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The Ventures — Walk Don't Run
Album: Walk--Don't Run
Avg rating:
7.8

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1813









Released: 1960
Length: 2:02
Plays (last 30 days): 1
(Instrumental)
Comments (128)add comment
Just the energy I needed to get through this dark day.
Have to do the Hank Marvin footwork and swing the air guitar. Every. Single. Time.
Wipeout....
 scraig wrote:



Very sensual 
 pagibaru wrote:

LOVE JR BROWN! COULD YOU PLAY "HIGHWAY PATROL" BY HIM OMETIME? THANKS!!


I won't yell it from the root top, but yeah some Junior Brown and his guit-steel would be fan-tab-u-lous!

Oh...This tune is quite righteous.
 thewiseking wrote:

This and the Beach Boys drove Fender sales through the roof. 

The small print on the back of some of my old Venture's albums

says, "The Ventures play Mosrite guitars exclusively."

Tony in NJ

W.A.S.T.E.



I grew up in England hearing the Shadows version of Walk Don't Run.
 ScottishWillie wrote:

Love this song and my stereo has the lead guitar coming out the right speaker and the drum and base out of the left. Why don’t we use stereo like this any more?



Evidently, at some point,  recording engineers decided that the drums and bass should be in the middle. And there they sit. In the early days of stereo there was certainly a lot more experimentation with the soundstage.
 TerryS wrote:

I went to a Battle of the Bands in Lewisham, South London in the early 60's and half of the 10 bands played this track and the other half played "Wipeout".

Interminable.


Too bad nobody played "Popcorn", according to your description of the event.  ;)
The public pool anthem
That's a whole lot of excellent music crammed into a scant 2:02 minutes.
 scraig wrote:

 

lol
Me too : Most Excellent....:8:   
The first record I ever bought at age 16.
I bought the 45rpm from the earnings on my paper route where I made about $6.00/week. Those were the days!
 Gregorama wrote:
The Ventures was the first concert act that I ever saw, in 5th grade, around '64. They were fantastic. During Caravan, the drummer beat his strings on the bass guitar, while the bassist fretted it. It was amazing.

I saw Dick Dale a couple of times in the late '90s.  He performed the same trick (among others), drumming the bassist's strings with unbelievable speed. RIP Dick.
Love this song and my stereo has the lead guitar coming out the right speaker and the drum and base out of the left. Why don’t we use stereo like this any more?
I don't know why, and don't care, but this song never gets old.
RIP Nokie Edwards.
This and the Beach Boys drove Fender sales through the roof. 
OK, this is it, the thing is, is, that we've heard this song since it was put in jukeboxes and played by radio stations and even as elevator music and i like it a lot. As an electric blues, etc, harp player, it sucks 'cause i can't play along but i'd be playing some percussion fer sure.
When I was young in the late 60's, early 70's - before caller ID and cell phones - we used to make prank phone calls acting like a radio station offering big prizes if they could name this song!  

Nobody ever got it right.  {#Bananajam}{#Bananajam}{#Drummer}{#Bananajam}
Surf's up!
i also vote/ request  for highway patrol      weird guitar he plays  
It stand the test of time.     
LOVE JR BROWN! COULD YOU PLAY "HIGHWAY PATROL" BY HIM OMETIME? THANKS!!
 sirdroseph wrote:
Standing on desk; doing monkey. Is that a Haiku?{#Daisy}

  
Not quite, but this is:

Standing on my desk;

Doing monkey as I dance.

Is that a haiku?


Twanging....!!!!

 

 

And check out the mid=70's version by the great Pink Fairies for a different take on this.... Up the Pinks!!!


Man, we played this so much in the day that the record turned white! Can't imagine how much our parents hated hearing it over and over. Now it's so-so for me—gets a little credit for being a "classic."
 Mojo_LA wrote:
This is clearly in the early days of stereo. I don't think I ever heard it in a pair of headphones 'til now.

Recording engineers really weren't sure to do with stereo in 1960, so it was common to throw an instrument into either LEFT or RIGHT. Now it sounds strange to have to drums in one ear.

This tune: LEFT: rhythm guitar and drums, RIGHT: bass and lead

 
I'm sure a lot of engineers knew what to do with stereo back then, but that discreet separation thing was big throughout most of the 1960s - producers for The Beatles, Stones, and Jimi Hendrix used it (among many others).   It was meant to be listened to with speakers separated, not so much in headphones.  Anyhow, great tune, but it does sound a little odd in headphones.
This is clearly in the early days of stereo. I don't think I ever heard it in a pair of headphones 'til now.

