- ripped from the original LP -
The Ventures
(1972)
In 1972, The Ventures did 3 LPs in only one year... This one is their second. Trying to deal with the change in tastes that was pushing them towards oblivion, they experimented a lot: on this one they try covering songs that are far away from their usual grounds (blaxploitation soul-funk with Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft", hippie folk stuff with Cat Steven's "Peace Train"). They also try new sounds by adding keyboards, horns and strings. Add to that that they wrote 5 of the tracks themselves, which is a lot for a band that usually plays mostly covers (the track "Tight Fit" down below is one of them). The result is pretty strange when considering this is a Ventures LP, but I think it works fine enough to make it a very good instrumental record. Of course, the sales were a disaster and this LP 'topped' at 196 in the U.S. charts (the next one didn't even enter the charts).
Try it forgetting it's a Ventures record, don't expect any R'n'R fuzzy sounds, and you'll be amazed by their ability at producing highly enjoyable melodies ! (Gosh, I never wrote so many words !!!)
(Sorry if this is quite misleading, but 'Biker Movie OST' is the closest I found in the labels !)
