# What is the best rock instrumental of all time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 21, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198 "2012-08-21T19:41:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/81 "2012-08-23T02:11:21Z")
Strange - I searched for Boston’s “Foreplay” in this thread, and didn’t find it as of posting. Figured it should be listed if we’re including sectional-songs like “Funeral For a Friend” and “Layla” path - and at least Foreplay is listed separately from “Long Time”. Guess i have to include a [link](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2JA159M7r8)for those [Beloit College](http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2016/) freshmen ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/82 "2012-08-23T02:58:00Z")
I happen to have found the following list recently: > **[100 Greatest Rock Instrumentals](https://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_rockinst.html)** > > List of 100 Greatest Rock Instrumentals of all time, plus Rock Instrumental Albums, and Rock Instrumental Atrists. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/83 "2012-08-23T03:07:57Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > I happen to have found the following list recently: > > [250 Greatest Rock Instrumentals](http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_rockinst.html) That has got to be the weirdest list in the history of lists. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/84 "2012-08-23T03:14:29Z")
May not be the best of all time, but it’s gotta be up there somewhere, even if it is a cover: _[Nightwish - Crimson Tide & Deep Blue Sea](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb4QLMfOJTg)_. (with a side order of [_Moondance_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oopBMLaIxQk)) ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/85 "2012-08-23T03:36:25Z")
Time Is Tight - Clash ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/86 "2012-08-23T03:51:27Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > “Sexy Boy,” Air > “A Forest,” The Cure > “Tour de France,” Kraftwerk These ones aren’t instrumentals. Not sure about some of the others. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/87 "2012-08-23T04:24:45Z")
If Roxy Music counts as a rock band, then I’ll nominate “Diamond Head.” I think it edges out Hendrix’s SSB. Then, after those two, “Frankenstein.” ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/88 "2012-08-23T04:29:56Z")
Not sure about the best, but some favorites: [My Angel Rocks Back and Forth](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue7f8KMPKB4) - Four Tet. Pretty piano song with a slow and steady heavily reverbed backbeat. Tribute to Johnny - The Smashing Pumpkins. I can’t find a good link, but it’s a good rocker with a searing lead. [Truck](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDeTv12mulo) - The Octopus Project. Super bouncy keyboard tune with a kinda fun video - this song gets you ready to get up and go. [Seventeen Years](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYCKGG4VOZY) - Ratatat. Perhaps disqualified because it does have a spoken word intro, the song itself is an electric mix of guitars and beats. [Baltic Pine](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6gbwR2IfZ4) - Boy 8 Bit. This is dance music, listen to it on good speakers. My friends first called this the elf song, then the crazy circus song, and then just “can you play that song - you know the one?”. [Coda](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_ei7JbLquM) - The Dø . Sounds like the bridge to some epic 70’s prog rock or the lusty interlude of a Funkadelic track. Short, sexy, and sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/89 "2012-08-23T05:37:57Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > These ones aren’t instrumentals. Not sure about some of the others. :smack: Right you are. As soon as I saw this post, I was like, “into the trees…” ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/90 "2012-08-23T05:39:23Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I don’t think that Focus counts, as they were a purely instrumental band throughout their career. [Not really.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_KyZeuygZM) [They had a few vocal songs.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd0tuY2c7ZM) [Not always in English, but still..](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNOcy3Ur05g) ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/91 "2012-08-23T05:41:48Z")
> [@DfrntBreign](#): > > [Ronnie Montrose - Town Without Pity](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEa2PHGf7AQ) > > There’s probably more. No, that’s the one you needed. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/92 "2012-08-23T11:18:52Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > :smack: > > Right you are. As soon as I saw this post, I was like, “into the trees…” Can’t fault your taste though. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/93 "2012-08-23T12:23:09Z")
As with all of these things, they tend to change over time. Right now it could be any of three: Pink Floyd: [Any Colour You Like](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbKAh3zJmH8) Explosions in the Sky: [First Breath After Coma](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCA689lvfpI) Mogwai: [New Paths to Helicon (Part 1)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxJyJng3GuI) ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/94 "2012-08-23T14:51:50Z")
I just remembered another favorite: “Water Song” by Hot Tuna. (And as long as I’m talking about Jorma, how about the Airplane’s “Embryonic Journey”?) Also on my playlist would be “Sunny Side of Heaven” by Fleetwood Mac, “Glad” by Traffic, “Lagrima” by Phil Manzanera, and “Sombre Reptiles” by Eno. I’d probably sneak “Momma Miss America” by Paul McCartney in there too. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/95 "2012-08-23T15:04:17Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > And if he does, \*\*Tubular Bells \*\*needs to be in the running. If Oldfield is in the running, “Taurus II” blows “Tubular Bells” out of the water. Especially the ending. And “Amarok” blows “Taurus II” out of the water. Especially the ending. But it’s not completely instrumental. And I will submit “Alice in Blunderland” by Capt. Beefheart. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/96 "2012-08-23T15:18:26Z")
Billy Cobham - Stratos - not rock but then quite a few of the previous listings here are not rock either so this can go in. The drum solo at the beginning is interesting, but get into the 3 minute mark and it gets into its own [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aw2rM0w-pc) Shame we can’t have Steely Dan’s “Bodhisattva” as the instrumental bridge is something else. Lets break the rules and include this - Cantaloop - incredible solos on here [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RNAjQBOP-lU/hqdefault.jpg "blue note - herbie hancock - cantaloop island") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNAjQBOP-lU) Hugh Mazekela - Grazin in the grass - I think it needs more cowbell [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UKcGCObEb28/hqdefault.jpg "Hugh Masekela-Grazing In The Grass") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKcGCObEb28) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/97 "2012-08-23T15:28:38Z")
Since this has become a “list all the instrumentals you can think of” thread, let’s get some **R.E.M.** up in here: [White Tornado](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxZP2eV2Y2A) ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/98 "2012-08-23T15:30:26Z")
[T3rcermillennium](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_posF56Bzbs) - Sepultura. Beautiful music from a Brazilian thrash band. [Whamola](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk-D4QYBRL4) - The Les Claypool Frog Brigade. So strangely off-beat, creative and original in every way. Features Claypool with awe-inspiring work on his home-made whamola. [Arc-lite](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=162RDtXgsqQ) - Coroner. Swiss progressive/technical thrash trio displaying classical music influence. Sadly the production value of their music didn’t rise until their 3rd album (Arc-lite is from their 2nd). These are just a few of my favourites that some of you mayn’t have heard. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/99 "2012-08-23T15:45:01Z")
There are some great songs in this thread. I’m not suggesting that it’s the greatest, but see if you can find Apricot brandy, by Rhinoceros, on youtube. I’m at work so I can’t search for it. A really cool instrumental from my teen years. As for the greatest? For me it’s the already mentioned Cliffs of Dover by Eric Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198/100 "2012-08-23T18:48:15Z")
Here’s a great one from the vaults. “Flute Thing” from Blues Project. Written by Al Kooper and flute work by Andy Kulberg. There’s a live version called “Electric Flute Thing” that’s longer and a bit shaggier, like most 60s live work, but is equally good in its way. While we’re in the 60s let me make another stop at Quicksilver Messenger Service. “Edward, the Mad Shirt Grinder” is an all-time classic, already mentioned, but they had fine instrumentals on almost every album. “Gold and Silver,” “The Fool,” “Calvary,” “Cobra,” “Spindrifter,” all with very different sounds because of their ever-changing lineup. The lost great 60s group. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-instrumental-of-all-time/632198.md?page=6)