Recording engineers really weren't sure to do with stereo in 1960, so it was common to throw an instrument into either LEFT or RIGHT. Now it sounds strange to have to drums in one ear.

This tune: LEFT: rhythm guitar and drums, RIGHT: bass and lead
 scraig wrote:


 
{#Dance}
One of those timeless classics.

Yup.  A NINE.   Correction, a TEN.

 

dig wrote:
One of the best instrumentals of all time.

 



One of the best instrumentals of all time.
 treatment_bound wrote:


After shoveling 20 inches of friggin' snow yesterday, I'm digging the surf interludes here at RP.



 

Are you still shoveling snow since you received HOW MUCH THESE LAST FEW DAYS?? 12-16 inches??
We love April in Minnesota.....
Don't mean a thang if it ain't got that twang!!
 Umberdog wrote:
My grandmother had the original LP I listened to every time I visited her. I was just a pup back then.
 
Well .....yes.....I am a Grandfather!  But it did make me laugh and feel old....  but proud too! {#Roflol} Just love R{#Good-vibes}P
......smiley....never getting tired of this.....

Ah, that Mosrite sound - nothing quite like it.  {#Bananajam}


 sirdroseph wrote:
Standing on desk; doing monkey. Is that a Haiku?{#Daisy}
 
depends what you're doing with your monkey.
I went to a Battle of the Bands in Lewisham, South London in the early 60's and half of the 10 bands played this track and the other half played "Wipeout".

Interminable, even though I like both tunes.
Oooooh. I remember having this on a Ventures cassette, back in the day, along with the Hawaii 5-0 theme.
Mark 10 without questions!
10 from me - all day long.
I saw these guys around 1982 at a little dive bar in DC.   Man, were they great!!  {#Bananajam}
 BLADERUNNER wrote:


EXACTLY!!    my older brother and I shared a "Play Guitar with The Ventures"  record when we were kids.  he managed to learn pretty well.  but I am a lefty, and had to learn with the strings upside down, so it never worked.  but i tried!!
 
Wow, I didn't think anyone else on the planet had that album. I did learn to play from it, but never with any expertise.
Standing on desk; doing monkey. Is that a Haiku?{#Daisy}
Damn - 50 years old and still rocks! Sorta like me...lol


After shoveling 20 inches of friggin' snow yesterday, I'm digging the surf interludes here at RP.


 Umberdog wrote:
My grandmother had the original LP I listened to every time I visited her. I was just a pup back then.
 
Your grandmother?! Yoiks! Okay, I now feel officially old. I was in 5th grade when this came out. Loved it then. Love it now.


Growing up with Delta blues, swamp rock and juke joint funk, this always hit me as something from a different vein.

The clear vision of the new west

That's how it seemed, totally out of context and with no frame of reference, to a kid in the mud and humidity. Had no idea what the west coast was really like, and wouldn't find out until some three decades later as a Santa Barbara resident. Returning, I bypassed the South and went straight for the (sub)Tropics, but still remember the emotion.




My grandmother had the original LP I listened to every time I visited her. I was just a pup back then.
 Pyro wrote:

I think I wore the 45 (small vinyl record for you "young people") out.  {#Bananajam}
 
the original compact disk!

Remember getting singles on cereal boxes?

Still have the reel to reel tape of this LP. Guess that dates me also.

Two instrumental bands I'll listen to almost anytime, anywhere: The Ventures, and Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass.  Guess that dates me, huh?


 Pyro wrote:
I loved these guys when I was a kid!  Memories of living at home and AM radio.....
 
I think I wore the 45 (small vinyl record for you "young people") out.  {#Bananajam}
Surfs You Right!
Never....to hear....surf music a-gain....  


The Ventures - "Sleep Walk" Live (Guest Jeff Baxter):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jkhs_1FBcE

"Featuring Mr. Jeff "Skunk" Baxter...mister MVP....He plays many instruments very well (one of the very few) He plays steel guitar, rhythm and lead guitar, congas and other percussion instruments, as well as drums, all very well. He also sings back up. This is a guy who was with Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers. Check him out on other Tubes....What a talent! "         The01Mask

"The instrument is called: The Steel Cat Guitar, there is a real cat inside that instrument, everytime you play a chord the cat Meowsss and meowsss and the sound comes out clear and clean. :-) "    gerry1976

 




Yep, always a treat.
I loved these guys when I was a kid!  Memories of living at home and AM radio.....
 LastChance wrote:
The Ventures knock me out!
 
