Not to quibble but it was written by Johnny Smith
You just reminded me of another Amboy Dukes intrumental I loved back in 1968: “Migration”!
Right you are! I knew Wilson and Bogle didn’t wrtite it, but thought they recorded it first. Now I see Johhny Smith recorded it in '55, and our old friend Chet Atkins covered it in '57, both before the Ventures. Thanks!
Superb! Now in my YouTube Favorites! Thanks.
Lots of good ones mentioned so far.
One of my favorite rock albums is all-instrumental: Camel’s “(Music Inspired By) The Snow Goose”. There’s one track with some “doo-doo-doo” vocals but that’s about it, so I think it qualifies.
No worries. I wouldn’t have known that if I didn’t have the sheet music in an old book from the early 60’s. Johnny Smith was a dude, but not a rocker as such. The Ventures version is what probably 75% of fans of the tune would know.
I’m racking my brain for early rock instrumentals but so many of the ones I remember were more like Big Band things. Stuff like Night Train.
It’s a fun topic, for sure!
Wow! Thanks for sharing that. Really outstanding stuff there.
It warms my heart to see some of the songs mentioned here – especially by RealityChuck and Exapno Mapcase. Here are some more… some are possibly not “rock” by some people’s definition, I realize.
King Crimson – Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part 1; Fracture; Starless; Trio
Brian Eno – The Big Ship
Fripp and Eno – Evening Star
Gong – Flute Salade
Hot Tuna – Water Song
Mick Ronson’s version of “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue”
Setzer has done to this tune what Tommy Emmanuel - Somewhere Over the Rainbow (not rock, y’all) did for this oldie.
Sublime.
“Lenny” - Stevie Ray Vaughn
Okay. We’ve got a list. Now, which of these is the most rock?
Maybe we need a definition of “Rock” first?
Wait, I thought of some more.
Liquid Tension Experiment - Biaxident
Doobie Brothers - Slat Key Soquel Rag
Papa John Creach (Jefferson Starship) - Git Fiddler
When most people ask what is the most rock, they mean the most headbanging. I don’t have any answer for that.
But “Jessica” is the epitome of American-style rock. It’s a distillation of pure joy. And a marriage of all the styles of Americana, from the jangling guitars to the barrelhouse piano.
For British-style rock, I’m going to cheat a bit. Of all the songs that featured endless noodling and solos in classic 60s drugged-out fashion, Blind Faith’s “Do What You Like” is the one that put some discipline to the music and channeled the individuals to the greater whole. I’m cheating because it’s technically not a pure instrumental, with vocal parts at the beginning and end. In between, though, you get ten plus minutes of the best British rock, with an infectious melody taken to sweeping heights with a guitar solo by Eric Clapton, a keyboard solo by Steve Winwood, a bass solo by Ric Grech, and a drum solo by Ginger Baker. It’s the beginning and end of all super groups.
Don’t mind me, 'Xap - I am just stirring the pot - but Beck’s Bolero featuring Beck, Page, JPJones, Moonie and Nicky Hopkins (keyboardist on tons of critical stuff like Exile on Main Street) doesn’t quality as an (albeit fleeting) even-more-super supergroup? ;)
I can’t hear this, because I’m at work, but I remembered one more. Manowar’s Sting of the Bumblebee.
Oh, sure, a bunch of guys whose collective output is one b-side is a supergroup?
Why don’t you throw in the Masked Marauders while you’re at it? 
Embryonic Journey - Jefferson Airplane
