The Mainstream's Aversion to Instrumentals

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When was the last time you heard an instrumental on mainstream rock/pop/hop radio?

When was the last time a smash album had a prominent isntrumental?

When was the last time a "smash hit" had incomprehensible vocals? (Smells like Teen Spirit was one....)

― Jonathan Williams (ex machina), Friday, 6 December 2002 13:41 (twenty-three years ago)

probably a dance crossover was the last time, although (in the U.S. at least) even most of those have been cuts with prominent vocals/vocal samples (Fatboy, Moby, etc).

― Al (sitcom), Friday, 6 December 2002 14:03 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah - it's been a while since a purely instrumental dance track's got very high in the charts I think, a couple of years maybe.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 6 December 2002 14:06 (twenty-three years ago)

That Daft Punk song in 97 or so was all over the radio.

― Melissa W (Melissa W), Friday, 6 December 2002 14:06 (twenty-three years ago)

When was the last time a smash album had a prominent isntrumental?

Kid A?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 6 December 2002 14:10 (twenty-three years ago)

Kid A is a wanky piece of crap. That wasn't a SMASH.

Daft Punk = good point.

― Jonathan Williams (ex machina), Friday, 6 December 2002 14:16 (twenty-three years ago)

Treefingers? I'd say more of a mid-album interlude, rather than a prominent track. Would it be fair to say it was the popular choice for "duff track"?

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Friday, 6 December 2002 14:17 (twenty-three years ago)

"Kid A is a wanky piece of crap. That wasn't a SMASH."

No.1 in the States! How many British albums manage that, these days? Whether it's wanky is neither here nor there.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Friday, 6 December 2002 14:19 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't know how they fared in the UK/US charts, but what about Jurgen Vries, PPK, Safri Duo, Tiesto, Minimalistix, Rank 1, Svenson & Gielen, Daft Punk (Aerodynamic, right?), Cygnus X, Energy 52, Marco V - all instrumental chart hits in 2001/2002?

Incomprehensible vocals:
Gigi d'Agostino "Bla Bla"
Sean Paul "Gimme The Light" (although as I recently saw the video with subtitles, it's not that incomprehensible anymore).
The Ketchup Song!

― Siegbran (eofor), Friday, 6 December 2002 14:24 (twenty-three years ago)

Chemical Brothers - Star Guitar

― Siegbran (eofor), Friday, 6 December 2002 14:25 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't know how high the Peuple de l'Herbe tune with UK Apache charted, but those vocals are just a big blur.

― Siegbran (eofor), Friday, 6 December 2002 14:31 (twenty-three years ago)

i think it would be great if someone like J.Lo or Ginuwine who do all those sudden incongrous dance breaks in their videos, did a video where the whole thing was just dancing to the beat, no song/vocals, and noone even noticed because it was so great.

― Al (sitcom), Friday, 6 December 2002 14:35 (twenty-three years ago)

The last instrumental #1 was "Flat Beat", wasn't it?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 6 December 2002 14:37 (twenty-three years ago)

When was the last time a "smash hit" had incomprehensible vocals?
Can "Las Ketchup" be considered a smash hit yet?

― dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 6 December 2002 14:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Instrumentals just aren't promoted as singles to mainstream radio. What, you think DJs give a shit/have a choice? Get a life.

You guys are totally missing the point, though. Linkin Park had a rather IDMy instrumental on their album that a lot of frat types actually thought was cool from what I saw/heard; Enya and Enigma have been selling tons of records for years to the former hippie set. 'Classical Gas' is still one of the most popular songs around along with quite a few other instrumental tunes I can't name at the moment.

Also, last I noticed, smooth jazz is still a very popular radio format. Ask Kenny G this question.

― Tom Millar (Millar), Friday, 6 December 2002 22:57 (twenty-three years ago)

"Cure For The Itch" by Linkin Park = surprisingly good, even though it sounds like the Wiseguys

When was the last time a smash album had a prominent isntrumental?

The most recent I can think of is Fatboy Slim.

Moby's Play actually had a few standout instrumentals. "Everloving" appeared on a Pure-Moodsy album designed for Buddhist meditation, for reasons I cannot understand...

