# Rock Instrumentals **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 30, 2006, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741 "2006-06-30T11:41:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/21 "2006-06-30T16:23:29Z")
[QUOTE=NoCoolUserName] \ **Khadaji** , what time zone are you in? 5 AM is hard core! [/QUOTE] EST. I’m not up until 5:30 AM though and wasn’t on until about 7:00 AM my time. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/22 "2006-06-30T16:29:17Z")
Oh, and if you like your rock instrumentals to be heavy on the cello, check out the covers by **Apocalyptica**. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/23 "2006-06-30T17:18:14Z")
The Pixies- Cecilia Ann Great song. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/24 "2006-06-30T17:30:21Z")
**Danny Gatton** -88 Elmira St. (Dead now, he was called the greatest unknown guitarist) **The Hellecasters** - The Hellecasters, The Hellecasters Escape from Hollywood (brilliant supergroup of studio guitarists.) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/25 "2006-06-30T17:35:57Z")
Jethro Tull – “Bouree” The Bonzo Dog Band – “Jazz, Delicious Hot, Disgusting Cold” and “Doctor Jazz” The Who – “Cobwebs and Strange” The Dixie Dregs (AKA The Dregs) – Anything they did, since it was all instrumental. I’d suggest “Cruise Control” for a start. Pink Floyd – “Atom Heart Mother” Procul Harum – “Repent Walpurgis” J. Geils Band – “Whammer Jammer” Soft Machine – “Facelift,” “Slightly All the Time,” and “Out-Bloody-Rageous.” Taj Mahal – “Ain’t Gwine Whistle Dixie (Any Mo’)” (live version) ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/26 "2006-06-30T17:37:16Z")
**King Crimson** - Lark’s Tongue in Aspic, part II and Discipline ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/27 "2006-06-30T17:38:27Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] **Danny Gatton** -88 Elmira St. (Dead now, he was called the greatest unknown guitarist) [/QUOTE] Sing it brother - the Humbler (one of his nicknames) was a Telecaster-playin’ monster. I just got a bunch of songs he recorded with rockabilly vocalist Robert Gordon - too much. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/28 "2006-06-30T18:31:27Z")
A couple more from Metallica: **The Call Of Ktulu** , from “Ride the Lightning” **To Live Is To Die** from “…And Justice For All”. This one isn’t purely an instrumental in that it has spoken words about 3/4 the way into the song. The speech is subordinated by the music, however, so unless you are paying close attention you don’t really hear it. ---
**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:** [June 30, 2006, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/29 "2006-06-30T18:40:44Z")
Jefferson Airplane had “Embryonic Journey” (probably better considered a ‘folk’ instrumental) and “Spare Chaynge.” Their number “Bear Melt” was also originally an instrumental number, with lyrics added when it was recorded for their live album. Janis Joplin didn’t love enough to record vocals for the final track on her Lp “Pearl”, so “Buried Alive in the Blues” was left as an instrumental number (even though lyrics were written for it.) “Ina Gadda da Vida” is pretty much an instrumental number (roughly 45 seconds worth of sung lyrics compared to 18 minutes of jamming). Likewise, “Dark Star” and “the Other One” by the Grateful Dead are mainly instrumental jams with very sparse lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/30 "2006-06-30T20:00:06Z")
Thanks guys. It seems like he has his list. Don’t get me wrong - feel free to keep contributing just for fun - but he says he is content now. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/31 "2006-06-30T20:08:49Z")
Gotta have the Ventures on there somewhere. And you gotta slip in In-a-gadda-da-vida. Not exactly a complete instrumental, but one of the more awesome drum solos, followed by a drum and organ duet. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/32 "2006-06-30T20:09:08Z")
Pink Floyd — (in addition to those already mentioned): Interstellar Overdrive; Echoes; Obscured by Clouds; A Saucerful of Secrets; Welcome to the Machine. Yes — The Fish Foreigner —Tramontane Alan Parsons Project —Lucifer; I, Robot; In the Lap of the Gods; Hyper-Gamma-Spaces; The Gold Bug; Hawkeye ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/33 "2006-06-30T20:10:17Z")
Umm, :smack:, “Welcome to the Machine” is rather compellingly _not_ an instrumental. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/34 "2006-06-30T20:13:06Z")
Aerosmith’s “The Movie,” on _Get a Grip_ (I think). ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/35 "2006-06-30T20:13:19Z")
**Run Like Hell** - _Pink Floyd_ **La Villa Strangiato** - _Rush_ **Strip and Go Naked** - _Alex Lifeson_ **Thje Fish** - _Yes_ **The Clap** - _Yes_ **A Dream Within A Dream** - _Alan Parsons Project_ **Genesis** - _Alan Parsons Project_ **Fire On High** - _ELO_ **The Six Wives of Henry VII** (album) - _Rick Wakeman_ ---
**Author:** ![verbenabeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c4cdca/32.png) [@verbenabeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/verbenabeast)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/36 "2006-06-30T21:00:45Z")
ummm… **Run Like Hell** ain’t instrumental… it **IS** great though! Someone said **Hocus Pocus** … Gary Hoey’s cover is awesome, too and I would add: **Losfer Words (Big Orra) - Iron Maiden** **Chase the Ace** and **D.T.** - **AC-DC** ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/37 "2006-06-30T21:10:42Z")
OK, here is the final list he put together: Threshold by Steve Miller Jessica by Allman Brothers Outa Space by Billy Preston Black Mountain Side by Led Zeppelin Toad by Cream Journey of the Sorcerer by the Eagles Frankenstein by Edgar Winter Fire On High by ELO Albatross by FleetwoodMac Whammer Jammer by J. Geils Beck’s Bolero by Jeff Beck Glad by Traffic Steamer Lane Breakdown by Doobies Anji by Simon and Garfunkel Moby Dick by Led Zeppelin Soul Sacrifice by Carlos Santana Wring That Neck by Deep Purple ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/38 "2006-06-30T21:23:07Z")
sigh… “Echoes” is _also_ not an instrumental. It’s _mostly_ an instrumental, but the albatross still hangs motionless for a little while… ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741/39 "2006-06-30T22:20:01Z")
The second half of _Free Bird_ is a classic. If you have a karaoke system, you might be able to supress the vocals on almost anything. Led Zep and/or Hendrix riffs rule 😃 And don’t forget the immortal _Inna Gadda Davida_… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-instrumentals/362741.md?page=1)