I don't know about anyone else, but as much as I like regular rock songs, my respect for an artist goes up exponentially when I hear them do a really good instrumental number. So here's a place to celebrate bands that can do more than just accompany a singer. You don't necessarily have to include full instrumental numbers. Songs like "Roundabout" by Yes or CCR's version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" where the occasional bit of singing frame some truly awesome instrumental compositions, or songs like my #2 suggestion which feature the voice used as an instrument, totally count. I realize that this category has more limited potential than most similar topics we discuss here, so I'll be extra impressed by anyone with any thoughts/ recommendations on the subject.
Here are my top five rock instrumentals:
5. Cruise Control by Dixie Dregs 4. Jessica by The Allman Brothers 3. Watermelon in Easter Hay by Frank Zappa 2. The Great Gig In the Sky by Pink Floyd 1. La Villa Strangiato by Rush
Any that I left out that should be included?
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Summer Song by Joe Satriani.
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
YYZ by Rush The Cliffs of Dover by Eric Johnson The Fish by Yes Get Ready For The Storm by Stevie Ray Vaughn
[ October 26, 2004, 10:17 AM: Message edited by: Sopwith ]
Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :
Nice... I forgot about the guitar heroes (unless you count Steve Morse in the #5 spot), so let me add For the Love of God by Steve Vai to the list. Thanks for reminding me.
edit: And I love SRV (of course, who doesn't?) My favorite instrumental is his version of Little Wing. I haven't heard Get Ready for the Storm, but I can tell already that I'm going to have to find it. What album's it on?
[ October 26, 2004, 10:21 AM: Message edited by: Speed ]
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
Satch Boogie, which is on a G3 record (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and... someone else. Yngwie Malmsteen? Playing together.).
Also, I enjoy the guitar duel in Crossroads (that is to say, the movie about blues men, not whatever it was Britney Spears released).
And there are good instrumentals that don't have blazing solos... the secret song on The Music's latest record is quite good, and I've always been partial to Tool's Triad, the last movement of a three-part opus (Disposition, Reflection, Triad). I also liked Metallica's Orion a while back, though it's been quite some time since I listened to it.
Posted by xnera (Member # 187) on :
The intro to "Love Song" on Tesla's Five Man Accoustical Jam. I want to learn guitar so I can play that!
Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :
I was just listening to some random tunes, and I wanted to add a song that has words, but it's the instrumentals that make it so brilliant. So here's my addition:
Light My Fire by The Doors
Has there ever been a group with a more overrated singer and underappreciated instrumentalists in all of the world?
[ October 26, 2004, 11:21 AM: Message edited by: Speed ]
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Ashlee Simpson? <ducking and running>
Posted by UofUlawguy (Member # 5492) on :
How about practically everything by Santana?
How about Classical Gas? (the version I have is by Mannheim Steamroller)
Does Mannheim Steamroller even count, since their stuff is synthesized? Some of their Christmas stuff is wonderful.
Posted by solo (Member # 3148) on :
The Call of Ktulu by Metallica Anasthesia by Cliff Burtin Pipeline by Anthrax
I'll second Triad by Tool and add anything by Godspeed! You Black Emperor.
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
Classical Gas is fabulous. And it was debuted on The Smothers Brothers, since the artist performing it, Mason Williams, was one of the comedy writers for the series.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
quote:How about practically everything by Santana?
I heard a long, live version of "Black Magic Woman" on the radio. Must have been 20 minutes, with about half that one long guitar solo. Amazing - good way to spend 1/6 of the ride home to see Eve.
If we're going into songs with words, I have to nominate Sultans of Swing. The instrumentals elevate that song from good to sublime.
Dagonee
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I'll second SRV's Get Ready for the Storm. Great song--haven't listened to that in too long.
While it isn't entirely instrumental, Rush's "Cygnus X-1" Book I - The Voyage Prologue is an amazing musical depiction of flying a spaceship into a black hole.
