# Instrumentals by rock bands **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 9, 2004, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-by-rock-bands/278947 "2004-12-09T16:58:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-by-rock-bands/278947/41 "2004-12-15T05:07:50Z")
_Theme from Midnight Cowboy_ by Faith No More. I used to fall asleep to that song every night. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-by-rock-bands/278947/42 "2004-12-15T15:13:00Z")
> [@tpayne](#): > > Mike Keneally is currently the closest anyone’s come (IMHO) to continuing the work of Frank Zappa. He just released a CD called The Universe Will Provide which rather effortlessly combines orchestral with rock music. Keyboardists Rick Wakeman (Yes) and Keith Emerson (ELP) have done quite a bit of this in their solo careers, and both have used full orchestras in albums. Is Keneally’s work anything like theirs? ---
**Author:** ![TwoTrouts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@TwoTrouts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoTrouts)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-by-rock-bands/278947/43 "2004-12-15T15:31:51Z")
If you want some twisted surf insrumentals, try **The Reventlos**. [Link](http://www.zptdudamusic.com/reventlos/index.shtml). They bill themselves as a “death-surf-afro-hillbilly” group or something to that effect. Wonderful alternative experimental surf music! ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-by-rock-bands/278947/44 "2004-12-15T19:13:34Z")
Two of my favorites are very old (surprise!): **Apache** by the Shadows (1960) **Sleepwalk** by Santo and Johnny (1959) ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-by-rock-bands/278947/45 "2004-12-15T22:21:41Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Almost all of Dick Dale! > Noone has mentioned Hendrix? “Third Stone from the Sun” counts IMHO, it has one spoken line. For someone who was such a guitarist, and hated his own voice, why did he not do more instrumentals? Well, actually “Third Stone” DOES have lyrics, almost all the way through it, but recorded at a lower RPM speed. Back in the days of vinyl, you could play your LP at 45 rpm speed and hear Hendrix speaking - “Starship to star command…” well, to paraphrase: the “lyrics” are two aliens debating whether or not the third stone from the sun (Earth) ought to be destroyed. Hendrix recorded thousands of hours of instrumental music at his “electric ladyland” studio, much of which that was released after his death by his label. But since instrumental music doesn’t often get airplay (radio stations just like vocals, I guess), the label shamelessly grafted a sparse number of recorded vocal tracks onto multiple instrumental pieces. Thus, one “song” might have entirely different backing music behind identical vocals!! (Not the same lyrics recorded twice, but the same vocal track being used & reused!) I have to put a plug in for Jefferson Airplane: “Embryonic Journey” “Spare Chaynge” “Hey Fredrick” (two & a half minutes of vocals by Grace Slick give way to an intense eight minute jam) “Wild Turkey” “Sandalphon” (one of a very few worthwhile Jefferson Starship bits) and the Airplane’s spinoff group “Hot Tuna”: “Mann’s Fate” “the Water Song” (already mentioned, but seconded) ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-by-rock-bands/278947/46 "2004-12-16T00:26:08Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > Keyboardists Rick Wakeman (Yes) and Keith Emerson (ELP) have done quite a bit of this in their solo careers, and both have used full orchestras in albums. Is Keneally’s work anything like theirs? I spent most of high school and college thinking that Kieth Emerson was God Incarnate. But I was never all that impressed by his solo work, and his Piano Concerto No. 1 from _Works_ is college-music-major-level stuff. Now, although I admire Emerson’s and Wakeman’s achievements, they were both WAYYYYYYY too full of themselves - and it showed in their work. (All IMHO of course…) Keneally is down-to-earth and self-effacing, but he creates some very imaginative work. He is much more in the tradition of Frank Zappa, except that where FZ was jaded, MK is optimistic and even exuberant. Sean Westergaard of All Music Guide gave _The Universe Will Provide_ the only five-star review he’s ever granted. [(It’s here.)](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47918D349A47120D0823E5DC7B153FB0ED24CEFC01D2F4749C586366D9B1E77D340A4DBD2B0FF6AB679AFFB62A3500DD6C0EF57ECBC1B&sql=10:umfnzfg4ehpk~T1) ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-by-rock-bands/278947/47 "2004-12-16T04:00:09Z")
I should also recommend _Birds of Fire_ by the Mahavishnu Orchestra if you’re into fusion jazz. BTW, while we’re on the subject of “Stevie’s Spanking,” is there anyone who likes Dweezil’s guitar solo (the second solo in the song) better than Steve Vai’s (the first)? Maybe it’s just the excessive whammy bar, but I think it’s excellent, especially since Dweezil was about 16 and had been playing the guitar for like two years at that point. Dweezil’s piece “Fwakstension” is also cool (I haven’t heard the entire album, _Automatic_, that it’s on, but I probably should). ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-by-rock-bands/278947/48 "2004-12-16T04:58:00Z")
> [@Already in Use](#): > > BTW, while we’re on the subject of “Stevie’s Spanking,” is there anyone who likes Dweezil’s guitar solo (the second solo in the song) better than Steve Vai’s (the first)? Maybe it’s just the excessive whammy bar, but I think it’s excellent, especially since Dweezil was about 16 and had been playing the guitar for like two years at that point. Dweezil’s piece “Fwakstension” is also cool (I haven’t heard the entire album, _Automatic_, that it’s on, but I probably should). I like the second one much better than the first, but I’m not positive it is Dweezil, as opposed to Frank. I’d have to check the video to be sure. I like Dweezil’s solo in _Sharleena_ quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-by-rock-bands/278947/49 "2004-12-16T06:54:45Z")
Oh, sorry, I meant to say that I was referring to the version on _Them Or Us_, which credits Dweezil for the second guitar solo, rather than the _YCDTOSA4_ version. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Roboto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@Mr.Roboto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Roboto)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-by-rock-bands/278947/50 "2004-12-18T19:29:40Z")
“Emotions”… LOVE off their debut self-titled 1966 Album ``` 1:55 minutes of crisp,clean genious (and Arthur didn't have to sing) ``` ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-by-rock-bands/278947/51 "2004-12-18T21:25:01Z")
When I posted to this thread previously, I had completely forgotten that a few months back I had put together an instrumental mix CD for my wife to play at the store she works at. Here are some of the tracks I included (in no particular order): \*\*Santana \*\*- the opening track from \*Abraxas \*(I forget the name) \*\*Bluesbreakers \*\*- \*Hideaway \*and _Stepping Out_ \*\*Dick Dale \*\*- _Miserlou_ \*\*Camel \*\*- _Earthrise_ \*\*Rush \*\*- _La Villa Strangiato_ **Stevie Ray Vaughan** - _Lenny_ **Pat Metheny** - _Last Train Home_ **Steve Hackett** - _Spectral Mornings_ **Frank Zappa** - _Zoot Allures_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-by-rock-bands/278947.md?page=2)