― Curtis Stephens, Saturday, 7 December 2002 02:03 (twenty-three years ago)

axel f

― keith (keithmcl), Saturday, 7 December 2002 06:35 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah Axel F. The one before that was Rockit, I think. My friend Mattie knows like every instrumental #1 going back to the 60s (okay, maybe that's an exaggeration but he totally laid it out for me one night and now I can't remember. he's in an instrumental band and they're debating getting a singer in)

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Saturday, 7 December 2002 07:12 (twenty-three years ago)

did 'the music box' make it to number one too? i remember hearing that on the radio a lot when i was a kid.

― keith (keithmcl), Saturday, 7 December 2002 22:13 (twenty-three years ago)

not sure about being incomprehensible, but "By The Way" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is definitely nonsensical.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 7 December 2002 22:30 (twenty-three years ago)

three years pass...

Jon's question remains pertinent.

What is the best instrumental top ten hit ever?

What recent ones have there been? I mean no vocals AT ALL, not even a little sample somewhere.

Have instrumentals as singles been on the decline? It seems so. But why would this be?

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:11 (nineteen years ago)

Winifred Attwell to thread

― ¡Vamos a matar, Dadaismus! (Dada), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:12 (nineteen years ago)

did "Popcorn" ever hit the Top 10?

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:13 (nineteen years ago)

Definitely!

― ¡Vamos a matar, Dadaismus! (Dada), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:14 (nineteen years ago)

Top five in '72.

Probably the last instrumental number one in Britain as such was "Eye Level" back in '73.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:15 (nineteen years ago)

The greatest is of course "Telstar."

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:15 (nineteen years ago)

"Kernkraft 400"? that may be my favorite ever if so

in decline because our hyper-sexualized society that shows every sign of worsening is intelligent, and wants a story along with its music

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:15 (nineteen years ago)

Probably the last instrumental number one in Britain as such was "Eye Level" back in '73.

'Flat Beat'

When was the last time you heard an instrumental on mainstream rock/pop/hop radio?

I never listen to radio now. Does Sigur Ros 'Hoppipolla' have vocals? It's used as backing music so much now. But I don't suppose it was played on any major radio station in the daytime here?

What is the best instrumental top ten hit ever?

can it still be:
http://www.808state.com/discogs/808pages/sinpages/sinpacif/sinpaci6.jpg
?

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:16 (nineteen years ago)

and wants a story along with its music

a story told chiefly with words, it seems.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:17 (nineteen years ago)

Probably the last instrumental number one in Britain as such was "Eye Level" back in '73.

Same year as "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Deodato!

― ¡Vamos a matar, Dadaismus! (Dada), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:18 (nineteen years ago)

"Kernkraft 400"? that may be my favorite ever if so

unfortunately it has the 'Zombie Nation!' vocal. close but no eurofag!

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:18 (nineteen years ago)

Where's the evidence that they ever did? Nearly all the instrumental British number ones were film or TV themes, apart from established acts like the Shadows or one-offs like "Telstar" whose story was pretty apparent.

(Tracer xpost)

Didn't "Flat Beat" have samples on it somewhere?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:20 (nineteen years ago)

CRAZY FROG Y'ALL

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:20 (nineteen years ago)

Er...there's a voice on there. Quite a prominent one too.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:21 (nineteen years ago)

Didn't "Flat Beat" have samples on it somewhere?

There's a "Oh yeah I used to know Quentin, he's a real jerk" bit at the end but I wasn't sure if that was just on the video or not.

I think there could be a Flat Beat style scenario again but I can't imagine any other kind of instrumental track ever being as big a hit as that again.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:21 (nineteen years ago)

the voice on crazy frog is nothing human therefore it counts.

i can imagine 'body language' doing a 'flat beat' - release schedules inform me that it's going to be re-released in august. and it really is fucking everywhere.

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:25 (nineteen years ago)

The greatest is of course "Telstar."
This is correct, of course, but "Sleepwalk," by Santo and Johnny isn't far behind.

