Sometimes, Things Are Better Left Unspoken

The rock instrumental - one of the most overlooked forms of rock & roll that should be kept alive. The bands of today cannot hold a candle to the titans of musicianship such as Dick Dale, Duane Eddy, Stevie Ray Vaughn & others from days gone by. You always wonder nowadays when you hear something cool by a new band, "did they really play that or was it constructed digitally in a studio?" I want to know if they can play it live - put up or shut up.

Several years ago I became engrossed in Quentin Tarrantino's Pulp Fiction - not only because it was a great movie but by the soundtrack he chose. He re-opened the Pandora's Box that was surf music - not the poppy ditties of the Beach Boys or Jan & Dean, but the real soundtrack of the surf. "Misirlou" by Dick Dale & His Del-Tones was the opening theme. "Surf Rider" by The Lively Ones " was used in the final sequence. "Bustin' Surfboards" by The Tornadoes was included. "Bullwinkle, Pt. 2" by The Centurions is synonymous now with the classic Bruce Willis line, "Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead." When I hear the phrase "bring out the gimp" I automatically now think of The Revels' "Comanche." (There's a whole post hear just on Tarrantino's use of music in his films, but I'll respectfully defer to Supervesey on that)

Other great instrumentals from this period are the iconic "Wipe Out" by The Surfaris (who hasn't drummed that on your knee?), "Pipeline" by The Chantays (later covered by the great Dick Dale alongside Stevie Ray Vaughan), and "Walk, Don't Run" by The Ventures. Probably the grand-daddy of this whole genre, however, was Duane Eddy's "Rebel Rouser" from 1959. Eddy's twangy style of guitar playing can definitely be heard in the surf genre. Eddy became the King Of Instrumentalists, charting many more times, including with the theme to "Peter Gunn."

Other artists have made a name for themselves by performing instrumentals, which were mainly a staple of their live acts. Some call the "jams", some call them "solos" or "virtuosities," but listening to these you get a feel for just how good the musicians in a band really were. Booker T & The MG's stepped out from being the house band at Memphis' legendary Stax records to record "Green Onions" in 1962. Jimi Hendrix proved he wasn't all flash with the subtle, yet powerful "Little Wing" from 1967's Axis: Bold As Love. Santana burst on the scene at 1969's Woodstock Festival with "Soul Sacrifice," a percussion masterpiece. Led Zeppelin featured ace drummer Jon Bonham's "Moby Dick" on 1969's Led Zeppelin II, and it was later mixed together by Jimmy Page with "Bonzo's Montreux" for their box set in the early 90's. The Allman Brothers' "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" & "Jessica" are perhaps their most iconic recordings from Live At Fillmore East in 1971, and placed them at the top of the heap for pure playing ability.

The 1970's brought the Progressive Rock era, with bands such as Pink Floyd and Roger Waters bringing the electric bass instrumental to the forefront with "One Of These Days" from 1971's Meddle. Edgar Winter proved he could play any instrument known to man on 1972's "Frankenstein", which was groundbreaking in it's use of synthesizers. Eddie Van Halen introduced himself to the world as a guitar god in 1978 with perhaps the greatest guitar solo ever, "Eruption." Rush's 1981 release, Moving Pictures, also featured one of the best instrumentals of all-time, "YYZ," that featured the great Neil Peart on drums.

Later years have produced efforts by guitar virtuosos such as Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen, & Steve Vai, but for my money the greatest guitar player of the past 25 years, and perhaps the best blues guitarist ever was Stevie Ray Vaughan. He could play anyone, including a cover of Hendrix's "Little Wing,"which is included on the post-humus The Sky Is Crying from 1990. Another hidden gem from this record is "Wham," a Lonnie Mack cover. Man, I wish SRV was still alive...be sure to check out all of the video links here on this post.