Benny & Barney

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

Comin’ Home Baby

This is my cover of “Comin’ Home Baby”, which was the “B-side” to the Ventures 1966 single, “Blue Star”. The song was written by Ben Tucker and Robert Dorough. As far as I can determine, it was never released on any Ventures album in the 1960s. It has been included on a “collector” album released in Japan in 1980. The Ventures also included it in their live shows.

Move Along

“Move Along” is an instrumental track intended to evoke the style of an early 1960s album track by the Ventures.

Walkin’ Silly, Rockin’ Willy

“Walkin’ Silly, Rockin’ Willy” is an original composition intended to be in the style of 1960s guitar instrumentals like the Ventures did. In particular, this one pays tribute to the 12-bar blues-based tracks frequently used to fill out albums.

Riding in the Shadows

“Riding in the Shadows” is an original instrumental intended to be in the style of the Shadows.

In No Hurry

“In No Hurry” is an original composition intended to be in the style of 1960s guitar instrumentals like the Ventures. This one has a bit of country/rockabilly vibe.

Tres Quatro Seis Ocho

“Tres Quatro Seis Ocho” is an original instrumental composition intended to be similar in style to the Shadows.

 

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.

 

Pasos en las Sombras

“Pasos en las Sombras” is an original instrumental intended to be in the style of the Shadows…more specifically in the “quasi-Hispanic” style of their tunes “Guitar Tango” and “Fandango” and their EP “Los Shadows”.

 

Men in Grey Suits

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

Morning Shadows

“Morning Shadows” is an original instrumental composition intended to be similar in style to the Shadows.

Venture a Guess

“Venture a Guess” is an original composition intended to be in the style of 1960s guitar instrumentals like the Ventures.

Let’s Twist Again

This is my Ventures-inspired instrumental cover of “Let’s Twist Again”, which was written by Kal Mann and Dave Appell, and released as a single by Chubby Checker. One of the biggest hit singles of 1961, it reached No.8 on the U.S. Billboard pop chart and No.2 in the U.K. in February. The song refers to the Twist dance craze and Checker’s 1960 single “The Twist”, a U.S. No.1 single in 1960.

The Ventures included a version on “Twist with the Ventures” their fifth studio album, released in 1962 on Dolton Records.  The album consists mostly of instrumental versions of popular dance tunes from the late 1950s to early 1960s, with a couple of original compositions. It was on the charts for 29 weeks and it peaked at # 24.

The Untouched Shadow

“The Untouched Shadow” is an original instrumental composition intended to be similar in style to the Shadows.

 

Más Cencerro

“Más Cencerro” is an original composition intended to be in the style of 1960s guitar instrumentals such as the Ventures did. In particular, it is an attempt to create a riff-based track such as those often written by the band members to fill out an album which otherwise probably featured covers of popular tunes of the day.