― The Player In The Redd Cap (Two-Headed Doge) (Ken L), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:25 (nineteen years ago)

And search these easy-listening classics:
"Theme From A Summer Place"- The Percy Faith Orchestra
"Cast Your Fate To The Winds" - Vince Guaraldi

― The Player In The Redd Cap (Two-Headed Doge) (Ken L), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:29 (nineteen years ago)

One thing many instrumental hits seem to have in common is the combination of a very strong melody with a sort of novel or unusual instrumental sound, whether it's the surf-guitar of Dick Dale, the Hawaiian-style slide of Santo and Johnny, the dinky sound in Popcorn or the synth (then novel) of Axel F.

Course there's no reason new songs can't have a novel instrumental sound, but as for the strong melody part, it seems like hits today are less likely to rely on strong melodies as their hooks - hip-hop, nu-metal, emo, and even to some extent R&B hits often no longer have melodies that would stand on their own if instrumental, or if they would they're often too simple to carry a song by themselves.

I know I'm at the risk of sounding like Geir here, and I don't mean any of this as a knock on current pop music. I just don't think pop songwriters are writing the kinds of melodies that would carry a hit song these days.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:29 (nineteen years ago)

CRAZY FROG DOES NOT COUNT

Yes, "Sleepwalk," indeed. Also "Rumble" by Link Wray. And "Groovin' With Mr Bloe."

"Mouldy Old Dough" would count were it not for Rob Woodward croaking the title throughout the "chorus."

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:29 (nineteen years ago)

"The Birdy Song"? Yes?

― ¡Vamos a matar, Dadaismus! (Dada), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:31 (nineteen years ago)

Those tweets do not sound avian-generated.

Unlike "Et Les Oiseaux Chantaient" by Sweet People the year previously.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:33 (nineteen years ago)

the voice on crazy frog is nothing human therefore it counts.

the voice CAME from a human!

i can imagine 'body language' doing a 'flat beat' - release schedules inform me that it's going to be re-released in august. and it really is fucking everywhere.

it'd have to be used on a TV advert by leading brand to get anywhere near it tho really.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:38 (nineteen years ago)

Actually that's a point - doesn't Geoff Goddard sing wordlessly through a modulator/bacofoil tube or something in the final verse of "Telstar"? Drat!

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:39 (nineteen years ago)

Abbadavid is OTM - a lot of music these days (modern R'n'B a case in point, but other genres too) do not rely on catchy, cheeky melodies. It almost seems old-hat to use obvious melodies on records - such a shame!

It's all about Popcorn I say.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:39 (nineteen years ago)

For the record, the first UK number one single by "non-humans" was "Sugar Sugar" by the Archies.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:40 (nineteen years ago)

Vangelis' "Chaariots of Fire," Herb Alpert's "Rise" and original "Axel F" come to mind.

― O'Connor (OConnorScribe), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:43 (nineteen years ago)

"Magic Fly" by Space!!!!!!!!!

― ¡Vamos a matar, Dadaismus! (Dada), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:44 (nineteen years ago)

And, of course, "In Dulci Jubilo" by Mike Oldfield!

― ¡Vamos a matar, Dadaismus! (Dada), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:45 (nineteen years ago)

"Classical Gas!!"

― O'Connor (OConnorScribe), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:45 (nineteen years ago)

Skipping 12 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I found another Hot Butter track called 'Skokian' which also has no vocals other than some v bizarre squawking sounds. It's available on bleep.com

It's from their album with the horrible cover which I own

― ¡Vamos a matar, Dadaismus! (Dada), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:02 (nineteen years ago)

"The Crunch" by the Rah Band sadly also does not count as somebody's voice (presumably Richard Hewson's) comes in and growls the title at opportune moments.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:02 (nineteen years ago)

The theme from The Third Man by Anton Karas (The Harry Lime Theme) got to number 1 on the sheet music chart in 1950. Lots of instrumental things did, obviously, but I think this was an expecially great one...imagine a nation of amateur pianists all wanting to recreate that weird wobbly tune in their own homes! Their kids must've been roffling all over the place!

I might go with Nut Rocker by B. Bumble and the Stingers (number 1 in 1962) as my favourite ever. It would've been Telstar, but MC's right, it's got singing on it. Nut Rocker channels Tchaikovsky though! Which is a great thing.

Popcorn was sort of spoilt for me when I found out it was a cover, and that the original kinda rocks, instead of just being a cutesy little novelty single.

