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.
Needles And Pins
The Ventures Lyrics
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I had to run away, and get down on my knees and pray that they'd go away
But still they'd begin (uh), needles and pins (uh)
Because of all my pride, the tears I gotta hide
Hey I thought I was smart, I'd won her heart
Didn't think I'd do, but now I see
She's worse to him than me, let her go ahead
Just how to say please, and get down on her knees
Hey that's how it begins (uh), she'll feel those needles and pins
A-hurtin' her, a-hurtin' her
Why can't I stop and tell myself I'm wrong, I'm wrong, so wrong
Why can't I stand up and tell myself I'm strong
Because I saw her today, I saw her face, it was a face I loved, and I knew
I had to run away, and get down on my knees and pray that they'd go away
But still they'd begin (uh), needles and pins (uh)
Because of all my pride, the tears I gotta hide
Oh needles and pins (uh), needles and pins (uh), needles and pins (uh)
The Ventures's song Needles And Pins tells the story of a man who sees a woman he used to love and still loves, but had to end things with her due to the pain he experienced. The memories of their past and the pain he went through still haunt him as he tries to move on. He sees her face, and it reminds him of the hurt he faced in the past. He wishes to run away but cannot, and he prays for the pain to go away. The lyrics "needles and pins" are a metaphor for the pain he feels, like pins pricking him all over his body.
The man had thought he was smart and had won her heart, but now he realizes she is worse to the man she is with now than she was to him. There is a sense of resentment towards her, wishing that she would feel the same pain he did. However, the man realizes he needs to move on and let her be with whoever she chooses. He hopes that she will see her mistakes and learn to be more humble.
The song addresses the feelings of a heartbroken man who is trying to move on but is haunted by memories of his past love. The use of metaphors like "needles and pins" is used to describe the pain he feels. It is a powerful song with deep emotions that many can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw her today, I saw her face, it was a face I loved, and I knew
The singer saw the person they loved and had to leave immediately to avoid being hurt.
I had to run away, and get down on my knees and pray that they'd go away
The singer felt the need to run away and pray to avoid feeling the pain of rejection.
But still they'd begin (uh), needles and pins (uh)
Despite the singer's attempt to avoid the pain, the rejection still hurt like needles and pins.
Because of all my pride, the tears I gotta hide
The artist's pride prevents them from expressing their emotions and they have to hide their tears.
Hey I thought I was smart, I'd won her heart
The artist thought they had won the heart of the person they loved.
Didn't think I'd do, but now I see
The singer did not think they would be rejected, but now they realize the truth.
She's worse to him than me, let her go ahead
The person the singer loves would treat the singer worse than someone else, so the singer lets them go.
Take his love instead, and one day she will see
The artist lets the person they love go to someone else in the hopes that they will eventually realize what they lost.
Just how to say please, and get down on her knees
The artist believes that the person they love will eventually learn their lesson and beg for forgiveness.
Why can't I stop and tell myself I'm wrong, I'm wrong, so wrong
The artist is struggling to accept that they made a mistake and are wrong.
Why can't I stand up and tell myself I'm strong
The singer wishes they could be stronger and accept the rejection instead of feeling weak.
Oh needles and pins (uh), needles and pins (uh), needles and pins (uh)
The pain of rejection feels like being poked by needles and pins.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jack Nitzsche, Sonny Bono
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind