One of the most popular American instrumental rock bands that made the electric guitar famous during the 1960s is The Ventures.
The quartet is still a hot topic in Japan, where they have regular tours and shows. Still, you can see why after watching their old but still gold performance of “Wipe Out” live in Japan, in 1966. “Wipe Out” was originally recorded by Surfaris in 1963, and the energetic drum solo made it one of the best-remembered instrumental songs of the period.
The famous Ventures are anything but wiped out while they play their show, and the drums solo will leave you stunned.
It’s easy to see that the video was filmed during a different time.
It’s in black and white, and the show begins right away. We can see Mel Taylor behind his drums in the opening sequence combined with the loud applause in the background. The stage is bare, which is interesting—it makes you realize that all you needed was a great performance to have a show, because bands rarely relied on smoke, fire, light show, or choreographed dance groups back then.
The Ventures are in the middle of the stage with their instruments wearing matching outfits.
The basic stage helps you focus on performers. The show is a fire-breathing virtuosity, not a single note is out of place or time. The groove is blowing the roof off and the audience loves the rock-steady drumming with timing you could set your watch to.
This was back in the times where the quality of a performance of “Wipe Out” marked a good drummer!
The show is minimalist perfection.
The Ventures were ahead of their time and made the show that has all the rock swagger of Led Zeppelin and similar legendary performers. “Wipe Out” is one of those songs you must have heard a thousand times, and you’ve rarely seen it performed. Here’s one example of how it’s done. All four of them hit the nail on the head, making the performance skillful and interesting.
The rhythm guitarist does an amazing job.
He’s not just accompanying, he’s playing counterpoint most of the time. Not many bands can pull off a great cover of such an iconic song, but this show woke up the summer in us and made us wish for a party on the beach and surfing.
No matter what, it’s still a jam, no matter the decade.
“Wipe Out” is considered one of the greatest rock songs ever and a lot of radio stations use it as background music for commercials.
The hit song has also been used in several movies, including “Meet The Parents,” “Runaway Bride,” and “Back To The Beach.” Sha-Na-Na played the song at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, and the most notable bands who covered “Wipe Out” are The Beach Boys, Johnny Thunders, and The Ventures. It’s worth mentioning that surfing has an interesting vocabulary used to describe various aspects of that sport. “Wipeout” is one of those words and it represents a fall from a surfboard, especially the one that looks painful.
Five million YouTube viewers have surfed across this masterpiece.
The video might be old, but it’s been recorded pretty well.
The quality of the sound is surprisingly good! The Ventures are considered to be the greatest “surf band,” and Don Wilson, the rhythm guitarist, is the lone surviving member of the original group. The fact is that The Ventures are the best selling instrumental rock band in music history and we love the way that the legend lives on.
Check out their full performance by clicking the link below:
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