Well, mostly rock, really.
There aren't too many that keep my interest for too long. It's a difficult thing to write a wordless song that is really great, IMO.
The Ventures nailed it.
So did Dick Dale and Link Wray.

What are some of your favorites? (Ono-jazz, non-classical, remember).
Some that come to mind for me:
Boots Of Spanish Candy - Shrimp Boat
Third Stone From the Sun - Jimi Hendrix Experience
Six-Gallon Pie - Meat Puppets

Ray Lynch "The Oh Of Pleasure"

New age haters notwithstanding, I've never tired of it.

godspeed you black emperor

nels cline

tortoise

pell mell

If you like those 50s style instrumental rock tunes, check out Duane Eddy. His biggest hit was Rebel Rouser, which is on his debut - Have "Twangy" Guitar, Will Travel. There's plenty of other good stuff on there as well. He put out some other good things over the years, but his debut is my favorite by quite a bit.

Minutemen - Cohesion
The The - Lung Shadows
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Pretty Little Ditty

i don't own any of their albums, but the Dirty 3 are fun in concert

Check out Evan Johns & The H-Bombs "Rollin' Through The Night". It was released on Alt Tentacles in the early 90's, but the stuff dates to the early '80's. He's got two killer instrumentals, "Radiation", and "Evacuation". "Evacuation" may be one of the best rockers ever, in the vein of Wray, Dale, etc. Huevos Rancheros covered it on one of their albums.

Speaking of Huevos, their stuff is all instrumental, and all great.

I'll give this some thought throught the day and throw somehting in the Lists forum tonight.

Cheers!

Recurring Dreams on side 4 of Zen Arcade. Made me pick up a guitar for the first time.

The Meat Puppets had some good ones, like "Magic Toy Missing", "Maiden's Milk" (which has whistling so maybe it doesn't count) and "Seal Whales".

Two words: The Raybeats.

The Smiths - Oscillate Wildly

Also:

Ween "A Tear For Eddie"
Funkadelic "Maggot Brain"
The Brains "Treason"
Zero 7 "Salt Water Sound"
The Notwist "Scoop"

i forgot an obvious one that rules:

booker t and the mg's

Seriously, I automatically think of all of the great "post-rock" groups:
Explosions in the Sky
Godspeed! You Black Emperor
Mogwai
Tortoise, etc.

I know that doesn't really relate to the original question, but it doesn't seem that many groups are doing instrumental tracks like they used to. At least not any that leave an impression.

Frank Zappa - Peaches En Regalia, Big Swifty, The Grand Wazoo, Eat That Question, Black Napkins, Filthy Habits, Regyptian Strut, Watermelon In Easter Hay, Night School, We Are Not Alone, and Sinister Footwear II.

jim o'rourke - Please Patronize Our Sponsors
gastr del sol - black horse, bauchreder

Much of Jade Warrior,
Tangerine Dream,
7% Solution,
lots of Hans Zimmer compositions,
Thunderball,
um, that's all that come to mind right away.



NP: stupidest Girl-Lloyd Cole

I own most (if not all) of their albums and will second this mention. I wish I could say I've seen them in concert.

Rush - YYZ and La Villa Strangiato.

Do Make Say Think

THE METERS!

and yeah - huevos rancheros are great. i saw them a whole bunch of times when i was going to shows in calgary in the mid 90's.

anyone haerd Teenage Fan Clubs "Catholic School Education"?

thanks for not making me freak out that nobody had mentioned "Time is Tight" or "Green Onions", not to mention the other classics.

Congratulations. You have just won the Showcase Showdown.

Lots of Augustus Pablo & King Tubby
The Nite-liters