Paper Airplane

“Paper Airplane” was originally a track on the Ventures 1967 album, “Guitar Freakout”.  Songwriting credit was shared by all four members of the group, Bob Bogle, Nokie Edwards, Mel Taylor and Don Wilson.

Signet

“Signet” is another original instrumental composition in which I try to combine the feel of 60’s instrumental guitar rock with a somewhat more complex musical and harmonic language than was typical for that genre. With this one I tried to get a feel similar to the early 60’s style of surf rock and the Ventures.

My Own True Love (Tara’s Theme)

“My Own True Love (Tara’s Theme)” was composed by Max Steiner for the movie “Gone with the Wind”. With lyrics by Mack David, the song has been successfully recorded by many artists. It was a top twenty hit for the Duprees in 1962.

The Ventures included an arrangement on their first album “Walk Don’t Run” in 1960. My version was inspired by theirs.

Driving Guitars

“Driving Guitars” was the first track on the Ventures 1961 album, “Twist with the Ventures”. Subtitled “Ventures Twist”, song-writing credit is given to Bob Bogle, Nokie Edwards and Don Wilson.

I would describe my version as a loose cover.

Poem

“Poem” first appeared on the 1968 album “Established 1958” which featured Shadows instrumentals as well as tracks with the Shadows backing up Cliff Richard. It was composed by Shadows drummer Brian Bennett.

The Shuck

This is my cover of “The Shuck”, a rockabilly, country swing instrumental written by Don Markham and Gary Paxton and first released by Don Markham and the Marksmen in 1960. The Ventures included the tune on their second album “The Ventures”. Anyone who thinks the Ventures were mainly surf-rock should listen to this (and many other tracks) to hear how much they were influenced by country music and rockabilly. This would only increase over time with the addition of Nokie Edwards to the group.

My arrangement was very much inspired by the Ventures’ version.

South of the Border

“South of the Border” was written by Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr in 1939 for the film of the same name starring country star Gene Autry. The list of artists who have recorded it is very long.

The Shadows included an instrumental version on their 1962 album “Out of the Shadows”. This is the basis for my arrangement.

The Fair and the Cruel

“The Fair and the Cruel”  is an original composition intended to be in the style of the early 1960’s and the Shadows.

Doggin’ It

“Doggin’ It” is an original instrumental in the style of late 50’s/early 60’s guitar rock. This particular one is intended to be similar to numbers written by Bill Doggett – like “Honky Tonk” and “Ram-Bunk-Shush”.

Caravan

“Caravan” was composed by Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington and first performed by Ellington in 1936.  Irving Mills wrote lyrics, but they are rarely sung.

It quickly became a jazz standard, frequently performed and recorded.

In 1960 the Ventures included the tune on their album “Walk Don’t Run”. It shortly became a staple of their live performances, featuring extended drum solos by Mel Taylor and later Leon Taylor.

My arrangement was inspired by the Ventures approach, although the drum break is fairly short.

 

The Hoary Hodads Ride Again

“The Hoary Hodads Ride Again” is another original instrumental composition in which I try to combine the feel of 60’s instrumental guitar rock with a somewhat more complex musical and harmonic language than was typical for that genre. With this one I tried to get a feel similar to the early 60’s style of surf rock and the Ventures.

Candy Apple Racer

“Candy Apple Racer” was a Ventures track that was recorded in 1961 but not released until 1965.

Capitalizing the the popularity of the dance “the Twist”, the Ventures released two “Twist Party” albums in 1961. The second one included “twistified” arrangements of a number of folk and traditional songs such as “Blue Tail Fly”, “Swanee River” and “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean”.

Also recorded at the time was an arrangement of the civil war era song “Listen to the Mockingbird” — but it did not make it onto the album.

In 1965, a single was created for the Japanese market. The “A” side was titled “Kickstand”, but it was just a renamed “A Go Go Dancer” from their 1965 album “Ventures A Go Go” with some added motorcycle sound effects. The “B” side was “Candy Apple Racer” — which was just “Listen to the Mockingbird” under a new title.

All clear?

A Go Go Dancer

“A Go Go Dancer” was a track on the Ventures 1965 album “Ventures A Go Go”.

The same song with introductory motorcycle engine sounds was also called “Kickstand” and appeared as the “B” side to the 1967 single “Theme from the Wild Angels”.

Surf Fugue

“Surf Fugue” is an original composition that combines a surf rock feel with a traditional fugue with its form and construction based on J.S. Bach.

It opens with a solo presentation of the fugue subject in the tonic key of A minor. This is followed by the subject in the dominant key of E minor, accompanied by a counter-subject. The exposition concludes with a return to the tonic, again with the counter subject. The subject is then stated in the relative major, C, without the counter-subject and harmonized in 6ths.

A brief development section follows: a sequence built from the first half of the fugue subject.

The piece concludes with a recap of the first three statements in A minor, E minor and A minor.

The Hoary Hodads Theme

“The Hoary Hodads Theme” is another original instrumental composition in which I try to combine the feel of 60’s instrumental guitar rock with a somewhat more complex musical and harmonic language than was typical for that genre. With this one I tried to get a feel similar to the early 60’s style of surf rock and the Ventures.