T1B

Reading RadioFan's thread about jazz music got me to thinking about instrumental music in general (yes, I know all jazz is not instrumental).

Most people I run across give me that eeww look when I ask if they like IM. For people who don't, it's usually because they need lyrics to a song to enjoy it. :roll:

Some of the most inventive and original music is instrumental and it influences so many other bands and genres of music. Take for instance a new age group called Tangerine Dream. They've been around since the late 60's and have been used in countless movies (Risky Business, Miracle Mile, Firestarter, Legend, Three O'Clock High, etc.). Yet hardly anyone I ask knows about them, even though they have over 40 albums alone (not counting soundtracks and other things they've done).

So here's a list of some really kick ass instrumental music:

Ozric Tentacles
Tangerine Dream
Crystal Method
Antonio Vivaldi
Paul Hardcastle
Ulrich Schnauss
Rick Braun
Delerium
Jean-Luc Ponty
Underworld

Tubular Bells probably piqued my interest as a kid.

Kraftwerk, Vangelis, Jean- Micheal Jarre, Mike Oldfield, Kitaro....while I like some of this, much of it is self indulgent and/or redundant.

Joe Satriani, Stevie Vai, and Jeff Beck are more my usual offenders of choice.
I first discovered Tangerine Dream while watching Thief.

Jean- Luc Ponty soon afterward...his band put on one the best live performances ever.

Guess I was married and busy when TCM started, I've been catching up the last year or so.

Same with Ozric Tentacles.

Some of the most inventive and original music is instrumental...

I look forward to checking out the others on your list.
By necessity...when not propping up crooners, musicianship is all that's left...

Fat Bones wrote: Tubular Bells probably piqued my interest as a kid.

Is that the Exorcist song?

Ah, Kraftwerk. I forgot about them. Talk about the grandfathers of electronic music...

Joe Satriani is a fantastic guitar player. I really need to check out more of his stuff. I only have a few songs off Surfing with the Alien.

We saw Jean-Luc a few years ago. He played with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and it was absolutely outstanding. We were even able to meet him and get his autograph after the show.

I've been groovin' a bunch of instrumental music from Europe lately. There are a few CDs I really want and I'm sure they'd be added to the list.

Sinetone
Nova June
Fresh Moods

Yeah, that's the exorcist song...

Ulrich Schnauss is sounding good; I'm checking it out now.

reminds me that i should pull my underworld cds out and lissen.

Yesterday's New Quintet

Breakestra.

Waymon Tisdile

Ottmar Liebert

Paul Taylor

some of my favs

Had to bust out

Focus Live at the Rainbow...


thanks for the reminder.

Beautiful recording.

Fat Bones wrote:Had to bust out

Focus Live at the Rainbow...


thanks for the reminder.

Beautiful recording.

Didn't they do that yodeling thing?

I saw them open for Yes back in 72 or 73 when Yes was doing Close to the Edge. Yes was great. Focus was...sort of different.

OH Yeah, there be yodelling!

Different is accurate, I'm listening to Hocus Pocus right now....the guitar work by Akkerman is fucking ferocious.

Vivaldi..... is nails.

Rodrigo is pretty wicked too

Pachabel is fun to listen to.

And of course Mozart and Beethoven.

The guitar Trio: Al De Meola, John Mcaughlin and Paco De Lucia

One of my favorite disks is this one:


Asian Dub Foundation
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
are a few others.

don caballero and trizesta are two great instrumental bands.

Billdong wrote:The guitar Trio: Al De Meola, John Mcaughlin and Paco De Lucia

Best. Guitar. Album. Ever.

Agreed. I got that one on vinyl when it first came out.

Mikey wrote:Agreed. I got that one on vinyl when it first came out.

In the days of yore, I played that for people who played guitar when we were in college ... dudes who had never heard it before. I think that album has changed lives. Seriously. It is simply amazing. I wish someone would have videotaped that concert. Can you imagine a live DVD of it?

Billdong wrote:One of my favorite disks is this one:

This one isn't too bad either:



Not all instrumental, but ...

"Europa" Did I say Europa?

Forget the studio version. Unless that "Best Instrumentals" CD has the live version of it from this album, forget it. Just sayin'

There's some other stuff on that album that is quasi-instrumental in the sense that it's mostly refrains/choruses sung in Spanish and English. Lyrics are only a part of most of the music on here (i.e. Dance Sister Dance, which leads into Europa and has little to do with lyrics) and in no conceivable way, outside of complete tardness, be the focus. Thus, in a sense, this double-live album, released in '77, sort of qualifies for me. Technically, it's not all instrumental. But overall, the spirit of it is, if that makes sense. Besides, Greg Walker's voice on this album may as well be an instrument, from a guest musician.

A lot of Santana's music could be described as mainly instrumental, as you say.

This is one of my favorites. Very instrumental and jazz fustion oriented. Song of the Wind is one of my all time favorite Santana cuts.

RadioFan wrote:
Not all instrumental, but ...

"Europa" Did I say Europa?

Forget the studio version. Unless that "Best Instrumentals" CD has the live version of it from this album, forget it. Just sayin'

There's some other stuff on that album that is quasi-instrumental in the sense that it's mostly refrains/choruses sung in Spanish and English. Lyrics are only a part of most of the music on here (i.e. Dance Sister Dance, which leads into Europa and has little to do with lyrics) and in no conceivable way, outside of complete tardness, be the focus. Thus, in a sense, this double-live album, released in '77, sort of qualifies for me. Technically, it's not all instrumental. But overall, the spirit of it is, if that makes sense. Besides, Greg Walker's voice on this album may as well be an instrument, from a guest musician.

Rack every word.

I haven't heard Caravanserai in at least ten or fifteen years(y e a r s...:?)...I'll dig that one out again.

Screw_Michigan wrote:don caballero and trizesta are two great instrumental bands.

I knew those fuckers! I was in a band with Mike at one point. Damon is a demon...insanely talented, and just...insane...

RadioFan wrote:

Billdong wrote:The guitar Trio: Al De Meola, John Mcaughlin and Paco De Lucia

Best. Guitar. Album. Ever.

for me, that's

TenTallBen wrote:

cool...and throw in George Duke as well.

Been named but,

Joe Satriani

Nothing's better.

yes------soundchaser