― JimD (JimD), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:03 (nineteen years ago)

"Classical Muddley" by the Portsmouth Sinfonia (incredibly a Top 40 hit in '81!).

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:06 (nineteen years ago)

OMG, no, wait...Albatross! I forgot Albatross! That's the best instrumental number 1 ever.

― JimD (JimD), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:07 (nineteen years ago)

Um, ~~Parisienne Walkways~~ Pigbag people.

― NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:11 (nineteen years ago)

Billy Preston had a couple of killer instrumentals in the '70s, as did Jermaine Jackson.

― O'Connor (OConnorScribe), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:24 (nineteen years ago)

More easy listening:
"Love Is Blue" - Paul Mauriat And His Orchestra

More surf-rock:
"Walk Don't Run"- The Ventures

We've forgotten the Afro-Cuban Instrumental Jam:
"Soul Makossa" - Manu Dibango
"Grazing Of The Grass" - Hugh Masekela
"Watermelon Man" - Mongo Santamaria

The Funky Workout:
"TSOP"- MFSB
"Pick Up The Pieces" - The Average White Band

The Force Unto Himself Novelty Horns Of Herb Alpert:
"A Taste Of Honey" etc.

― The Player In The Redd Cap (Two-Headed Doge) (Ken L), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:40 (nineteen years ago)

TSOP and Pick Up The Pieces both have vocals.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:42 (nineteen years ago)

Anyway, you haven't lived until you've heard the Shadows tackle "Pump Up The Volume"...

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:43 (nineteen years ago)

Gordon Gilstrap, what was his hit again?

― ¡Vamos a matar, Dadaismus! (Dada), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:43 (nineteen years ago)

"Heartsong."

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:46 (nineteen years ago)

Also in the charts around the same time:
"Who Pays The Ferryman" by Iannis Markopoulos.
"Egyptian Reggae" by the Modern Lovers!

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:46 (nineteen years ago)

And "Floral Dance" by the Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band, scandalously deprived of its Xmas number one status by "Mullet Of Kintyre"...

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:47 (nineteen years ago)

Was 'Annie's Song' round about that time too?

― NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:48 (nineteen years ago)

TSOP and Pick Up The Pieces both have vocals.
Well, you better go back in time and tell that to the 1975 Grammy Award nominating committee.

You also forgot to point out the very famous vocal chant in "Soul Makossa."

― The Player In The Redd Cap (Two-Headed Doge) (Ken L), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:49 (nineteen years ago)

Chewing gum was used as incidental music for one of the new housemates on Big Brother. Jayne, I think.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:50 (nineteen years ago)

Summer of '78, but yes the same year, as tootled by James Galway. In the top 20 at the same time as "Argentine Melody" by San Jose a.k.a. Andrew Lloyd Webber (xpost x 2).

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:50 (nineteen years ago)

And "Theme From The Hong Kong Beat" by Richard Denton and Martin Cook!

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:51 (nineteen years ago)

The Grammies also had 'Block Rockin' Beats' down as a 'Rock Instrumental' in 1998.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:52 (nineteen years ago)

Ahhhh, yes, dear Herb Alpert, soundtrack to all my freshman romances.

I think the definition of "instrumental" may fairly be a bit broader than we're letting it be here. Specifically, I'm thinking of Paul McCartney & Wings's "Rockestra Theme," which won a Grammy in 1980 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Now, in case you're not familiar with this classic, hit-shaped track, there is PLENTY of people yelling incomprehensible junk in it! In fact, check out this list of past winners - "Block Rockin' Beats" jumps right out at me, and I'm pretty sure there's some tinge of vocal on "Regatta de Blanc."

Of course, the Grammy people could be totally wrong and misguided in their definition - and I think "Block Rockin' Beats" is REALLY pushing it, but I'm just saying, there's some precedent for latitude here when there's one or two little bits of wordless "ahhh"ing or scatting or whatever. Off the top of my head I'm thinking of "Hoots Mom."

xpost

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 13:56 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, gimme gimme those early-mid '70s funky synth-strumentals, "Frankenstein" and "Space Race" and "Rockford Files" and "Machine Gun" and "Chameleon" and etc. - the greatest explosion of actual pop-charting instrumental music since the surf-music days, maybe.

