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For nearly 60 years, The Ventures have brought the sound of surf music to audiences worldwide.  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band, formed in Tacoma, Washington in 1958, remains the best-selling instrumental group of all time.   Cherry Red’s él label has recently travelled back to the band’s earliest days for the new release Beach Party.  The original 1962 album of that name is the centerpiece of this reissue, and it’s been expanded with tracks from eight more Ventures albums.

Beach Party, The Ventures’ seventh album, arrived in August 1962 on Dolton Records under the title of Mashed Potatoes and Gravy.  It was the prolific group’s third album of the year; a fourth LP (Going to The Ventures’ Dance Party) would follow in November.   Soon retitled Beach Party, the album applied The Ventures’ rockin’ electric surf style to a diverse array of material, little of which was particularly beach-oriented in origin but did reference potatoes a few times!  Dance craze tunes (“Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes),” “Mashed Potato Time,” “(Baby) Hully Gully,” “The Wah-Watusi”) sat alongside Broadway showtunes (“Hernando’s Hideaway” from The Pajama Game, “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess), early rock-and-roll (Little Richard’s “Lucille,” The Coasters’ “Poison Ivy”) and potato-themed originals like “Spudnik” and “Instant Mashed.”  Rhythm guitarist/founder Don Wilson, bassist/founder Bob Bogie, lead guitarist Nokie Edwards and drummer Howie Johnson are just some of the crackling musicians represented on this disc.

All told, selections from The Ventures’ first nine albums, from Walk Don’t Run through The Ventures Play Telstar and The Lonely Bull, are included on this collection.  These picks showcase how well The Ventures were able to bring their distinctive sound to a wide variety of material from Rodgers and Hart (“Blue Moon”), Nelson Riddle (“Lolita Ya-Ya”), Bobby Darin (“Theme from Come September“), and Ed Marshall (Frankie Avalon’s pop hit “Venus”).  Of course, no Ventures set would be complete without “Walk, Don’t Run.”  The band’s signature song was written and first performed by jazz guitarist Jimmy Smith in 1954, and subsequently rearranged and recorded by Chet Atkins in 1956.  Four years later, The Ventures adapted the Atkins arrangement to create their own version which has since inspired generations of guitarists.  Released on Dolton, The Ventures’ “Walk, Don’t Run” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on Cash Box.  The él release features both Smith and Atkins’ versions of the tune plus The Ventures’ familiar hit rendition.

Beach Party, released in accordance with current E.U. public domain policy, is available now at the links below from él /Cherry Red.  It includes a booklet of liner notes and a band member roster from 1958 through the present.

The Ventures, Beach Party (él ACMEM308CD, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Lucille
2. Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)
3. Hernando’s Hideaway
4. Mashed Potato Time
5. Summertime
6. Hot Summer (Asian Mashed)
7. Poison Ivy
8. The Wah-Watusi
9. Instant Mashed
10. Scratch
11. (Baby) Hully Gully
12. Spudnik
13. Telstar
14. Calcutta
15. Apache
16. Green Onions
17. Theme from Come September
18. Venus
19. The Intruder
20. Lolita Ya-Ya
21. Driving Guitars (Ventures Twist)
22. Gringo
23. Besame Mucho
24. Silver City
25. Blue Moon
26. Perfidia
27. Ginchy
28. Home
29. Walk Don’t Run
30. 2,000 Pound Bee
31. 2,000 Pound Bee (Part 2)
32. Genesis
33. Walk Don’t Run – Johnny Smith
34. Walk Don’t Run – Chet Atkins

Tracks 1-12 from Beach Party, 1962
Tracks 13-16 from The Ventures Play Telstar and The Lonely Bull, 1962
Tracks 17-20 from Going to The Ventures’ Dance Party, 1962
Tracks 21-22 from Twist with the Ventures, 1962
Track 23 from Twist Party, Volume 2, 1962
Tracks 24-25 from The Colorful Ventures, 1961
Track 27 from Another Smash!!!, 1961
Tracks 28-29 from Walk, Don’t Run, 1960
Tracks 30-31 from Dolton single 67, 1962
Track 32 from Dolton single 50, 1962
Track 33 from In a Sentimental Mood, Roost LP 424, 1954
Track 34 from Hi-Fi in Focus, RCA Victor LPM-1577, 1957