The Ventures - "Pops in Japan" 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Japan, 1980 (United Artists Records Japan)

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, and it is one of the significant areas of the world to complete your Ventures vinyl collection.  Other then that, The Ventures made two albums for the Japanese market covering Japanese pop songs and Enka, which is similar to the blues, but in Japanese.  These sad Japanese pop ballads have a natural relationship with the electric guitar.  For the Westerner, it's a cool combination.  For my wife, who is Japanese she may find it kitsch.  Since I'm writing this review, I will say it's fine art.

The liner notes are all in Japanese, and I suspect that side one & 2 of this double set was released as it is sometime either in the 70s or 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 that is devoted to the Japanese market, but 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 are cover songs.

It took me years to find a vinyl version of this album, even in Japan, it's hard to find. I found this perfectly beautiful edition at Counterpoint Music and Books.   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.  

The Ventures - "Golden Pops" / "Pops in Japan" CD, Compilation, 1999 (See for Miles Records)

Not an easy CD to find, or the two original albums "Golden Pops" (1970) and "Pops in Japan" (1971). These two oddities or albums was a fascinating find for me when I lived in Japan, and I think I originally rent the original albums to listen to them around 1989.  Nevertheless, The Ventures were (and still are) an important band in Japan.  One of the first, if not THE first, bands to tour Japan with electric guitars.  Once can't undermine the importance of The Ventures for Japanese pop culture.  Due to the commercial marketplace or just something that they wanted to do, The Ventures made two albums focusing on Japanese Enka music.   Enka is an entirely unique pop music that is a big part of the Showa era in Japan.  Theme wise not that far from weepy country and western, but also is a version of the Japanese blues.  The ultimate bar music of loss, regret, and sadness. 

Weirdly enough, this is the only Ventures collection I have. I was never a fan of their music because it seemed water-down compared to the other great surf/instrumental bands of the early 1960s.  But "Golden Pops" and "Pops in Japan" are really unique albums, with some fantastic music within the disc.  I recommend this CD package for those who have a yen for Japanese pop culture or have an interest in the Showa era.  On one level it's totally marketing for The Ventures in a country that still brings them currency, due to their yearly tours of that country, but also eccentric listening experience as well.  American musicians interpreting Japanese pop music.  The hybrid is fantastic.