Play Telstar/In Space [Best of]

When these albums came out in the sixties, I played them so much that I wore them out. I don't have that problem now that they are released on CD. I like that they have packaged two albums together instead of issuing them one at a time like other artists have done. The Ventures version of Telstar is almost as good as the Tornadoes. The other covers either equal or surpass the versions by the original artists. The Ventures In Space album was always a favourite. The album cover was fantastic and the sounds coming out of my old RCA stereo were the best for that time period.
I know that a lot of the music by the Ventures are covers of other peoples work, but, they are first class instrumental versions. Many young men learned how to play guitar because of the Ventures.
I think that anyone who wants a sampling of the extensive Venture's catalogue, would be well served by purchasing this two album CD.

I have my parents to thank for turning me into a Ventures fan. My parents had both of the original LPS. I listened along with Mom and Dad to this great band so much we wore out the albums. By that time, the albums were no longer being produce and were hard to find. Now, thanks to today's cd technology, we can enjoy the Ventures once again.

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. ...