Some of my favorite music is entirely instrumental, but I don't think it qualifies as Rock. I'm thinking of Bela Fleck and Stanley Jordan in particular here.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Stanley Jordan's "Stairway to Heaven" and "Little Wing" instrumental versions are amazing. I saw him my first year in college, way back in '88.
Dagonee
Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :
quote: Ashlee Simpson? <ducking and running>
No way, that band sucks. They're always playing the wrong song. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Man, I'd love to see Stanley Jordan perform live.
Dag, are you familiar with Adrian Legg by any chance? Fantastic guitar player. I could listen to his stuff for hours on end.
Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :
I dig Adrian Legg. I've got 3 of his albums and they're great. Good call.
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
Victor Wooten's version of Amazing Grace .
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
The one off of Live Art disc 2? I was just listening to that in the shower this morning.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
I haven't heard of Legg, but I'm going to check him out.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Guitar for Mortals is a favorite of mine, but most of his stuff is well worth listening to.
Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :
You know who else is always good for a quality instrumental? The Who. I'm thinking specifically of songs like Underture from "Tommy" or the title track from "Quadrophenia", although they have loads of songs with instrumentals strong enough that you could take the vocals out and still groove like mad to them.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
This is true.
What do you think of Michael Hedges? I've had roommates who adored his stuff, and played it constantly, but I've always found him more irritating than anythign else. There's just this pomposity that I perceive in his music that leaves me cold. Of course, that could be my roommate's pomposity that I have come to associate with the music he always played; it's hard to say.
Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :
I have a lot of respect for Michael Hedges, for his skill and for the role he had in developing the Windham Hill sound. But I have to admit that I listen to my Michael Manring and Will Ackerman CDs more than my Hedges.
Speaking of rock instrumentals, Michael Manring did a hard rock CD called Thonk that featured Steve Morse on many of the tracks. Most of that CD could reasonably find a place on this list.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Thanks for the recommendation, I'll have to check it out.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Something that I find kind of interesting is that while I have enormous respect for both Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, I find both of them far more engaging as performers when they're accompanied by the other one than I do when they're playing with others. Sort of off topic, I know, but hey.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
"Jessica" came to mind immediately.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Noemon, I feel the same way about Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. Some of my favorite music of all time is the work they did together.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Oh, can't believe I forgot - Hendrix's "Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Now, see, that one I don't care for. I mean, I love Hendrix, but I've never really found that particular performance to be all that spectacular. Iconic, sure, but amazing in and of itself? Not to me.
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
I have always loved Whale and Wasp (by Alice in Chains). Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Well, you're right that it's iconic, and that may elevate it in my mind, but it's also one of the best examples of emotion evocation on the electric guitar I've ever heard.
Dagonee
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
Hey, solo, if I were interested in listening to some Godspeed! You Black Emperor, where should I be starting? (Like, what album?)
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I'll have to get out my Woodstock LPs and give it another listen at some point Dag.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
The LP might be the problem, unless you have a really good phonograph.
I didn't realize how good it was until I played a remastered CD on my home stereo system. There's a lot of things going on at once in that song.
Dagonee
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Really? I've been thinking that it would be nice to have the Woodstock albums on CD, actually, but I hadn't checked to see if they were available or not.
Something that I'm finding really irritating is that the Hendrix estate refuses to release most of his stuff on CD. I've been wanting to listen to Cry of Love for ages, but my LP of it is 600 miles away, and buying it on CD isn't a possibility.
Posted by solo (Member # 3148) on :
twinky,
I would recommend starting with Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada but only because that is the first I listened to. I also really like Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven. They have quite a few live shows available in the Live Music Archive and some of them are quite good quality (in FLAC and shn format). I think there might be one or two mp3 shows there as well.
Oh and by the way, I finished off my album and will be sending you a copy in the next couple of days. For now, I have put it up on the web in 128 Kbps mp3 format here.
