Rigby is a woman who lives in a dream and spends her time picking up rice in the church where a wedding has been. She wears a face that she keeps in a jar by the door, and it is unclear who the face is for. Father McKenzie, on the other hand, is a priest who writes sermons that no one will hear and sits alone at night darning his socks.
The song then asks the question, "All the lonely people, where do they all come from? Where do they all belong?" suggesting that the isolation of these two individuals is not unique but is instead part of a wider phenomenon. The song ends with the haunting image of Eleanor Rigby dying in the church and being buried with her name, nobody coming to mourn her passing. Father McKenzie wipes the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave, and no one is saved. This final image reinforces the idea that urban life can be isolating and that there are many lonely people in the world who are struggling to connect with others.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah look at all the lonely people
The singer expresses sadness and pity towards the lonely people around them.
Eleanor Rigby, picks up the rice
Eleanor Rigby is doing menial tasks, such as cleaning up rice, after a wedding in the church. She appears to have a mundane and unfulfilling life.
In the church where a wedding has been
The scene takes place in a church where a wedding has just occurred. This contrasts with the loneliness of the characters being discussed.
Lives in a dream
Eleanor Rigby lives in a fantasy world or an imagined reality, possibly to escape her isolation and unhappiness.
Waits at the window, wearing the face
Eleanor Rigby puts on a mask or facade to face the outside world. She wears a specific face that she keeps in a jar by the door, possibly to present a certain image to others.
That she keeps in a jar by the door
Eleanor Rigby keeps the face she presents to the world in a jar by the door, suggesting that this is a conscious decision and an ongoing practice.
Who is it for
The singer questions the purpose of Eleanor Rigby's facade and who it is meant to please or impress.
Father McKenzie, writing the words
Father McKenzie is shown to be writing words, likely for a sermon, but no one will hear them. This highlights his loneliness and the futility of his efforts.
Of a sermon that no one will hear
The artist emphasizes that Father McKenzie's sermon will have no audience, further emphasizing his isolation and lack of impact.
No one comes near
Father McKenzie is so isolated that no one comes near him. This suggests that he is both physically and emotionally distant from others.
Look at him working, darning his socks
Father McKenzie is shown doing menial tasks such as darning his socks in the nighttime, further emphasizing his loneliness and lack of companionship.
In the night when there's nobody there
The line further highlights the isolation of Father McKenzie - he is alone and doing chores in the dark of night when no one is around.
What does he care
The singer questions whether Father McKenzie cares about his isolation or if he has resigned himself to loneliness and abandonment.
Eleanor Rigby, died in the church
Eleanor Rigby's story ends tragically as she dies in the same church where she picked up rice. Her death is a symbol of her isolation and disconnect from others.
And was buried along with her name
Eleanor Rigby's death is so lonely that no one is there to claim her, and she is buried anonymously without anyone to remember her by name.
Nobody came
The artist emphasizes once again the lack of human connection in Eleanor Rigby's life as nobody comes to her funeral.
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt
Father McKenzie is again shown working, this time wiping the dirt from his hands after the burial of Eleanor Rigby. His reaction to her death is not shown, further emphasizing his lack of connection to others.
From his hands as he walks from the grave
Father McKenzie walks away from the grave of Eleanor Rigby, leaving her alone in death as she was in life.
No one was saved
The song ends on a tragic note as the singer states that no one was saved. Nobody was able to connect with or help Eleanor Rigby or Father McKenzie, and their loneliness ultimately led to their isolation and death.
Lyrics © editionPlus Verlags GmbH, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind