Recommendations for Purely Instrumental Albums
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
Forum Description: Make or seek recommendations and discuss specific prog albums
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=84027
Printed Date: June 27 2025 at 20:11
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Recommendations for Purely Instrumental Albums
Posted By: Gully Foyle
Subject: Recommendations for Purely Instrumental Albums
Date Posted: January 07 2012 at 18:41
|
Hi Everyone,
What are your favorite purely instrumental prog albums?
|
Replies:
Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: January 07 2012 at 18:56
|
Head Hunters - Herbie Handcock Bird of Fire - Mahavinshnu Glory of the Inner Force - Finch American Don - Don Caballero Prohibited Beats - Jojo Mayer/Nerve National Health - National Health Animals as Leaders - Animals as Leaders Standacone and J'un Oeil - Sloche Sweetnighter and I Sing The Body Electric - Heavy Weather ------------- Crushed like a rose in the riverflow. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 07 2012 at 19:40
|
Bo Hansson - Lord of the Rings Jack Lancaster and Robin Lumley - Marsscape -------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: January 07 2012 at 19:42
|
Amarok - Mike Oldfield...although there is spoken word. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow"> 
|
Posted By: presdoug
Date Posted: January 07 2012 at 20:23
|
Dzyan-Electric Silence Il Baricentro-Sconcerto Dedalus-Dedalus German Oak-German Oak Tangerine Dream-Electronic Meditations Passport-Doldinger, Second Passport, Handmade, and Looking Thru Nucleus-Solar Plexus Terje Rypdal-What Comes After Soft Machine-Seven Frob-Frob John McLaughlin-Devotion Jean Luc Ponty Experience-Open Strings |
Posted By: Soul Dreamer
Date Posted: January 07 2012 at 21:14
|
Odyssice - all albums
------------- To be the one who seeks so I may find .. (Metallica) |
Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: January 08 2012 at 04:28
|
Soft Machine- 4th Universe Zero- Heresie, Clivages Present- Triskaidekaphobie and La Poison Que Rend Fou Grails- Deep Politics Animals as Leaders- Animals as Leaders Art Zoyd- Symphonie Pour Le Jour Ou Bruleront Les Cities, Musique Pour L'Odyssee Canvas Solaris- Cortical Tectonics, The Atomized Dream Billy Cobham- Spectrum Far Corner- Far Corner Guapo- Five Suns, Black Oni Hiromi Uehara- Spiral John Zorn- Interzone Quiet Sun- Mainstream Red Sparrows- At the Soundless Dawn Return to Forever- Romantic Warrior, Where Have I Known You Before Russian Circles- Enter ------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005 
|
Posted By: Lizzy
Date Posted: January 08 2012 at 05:43
|
Doctor Nerve - Out to Bomb Fresh Kings Grovjobb - Vättarnas Fest Luciano Basso - Voci Cloudkicker - Beacons Julverne - Coulonneux ------------- Property of Queen Productions... 
|
Posted By: tamijo
Date Posted: January 08 2012 at 07:00
|
Return to Forever : Romantic Warrior
Peter Gabriel : Passion ( a little vocals)
Fripp / Eno No Pussyfooting
3 great instrumentals ------------- Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours |
Posted By: Ludjak
Date Posted: January 08 2012 at 07:03
|
Not really my favourites, but the ones I could think of immediately (which weren't mentioned in previous posts): John Zorn - Book of Angels (this should keep you occupied, since it consists of 17 volumes) Miles Davis - In a Silent Way
|
Posted By: dreadpirateroberts
Date Posted: January 08 2012 at 07:05
2nded ------------- We are men of action. Lies do not become us. http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/" rel="nofollow - JazzMusicArchives. |
BaldFriede wrote:Posted By: AlexDOM
Date Posted: January 08 2012 at 19:42
|
Liquid Tension Experiment Dream Theater has some really good instrumentals too |
Posted By: larm73
Date Posted: January 08 2012 at 21:14
|
Russian circles - enter Long distance calling - avoid the light Andy McKee - art of motion Marco sfogli - there's hope Andy James - Andy James The aristocrats
|
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: January 09 2012 at 01:55
|
Mike Oldfield - Songs Of Distant Earth
Tangerine Dream - Tangram
Vangelis - Heaven and Hell
Tomita - Firebird
Rick Wakeman - Six Wives Of Henry VIII
Eddie Jobson - Theme Of Secrets
Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene
Edgar Froese - Pinnacle
The Enid - Aerie Fairie Nonsense
Sky - Sky2
|
Posted By: Bj-1
Date Posted: January 09 2012 at 07:35
|
Jarre - Oxygene, Equinoxe Present - Triskaidekaphobie Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire Happy Family - Toscco Kenso - Yume No Oka Univers Zero - Ceux du Dehors ------------- RIO/AVANT/ZEUHL - The best thing you can get with yer pants on! |
Posted By: centum
Date Posted: January 09 2012 at 07:44
| Änglagård - Epilog |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: January 09 2012 at 18:06
|
- 6 Wives of Henry VIII, by Rick Wakeman.