Posted by solo (Member # 3148) on :
I'd also like to second ludosti in saying that Whale & Wasp is a great instrumental.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Does Bohemian Rhapsody count? I love the instrumentals in that one...
FG
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
It's done! That's awesome!
Thanks for the suggestions, too.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Ben Harper has a beautiful one, but I can't remember the name.
How about that song at the beginning(no, when they were racing?) from "American Graffiti?"
I would also like to nominate both "Let Love Move Me" and "Mystic Water" by Donna the Buffalo, which have few lyrics, but intense, ethereal jams.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Black Sabbath's Orchid.
My current favorite version of Classical Gas is by Vanessa Mae.
I used to collect different versions of Pachebel's Canon, particularly rockish versions. The latest favorite was the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet's The Pachelbel Loose Canon, but it still can't match PDQ Bach's.
Dream Theater's Flight of the Bumblebee.
Pink Floyd's Is There Anybody Out There?.
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
Jimi Hendrix, The Star Spangled Banner. Wow!
Posted by skillery (Member # 6209) on :
Pat Metheny Group: The Roots of Coincidence (From Imaginary Day) Genesis: Los Endos (From Trick of the Tail) Dream Theater: Ytse Jam (When Dream and Day Unite) Yes: The Gates of Delirium (Relayer) Kalaban: Grayslayer (Don't Panic)
Posted by punwit (Member # 6388) on :
I'm surprised no one has mentioned The Edgar Winters Group and their classic song Frankenstein.
Posted by punwit (Member # 6388) on :
Another instrumental that I grew up listening to that hasn't been mentioned is Tubular Bells. I'm not sure it qualifies for the "rock" designation but Mike Oldfield got alot of play with this song on popular music stations.
Posted by Paul Goldner (Member # 1910) on :
Yngwie Malmsteen's Far Beyond the Sun Joe Satriani's Surfing with the Alien, or Flying in a Blue Dream, or Summer Song, or... the list continues. SRV's Voodoo Chile Deep Purple's April Iron Maiden's Ghengis Khan Metallica's To Live is to Die, Orion, or Call of Kthulu ELO's Fire on High,
[ October 26, 2004, 07:08 PM: Message edited by: Paul Goldner ]
Posted by Paul Goldner (Member # 1910) on :
oooh.. .forgot one. Trans Siberian Orchestra's Christmas in Sarajevo
Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
I agree with a lot of these, but:
The Great Gig in the Sky is a vocal, not instrumental. A rock aria, if you will, and completely spectacular. (If there was ever going to be a reason to wish I was a woman it would be so I could sing that song) An orgasm set to music.
I wonder if someone confused Underture with "Sparks." Personally I prefer the Overture. But the whole thing is great.
And the guitar work on Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms" complements the lyrics so perfectly it makes me cry.
I also love a lot of the early Genesis instrumental work, like Firth of Fifth, and After the Ordeal, and Cinema show from Selling England by the Pound.
Also, a guitar solo by Steve Hackett, but I don't have the album and I don't remember the name. I'm pretty sure the album was only available as an import.
For guitar solo you gotta mention Aqualung.
Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :
Ooh, Roots of Coincidence and April. Those are a couple excellent calls.
Tubular Bells, as I understand it, is considered to be an early experiment in New Age music. It's got more rock-like components than a lot of modern new age, though, so I guess you could consider that. I wouldn't personally look at it in the same category as what we've generally been talking about, but that doesn't mean it's not totally swell.
Glenn, you really know your stuff. I always thought of Great Gig as an instrumental. I guess it depends on how you define it, but I've been listening to that album for as long as I can remember, and that piece is so powerful it transcends its component parts, and it was a long time before I even noticed anyone singing on it. To this day I always personally think of it as an instrumental that, if I pay attention, I notice that one of the instruments is a human voice. I couldn't ever hear it as a vocal number. But to each his own, I guess.
And yeah, Underture isn't the best instrumental on Tommy. It was just the longest, so it was the first that came to mind and I was in a hurry. Thanks for mentioning some of the other ones.