Me too!!! {#Bananapiano}  I thank my Dad for introducing me to their work when I was ~4-5 years old.  Thanks Dad!!! {#Sunny}
The Ventures knock me out!


wow , the first really fresh & honest tune I hear in a hour.
{#Bananajam}
(I first had to listen through  Rush a.o. what a drag....)

 hippiechick wrote:
One of the first things everyone used to learn to play on guitar (at least the opening riff)
 

EXACTLY!!    my older brother and I shared a "Play Guitar with The Ventures"  record when we were kids.  he managed to learn pretty well.  but I am a lefty, and had to learn with the strings upside down, so it never worked.  but i tried!!
Herb Alpert and the TJB did a great version of this.
One of the first things everyone used to learn to play on guitar (at least the opening riff)
Wow! This really takes me back to sitting in my Gran's living room listening to a stack (literally) of 45s on my uncle's then state-of-the-art gramophone. 7 from the Nottingham jury.
I was just thinking the other day after a Dengue Fever tune how much they remind me of these guys...so Bill and Becky remind me why I love this station above all others in the galaxy I've heard so far...
WAY COOL; you guys are THE BEST!
I like the 1964 version better. More produced, full cheesy-cool organ accompaniment, overall more polished. Still a great song.
splooge wrote:
Wow. This shit really sucks.
So that's why they call you splooge! Please could someone wipe it up?
My older brother bought this ablum and we played it over and over. In it's time it was so "radical". I still love to hear old Ventures tunes.
Surf rock doesn't get more definitive than this!
splooge wrote:
Wow. This shit really sucks.
yes it does. thats why we love it.
this is what you get when you strip rock and roll to its heart
mjwstickings wrote:
It is impossible to hear this song and not think of the "Shitbreak" washroom scene in American Pie.
It is, if you don't watch crappy movies.
Hang ten, baby!
classic....but it needs more cowbell!
It is impossible to hear this song and not think of the "Shitbreak" washroom scene in American Pie.
splooge wrote:
Wow. This shit really sucks.
Wow. You're an ass!
Wow. This shit really sucks.
Geecheeboy wrote:
I think that since you posted this comment, RP has added links to the Wikipedia entry, where I find quite complete info. It settled a question here in the office.
woot! The lack of information on the original release (i.e., which c.d. or l.p. a song was included on) really bugged me, especially on some of the older stuff. If I am going to try to get to know an artist I am not familiar with, I want to get familiar with the music as it was released, not repackaged. The old links info often gave a recent release date on songs I knew were over 15 or 20 years old, and then having to hunt through other links to figure out which album was the original release was a pain. Thanks, R.P.
This is my "SCR** COLD WEATHER" song!
you can never have too much reverb!
Aww, man... Thank you! I haven't heard this in years and I had forgotten about it; and just how how good it was!!! Thanks, Bill...
sunnysoul03 wrote:
Should I take out the 10'2, 9'0 or the 7'0??
Go the 11'6". 10 for the memories!
ElSupreme wrote:
Junion Brown does an excelent cover of this song on a steel guitar. And if you have heard him, he can play guitar. edit:: JB's is called 'Surf Medly' not 'Walk Don't Run'
Yeah, I guess J.B. is okay... 'Surf Medley' runs through a whole host of Ventures tunes. My personal fave is 'Perfidia', but 'Walk...' is right up there. Classic Surf. SURF'S YOU RIGHT! (bonus points if you name the band who wrote that tune) c.
twisting on the beach! Gidget! Moondoggie!
teledingo wrote:
I just wish RP didnt link to the lame Amazon based info for the albums. The release dates are just useless. Would be nice to get reliable info about original releases on the site.
I think that since you posted this comment, RP has added links to the Wikipedia entry, where I find quite complete info. It settled a question here in the office.
I turned 7 in late '64 and my folks were spinning this on their mono Telefunken system. Outstanding music. Pity that the self-proclaimed "classic rock" radio stations remain clueless to this era of music.
I was a big Ventures fan back in the early 60s I had all their albums, tried to copy them on guitar. Brings back memories.
