Best Instrumentals!

[christopher3393]

1962... #1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #1 UK Singles Charts #1 Belgium #1 Ireland and #1 South Africa...

 

"Telstar" - The Tornadoes, 1962

 

 

[christopher3393]

Rock and Roll instrumentalist Link Wray's first single:

 

"The Swag" - Link Wray & His Wray Men, 1958

 

 

(...and this was on the other side: "Rumble" ...sounds dangerous)

 

 

 

 

 

[christopher3393]

23 hours ago, Iving said:

 

If he isn't already aware, have you shared with @christopher3393 that Fred Frith was a founder member of the band Henry Cow?

 

21 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

I'm sure he knows about it.

 

I was well initiated into Henry Cow by Lama Sphinx, and am grateful, but must confess that my go-to cow instrumental is:

 

 

[christopher3393]

The original recording of and old folk tune:

 

"Misirlou" · Tetos Dimitriadis, 1927

 

 

An instrumental jazz arrangement by Nick Roubanis was recorded first by Harry James and his orchestra in 1941

 

 

An even more popular version by pianist Jan August was released in 1947

 

 

A young southern Cal. surfing transplant who was fooling around with his Fender strat playing instrumentals as loud as he could (with his new Fender Showman amp that could seriously crank) for screaming young crowds , first heard the tune played at home on an oud. He rearranged it a little bit, adjusting speed and volume to taste.

 

Miserlou · Dick Dale & His Del-Tones, 1962

 

 

The song had a little revival in 1994 as background music for the rolling credits:

 

 

 The rest is history...of endless cover versions both before and after the Dick Dale release. Dick Dale was the King of Surfing Music, bona fide.

[christopher3393]

6 hours ago, Iving said:

 

Yeah ... "strictly not sung" rules these out. Did you notice the mics? Big clue! But get out of jail as nice segue/education xxx

 

 Make it classy:  Ebene Quartet (Quatuor Ebène) plays Pulp Fiction - "Misirlou", 2008

 

 

Make it grassy: "Misirlou" - Blood-Splattered Bluegrass

 

 

Make it snakey (and nakey!): Martin Denny - "Misirlou"

 

 

Make it swami:"Misirlou" -  Korla Pandit, 1951

 

 

But NO SINGEE even if it's Woody "Misirlou" - Woody Herman And His Orchestra (1941) [soooo exotic!]

 

 

 

Got it! 😏

 

Have a Bitchin' Summer!  "Misirlou" - Agent Orange, 1982  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[christopher3393]

Billboard's number one instrumental group of 1961:

 

 

"Smokie - Part 1" · Bill Black's Combo, Dec., 1959

 

 

" Smokie - Pt.2" - Bill Black's Combo, Dec.1959

 

 

"White Silver Sands" · Bill Black's Combo, 1960

 

 

[christopher3393]

"Little Willie's Boogie" · Little Willie Littlefield, 1948

 

 

[christopher3393]

 

LOST ACAPULCO - "Relampagore", 2019

 

 

[christopher3393]

From Orange County California, high school classmates, The Chantays, "Pipeline", 1962, their first recording and only hit. It was inspire by a surfing movie showing scenes of the Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii:

 

 

 

More wholesome than Wonder Bread, the boys were the only "rock and roll band" ever to appear on the Lawrence Welk show  😜

 

 

Welk like the song so much that he recorded it with his orchestra, converting it instantly to elevator music:

 

 

Over a dozen covers were recorded in "63, often by aspiring surf rock bands, and often with little or no audible inspiration.

 

The Ventures cover might be an exception:

 

 

Additional noteworthy covers (out of well over 100)

 

Takeshi Terauchi & His Blue Jeans - "Pipeline", 1964:

 

 

"Pipeline" - Flash Cadillac and The Continental Kids, 1972

 

 

"Pipeline" - Johnny Thunders, 1978

 

 

Johnny Thunder's Live version:

 

 

The BEST Southern California surf punks:

 

"Pipeline" - Agent Orange, 1981

 

 

"Pipeline" - The Raymen, 1986 (German rockabilly band, particularly percussive version)

 

 

"Pipeline" · Anthrax, '89 (gives it a speed metal feel)

 

 

"Pipeline" · Pat Metheny, 2011

 

 

Pipeline · Bill Frisell, 2014

 

 

Bill Frisell, live version:

 

 

"Pipeline" · Nokie Edwards and The Light Crust Doughboys, 2020

 

 

[christopher3393]

The Shadows - "Apache" (1960)

 

 

[christopher3393]

"Gypsy's Curse" · Calexico, '98

 

 

[christopher3393]

"The Lonesome Boatman" · Dropkick Murphys, 2017

 

 

[christopher3393]

 

"El Paso" · Banda de los Muertos, 2015

 

 

[christopher3393]

On 4/3/2022 at 3:12 PM, Iving said:

"The Hucklebuck" - Earl Hooker (1953 SUN unissued)

 

 

That' some obscure Earl Hooker! A fine instrumentalist.

 

This one's just a jam he recorded in the Chess studio. It got the management's attention and before you know it they had Muddy Waters singing it as "You Shook Me":

 

 

As for Hucklebuck, 

 

 

"With some melodic similarity to Charlie Parker’s “Now’s The Time” (1945) and virtually the same tune as Lucky Millinder's release of "D'Natural Blues" (recorded only weeks after this Williams version), “The Huckle-Buck” became a #1 R&B instrumental recording for the Paul Williams band and spawned various cover versions, most successfully by the Tommy Dorsey band."

 

Who knew? Not me. 🐮

 

(btw, cultural appropriation is not bullshit, it's just complicated sometimes, messy, divisive, and a perfectly good topic for any forum that has music as one of its main foci. So thankyou for your posts on that before it was censored, and I regret not fully appreciating them at the time. "All in the past. Move on, Move on!" 🙄)

 

[christopher3393]

31 minutes ago, Iving said:

 

You are the most astute and discerning Forum member of all ... at any place ... and of any time.

 

imo

 

Ok, I probably deserved that. But implied admonishments are so,,, well,,,......IMPLIED!...there,... that's better. Feel free to engage in direct pointing out at your leisure, as I am a remedial bovine, after all.

 

Sorry for OT. Back to topic. My favorite instrumental track of this year so far:

 

 

( probably a victim of sighted bias: it cracks my shit up. Cheers, bruv!)

 

 

[christopher3393]

Here's an obscure pair from a '60s band based in Phoenix, Arizona: Eddie Dimas and the Upsets. Has a little Notero flavor. The band was popular with Hispanic audiences in the American Southwest:

[christopher3393]

 

 

These "Renegades" weren't really a band. The notorious Kim Fowley here on piano, Sandy Nelson on drums, future Beachboy Bruce Johnston on guitar.

[christopher3393]

🙃

 

The Handclappers - "Three Gassed Rats", 1961

 

 

[christopher3393]

"Space Guitar" · Johnny 'Guitar' Watson, 1954 (this is pretty wild for '54!)

 

 

[christopher3393]