# Good Instrumental Songs **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 28, 2001, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096 "2001-01-28T06:20:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/1 "2001-01-28T06:20:47Z")
What are some good instrumental songs. Not necessarily classical, more rock and roll type. Some examples: Allman Brothers - Jessica Allman Brothers - Little Martha REM - New Orleans Instrumental No 1 etc. I know there are a couple that are played on the oldies station, but I can’t remember their names. I want to burn a good CD with that doesn’t have words but is pretty up beat so i can study without singing all the time. Thanks, Diver ---
**Author:** ![HalberMensch242](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecb155/32.png) [@HalberMensch242](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HalberMensch242)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/2 "2001-01-28T07:24:00Z")
NIN- just like you imagined…amazing rock n’roll instrumental type dealy. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/3 "2001-01-28T07:52:04Z")
Smashing Pumpkins–Mellon Collie and the infinite sadness (not the album, track 1 disc 1) REM–Zither Billy Joel–Root Beer Rag Ben Folds Five–Theme from Dr. Pyser ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/4 "2001-01-28T07:57:48Z")
I have always been partial to the Eagles’ “Journey of the Sorcerer” from the album _One of These Nights_. ---
**Author:** ![Meephead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@Meephead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meephead)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/5 "2001-01-28T08:19:00Z")
“Last Date” Floyd Cramer “Steamer Lane Breakdown” Doobie Brothers “Long Hard Ride” Marshall Tucker Band All three of those songs stick out in my musical memory for one reason or another. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/6 "2001-01-28T08:41:14Z")
Anything from the **Dirty Three** More rocky… . **Man or Astroman?** ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/7 "2001-01-28T09:57:18Z")
“Race Day Rag” by Grant McLennan is nice. So is “Misirlou,” the cover by Dick Dale that opens up the movie “Pulp Fiction.” And let me also add the Pixies’ cover of “Cecilia Ann” that kicks off the “Bossanova” album. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/8 "2001-01-28T10:42:55Z")
**Cliffs of Dover** [sup]ERIC JOHNSON[/sup] **Always With You, Always With Me** [sup]JOE SATRIANI[/sup] **Righteous** [sup]ERIC JOHNSON[/sup] **The Crush of Love** [sup]JOE SATRIANI[/sup] **Flying** [sup]THE BEATLES[/sup] **Hole in the Coal** [sup]PENTANGLE[/sup] **Low-Lee-Tah** [sup]LARRY CORYELL[/sup] **Rise** [sup]HERB ALPERT[/sup] **Axel F** [sup]H. FALTAMEYER[/sup] **Frankenstein** [sup]EDGAR WINTER[/sup] **Take Five** [sup]PAUL DESMOND and DAVE BRUBECK[/sup] **Michelle** [sup]BELA FLECK and the FLECKTONES[/sup] **Definitely Maybe** [sup]JEFF BECK[/sup] **Irelandise** [sup]CLAUDE BOLLING & JEAN PIERRE RAMPAL[/sup] **Green Onions** [sup]BOOKER T. and the MG’s[/sup] **Turkish Rondo** [sup]MOZART[/sup] **Liberty Bell March** [sup]JOHN PHILLIP SOUSA[/sup] **Fingerbuster** [sup]DAVY GRAHAM[/sup] **Sugarfoot Rag** [sup]JUNIOR BROWN[/sup] **Glad** [sup]TRAFFIC[/sup] **Lady Goes To Church** [sup]JOHN RENBOURN[/sup] **Water Song** [sup]HOT TUNA[/sup] **Embryonic Journey** [sup]JEFFERSON AIRPLANE[/sup] **Bouree** [sup]JETHRO TULL[/sup] **Apache** [sup]JORGEN INGMAN[/sup] **Vaseline Machine Gun** [sup]LEO KOTTKE[/sup] **Phase Dance** [sup]PAT METHENY[/sup] **The Clap** [sup]YES[/sup] **Adam Smasher** [sup]LARRY CORYELL[/sup] **Fanfare for the Common Man** [sup]AARON COPELAND[/sup] **Perigrination** [sup]BERT JANSCH[/sup] **Blue Rondo ala Turk** [sup]PAUL DESMOND and DAVE BRUBECK[/sup] **Bridge Over the River Ash** [sup]FAIRPORT CONVENTION[/sup] **King Kong** [sup]FRANK ZAPPA[/sup] **In The Mood** [sup]GLENN MILLER[/sup] **The Lonely Bull** [sup]HERB ALPERT[/sup] **Whammer Jammer** [sup]J. GEILS[/sup] **Beck’s Bolero** [sup]JEFF BECK[/sup] **Blackwater Side** [sup]BERT JANSCH[/sup] **Bulgarian Dance** [sup]DAVY GRAHAM[/sup] **Talibont** [sup]GENTLE GIANT[/sup] **Si Bheag, Si Mohr** [sup]PLANXTY[/sup] Listen to all of these and your life will change. I promise. These are some of the people who shaped my entire vision of music and it’s meaning. ---
**Author:** ![irish\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ac91a4/32.png) [@irish\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irish_bill)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/9 "2001-01-28T10:46:04Z")
Diver, Might I suggest the following: Pick Up The Pieces by the Average White Band Hideaway by Freddie King, or Clapton, or Jeff Healey Stevie Ray Vaughan has a couple: Riveria Paradise, and one other I cannot think of, and there’s one by The Meters, Cissy Strut. Steely Dan’s East-Coast Toodle-ooo All the best guitar players have instrumentals… If you can study and listen to music at the same time, fair play to you. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/10 "2001-01-28T11:01:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by irish\_bill \* > **…All the best guitar players have instrumentals…** I like you! ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/11 "2001-01-28T12:19:09Z")
Like **oldscratch** says, anything from the Dirty Three. I’d add to that anything from Godspeed you Black Emperor! and anything from Mogwai. Godspeed tend to make long mournful pieces that build to the most amazing crescendos. Maybe that isn’t what you want for studying - I don’t know. In particular, I recommend: Mogwai Fear Satan (Mogwai) Christmas Steps (Mogwai) If you like electronic/techno music, how about something from the Aphex Twin or Orbital? [Orbital’s official website](http://www.loopz.co.uk) has some audio samples so you can try before you buy. Also, Alec Empire’s solo work is a lot less childish than Atari Teenage Riot. Xtal (Aphex Twin) Remind (Orbital) Desert Storm (Orbital) The Box (Orbital) Maschinenvolk (Alec Empire) Stahl und Blausaüre (Alec Empire) Jazz maybe? **Zenster** has selected some fine examples, but I’d like to recommend Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers. Lastly, if you like metal, there’s The Call Of K’tulu by Metallica. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/12 "2001-01-28T13:22:31Z")
All credit to the mighty **Zenster** for such a wonderful list! I’d also like the champion the cause of guitar genius Stanley Jordan. He is usually bracketed as ‘jazz’ but I think that’s a pretty unhelpful label where SJ is concerned - he’s in a genre of his own, and ‘rock’ aficionados will find plenty to enjoy in his repertoire. Check out his versions of ‘Eleanor Rigby’ or ‘Little Wing’ to see what I mean. When you listen to these tracks and realise it’s just ONE guy playing ONE guitar in real time, you realise just how awesome his technique is. (SJ pioneered the style of electric guitar in which _both_ hands play their own, separate melodic lines on the fretboard). Also, if you enjoy instrumental stuff, you might like to check out the _early_ albums of Mike Oldfied. No, really. Everyone’s heard of ‘Tubular Bells’ but his next few albums, “Hergest Ridge”, “Ommadawn” and “Incantations” all stroll through instrumental ‘rock’ territory in a way you might find very interesting - especially ‘Ommadawn’ which is without doubt his finest achievement. Another 70s outfit you might like to try are British rock band ‘Camel’, best-known album being ‘The Snow Goose’ which is almost entirely instrumental. Some of their other albums do have some vocals, but most have extended instrumental passages. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/13 "2001-01-28T13:58:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zenster \* > > **Talibont** > [sup]GENTLE GIANT[/sup] > > \*\* You are now officially my favorite poster. 😉 Someone else mentioned Mike Oldfield and I can highly recommend his piece **Amarok** , a 60 minute instrumental work. Very demanding of the listener, but well worth the effort. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/14 "2001-01-28T14:59:51Z")
Walk don’t run - Ventures Peter Gunne - Duanne Eddy -its your heritage William Tell overture - Glen Campbell (it’s on the B-side of Southern Nights) Wipeout - Surfaris Papa’s got a brand new pigbag - Pigbag Take 5 - Dave Brubeck Birdland - Weather report. Area code 615 -Stone Fox Chase Oh Yeah ! - Yello Frankenstein - Edgar Winter Group, possibly the heaviest rock song ever made. ---
**Author:** ![irish\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ac91a4/32.png) [@irish\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irish_bill)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/15 "2001-01-28T15:37:13Z")
All credit to Zenster for an awesome list. Might I suggest Roy Buchanan? His Peter Gunn is intense. “YYZ” by Rush, worth checking out, and doesn’t outstay it’s welcome. Watermelon in Easter Hay (I think) by Frank Zappa. The Flexible Song by Steve Vai, I defy anyone to study to that. I gotta go and pick up a guitar now. ---
**Author:** ![Grok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Grok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grok)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/16 "2001-01-28T17:12:02Z")
Check out the Red Elvises. They have a number of fantastic instrumentals, some originals and some covers. I think their best is “El Nino” which is on the album “I Want to See You Bellydance”. The Red Elvises did most of the music for the movie “Six String Samurai”, which was mentioned recently in another thread. Also, Zenster’s list is awesome! I was thrilled to see that he included Junior Brown’s version of “Sugarfoot Rag”. You simply MUST see him do this live! I would give my right arm to be able to play the guitar like that… ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/17 "2001-01-28T18:10:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by irish\_bill \* > \*\*Diver, > > Steely Dan’s East-Coast Toodle-ooo > > \*\* It was _East St. Louis Toodle-oo_, written by Duke Ellington. Robin ---
**Author:** ![King\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7bcc69/32.png) [@King\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/18 "2001-01-28T18:14:24Z")
Yah! Allman Bros.! (referring to OP) Just picked up tickets to see them at the Beacon Theater in N.Y.C. this March 2001. With kudos to everything already mentioned (thanks for reminding me of _The Crush Of Love_, **Zenster** ) I’m gonna mention an album that some may turn their noses up at but I think has great jams on EVERY track EXCEPT the one that became a hit. _Breezin_ by **George Benson** ---
**Author:** ![OldBroad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@OldBroad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldBroad)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/19 "2001-01-28T18:42:16Z")
Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Lenny is the other one. ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096/20 "2001-01-28T19:50:53Z")
I highly recommend the soundtrack to **The Truman Show** which has some awesome instrumental music by **Philip Glass**. Truly moving. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-instrumental-songs/52096.md?page=2)