Peter Gabriel era Genesis had some good stuff as well. Much better than Phil Collins era, anyway. I grew up with "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway", so I'd have to include Hairless Heart, The Waiting Room and Riding the Scree in your list of cool Genesis instrumentals. The ones you mentioned are good too, though.
I've been meaning to check out Iron Maiden. What album is Genghis Khan on? Is it worth getting.
By the way, Elizabeth, I'm so glad that you thought of Jessica too. I never think of rock instrumentals without that one coming to mind. It's an underrated classic that everyone in the world should have in their collection, and it's nice to hear that I'm not the only one who feels that way. I guess great minds think alike, eh?
[ October 27, 2004, 12:29 AM: Message edited by: Speed ]
Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :
One other thing. There's a band that's always good for a wild and trippy instrumental, and it's been totally overlooked. I don't know how I've gone so long without bringing up Alan Parsons Project. I guess it stands to reason that they'd be so good, since Mr. Parsons produced the #2 selection on my original list. His own band has been responsible for such fantastic pieces as A Dream Within a Dream, The Fall of the House of Usher, I Robot, Genesis ch. 1 v. 32, The Gold Bug, The Ace of Swords, Sirius and Maammagamma. It would be a poor list without any of those on it.
[edit: Wow, this thread just went into page 2. I didn't give you people enough credit. I figured no one would know or care too much about instrumental works. But we've got a page clear full of solid recommendations. I've underestemated you once again. My hats off to the wise and cultured genii of Hatrack.]
[ October 27, 2004, 12:19 AM: Message edited by: Speed ]
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Damn, did anyone mention Anagada De Vida (sp?) by Iron Butterfly?
Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. You're absolutely right. I don't know how we could have got this far without that popping up. When I was a DJ, I used to love playing the 17 minute version of that song, and I got more requests for it than I'd have imagined. Brilliant piece of baroque music disguised as heavy metal. One of the few pieces from the bombastic post-Doors '60s that fully deserved such a running time. Well mentioned.
[edit: As an aside, Iron Butterfly deserves their one-hit-wonder status. I tried for years to like side one of that album, and I've finally given up. It's grating and irritating. I don't know how they did it...]
[ October 27, 2004, 10:52 AM: Message edited by: Speed ]
Posted by Stan the man (Member # 6249) on :
I'm shocked that I don't see any Led Zeppelin amywhere.
Battle of Evermore The Song Remains the Same Kashmir All of my Love Black Dog Stairway to Heaven Immigrant Song
And one to shock all The Darkness by Disturbed. It is a slow song that you would not expect a numetal band to do.
Posted by Paul Goldner (Member # 1910) on :
Speed- Ghenghis Khan is on the Killers album, which is one of my favorites by Iron Maiden. Its early stuff, different lineup then currently. Definetely worth checking out. Somewhere in Time may be their best album, though.
Posted by skillery (Member # 6209) on :
Liquid Tension Experiment 2: Liquid Dreams
Tony Levin is awesome on bass!
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
I really enjoy the Yes version of "The Firebird Suite." And I'm sure there's more, but I'm blanking.
Posted by keepsmilin (Member # 6607) on :
amen "stan the man," I was about to be shocked that no one mentioned my beloved zeppelin. All of their instrumentals are amazing.
Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :
Don't forget Moby Dick.
Posted by Paul Goldner (Member # 1910) on :
LEd Zeppelin instrumentation, I'd go with Achilles Last Stand.
Posted by Psycho Triad (Member # 3331) on :
Hotel California ~ The Eagles. Most especially the Hell Freezes Over album.
Master Of Puppets ~ Metallica has a nice instrumental interlude.
I saw someone mention Trans-Siberian Orchestra. nearly any of their Christmas songs would work.
Crazy as always, Psycho Triad
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Yep, TSO is quite good. My favorite is "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo" (which I've sometimes seen labeled as "The Mad Russian")
I went to sleep last night to my Santana self-defined greatest hits disk. The man is a genius.