The Ventures was the first concert act that I ever saw, in 5th grade, around '64. They were fantastic. During Caravan, the drummer beat his strings on the bass guitar, while the bassist fretted it. It was amazing.
Should I take out the 10'2, 9'0 or the 7'0??
RockinBlueVoodoo wrote:
CD Universe(click here) is usually pretty good with release dates
From Wiki: Some of The Ventures' best-remembered tunes are "Walk, Don't Run" (1960), "Perfidia" and "Lullaby of the Leaves" (1961), a cover version of the Tornadoes' #1 hit "Telstar" (1963), "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue" (1964), "Walk Don't Run '64" (1964), and "Hawaii Five-O" (1969). But their commercial fortunes in the US sharply declined after 1967 due to changing musical trends.
coloradojohn wrote:
Hard to be nitpicky with a class operation like RP, but I second that!
CD Universe(click here) is usually pretty good with release dates
teledingo wrote:
I just wish RP didnt link to the lame Amazon based info for the albums. The release dates are just useless. Would be nice to get reliable info about original releases on the site.
Hard to be nitpicky with a class operation like RP, but I second that!
Darn , no tour dates
ce wrote:
Have some Green Onions (click here) with your top instrumentals, for extra flavour. Granted, that's probably more soul than rock, but very tasty nonetheless. Ah, I see that RP's version is from the CD "Rock Instrumental Classics" Hmm, I feel a sudden craving for ... Tequila!(click here) (Not sure if that link works)
Rock Instrumental Classics is a 5-disc set from Rhino with CDs devoted to the '50s, '60s, '70s, Soul, and Surf. It's got all the stuff listed in the post the above post replied to and more, including "Walk Don't Run". It's the instrumentalist's wet dream. For the record, I remember when this came out, also.
I just wish RP didnt link to the lame Amazon based info for the albums. The release dates are just useless. Would be nice to get reliable info about original releases on the site.
Wow! I used to be able to play this on guitar. Kinda.
Great version of this theme by Slovenian group "TERRAFOLK"... (Listen it) Gran versión de este tema del grupo Esloveno "TERRAFOLK" (Escuchadla)
gr8dane wrote:
Without question one of the top five rock instrumentals of all time – the other four being: Wipeout (Surfaris), Pipeline (Chantays), Sleepwalk (Santo & Johnny), and last but not least – Apache (Jorgen Ingmann). Classics all. Let's hear more of this stuff!
Have some Green Onions (click here) with your top instrumentals, for extra flavour. Granted, that's probably more soul than rock, but very tasty nonetheless. Ah, I see that RP's version is from the CD "Rock Instrumental Classics" Hmm, I feel a sudden craving for ... Tequila!(click here) (Not sure if that link works)
rixtar99 wrote:
and now for some Dick Dale... well?
Yes, yes, yes! Curious why only two DD songs on the playlist and rarely played? Ventures is OK, too, just a bit tepid by comparison. 7.
cowabunga dude
Man, I grew up on this stuff. My parents thought they were rockin' pretty hard when they put this on the seventeen-dollar mail-order "stereo"! Love it.
But I prefer the Shadows original Edit: OK it probably wasn't THE original, but it sure goes back to about 1961 or so.
and now for some Dick Dale... well?
ElSupreme wrote:
Junion Brown does an excelent cover of this song on a steel guitar. And if you have heard him, he can play guitar. edit:: JB's is called 'Surf Medly' not 'Walk Don't Run'
good god almighty i love jr. brown. and it's a double necked beast he calls a "guit-steel". Stevie Ray's version of pipeline is in regular rotation here but jr does it so much better in surf medley.
my theme song!!! omfg!
Nice save. Your set was sucking.
Without question one of the top five rock instrumentals of all time
It's funny you should say that because it's actually a Jazz tune that was written and recorded in 1954 by Johnny Smith but most people are only familiar with the 1960 Ventures version.
Junion Brown does an excelent cover of this song on a steel guitar. And if you have heard him, he can play guitar. edit:: JB's is called 'Surf Medly' not 'Walk Don't Run'
Fantastic Mixing Asian Dub Foundation to The Ventures...two totally different eras mixed so well good job Bill.
Smooth.
Without question one of the top five rock instrumentals of all time – the other four being: Wipeout (Surfaris), Pipeline (Chantays), Sleepwalk (Santo & Johnny), and last but not least – Apache (Jorgen Ingmann). Classics all. Let's hear more of this stuff! Gr8Dane