- Hamburger Concerto, by Focus. - Tubular Bells, by Mike Oldfield (and really want to get some more 70's Oldfield). |
Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: January 09 2012 at 19:47
|
"Forest of Feelings" - David Sancious "Inner Mounting Flame" - Mahavishnu Orchestra "Sweetnighter" - Weather Report "Eleventh House With Larry Coryell" - The Eleventh House and Larry Coryell "Cab 4" - Cab "Powers of Ten" - Shawn Lane |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: January 09 2012 at 21:51
Love all of these If you want more Oldfield definitely get Ommadawn & Hergrest Ridge - those are his best IMHO. |
Posted By: SaltyJon
Date Posted: January 09 2012 at 21:56
Erm...what's Tenemos Roads, then? ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Salty_Jon" rel="nofollow"> 
|
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: January 09 2012 at 21:59
|
One of the best pieces of music ever recorded? (though I get your point) |
Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: January 09 2012 at 22:00
Foiled again! I cheated, but i love it too much :( ------------- Crushed like a rose in the riverflow. |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: January 09 2012 at 22:00
(though I get your point) |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: January 10 2012 at 18:59
Those are just the ones I want to get, plus incantations, and perhaps Amarok (though that one isn't from the 70's). And perhaps Tubular Bells 3, just to complete the trilogy. |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: January 10 2012 at 19:57
|
Posted By: TheGazzardian
Date Posted: January 10 2012 at 20:39
| Gosta Berlings Saga - Detta Har Hant |
Posted By: cannon
Date Posted: January 11 2012 at 04:22
|
Burning Off Impurities - Grails Plains Of The Purple Buffalo - *Shels The Machinations Of Dementia - Blotted ScienceTime Crunch, Organik - Niacin Diffusion - 7 For 4 When The Aliens Come - Martone Episodes - Karcius Levin Torn White - Levin Torn White Glory Of The Inner Force - Finch Winter Lights - Oregon Watercourse Way - Shadowfax Trace - Trace Cross-Collateral - Passport Sea-Sons - Secret Oyster Kraan - Kraan |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: January 11 2012 at 07:45
^pssst, Watercourse Way, a great prog album by the way, has some vocals.  If we're talking predominantly instrumental prog you have to toss in Happy The Man from the same era. Too many to count. I think instrumental prog is really prog at its finest. Number one not mentioned yet: Dixie Dregs - What If Recent additions to my collection worth checking out, again trying to hit on those not mentioned:
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
|
Posted By: zoviet
Date Posted: January 11 2012 at 10:55
 my kinda thread!!!
Tortoise - s/t / Millions Now Living Will Never Die / TNT / Standards / It's All Around you / Beacons of Ancestorship Supersilent - 4 / 5 / 6 / 8 (save for some wordless vocal mutterings here n' there) Popol Vuh - Aguirre Tangerine Dream - Alpha Centauri / Atem / Rubycon / Force Majeure / Tangram Miles Davis - Bitches Brew / Tribute to Jack Johnson / Big Fun / Get Up With It Ash Ra Tempel - s/t Cosmic Jokers - s/t Pelican - Australasia Terje Rypdal - Odyssey / Waves Herbie Hancock - Sextant Isotope 217 - the Unstable Molecule / Utonian Automatic Chicago Odense Ensemble - s/t Activities of Dust - A New Mind HIM - Sworn Eyes |
Posted By: zoviet
Date Posted: January 11 2012 at 11:03
|
a few more!!
Shadowfax - Shadowdance Brise Glace - When In Vanitas Kriedler - Weekend To Rococo Rot - Veiculo Tone Rec - Thugny Trugny / Pholcus Ganger - Fore Kraftwerk - 2 Ashra - New Age of Earth / Correlations |
Posted By: tszirmay
Date Posted: January 11 2012 at 12:41
------------- I never post anything anywhere without doing more than basic research, often in depth. |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: January 11 2012 at 13:34
Hi,
   Now we need some divisions for these things ...
