Search - Sharp Five :: Sidewinder//Doing Dong the Beatles

Ventures fans will love this--if they can afford it...

pulled pork picker | North Cackalacky, USA | 02/03/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"BTW, the title of this split record is "Sidewinder/Ding Dong! The Beatles"; bit of a spelling error up thar.



The little I know about the Sharp Five; They're a mid-60's Japanese five-piece instrumental combo, started up after the Ventures' guitar instro-rock took that country by storm. Fronted by drummer Munetaka Inoue, these guys were apparently a big deal in their home country, and even (like the Ventures) had their own brand of guitar, the Guyatone Sharp Five model. It was their mention is a book on Japanese guitars that brought 'em to my attention, although it's taken nearly a decade to get a chance to actually hear what they sound like.



So what do they sound like? Well, if ya' likes the Ventures circa '65-66, this band is for you; in fact, the first album sounds suspiciously like they got the Venture's "Batman" record just before they recorded this rascal. mind you; their disassembly of "Batman" (not to mention "Paperback Writer"), shows these boys clearly had their own wild ideas of how to get things rockin'. Guitarist Mine Nobuhiro does a good Nokie Edwards imitation, but also has a distinct rapid-fire stacatto picking style that shows he's no mere copycat. The addition of Furaya Osamu's Yamaha Organ is an interesting sort of "Dave Clark Five" touch, and lets them explore songs the Ventures wouldn't, well, venture, like garage versions of organ jazz standards ("Sidewinder", "The Cat"). Only second guitarist Akiyama Isao pales when compared to his American counterpart--he's no Don Wilson, but with five guys blazing away, maybe he's just trying to keep out of the way.



Only complaint? Price! Forty Bucks is a ton of money, even if it's a two-LP-on-one-CD setup. BTW, one should take care if one is looking for a cheaper version of said CD--I attempted as such with the folks at Caiman. It's been over six months, and they still haven't send one (Out of Stock, I'm told...again and again)."