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.
Harlem Nocturne
The Ventures Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She′s not the girl I used to know
Forever screaming all the day and night
She used to be a diplomat
But now she's down the laundromat
They washed her mind and now she finds it hard
But now she never seems the same
She don′t talk to me
'Cause she can't take no sympathy
Because she′s highly strung
Oh, highly strung, she′s undone
Highly strung
Oh, highly strung, she's undone
She′s stepping out upon the ledge
She's got a gun against her head
She′s wired up to blow the power line
She's walking out upon the knife
She′ll take you to the edge of life
Just like the song, the pressure is on again
I know her name
Ho, but now she never seems the same
She don't talk to me
'Cause she can′t take no sympathy
Because she′s highly strung
Oh, highly strung, she's undone
Highly strung
Oh, highly strung, she′s undone
No, no, no
I know her name
Ho, but now she never seems the same
She don't talk to me
′Cause she can't take no sympathy
Because she′s highly strung
Oh, highly strung, she's undone
Highly strung
Oh, highly strung, she's undone
Highly strung
Oh, highly strung, she′s undone
Highly strung
Oh, highly strung, she′s undone
This is the song of little Jo
She's not the girl I used to know
The lyrics of The Ventures' song "Harlem Nocturne" are open to interpretation, but one possible meaning is that they revolve around a person named Jo who has gone through a significant change in her life. The singer, who formerly knew Jo, now sees her as a different person who is "forever screaming" and "highly strung." The change in Jo's personality and behavior might be related to her job, which used to involve diplomacy, but now finds her working at a laundromat. The lyrics hint at Jo being both on the verge of a breakdown and potentially dangerous. She has a gun, is "wired up to blow the power line," and is "walking out upon the knife."
Overall, the lyrics of "Harlem Nocturne" suggest a tragic story of someone who has been pushed to the edge, either by external forces or their own internal struggles. They paint a picture of a person who has lost their way in life, and who may not be able to come back from the brink.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the song of little Jo
Introducing the song and its protagonist, little Jo
She's not the girl I used to know
Jo has changed from the person the singer knew before
Forever screaming all the day and night
Jo seems to be constantly upset and making noise
She used to be a diplomat
Jo had a diplomatic personality or job in the past
But now she's down the laundromat
Jo has either lost her job or is working at a low-paying job at a laundromat
They washed her mind and now she finds it hard
Jo's mind has been changed or manipulated in some way and she's now having difficulty coping
I know her name
The singer is familiar with Jo
But now she never seems the same
Jo has changed so much that the singer barely recognizes her
She don't talk to me
Jo is avoiding talking to the singer
'Cause she can't take no sympathy
Jo doesn't want or can't handle any kind of sympathy from the singer
Because she's highly strung
Jo is very stressed or anxious
Oh, highly strung, she's undone
Jo can't handle the stress and is falling apart
She's stepping out upon the ledge
Jo might be considering or attempting suicide by standing on a ledge
She's got a gun against her head
Jo has a gun and might harm or kill herself
She's wired up to blow the power line
Jo is so unstable that she might cause a power outage or some other kind of disruption
She's walking out upon the knife
Jo is putting herself in danger
She'll take you to the edge of life
Jo's actions are extreme and could lead to her death
Just like the song, the pressure is on again
This line could refer to the pressure in the song itself or the pressure Jo is facing in her life
No, no, no
Reinforcing the dire situation and the singer's despair
Writer(s): Earle Hagen
Contributed by Eva C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lee Gund
As I've commented on other postings-Harlem Nocturne is probably best remembered for the Alto Sax solo. How the Ventures pulled this off with out the Sax is a true testament to their versatility and the love of music.
L Stearns
too true about the alto and the ventures love for music
Levon Stokes
Love this!!!
Henk Roestenburg
What a great sound...best ever...
Erik Zahir
@Korbin Jaziel definitely, I've been using flixzone for months myself =)
Korbin Jaziel
a tip: you can watch movies on Flixzone. I've been using them for watching a lot of movies recently.
Ken Sturman
still got the originally 33rpm still the best number !!
dlc1119
Very interesting take on a standard.
L Stearns
cool
Dennis Sloan
HMM...."FEAR & CRULELIA GROVIRE"