Long cuts
Neo Cuts
Cross/Quasi Classical
Prog lookalike
Progressive lookalike
Soundtrack
Songs
Just songs
Even More songs
There ... the new subdivisions of this new genre. Instrumental ... what I don't get is how "instrumental" thinks it can be progressive ... Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze are already in the trash .... well to be fair, I did see a couple of TD's mentioned ... so that was cool.
The only two I would add ... not sure I noticed them, would be Klaus Schulze, Riuichi Sakamoto, Egberto Gismonti (early stuff specially) ... and countless ECM things ... at least one of which has been mentioned here ... Terje Rypdal. ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: January 11 2012 at 18:43
I'm hoping to get this bunch this year. |
Posted By: Lord Jagged
Date Posted: January 11 2012 at 19:19
|
Planet X - Moonbabies
Ship of Fools - Close Your Eyes (And Forget The World) - some spoken word samples. ------------- Dead Souls In The Rear View Mirror Hitch A Ride For A While.. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: January 11 2012 at 20:45
Dammit, unless I missed no one has mentioned this: Here's What If for you all:  Art Metal is very tasty   ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
|
Posted By: keiser willhelm
Date Posted: January 11 2012 at 22:04
|
No Godspeed yet? WAT? Yanqui UXO F#A# (infinity) Lift Your Skinny Fists... also Hella- Hold Your Horse Is. Slint- Spiderland Popol Vuh - hosanna mantra f**k Buttons - Tarot Sport The Field - From Here We Go Sublime And finally, I can't remember if there are lyrics or not and i don't think there are but Boris - Flood is also on the list. AMAZING if you like some drone / sludge ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/KeiserWillhelm" rel="nofollow - What im listening to |
Posted By: SaltyJon
Date Posted: January 11 2012 at 22:07
|
Hosianna Mantra isn't purely instrumental, in fact there are quite a few bits with vocals.
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Salty_Jon" rel="nofollow">
|
Posted By: keiser willhelm
Date Posted: January 11 2012 at 22:10
** DOH! ** ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/KeiserWillhelm" rel="nofollow - What im listening to |
Posted By: irrelevant
Date Posted: January 12 2012 at 01:50
Huh? ------------- https://gabebuller.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - New album! http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385 |
Posted By: AtomicCrimsonRush
Date Posted: January 12 2012 at 04:56
------------- 
|
Posted By: AtomicCrimsonRush
Date Posted: January 12 2012 at 04:58
-------------
|
Posted By: frippism
Date Posted: January 12 2012 at 06:03
|
Anything by Secrets Chiefs 3. Buy it. NOW ------------- There be dragons |
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: January 12 2012 at 08:32
|
Panorama-Hans Glawischnig
Japanese Melodies For Flute and Harp-Sakura-Rampal-Laskine
Crossroads-Hemispheres
Mysterious Traveller-Weather Report
Far Corner Nosferatu-Popol Vuh |
Posted By: zoviet
Date Posted: January 12 2012 at 08:46
 wow so many artists/albums i never heard, oh dear in addition to recoemmending i probably have to check out quite a few here!!!
|
Posted By: Smurph
Date Posted: January 16 2012 at 14:20
|
Both Anglagard albums are probably my favorite instrumental albums.
Also, the new 19A.D.D. album, Gaia, is really really solid.
