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.
St. Elmo's Fire
The Ventures Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Passin' by, movin' straight ahead you knew it all.
But maybe sometime if you feel the pain,
you'll find you're all alone; everything has changed.
Play the game; you know you can't quit until it's won.
Soldier of only you can do what must be done.
You know, in some ways you're a lot like me.
I can see a new horizon underneath the blazing sky.
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher.
Gonna be your man in motion.
All I need is a pair of wheels.
Take me where the future's lying: St. Elmo's fire.
Burning up; don't know just how far that I can go.
Soon be home; only just a few miles down the road.
And I can make it, I know I can.
You broke the boy in me, but you won't break the man.
I can see a new horizon underneath the blazing sky.
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher.
Gonna be your man in motion.
All I need is a pair of wheels.
Take me where the future's lying: St. Elmo's fire.
I can climb the highest mountain, cross the widest sea.
I can feel St. Elmo's fire burning in me, burning in me.
Just once in his life a man has his time.
And my time is now; I'm comin' alive.
I can see a new horizon underneath the blazing sky.
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher.
Gonna be your man in motion.
All I need is a pair of wheels.
Take me where the future's lying: St. Elmo's fire.
I can hear the music playin'; I can see the banners fly.
Feel like a vet again. I hope I ain't high!
Gonna be your man in motion; all I need is a pair of wheels.
The lyrics of "St. Elmo's Fire" by The Ventures, released in 1985, reflects the theme of personal growth and realization. The song speaks about the struggles one faces on their journey to success and how sometimes you may feel like you are all alone, and everything has changed. However, the song encourages you to keep pushing through and play the game until it's won, just like a soldier. The singer identifies with the listener, stating that they are similar in many ways; prisoners trying to break free.
The chorus of the song speaks about the hope for a brighter future by referring to a new horizon underneath a blazing sky, where the eagle flies higher and higher. The singer also declares that he will be your "man in motion", and all he needs is a pair of wheels to take him where the future is lying, which is symbolized by St. Elmo's fire. The singer's enthusiasm for the journey to success is evident when he mentions that he can climb the highest mountain, cross the widest sea, and feel St. Elmo’s fire burning in him. The song ends with a celebratory tone, with the singer hearing music playing and the banners flying, feeling like a vet again.
Line by Line Meaning
Growin' up you don't see the writing on the wall.
As we grow up, we are often oblivious to the signs that indicate what is coming in the future.
Passin' by, movin' straight ahead you knew it all.
As we go through life, we tend to be sure of our path and move forward confidently without paying attention to obstacles.
But maybe sometime if you feel the pain,
you'll find you're all alone; everything has changed.
Experiencing pain is often necessary to understand and identify how much we need to change, and how much we have already lost.
Play the game; you know you can't quit until it's won.
In life, we must keep pushing and playing the game until we've achieved our desired success.
Soldier of only you can do what must be done.
Being one's own soldier means that we must take responsibility for our actions and be the force behind driving ourselves forward.
You know, in some ways you're a lot like me.
We tend to share similarities in traits, desires or experiences with other people.
You're just a prisoner, and you're tryin' to break free.
Sometimes, we may feel trapped or held back from our dreams and desires, and we constantly work to free ourselves.
I can see a new horizon underneath the blazing sky.
We can envision a better future or a new beginning, represented by an unexplored, vast horizon under a bright sky.
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher.
We aspire to soar high, like an eagle, to achieve our dreams, success and greatness.
Gonna be your man in motion.
All I need is a pair of wheels.
I will keep striving forward, and all I need is a means to keep moving.
Take me where the future's lying: St. Elmo's fire.
Lead me where the opportunity lies, and let me feel the excitement and motivation symbolized by St. Elmo's Fire.
Burning up; don't know just how far that I can go.
Sometimes, we struggle to push further, and we feel we are nearing a limit that we can't surpass.
Soon be home; only just a few miles down the road.
We get excited to be close to where we want to be and feel the end within reach.
And I can make it, I know I can.
We believe in ourselves and our ability to accomplish our goals.
You broke the boy in me, but you won't break the man.
You may have hurt us in the past, but we won't let it destroy the person we've become or the progress we've made.
I can climb the highest mountain, cross the widest sea.
We have the power and ability to achieve anything, no matter how difficult or remote it may be.
I can feel St. Elmo's fire burning in me, burning in me.
We feel the passion, determination, and motivation symbolized by St. Elmo's Fire, which fuels our ambition.
Just once in his life a man has his time.
We believe that we all have our moment of opportunity and success once in life.
And my time is now; I'm comin' alive.
We are ready and excited to seize our moment and to live life to the fullest.
I can hear the music playin'; I can see the banners fly.
We can hear the celebration and the joy of success, and we can see the evidence of it in the banners flying high.
Feel like a vet again. I hope I ain't high!
We feel experienced and confident like a veteran, but hope that we are not experiencing euphoria or unrealistic expectations.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: David Foster, John Stephen Parr
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind