This album consists of material recorded by the Ventures between 1992 and 2000. It features the final recordings of drummer Mel Taylor. I found the CD in a budget bin for three bucks. I thought, “How bad could it be?”
At first listen, I was absolutely repulsed. I thought it was horrible. Every song was practically smothered with cheesy 80’s sounding synthesizers. There were more keyboards on top of that programmed to sound like steel drums and Andean pan flutes. The fast songs sounded like action montages from bad sports movies and the slow songs sounded like soundtracks from either industrial training films or soft porn travelogues. The Ventures that created such masterpieces as “Walk, Don’t Run,” and the “Ventures In Space” album might be buried under this mess somewhere but I couldn’t find them. I immediately filed this one in my “To Go” basket. At my next record show I would sell it to some poor optimistic Ventures fan that will be as disappointed as I am.
Some time later, I gave it another chance. There was something about it that fascinated me. It brought to mind images of reading year-old magazines in a cold, over air-conditioned dentists waiting room with indoor/outdoor carpeting and vinyl-padded furniture. It wasn’t the most comfortable place in the world, but it was safe and clean. There were sharp instruments on the other side of the door, but there was also Novocain and nitrous oxide to soothe the pain. It was both disquieting and reassuring.
A strange thing happened – I started to like it. I listened to it while driving and it made traffic a little easier to deal with. I listened to it on my computer at work and it created a nice, soothing atmosphere. At low volume, the drums and trebly guitars sneak out from beneath the heavy fog and as if to say “The Ventures and hiding in here, but don’t tell anybody.”
I listen to it a lot. In fact, I’m listening to it right now. It’s now my CD of choice when I want to be left alone but don't want to be rude about it. This will clear just about any room but those in the next room will soon be tapping their toes despite themselves and their "good taste."
I have a Ventures-related story that I have to tell here. Segue-schmegway. Sometime in the late 90’s, I attended an outdoor concert in Seattle featuring the local punk rock band Zeke. Leaving the stage after their performance, Zeke frontman Blind Marky Felchtone was approached by a fan- an innocent looking young girl of about twelve or thirteen. As they walked by me, I overheard the following snippet of conversation:
GIRL: Do you like the Ventures?
BMF: Yeah, I love the Ventures.
GIRL: My Grandpa is in the Ventures.
To this day, that still warms my heart.
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