Bob Bogle, Nokie Edwards
The Ventures!
1966, the year I was born:
Holy fuck, Nokie Edwards … what a fucking insane bass player!
I saw The Ventures live … 1986
32 years ago
Nokie now plays lead guitar?
Holy fuck, the bassist is now the lead guitarist?
Well, I found this on their Wikipedia page:
Makes me wonder why he was on bass in the 1966 clip you linked to. Wipeout was first recorded in early 1963, and the Ventures cover version came later that same year.
Now, never mind that, how did the greatest surf band of all time come out of Tacoma, Washington?
Looks like they made enough money to buy a couple more drums. 
Wait a minute… the greatest surf band of all time is from Huntsville, Alabama, IMO. Cite.
The Ventures are pioneers and frankly amazing: even 50+ years later their music holds up. They deserve accolades, good parking spots and fresh produce whenever they want it. 
But IMO Daikaiju’s songs, playing and performances surpass their predecessors.
I love this quote from Wiki:
“Needing a permanent drummer for the group after George T. Babbitt, Jr. dropped out because he was not old enough to play night clubs and bars, they hired Howie Johnson… Babbitt went on to become a 4-star general in the USAF.”
From rock drummer to 4 star general, wow! I hope he remained as cool as that sounds.
Dennis
Bo, that shit rocks!!! Just listened to Trouble with Mothra Girls, holy shit. I’m 65, sold my cherished Ventures Golden Greats album years ago and have missed it. Think I found me some replacement. Just not while riding, too much throttle.:eek:
Yeah, that’s some pretty wild stuff. I just listened to one track that sounded a lot like Dick Dale on Miserlou.
You shoulda kept reading, eh:
And the general’s own wikipedia page confirms it:
“While on active duty as 4-star general”… pretty freaking cool, IMO.
wow bo that was great , sort of reminds me of a faster B52 album…and I give them kudos for the cock lobster are and not going for the obivious …
I meant art not are …
Note to Surf Music aficionados: if you haven’t heard them already, check out “America’s Premier Surf Combo”, Blue Stingrays.
Big thumbs up; maybe they’ll do more now that their bread & butter done gone and landed butter side down eh.
You guys don’t need me. Good stuff.
The Ventures were a band I studied more than actively listened to - they are part of the Guitar Canon, and knowing them, like knowing Hank Marvin and Shadows, or Link Wray’s Rumble or Duane Eddy’s Rebel Rouser are part of getting your education.
Surf music has always felt like a cool club that I could admire but never be a member of. Kinda like hardcore rockabilly cats. The music is a soundtrack to an overall scene. Do you guys like Los Straitjackets? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky1P0zEZIqc This is surf mixed with Crime Jazz but sounds so cool.
The thing about surf guitar is that it is a completely different set up from the rock and blues I tend to play. You want a clean guitar through a clean amp with a lot of reverb - dialed it so it is clean with just the tiniest bit of break up when you hit a note harder. And you need a whammy bar. But most importantly for me, and what leaves me not playing much surf guitar: you have to really NOT be a busy player. You must really sell each note individually, like a David Gilmour lead. I am barely coming to that minimalism in my playing now, almost 40 years in. Listening to that Los Straitjackets clip or the one Bo shared (very cool - love the Latin feel of that) - it is really about an overall feel and how the parts work together.
Hehehe, I’ve played Ventures’ guitar and bass parts live. Both can get pretty hairy, but they’re a hell of a lot of fun to play. I’m pretty sure I’ve noted the Bogle/Edwards migration around here before. I’m not sure if I said in in admiration of their skill or out self-pity because figuring out one of their parts was hard.
I’ve opened for Daikaiju, they’re awesome, I think people should go see them and spend all of their money on merchandise. But I think that you have a funny way of spelling Atlanta, Georgia.
Because for my money, the greatest surf rock band is Man or Astro-Man? 