The Ventures - Pops in Japan

Thursday, June 17, 2021

If for nothing else, The Ventures brought the electric guitar to Japan. To this day, The Ventures (or whoever is left of the band) still do yearly tours of Japan. It is one of the significant areas of the world to complete your Ventures vinyl collection. Other than that, The Ventures made two albums for the Japanese market covering Japanese pop songs and Enka, which is similar to the blues or an Asian Country and Western, but in Japanese, of course. These sad Japanese pop ballads have a natural relationship with the electric guitar. The lyrics weep, and therefore the electric guitar weeps with shame and regret. For the Westerner, it's a superb combination. For my wife, who is Japanese, she may find it kitsch. But, since I'm writing this review, I will say it's a fine art. 

The liner notes are all in Japanese, and I suspect that sides one & two of this double set were released sometime in the early 70s or late 60s. It is also better than the second disc, which has keyboards and has a late 70s vibe in its recording—still, a remarkable document. I have heard songs or singles devoted to the Japanese market. Still, it's rare to listen to a whole album by a Western band dedicated to the Japanese songcraft and hits. The Ventures play their twang guitar sound, but it fits in perfectly with the Japanese melodies. Also, I must note that side one is all original songs by The Ventures focusing on a Japanese 60s pop sound. The rest of the double-album set is Japanese cover songs. You have to imagine yourself somewhere in Shinjuku, Tokyo, drinking the night away not due to happiness, but great sadness. Love leaving is always a bad feeling, but the sense of such a loss in Tokyo or anywhere in Japan, it's a poetic pain that streams the tears within your broken heart. 

It took me years to find a vinyl version of Pops In Japan; even in Japan, it's hard to find. Finally, I found this lovely edition at Counterpoint Music and Books in Los Feliz. It was the last thing I expected to see in a shop. The Ventures generally are not my favorite instrumental band. For instance, I prefer The Shadows, and I think it comes to the Jet Harris bass and the Hank Marvin guitar. Still, one has to acknowledge the importance of The Ventures and the little-known knowledge that they had a massive impact on Japanese pop music and aesthetics. Before The Beatles, the other fab four, The Ventures, came and stole the hearts of future Japanese guitarists.