Customer Reviews

Play Telstar & Ventures in Space

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I admit it. I am a Ventures nerd! Two of their finer albums on one CD is hard to miss. Their covers are better than the originals as evident by "Out Of Limits" (Marketts)and "Telstar" (Tornados0. Their rendition of "Penetration" is excellent the the effect of their maturing productios are evident here.("Penetration" originally done my The Pyramids).

Herb Alpert's "The Lonely Bull" is well done here and they make it there own. "Apache" is a classic, and many people learned to play guitar by using this record, (It latter appeared on "Play Guitar With The Ventures")

"The Ventures In Space" starts the period in which the Ventures put out album after album of pure magic, with the use of Mosrite Guitars always showcased, and the "Fuzz Bass" lines took hold. Songs like "Tequila" and "Solar Race" are Venture classics.

This group was integral to music in the sixties, with many artists directly affected by their music. This is a worthy addition to any collection, and is way ahead of its time. I still have the original Dolton LP's in Vinyl, but these CD's are excellent up-issues. Mandatory for any Ventures Fan,

When the Ventures' back catalogue was reissued on CD in the 1990s, most combined two LPs on a single CD. "Telstar" and "In Space" were early 1960s hit LPs, recorded right around the time the Ventures won an endorsement deal with Mosrite guitars and adopted a tough, fuzzed-out sound. As a bonus, this CD has a useful and accurate booklet.

"Telstar" has more variety than "In Space," featuring a very aggressive version of "Green Onions," a faithful rendition of Herb Alpert's "The Lonely Bull" and the amazing title track with its Star Trek-like electric organ. "In Space" is a collection of sci-fi themed songs. Some are originals, some aren't; "He Never Came Back" is a fantastic original song in a "Monster Mash" vein. It's hard to believe, but the Ventures didn't use synthesizers on "Outer Limits," relying instead on steel guitars, reverb, electronic organs, creative mic placement, and tape manipulation. While nothing on this CD is surf music in the purest sense, the Ventures helped define surf music to such a degree that it's hard not to think of this as surf in the broadest possible sense.

While the Ventures' playing on all their LPs is always first-rate, special mention must be made here of Mel Taylor. He's something of a forgotten name among rock drummers, but in his day he was quite impressive - influencing (among others) Keith Moon of the Who. The Ventures are often mentioned as a band that budding rock guitarists should listen to, but I would go further and suggest that young rock drummers could learn quite a bit from Taylor's excellent style.

I highly recommend this CD.

Like Frank Zappa, The Ventures have about eight billion albums out there, so it might be hard for a newcomer to know where to start. While nothing of The Ventures' is bad, this cd is an excellent place to start(it's also one of the easiest to find and not pricey either). The Ventures are usually considered a surf rock group, and though they had some of the most famous recordings in that genre, they never restricted themselves to that. They're basically an instrumental rock group. Don't be discouraged if you're looking for surf rock, throw on Telstar and find it doesn't sound like Dick Dale(we only need one Dick Dale). Telstar will really grow on you. It gives you a nice taste of everything. Once you get to In Space, you'll notice that album has more of a surf sound. Both albums are great and a nice pair for the price, giving you a cd just short of an hour. The Ventures were a top group back in the day before those longhaired commies from England came barging in. This was back in the day when instrumental music could top the charts. Imagine that! When was the last time an instrumental tune charted? The Ventures are still alive and kickin', but they have to go to Japan to get any respect anymore. It's a real shame. Good music, good musicians, good times. Good cd.

This is a fun album from one of the greatest entertainment combos ever!

It is a strange quirk of fate that the Venture's version of Telstar is more famous than the Tornadoes who originally recorded the song! Such is their talent.

This CD has all of the songs I ever really wanted from this group. True most of the songs are covers, but the Ventures can take a song and reinvent it and make it better than the original recordings. This compilation is great background music for parties or for long and lonely drives across Nevada.

As one reviewer wrote, there is a paradox: you wish everyone appreciated the Ventures, but if everyone did, it would destroy the appreciation. They have great guitar work, great covers, and just an over-all feel good about them. They came in the early Sixties before everything was "all political" and "all Vietnam." This is music to relax to!

The transfer to CD is superb-no scratchiness or fading or whatnot, and they kept the original LP covers for a fresh breeze of nostalgia.

So many great songs played by the greatest instrumental group ever. Who can forget the chilling "Lonely Bull" or the bright "Mexico" by the Ventures. Out of Limits was my first "Space encounter of the first kind" with the Ventures and "Telstar" was just as good. This 53 year old teen is planning on learning the guitar and maybe try to play some of these great songs. If you love instrumental and you love the guitar, you will love the Ventures. Dennis in Wyoming

In Space is truly the best Ventures album in terms of creativity and incredible sounds. No synths here. WOW!
I own my dads original vinyl and played it alot until this CD reissue came out. My first reaction was that the CD sounded too harsh. They remastered from the original 4 track session tapes (making it ADD). But over time, I've grown to like the revealing clicking of the picks on the strings. This should be required listening for guitar players. Learn to play like this (if you can)! It's an amazing record, and even more amazing it never gets tired after 40+ years! If you buy 1 Ventures CD, buy this. If you buy 2, then also buy TeleVentures.
This is one of Zeeterman's Top 100 Albums.

