Pacific Northwest Rock ... on both sides of the Pacific *
Before moving to Korea in 2007 I lived in the Pacific Northwest -- Washington State in particular. While the state may be best-known for its apple and timber industries, the 1960s music scene is also worth noting. The I-5 corrider between Seattle, WA and Portland, OR saw a plethora of bands emerge, with three in particular achieving a large measure of fame.
The Ventures were formed in 1958 and are best-known as the band behind the "Hawaii 5-0" theme, but they're more than just a one-hit wonder. The group has had 38 albums chart, with 5 appearing in the 'Billboard Top 100' at the same time. They're also the first group to have two versions of the same song - from different years no less - break the Top 10. Before there was surf music there were The Ventures, and the band is credited with the first concept album and the first use of a fuzz pedal for guitar. And as an interesting aside, the band's original drummer went on to become a four-star general.
Next up is The Wailers - also known as The Fabulous Wailers after Bob Marley's reggae group shot to fame - who also got their start in 1958. The Wailers fused 'dirty' R&B with rock and roll and might just be the world's first garage band. Thanks to the patronage of The Wailers the next big band to break out was The Sonics, in 1960. Taking a much louder and cruder approach than their contemporaries, I've heard people credit The Sonics as the first punk band. Several of their 45 rpm singles were reissued through Norton Records and there's nothing like throwing them on a turntable in the summertime and cranking the volume.
With the history lesson out of the way, I recently came across a couple of ukulele songs from Japan that were originally done by The Ventures. They're pretty good. Full credit goes out to Liz for originally finding and sharing these:
Click to viewFor your listening pleasure:
The Fabulous Wailers "I Idolize You"
The Fabulous Wailers "Tall Cool One"
The Fabulous Wailers "Road Runner"
The Sonics "Jenny Jenny"
The Sonics "He's Waiting"
The Sonics "Strychnine"
The Ventures "Dick Tracy"
The Ventures "Live 1966 (part 3 of 4)"
The Ventures "Walk Don't Run"
* Note: This entry contains sizable quantities of regional pride and may appear over-the-top as a result. Your Mileage May Vary, consult with your physician before consuming, etc., etc.