― M. Agony Von Bontee (M. Agony Von Bontee), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 14:18 (nineteen years ago)

I think the definition of "instrumental" may fairly be a bit broader than we're letting it be here.
Yeah, by the strict criteria some are applying, Bob Wills's interjections to his band would count as "vocals."

― The Player In The Redd Cap (Two-Headed Doge) (Ken L), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 14:24 (nineteen years ago)

The flipside of the coin:

Barbara Akilin's "Am I the Same Girl" somewhat failed, but the instrumental known as "Soulful Strut" (credited to Young-Holt Unlimited) hit and has lasted decades.

Same for Cliff Noble's "Love is Alright". The instrumental, "The Horse", is an oldies staple (which was done by a proto-MSFB, but credited to Cliff).

How ubiquitous in the past 12 years is Dick Dale's Mirsilou thanks to Pulp Fiction?

However, it is funny that Herb Alpert gets little-to-no play on oldies stations (pre-Jack FM oldies that is). He was huge in his time.

― Rev. PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie 2), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 14:28 (nineteen years ago)

whither "soul finger"?

― Lawrence the Looter (Lawrence the Looter), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 14:33 (nineteen years ago)

I was looking thru instrumental top ten hits of the 90s.

1990 saw only two in Dave Stewart & Candy Dulfer's 'Lily Was Here' (possibly not-actually-that-bad in terms of it's evocative power, only what it evocates is not particularly worthwhile i.e. a docked London cabbie studying the racing form guide occasionally spluttering on his last pack of Rothmans) and 808 State's 'Olympic' (and 'Cubik' if you're not being ridiculously pedantic and permitting the 'woooh-hooo-hooooooaaah' bits).

Strangely none at all the following year though (tho 'IN-YOUR-FACE' comes desperately close). But then in 1992 there's the question of whether The Orb's 'Blue Room' or Mike Oldfield's 'Sentinel' are true instrumentals despiet the frequency of the female vocal hook in both.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 14:50 (nineteen years ago)

Lily was Hear was massive in the States too. Not quite as big as Enigma's Sadness, but close.

― Rev. PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie 2), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 15:08 (nineteen years ago)

er, was Here

― Rev. PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie 2), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 15:14 (nineteen years ago)

I would put "Hocus Pocus" by Focus on the list, but I'm afraid Marcello will disallow it because of the yodeling.

― The Player In The Redd Cap (Two-Headed Doge) (Ken L), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 17:01 (nineteen years ago)

... and he'd be right to because otherwise I would have included "Sylvia" by Focus as my favourite of all time

― ¡Vamos a matar, Dadaismus! (Dada), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 17:06 (nineteen years ago)

Well, Joel Whitburn has a little [I] next to it, which is good enough for me, although no doubt he is another poster child in the ILM gallery of whipping boys.

― The Player In The Redd Cap (Two-Headed Doge) (Ken L), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 17:12 (nineteen years ago)

Joel Whitburn is not good enough for me.

NO VOICES ALLOWED WHATSOEVER

Is this Blair's Britain?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Thursday, 6 July 2006 05:37 (nineteen years ago)

Robert Miles' "Children"?

― Roz (Roz), Thursday, 6 July 2006 06:07 (nineteen years ago)

Since the late 80s, it has been usual to include samples of vocals or speaking in instrumental tracks, leaving them not completely instrumental anymore. Which kind of explains why instrumentals are getting less prominent (although they were more popular in the early 60s anyway)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 6 July 2006 07:29 (nineteen years ago)

Another category would seem to be the Classical Keyboard Jam such as

Apollo 100's "Joy"

featuring the same drummer as "Telstar," Clem Cattini, apparently.

― Ruud Haarvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 18 July 2006 00:22 (nineteen years ago)

Oh man, "Joy" is great! I can state from experience that the rest of the LP isn't as good though :(

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Tuesday, 18 July 2006 00:42 (nineteen years ago)

Mike Post's theme to Hill Street Blues was a hit. I think that tune has another title, but I cannot remember what it is called.

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Tuesday, 18 July 2006 01:24 (nineteen years ago)

Not as big as Chariots Fire. Holy shit that was inescapable back then.

