Theme from “High Noon”

This is my instrumental cover of the theme from “High Noon” – “Do Not Forsake Me”.

It was published in 1952, with music by Dimitri Tiomkin and lyrics by Ned Washington.

It is the theme song of the classic western movie “High Noon” (and titled onscreen as such in the film’s opening credits as sung by Tex Ritter), with its tune repeated throughout the film. It was awarded the 1952 Academy Award for Best Original Song.

A group called the “Venturas” (which featured Bobby Fuller) released a version as a “b-side” called “High Noon Rumble” in 1961. The Shadows recorded a version on their 1982 album “Life in the Jungle”.

I play the lead part on my Baritone guitar.

 

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Kickback

“Kickback” is an original instrumental, 12-bar blues slow shuffle. The featured instrument is my baritone guitar.

Blackout

“Blackout” is an original composition intended to be in the style of 1960s guitar instrumentals like surf rock or the Ventures.

The Ecstasy of Gold

This is my cover of “The Ecstasy of Gold”. Composed by Ennio Morricone, it was part of his score for the 1966 Sergio Leone film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The music is played near the end of the film while the character Tuco (played by Eli Wallach) is frantically searching a cemetery for the grave that holds $200,000 in gold coins. It is one of the most well known of Morricone’s themes.

I could find no versions by any contemporaneous instrumental rock groups. However, Metallica regularly used “The Ecstasy of Gold” as the introductory music for its concerts.

The Hungry Hodad

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Cowboy Chords

“Cowboy Chords” is an original instrumental intended to evoke the style of the Ventures early 1960’s “country” numbers.

Invaders from Uranus

“Invaders from Uranus” is an original instrumental intended to be similar to the style of the Ventures’ “outer-space” material. This particular sub-genre was kicked off by the Tornadoes hit “Telstar” in 1962. Quite a few copycats quickly followed.

The Ventures released “The Ventures in Space” in 1964, and was reportedly the first one which featured their use of Mosrite guitars.

Asteroid Belt

“Asteroid Belt” is an original instrumental intended to be similar to the style of the Ventures’ “outer-space” material. This particular sub-genre was kicked off by the Tornadoes hit “Telstar” in 1962. Quite a few copycats quickly followed.

The Ventures released “The Ventures in Space” in 1964, and was reportedly the first one which featured their use of Mosrite guitars. On this track I thought I’d try my Les Paul.

Meteorite

“Meteorite” is an original instrumental intended to be similar to the style of the Ventures’ “outer-space” material. This particular sub-genre was kicked off by the Tornadoes hit “Telstar” in 1962. Quite a few copycats quickly followed.

The Ventures released “The Ventures in Space” in 1964, and was reportedly the first one which featured their use of Mosrite guitars.

 

Marooned in Space

“Marooned in Space” is an original instrumental intended to be similar to the style of the Ventures’ “outer-space” material. This particular sub-genre was kicked off by the Tornadoes hit “Telstar” in 1962. Quite a few copycats quickly followed.

The Ventures released “The Ventures in Space” in 1964, and was reportedly the first one which featured their use of Mosrite guitars.

Speed Queen Shimmy

“Speed Queen Shimmy” is an original instrumental intended to be in the style of early 1960s guitar rock similar to the Ventures.

Bari is Back

“Bari is Back” is an original instrumental guitar-rock/rockabilly track to commemorate the new body I got for my baritone guitar.

Polaris

This is my cover of “Polaris”, which was a 1963 instrumental rock song released by the Boys, a British group. It was released only in the UK and Australia.

It is similar in many ways to the 1962 mega-hit, “Telstar”, and its title referred to what was at the time an advanced nuclear submarine.

In the original, the lead is performed on a 6-string bass. I am using a baritone guitar, and have transposed the song up a whole step.

The Lonely Surfer

“The Lonely Surfer” was a top-40 single and album title track in 1963 for Jack Nitzsche.  The Ventures waited until the 1990s to do an arrangement.

You may not have heard of Jack Nitzsche as a leader, but he had an enormous career in popular music.

He was a major contributor to Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound”, working as an arranger on some of Spector’s greatest productions. He played keyboards on numerous mid-1960s sessions by the Rolling Stones, and did choral arrangements for that group’s “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

He was involved with Neil Young recordings as producer, arranger, and keyboardist. He co-wrote the classic “Needles and Pins.” He arranged and produced for everyone from Tim Buckley, Lou Christie, the Walker Brothers, and Marianne Faithfull to the Monkees, Lesley Gore, the Neville Brothers, and Graham Parker.

And he was one of the most respected soundtrack composers of the late twentieth century, working on the scores to Performance, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Blue Collar, An Officer and a Gentleman, and The Crossing Guard.

Razz Bari

“Razz Bari” is an original, early 1960’s-style, riff-driven instrumental rock track. It features a baritone guitar handling the lead part.

Duane Eddy frequently used baritone and 6-string bass guitars in his recordings. The Shadows also utilized a 6-string bass occasionally, typically in a very noticeable manner.

However, I have found no Ventures tracks that use baritone or 6-string bass as the lead instrument. Likely there are some out there that I just haven’t run across yet.