|
Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: January 16 2012 at 15:03
|
Prog metal: Exivious (ST) Dysrhythmia - Pretest Gordian Knot (ST) 1980 (ST) Canvas Solaris - Cortical Techtonics Zeuhl/Avant: Bondage Fruit IV and VI Happy Family - Tossco Korekyojinn - Jackson Universe Zero - Uzed NeBeLNeST - Nova Express Heavy Prog: Fantasmagoria - Day and Night Fusion: Hiromi Uehera's Sonic Bloom - Time Control Any of the aforementioned Mahavishnu or RTF titles. Bela Flek and the Flektones - UFO TOFU Michael Manring - Thonk RPI: Banco del Mutuo Soccorso - Di Terra Goblin - Suspiria soundtrack Not in the archives: Michael Hedges - Aerial Boundaries Many, many more. But these are my highest recommendations. Most have listenable samples on Youtube. ------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow">  https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: irrelevant
Date Posted: January 16 2012 at 17:48
I think Barriers And Passages and Psychic Maps are way better than Pretest. Way better. ------------- https://gabebuller.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - New album! http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385 |
Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: January 16 2012 at 18:16
|
^B&P did absolutely nothing for me. The songs didn't have the character of their early material and just seemed to be dissonant for the sake of dissonance. I lost interest enough that I never even listened to PM. ------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow"> https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: January 16 2012 at 19:08
But Hybris isn't an instrumental album. Granted it has a great amount of instrumental passages and not so long vocal passages, but still, only the first song is purely instrumental. |
Posted By: Smurph
Date Posted: January 17 2012 at 10:28
| I tend to ignore all those vocals on that album so I forget haha. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: January 17 2012 at 18:03
| Perhaps the fact that those lyrics are in swedish and you don't understand one bit of them (I'm guessing here) helps quiet a bit to ignore them??? |
Posted By: Kyo
Date Posted: January 19 2012 at 12:40
|
I may be forgetting some great stuff, but here's 10 instrumental albums that I keep reaching for: Exivious - Exivious Gordian Knot - Gordian Knot Gordian Knot - Emergent Hiromi's Sonicbloom - Time Control Jim Matheos - Away With Words On the Virg - Serious Young Insects Planet X - MoonBabies Planet X - Quantum Steve Stevens - Flamenco.A.Go.Go (just a little bit of vocals) Trey Gunn - The Joy of Molybdenum Also, you might want to check out my own band's album! Relocator - Relocator ------------- "Freedom in the 21st Century means being incommunicado." http://www.relocator-project.com" rel="nofollow"> 
|
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 19 2012 at 12:56
|
I would recommend Lebowski's Cinematique as a good recent instrumental album. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: January 19 2012 at 13:21
I am checking it out now.  ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
|
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: January 19 2012 at 18:08
 |
Posted By: Kyo
Date Posted: January 20 2012 at 07:16
Cool! Let us know what you think!
Gotta love that Chapman Stick and Warr Guitar sound. By the way, I just discovered this amazing band from Hungary - Special Providence: Great, great stuff! ------------- "Freedom in the 21st Century means being incommunicado." http://www.relocator-project.com" rel="nofollow">
|
Posted By: spknoevl
Date Posted: January 20 2012 at 07:26
|
Trey Gunn - Live Encounter, The Joy of Molybedenum
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire, Between Nothingness and Eternity, Apocalypse
Return to Forver - Romantic Warrior
Jean Luc Ponty - Imaginary Voyage, Enigmatic Ocean
Allan Holdsworth - Atavachron, Sand
Bruford - One of a Kind, Feels Good to Me
Gordian Knot - Gordian Knot, Emergent ------------- http://martinwebb.bandcamp.com The notes are just an interesting way to get from one silence to the next - Mick Gooderick |
Posted By: prog4evr
Date Posted: January 21 2012 at 22:37
|
Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: January 22 2012 at 06:42
|
"Electric Silence" by Dzyan -------------  A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: January 22 2012 at 07:56
|
Posted By: rdtprog
Date Posted: January 22 2012 at 08:19
that is pure Senogul |
Posted By: The_Jester
Date Posted: January 26 2012 at 18:21
|
The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Tubular Bells, The Continuing Story of Counterpoints (and a lot more minimalist albums), Birds of Fire, Inner Mounting Flame, Passion, etc.
There's too many incredible instrumental albums I like for me to do a list. ------------- La victoire est éphémère mais la gloire est éternelle! - Napoléon Bonaparte |
Posted By: aphelorah
Date Posted: January 26 2012 at 23:30
|
Ephemeral Sun - Harvest Aorta Lebowski - Cinematic
Univers Zero - Heatwave and Uzed Canvas Solaris - Penumbra Diffuse Morte Macabre - Symphonic Holocaust Those are my favorites, but there are others in my collection.
|
Posted By: Ytse_Jam
Date Posted: January 27 2012 at 12:07
|
Posted By: Quirky Turkey
Date Posted: January 29 2012 at 07:57
|
Willowglass - Book of Hours Camel - The Snow Goose Lots of Mike Oldfield
|
Posted By: aphelorah
Date Posted: February 10 2012 at 23:33
|
There's also Liquid Tension Experiment, which you'll probably enjoy if you're a fan of Dream Theater. One album that I forgot to mention is Marching Into Oblivion by Darkstar. It has a lot spoken word samples from various sci-fi movies, but they are used to add to the mood, which is pretty dark. A very unique album. |