― Rev. PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie 2), Tuesday, 18 July 2006 03:21 (nineteen years ago)

If mere vocal snippets (instead of vocal choruses) don't count, there've been lots of electronic instrumental hits ever since the nineties: "Ecuador", "Higher State of Consciousness", "Would You...?", "Wizards of the Sonic", "Theme from The Saint", etc. And tracks like "Sandstorm" or "Seven Days and One Week" have no vocals at all. But it's hard to think of any non-electronic instrumental hits from the last 15 years... Was "Theme from Mission: Impossible" by the U2 guys the latest one?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 18 July 2006 05:29 (nineteen years ago)

I'm proud to be the second person ever to mention Clem Cattini on ILM (Dadaismus was the first, I think.)

― Ruud Haarvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 18 July 2006 20:38 (nineteen years ago)

"And tracks like "Sandstorm" or "Seven Days and One Week" have no vocals at all."

"Seven Days And One Week" has a female "wooooaaaah" interjection in some parts.

Also, why is it nobody remembered "Hooked On Classics" until now?

― Ricardo (jaxxalude), Tuesday, 18 July 2006 23:13 (nineteen years ago)

three weeks pass...

OK, So I was looking at this new CD today after picking it up at HMV in Montreal. Me and my girlfriend were grabbing a casual snack and a couple of drinks while we talked about this creative new instrumental release.

So the question was posed, "What have some of the most memorable instrumentals that have been hits in the US?" (we're tourists from Boston!)

My first thought: "Love's Theme" by Love Unlimited Orchestra. Suprised to not see that one here yet!

Another big one absent: "Frankenstein" by the Edgar Winter Group

Some others to consider: The Rockford Files" by Mike Post, "Theme from Miami Vice" by Jan Hammer, "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield and finally, another theme song from one of all-time favorite shows, "Hawaii Five-O" by the Ventures.

― Ross Sigur (IslanderU), Sunday, 13 August 2006 00:36 (nineteen years ago)

dude, "frankenstein" is all over this thread! "rockford files" is mentioned too.

― you're killing me, larry! (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 13 August 2006 00:46 (nineteen years ago)

frankenstein on thread aaargghh

― Sir Dr. Rev. PappaWheelie Jr. II of The Third Kind (PappaWheelie 2), Sunday, 13 August 2006 01:06 (nineteen years ago)

unless i missed it somewhere up there, moby's "play" was largely instrumental and definitely was a big hit.

― Emily B (Emily B), Monday, 21 August 2006 23:10 (nineteen years ago)

don't think it was mentionned and it's a great one : "crockett's theme" from miami vice OST !

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 08:24 (nineteen years ago)

I love instrumentals that are hits! THey're the best!"!!!!

― wogan lenin (dog latin), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 08:50 (nineteen years ago)

and also, the main theme from miami vice, of course.

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 08:52 (nineteen years ago)

EX REVEALS ALL ABOUT YANNI'S SEX TOY COLLECTION

Greek musician YANNI has a wacky sex toy collection that he organises by size and colour and obsessively cleans, according to his ex-girlfriend. Bolivian brunette SILVIA BARTHES, who filed assault charges against the new age star earlier this year (06), has gone public with the secrets of her sex-fuelled fling with Yanni. She claims the beloved musician is a Viagra-guzzling sex addict, who uses toys to spice up his bedroom activities. Speaking to America's Globe publication, Barthes claims Yanni, real name YANNI CHRYSSOMALLIS, would ask her to pick out sex toys for him at his favourite Miami, Florida boutiques. She says, "He would give me $300 worth of $50 bills and say, 'Bring me candy for my eyes - surprise me.' "He organises all the toys by size and colour, and he is always cleaning them." Barthes also tells the publication that the Greek star also persuaded her to wear sexy clothes, like French maid outfits and black Latex gloves. Charges that Barthes brought against Yanni in March (06) were dropped due to lack of evidence.
17/08/2006 20:01

― chaki (chaki), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 08:56 (nineteen years ago)

unless i missed it somewhere up there, moby's "play" was largely instrumental and definitely was a big hit.

Um, it was full of old soul and blues VOCAL hooks?

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 11:22 (nineteen years ago)

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