best instimental
 

you know, songs that don't have any lyrics to them
Orian metallica

Losfer Words - Iron Maiden
Woodpecker From Mars - Faith No More

Edit: Oooh. Keep 'em coming. I just got the idea to make a mix CD out of instrumentals. Neat-o.

Orion - Metallica

that would be instrumental. :p

There's lots of good surf music that fit the criteria. Or do you not like surf?

My favorite instrumental would probably be Metallica- Call of Ktulu. I also like an Opeth one. Sorry I can't remember the name right now. Its early gimme a break. ;)

It's to hard to pick just one.

Orion by Metallica is pretty cool, but it can't touch hardly anything Joe Satriani has done, but I could never pick a favorate out of Joes tunes, he has so many. How about YYZ or La Villa Strangiato by Rush? All of Iron Maiden's instrumentals kick butt. There all kinds of Jazz instrumentals that I love also.

I just can't choose one.

Maggot Brain by Funkadelic
Private Psychedelic Reel by Chemical Brothers

Rush-YYZ

Satch-Flying Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing (I don't know why, but I really dig this tune)

Pretty much anything Miles Davis ever recorded... Pick a John Coltrane diddy... Any Beethoven symphony... Dvorak Symphony No 9... The complete works of J.S. Bach... This list could go on for days. Y'all <i>really</i> need to expand your musical horizons... ;)

If you mean <i>rock</i> instrumental, I might be inclined to say Filthy Habits or any number of Frank Zappa compositions.

Metallica... Sheesh... Kids! :p

Wow, I love way too much instrumental music to really answer this question. But here are a few of my favorite non-classical tunes that are entirely instrumental...

Chameleon - Herbie Hancock
Shibuya - Galactic
2% Body Fat - Robert Walter's 20th Congress
Rivertrance - String Cheese Incident
Plena for My Grundle - Garage a Trois
Ted's Jam - Robert Randolph and the Family Band

I'd say Metallica's Orion too. My favorite track of their's (and quite a lot of fun to play).

Some other classics:

Yngwie Malmsteen - Far Beyond The Sun
Yngwie Malmsteen - Crying
Yngwie Malmsteen - Icarus Dream Suite
Iron Maiden - Losfer Words
Joe Satriani - All Alone
Joe Satriani - Circles
Vinnie Moore - Hero Without Honor
Testament - Musical Death (A Dirge)
Metallica - Call of Ktulu
Scorpions - Coast To Coast
Savatage - The Storm
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Little Wing
Gary Hoey - Hocus Pocus
Gary Hoey - Desire
Ventures - Walk, Don't Run

That outta be enough to get you started, but I got loads more if you're interested :)

You might want to check out one of the many instumental rock bands out there. Here's a few of the better know:

Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Mogwai
Dirty Three

There's plenty out there, but those are a few of my favs.

:thumbsup:

YYZ and La Villa Strangiato by rush
A Mind Beside Itself Pt. 1: Erotomania by Dream Theater
darn near everything on Passion and Warfare by Steve Vai
Mystical Potatohead Groove Thing: Joe Satriani
Stevie Ray Vaughan's version of Little Wing
Yngwie Malmsteen: Black Star

"Apache"-Incredible Bongo Band
"Blind Man can see it"-James Brown
"Ukrainian Dance #13"-The Red Elvises
"Beat Box (Diversion One)"-The Art of Noise
"Rumble"-Link Wray and his Wraymen
"Summer Madness"-Kool and the Gang
"Sonata #3"-Scatterbrain
"Nubian Lady"-Yuseef Lateef
"Theme from A summer place"-Percy Faith and his orchestra
"Maggot Brain"-Funkadelic
"Spy VS Spy"-Combustible Edison
"Breezin"-George Benson

I have been listening to 'Round About Midnight a lot when I am web-surfing lately. It's been in my 5 disc-changer for a few weeks. I am really growing to like jazz. Look forward to broadening my horizons a little more.

If the intent of your question was to find great rock instrumentals then you definiely want to listen to Peaches En Regalia and Watermelon in Easter Hay by Frank Zappa.

In addition to those Additude Song by Steve Vai is my favorite from him.

Non-rock

Tribute by Kim Burrell is very good.

Letter To Evan by David Benoit

Hmm, I like GY!BE and older Mogwai stuff (Happy Songs for Happy People is boring as hell, don't get it), but most of their material is too dark to play constantly. However, I will name-drop Do Make Say Think like they are the next big thing (don't be mistaken, they aren't).

If you are into Mogwai, check out Explosions in the Sky. They are from Austin (which means more reverb).

Constellation Records (home of GY!BE and Do Make Say Think) is always a good place to start: A Silver Mt. Zion, Fly Pan Am, etc.

A lot of jazz - especially this Miles Davis w/ John Coltrane Zurich bootleg I have ('66 I believe). It's hitting me hard lately. On the jazz note, Thelonious Monk's lazy piano playing is golden.

If I really had to pick my favorite instrumental rock bands, I'd go with Do Make Say Think, Tortoise, and Out Hud (which will probably all change in a year. Except Do Make Say Think. I swear).

-edit to add-

I guess I should stick with the thread, huh? Favorite instrumental songs of the moment: "Hair Dude, You're Stepping on My Mystique" - Out Hud, "Reitschule" - Do Make Say Think, "Pacific Theme" - Broken Social Scene. That last one probably won't stick around long.

Ripe (with decay) - Nine Inch Nails
Gigapet Epiphany - Company Flow
Swamp - Tweaker

Not including Classical music, St. Elmo's Fire (David Foster) would be one of my top picks.

Vinnie Moore's instrumental cover of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."

Impelliteri's heavy cover of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (trust me, listen to it, it'll blow your mind).

"Impelliteri's heavy cover of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (trust me, listen to it, it'll blow your mind)."

That is a killer version of that song, and definantly ranks very high on my list.

I would also like to add anything by Al Di Meola, is worth you guys checking out. He is a great instrumental guitarist. I'm also surprized nobody has mentioned Edger Winter's song "Frankenstien".

Aanother one I would like to add is "Still I'm Sad" by Ritchie Blackmoore's Rainbow. Great tune.

Mos Def - May-December (last track on Black on Both Sides)

I won't even list any jazz, since I don't think that's what you are getting at (although Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" is the best album ever recorded :p).

But for rock, it would have to be one of 3 for me:

Stevie Ray Vaughn - Little Wing
Allman Brothers - Jessica
Allman Brothers - Little Martha
(I would also include "Mountain Jam" by the Brothers, but that's really just a live thing, not a "song")

Actually, IMO, the Allman Brothers have many of the best instrumental rock songs ever.

Ghengis Khan- Iron Maiden
Fractured Mirror/Fractured II- Ace Frehley
Love Theme from KISS- KISS