Well, here I am again, ready to write an essay on another one of rock n roll's secret gems. An album like The Ventures in Space is a travesty I suppose. It's an album you wish everybody knew about, but if they did that would just ruin the beauty of the darned thing. Rock and Roll history though, has played a cruel joke on the Ventures. They turned out to be the Rodney Dangerfields of Rock. They quintesential band that should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Ventures in Space is a true CLASSIC rock and roll record for many reasons. But where can I start, oh...OK: I like the Beatles....think they were very creative at times, so dont get mad at me... The Beatles were not the first rock band to make a concept album. They get so much credit for Sgt Pepper, which is a good album. The VENTURES in SPACE is a concept album that was made in 1963. Furthermore, this was their 2nd concept album, the 1st being The colorful Ventures, which featured song titles with the names of colors in them.That album came out in 1961. I dont wanna hear about sgt pepper and the 1st concept album.

The music itself? The 12 tracks on Ventures in Space are not just songs, they are so visual, so artistic, so compelling at times it's hard to beleive that this LP was made in 1963. It is just so ahead of its time, the production value so crisp and clear, so creative, that its hard to beleive that the moog synthesizer wasn't invented yet. The Ventures were so beyond what was condidered cool in a Pre-Beatlemania world, yet when you listen to the album now, its difficult to think of anything this creative to have been produced in a pre Beatle world. That is a testament to the Ventures and they can be proud to know that they made a masterpice in a Pre Beatle rock and roll scene. I havent even gotten started. The Ventures 1st used their signiture Mosrite guitars on this album, which provide the tracks with the nessesary crunch. Fuzz tones and psychedelics are heard here years before they were considered fashoinable, the Ventures freaked out before freaking out was cool. remember, the album came out in 1963, not 1967.... Heavy, searing guitars in 1963, nobody was doing it, years before Hendrix there were only the VENTURES and LINK WRAY if you wanted heavy guitars.... Never heard this album? Dont pass it up, your missing out on one of the best rock albums EVER! PERIOD! In a world where VH1 is so influential, and is counting stuff down for a living, this album should get justice. The Ventures were a great band, they're still together after like 45 years or something. I'd like to see them get credit where credit is due for THE VENTURES IN SPACE....truely one of the best rock albums of all time! PS: I recomend the Import CD of The MONO and STEREO Versions of this album on 1 CD, it is definitly worth it...Danny

I'm a teenage music fan who plays the electric guitar and listens mostly to hard rock and heavy metal, but the Ventures are one of my favorite bands. Maybe this is due to the fact that they were the first rock band I ever saw performing in concert, but it's probably because the Ventures simply [are great]! They don't seem to get the respect they deserve, which is a real shame, since they have been rocking hard for nearly half a century and have done everything from surf music to country to proto-metal. I havn't even heard a single one of their songs played on the radio ...!
... "The Ventures Play Telstar, the Lonely Bull, and Others" is a pretty good album. As you can tell from the title, it includes the Venturizations of those classic tunes by the Tornados and Herb Alpert. However, the standout songs on this album are the really cool renditions of "Apache" and Booker T's "Green Onions." "Red River Rock" and "Tequila" are also quite good.
The REAL reason you will want to buy this CD is the second album, the Ventures' finest endeavor to date, the bizzare and wonderful "Ventures in Space." This strange fusion of surf music and wierd sci-fi inspired noise is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest rock albums ever, to be compared with Deep Purple's "Machine Head," Led Zepelin's fourth album and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." It was way ahead of its time when it was released, and today it is still great; not a mere novelty item. What is really amazing is that while this music sounds synthesized, almost like Pink Floyd, it is ALL guitar work.
This is a definite MUST HAVE, whether you are a fan of the Ventures or have a penchant for surf or instrumental music or are just a casual listener. ...

If you were to be stranded on an island with only one album to listen to, pray you have this one. Excellent production values added to totally awesome guitar work blend to create a sound innovative and unique. The sound created by Ventures in Space has often been imitated by most of the better known "supergroups" of the 60's and 70's, but none, absolutely none have come close to Nokie Edwards' strange use of his Mosrite guitar. When listening to this album, try to remember that they are only using 3 guitars and no fancy electronics, just pure musicianship. Truly an inspiration to all rock and roll lovers everywhere.

These were the first two Ventures albums to be released on CD.

The Ventures Play Telstar, The Lonely Bull was the group's ninth album. It was their best selling album. The original concept for the album was "Hits of the Sixties", but when one of the Ventures heard the instrumental "Telstar" by the Tornados on the radio, he realized that it would be a smash hit. So, the Ventures recorded their own version of the song and added it to the album. The Ventures Telstar album beat the Tornados album into record stores by several weeks, and outsold it. Going along with the original "Hits of the Sixties" concept for the album, there are no original songs on the album. Every song is a cover version of an instrumental hit by somebody else. All very well played, naturally.

Ventures In Space was the group's 14th album. It is a concept album featuring songs with a "science fiction" theme. The "headlining" songs are the cover versions of the surf hits "Out of Limits" and "Penetration", both of which are very well performed. The rest of the songs, including a number of original tunes, are also very good. "War of the Satellites" is a personal favorite of mine.

Ventures fans will enjoy this CD.