Favourite instrumentals by bands known for songs

What are some of your favourite instrumentals by Prog bands that rarely seem to do non-song music? Bands that are really known for songs (tracks with singing)... I know this is rather open to interpretation.

I'll start with two of mine, the first is a Swans, and in a way the second is too, even if the Swans are Geese or the Geese are Swans. I know what fowl I will be serving at my next dinner party, and it ain't chicken.

Swans - Will Serve



Cardiacs - All His Geese Are Swans!

^ That's one that came to my mind too. Mind you, Hemispheres was one of my earliest album acquisitions in terms of actually buying the album -- had it specially ordered into a record shop in Australia. I was thinking rather more of ones that people likely wouldn't be familiar with unless they are very familiar with the band's music, but I guess the average person who knows Rush music might well not know that track and instead just the vocal hits on classic rock radio with Geddy Lee's distinctive sultry voice.

Edited by Logan - July 30 2022 at 21:33

Kansas - The Spider

Thank You Scientist - Rube Goldberg Variations
Dream Theater - Overture 1928
Mike Keneally - Cornbread Crumb
Sanguine Hum - Cat Factory

Eagles - Journey of the Sorcerer

^ I have recommended a few VdGG instrumentals to people who said they could not get into the band due to Hammill's vocals. And the Cardiacs one I mentioned to people who said they liked the music but disliked vocals. It can be fun to dig deep and find such things.

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso - Danza Dei Grandi Rettili
David Bowie - Warszawa
Cardiacs - All His Geese Are Swans!
Cos - Halucal
Dream Theater - Overture 1928
Eagles - Journey of the Sorcerer
Electric Light Orchestra - First Movement (Jumping Biz)
Eloy - Mirador
Genesis - Duke's Travels.
Kansas - The Spider
Magma - Coltrane Sündïa
Mike Keneally - Cornbread Crumb
Le Orme - Aliante
Non Credo - Faux Afro
Pink Floyd - A Saucerful Of Secrets
Pink Floyd - Interstellar Overdrive
The Residents - God of Darkness
Rush - La Villa Strangiato
RUSH - YYZ
Saga - Conversations
Sanguine Hum - Cat Factory
Supersister - Present From Nancy
Swans - Red Velvet Corridor
Swans - Will Serve
Thank You Scientist - Rube Goldberg Variations
Van der Graaf Generator - Manuelle
Van der Graaf Generator - It All Went Red
Van der Graaf Generator - Theme One
Van der Graaf Generator - Diminutions
Yes - Cinema

And I'll add another Swans with "Red Velvet Corridor" off Soundtracks for the Blind (not that good on its own I find, though). And they have one more short on Omniscience that I could mention.

Regarding Bowie's Warszawa, that's a favourite of mine too, but it has enough vocals that I would have discounted it myself. Not that it matters, love it.



I hope to make a youtube playlist of all of these later.

^ Speaking of Genesis' The Waiting Room, I often regard hearing the instrumental Hairless Heart at an after-play party at a theater to ending up on Prog Archives. I absolutely loved it and spent a long time searching for the music (finally years later I heard it when going through samples on amazon music). I often cite that as being the start of my deeper Prog journey.



Edited by Logan - July 31 2022 at 14:11

I look no further than:
Five Percent for Nothing