Arguably the worst album the Ventures ever did, Rocky Road was the group's plunge into disco music, and while it might be decent disco music, it doesn't sound remotely like the group. The producers recognizing this and credited the album to "the New Ventures" -- the old Ventures, for their part, are overwhelmed by the string and horn arrangements (credited, among others, to Jimmy Haskell), the backup singers (which include Kim Carnes), etc. The material is completely dispensable, unless one cares to indulge in an extended disco adaptation of "Moonlight Serenade" (which would have killed Glenn Miller as surely as any plane wreck). This album should be considered solely by hopeless '70s nostalgia freaks and absolute Ventures completists, and no one else. ~ Bruce Eder