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.
“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.
This is my instrumental cover of “Superstar”, originally from 1969 with music by Leon Russell and lyrics by Bonnie Bramlett. The lyrics are about a female “groupie” and her one-sided relationship with a rock star.
First recorded by Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, the best known version is by the Carpenters in 1971. The Shadows covered it on their 1977 album “Tasty”.
“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.
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.
“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.
“Filler Up” is an original composition intended to be in the style of 1960s guitar instrumentals like surf rock or the Ventures. In particular, it is an homage to the “filler cuts” typically written by the band members to fill out an album which otherwise usually featured covers of popular tunes of the day.
“Kimono Be Blonde” is an original instrumental intended to be in the early 1960s style of the Ventures. I set out to create a 12-bar-based rocker that would hopefully be similar to something the band members would have written themselves. The title “Kimono Be Blonde” is an anagram of “Bob Don Nokie Mel”.
Jazz and Classic Pop Music 
Recent Comments