Ventures All Time Greatest Hits CD

CEMA Special Markets' Play the Hits is different than the similarly titled Only the Hits in one key way -- it actually has the Ventures' hit singles! Of course, Play the Hits has a title that suggests it might be a collection of the Ventures playing other people's songs -- which is what Only the Hits was, and that had a title that suggested it was a straight hits collection. Budget-line discs always get confusing like this. Anyway, Play the Hits is a good collection, containing all of the basics -- "Walk, Don't Run," "Blue Moon," "Lolita Ya-Ya," "Secret Agent Man," "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue," and "Hawaii Five-O" -- which is enough to make it a very worthwhile budget-line disc. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

All Time Greatest Hits is a decent overview of the Ventures' early days, presenting 12 hit tracks that the instrumental band recorded in the late '50s and early '60s. Several of their Top Ten hits are included: "Hawaii Five-O," "Perfidia," "Men," "Lullabye of the Leaves," and "Walk - Don't Run", probably their biggest hit. Considering the amount of material the Ventures have released over the years, this collection is missing a few favorites ("Walk Don't Run '64," "Out of Limits"), but the midline pricing and original tracks make this a package worth picking up by the casual listener. ~ Al Campbell

Do not mistake this greatest-hits compilation for a reissue of the Ventures' 1960 album of the same name; the title track is the only song that the two have in common. The bulk of the album is made up of later-period treacle like "Hawaii Five-O" or "Secret Agent Man," recordings made long after the Ventures, who were arguably one of the most important bands in the history of rock & roll, had lost their youthful edge. The ultimate disgrace is the fact that this compilation includes the Ventures' anemic version of "Wipe Out," but omits such classics as "The Switch" and "Sleep Walk," band- and genre-defining moments both. This is not to say that there are not some pleasant moments among the later material gathered on Walk Don't Run. The lilting "Theme From 'A Summer Place'" is nice and inoffensively sweet in its own way -- not worth tracking down, but not likely to send one running for cover like the absurd "Lolita Ya-Ya," which comes complete with female backup singers humming the oh-so-catchy theme. Those interested in Ventures collections should do themselves a favor and not pick up Walk-Don't Run; it is not worth owning in any possible world. ~ Daniel Gioffre

Featuring these top selling hits, 'Walk-Don't Run', 'Hawaii Five-O' and 'Perfidia' along with 9 other surf greats. Collectables. 2003.

Composed and conducted by Quincy Jones.