The Ventures Ventures in Space (1963) [2006, Japan, Tocp 67949]

The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling instrumental band of all time. In 2008, the Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Their instrumental virtuosity, experimentation with guitar effects, and unique sound laid the groundwork for innumerable groups, earning them the moniker "The Band that Launched a Thousand Bands". While their popularity in the United States waned in the 1970s, the group remains revered in Japan, where they tour regularly to this day.

It is easier to define Dionne Warwick by what she isn't rather than what she is. Although she grew up singing in church, she is not a gospel singer. Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan are clear influences, but she is not a jazz singer. R&B is also part of her background, but she is not really a soul singer, either, at least not in the sense that Aretha Franklin is…

One of several Liverpool pop groups to achieve international success in the sixties, the Swinging blue jeans were actually formed in 1958, when (acknowledging their hero, Gene Vincent), they called themselves the Bluegenes. They were already regular performers at the Cavern club when the Beatles made their debut in 1961 at that now-famous venue - indeed, the Beatles occupied the guest spot on their show…

Dschinghis Khan (known in some countries as Genghis Khan) is a German Euro disco pop band. It was originally formed in Munich in 1979 to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest with their song "Dschinghis Khan". Their original eponymous song came in fourth place at the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest in Jerusalem. Appearing at the height of the disco boom and following on the heels of other German-produced bands such as Boney M, Arabesque, and Silver Convention, the band achieved wide popularity throughout the world, especially in Europe, Russia, and Japan, though they went wholly unnoticed in the United States. Their songs invariably were themed on historical figures and exotic cultures and locales.