The Who: Eminence Front - even though logically I know that the opening keyboard section was probably programmed in layers, I'm still stunned by it every time.
Personally, although I like Zeppelin's music, I think they were somewhat overrated. It was as if somebody decided that they were just the absolute ultimate band ever and that nobody could match up. And maybe I expect more of them as a result... With that said, though, The Immigrant Song is one of my favorites by them.
[ October 27, 2004, 12:48 PM: Message edited by: Goody Scrivener ]
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
"The Brazilian" by Genesis and "Cliffs of Dover" by Eric Johnson come to mind....
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Speed, I remember first hearing "Jessica" on the radio and missing who it was. It hit me right in the middle of my music spot. I just love the Allmans.
Since I tend to like a bunch of jam bands, I would have to mention some bands like Max Creek, Railroad Earth, String Cheese Incident, Old Crow MEdicine Show, Donna the Buffalo, and Leftover Salmon.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
The melody intro in Jessica is great. Good music to drive to.
Posted by punwit (Member # 6388) on :
Wipeout deserves honorable mention in this thread.
Posted by Cashew (Member # 6023) on :
The Allman Brothers - In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (probably the greatest rock instrumental ever) followed closely by: Cream (Eric Clapton) - Crossroads followed by, in no particular order: Frank Zappa - Burnt Weeny Sandwich, part 2; Holiday in Berlin, Full Blown; Chicago - Poem 58; Eric Clapton - Have You Ever Loved a Woman; Peter Green - Love That Burns; I Loved Another Woman; Led Zeppelin - I Can't Quit You Baby; Neil Young - Like a Hurricane; Cortez the Killer; Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
Posted by punwit (Member # 6388) on :
I should have included Hocus Pocus by Focus yesterday when I listed Frankenstein. For some reason those two songs are linked in my memory.
Posted by UofUlawguy (Member # 5492) on :
I own an old Kingsmen greatest hits album. Besides the great instrumental work in such songs as Louie Louie and Money and Death of an Angel and Under My Thumb, there are three purely instrumental songs that just rock: Night Train, Haunted Castle, and the piece de resistance, Peter Gunn. That last song prods buttock. I almost fell out of my chair when I learned that it was originally written by Mancini (who wrote stupendous instrumental stuff, but generally not performed as rock and roll).
Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
God, I hate Hocus Pocus by Focus (can you say the name without the name of the band?)
[ October 27, 2004, 10:13 PM: Message edited by: Glenn Arnold ]
Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :
I just got a new album and there's an instrumental track on there that's so good that I had to resurrect this thread to add it on. So here's another addition to my list: **Heat Miser by Massive Attack If anyone's unfamiliar with them, they're a trip-hop group from England that was big in the '90s. The music is a mix of hip-hop, trance, reggae and jazz. It's unusual enough for a group associated with hip-hop to do an instrumental number that I might have added it anyway. In fact, this band has a few instrumental pieces, and they're all good, but this one is so stunning that I would have added it without that qualifier. Great, great tune.
It reminded me of some tracks that I can't believe I overlooked on my first go-round as well. One of my all-time favorite albums is Endtroducing... by DJ Shadow. He's a hip-hop DJ, and the entire album is sample-driven. Sounds a little fishy, but it's one of the best albums I own. Some of the tracks have vocals mixed in, but of the instrumental tracks, there are some that should be right at the top of the list. Such as: **Building Steam With a Grain of Salt **Changeling **What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 4) **Stem/Long Stem **Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain There are some great instrumental (and vocal, for that matter) tracks off his follow-up album The Private Press as well. But I'll leave it at this for now.
And while we're on the topic of people who have managed to make instrumentals on hip-hop albums, a couple I have to put on the list for honourable mention are POW, Futterman's Rule, Ricky's Theme, Shambala and Sabrosa by The Beastie Boys.
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