LeftyP Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 I must confess to being out of touch with the Top 40 charts these days. In fact I'm not even sure they still exist! I was born in 1950 so was a teenager in the 60s and remember many instrumental hits that populated the "Hit Parade" as we called it. Does that still happen? Off the top of my head here are some of the performers I can bring to mind; The Shadows, The Ventures, Duane Eddy, Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball, Russ Conway, Herb Alpert, Percy Faith Orchestra, Sounds Orchestral, Bert Kaempfert, B Bumble and the Stingers, Booker T and the MGs, The John Barry Seven, The Tornados, Johnny Dankworth, Dave Brubeck... I could go on, but you get the picture. Apart from the specialist radio stations like Classic FM, are instrumental tracks getting "air time" these days? There were tracks by the big bands still being played back in the 1950s/60s with Glen Miller and Benny Goodman among them. Film and TV themes contributed to the list with the Theme from Exodus, Big Country, 633 Squadron, The Dam Busters etc. My personal favourites would have to be "Because They're Young" by Duane Eddy and "African Waltz" by Johnny Dankworth Orchestra. Do you have a favourite? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nilorius Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 Instrumentals are not popular today because they are very specipic - fusion, acid jazz. Most of listeners just don't understand the beauty. That's why they are no on fm or tv mostly. I like to listen those instrumentals though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nail Soup Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 This lot are relatively recent (although they draw on old music) and are pretty cool instrumental band - Los Bitchos 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nail Soup Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 This one made a big impression on me when it was in a film (can't remember which one - Steven King maybe?) - Santo and Johnny - Sleepwalk. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velarian Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 Brighouse and Rastrick brass band - The Floral Dance, popularised by Terry Wogan. A couple more from the seventies that spring to mind are: - Oxygene - Jean Michelle Jarre The Crunch - The Rah Band And we mustn’t forget the theme from Chariots of Fire by the recently departed Vangelis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steantval Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steantval Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Blank Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 BBC6 Music play some new instrumental tracks, Ezra Collective (jazz) Kamasi Washington (cinematic jazz) Mogwai (rock) and quite a bit of instrumental dance music. I think Mogwai's album got to number one earlier this year. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 (edited) Oh, and forgot to add a favourite, the wonderful Hugh Masekela. Edited May 26, 2022 by Mykesbass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubit Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 Dance and trance music from the 90's was to a large part instrumental 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 This was a biggie all over the World and it had it all....Jupiter 8, JX-3P, Moog, Linn Drum and the dreaded DX-7..!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 I love an instrumental, especially those with great brass. This is the first one I thought of. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steantval Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 This was a biggie. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steantval Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 Love Sculpture AKA Dave Edmunds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 Anything Polyphia... SOOOOO good live..... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 I suppose a lot of electronic dance music could be considered instrumental music despite the use of virtual instruments? That stuff definitely gets played on the radio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 What about this bit of late 60's MOR - fabulous!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 (edited) Haven't heard this in ages either. Remember seeing them do it on the OGWT early/mid 70's, ace tune. Quite funky and different sections which make it more, err....interesting. (P.S. drum solo warning around 2.25...) Edited May 26, 2022 by casapete 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 I remember this when it came out 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nail Soup Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 4 hours ago, ubit said: Dance and trance music from the 90's was to a large part instrumental 1 hour ago, TheRev said: I suppose a lot of electronic dance music could be considered instrumental music despite the use of virtual instruments? That stuff definitely gets played on the radio. That is what came to my mind - EDM . I'm not an expert but seems to be instrumental. And more rhythmically than melodically driven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nail Soup Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 Of course reggae has its own instrumental form - Dub. Normally a re-mix of a vocal track. The best dub (IMO) removes most of the melodic instrumentation too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 (edited) Most of mine have been mentioned, but anyway... Oxygene 2 & 4, First Rendezvous and Equinoxe 5 - Jean Michel Jarre. Fanfare for the common man ELP (Well, Aaron Copland) Axel F- Harold Faltermeyer Orion 1&2 - Metallica Frankenstein- Edgar Winters (and even more so, the Overkill cover) Apache - The Shadows Let there be drums - Sandy Nelson On the Rebound - Floyd Kramer Unsquare Dance - Dave Brubeck Most but not all of these have had a single released. Can't say how well they did, though. And I'm tempted to add Crime of the Century by Supertramp, but it does have just the one verse at the beginning 😔 Edit- I've deliberately avoided theme tunes and non-orchestral film scores or I'd be typing all day. Edited May 26, 2022 by Lfalex v1.1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 I love instrumental music. There are some fantastic ones in the Metal world, often a nice change of pace and mood in an album context. And then there's the wide, wide world of Jazz. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.