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Absolutely heart-wrenching instrumentals


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Yeah, so lyrics combined with a song can make you shed a tear for that love lost or that . What about those instrumental songs that have no lyrics that are saying all the words without actually speaking anything?

 

My vote for "one of the best songs ever" in this category is "A Remark You Made" by Weather Report. Specifically the live version from 8:30. My god. This is one of my favorite songs of all time. Zawinul's delicate keyboard work, Wayne Shorter's sax, and Jaco's bass just sing and exude emotional strain. You're cheating yourself of something if you've never heard this. Really.

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I second that Bump! I have waxed poetic about that tune before.

 

I would like to mention "Little Wing" by Stevie Ray Vaughn, It really moves me! :cry: One of the few songs that makes me want to pick up a guitar! :eek:

Nothing is as it seems but everything is exactly what it is - B. Banzai

 

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I'll 3rd "A Remark You Made" - my all-time favorite - and I'll add "'Cause We've Ended As Lovers" from Jeff Beck's "Blow by Blow".

 

Credits say it was written by S. Wonder...

 

....which reminds me of "All In Love (is Fair)", but that's not an instrumental, so I won't mention it.

:cool:

 

Jim

Jim

Confirmed RoscoeHead

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"September 15th" - Pat Metheny

 

"Dedicated to You" Steve Khan's Eyewitness. Actually, most of that album (cd) is like that.

 

"A Love Supreme" John Coltrane. The chant at the end is nothing more than sprinkles on a well made cake, so I am counting it.

 

Hindemith's Oboe Concerto

 

I would go on, but I had a nasty double yesterday and I am tired.

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Not to jump on others' Roy Buchanan idea, but the first one that came to my mind was "The Messiah Will Come Again". Sure, Roy's version has some spoken word at the beginning; Gary Moore's version is all instrumental and soul-blistering! Several Iona songs get to me as well; "Brendan's Voyage" and "Woven Cord" especially.

"Am I enough of a freak to be worth paying to see?"- Separated Out (Marillion)

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Good thread, Bump! Thanks for making me think...

 

I'd say "Li'l Darlin'" by Count Basie. It gets me every time. If you know the Basie band, it's mayhem unleashed, but this particular tune is so restrained, so 'blue light', it's just a stellar performance.

 

Highly recommended.

 

Peace,

Tim from Jersey :thu:

Play. Just play.
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I'll definitely agree with "A Remark You Made" - and I'll chime in with one that lately has caught my attention, Chopin's Nocturne in Bb minor..

 

-Paul

"You look hopefully for an idea and then you're humble when you find it and you wish your skills were better. To have even a half-baked touch of creativity is an honor."

-- Ernie Stires, composer

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A Remark You Made.

 

Great Gig in the Sky, by Pink Floyd.

 

Air, Orchestral Suite #3 in D, Bach (Air on G String)

 

Ashokan Farewell, Jay Ungar

 

The Swan, Carnival of the Animals, Camille Saint-Seans.

 

Adagio non Troppo, Pathetique Sonata, Beethoven.

 

There are others.

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Still spendin' that political capital far faster than I can earn it...stretched way out on a limb here and looking for a better interest rate.

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"Watermelon In Easter Hay" by Frank Zappa. I make sure to listen to this tune every year on the anniversary of FZ's passing, and I still get misty. Possibly his greatest guitar performance.

 

"Naima" by Coltrane. One of the greatest melodies ever written, and an incredible performance on the recording.

 

And I have a special place in my heart for several of the themes from the original "Star Wars". The Force theme, Leia's theme. John Williams was on fire in the 70's.

"Expectations are the enemy of music." - Mike Keneally

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I saw Adrian Legg (the fine quasi-acoustic guitar player) in Berkeley last night and damned if his song "The Irish Girl" doesn't get me every time. I find myself nearly in tears every time he plays it.

 

Legg is amazing and I highly recommend everyone check out his live shows, if you can.

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"It Must Be A Camel" - Frank Zappa on Hot Rats.

"Hairless Heart" - Genesis on Lamb Lies Down

 

many classical and semi-classical pieces I heard my kids play in concert band.

 

Tom

www.stoneflyrocks.com

Acoustic Color

 

Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt

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quote:

 

Originally posted by 73 P Bass:

"Lick My Love Pump", by Nigel Tufnell

Sorry, couldn't resist.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

That one's something of a "Mach" piece, innit?

 

It's in D minor, which I find is the saddest of all keys, really.

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I can't think of any instrumentals off hand, but I guess I'll vote for "A Remark You Made" too, since I was listening to 8:30 today. ;)
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"Son Becomes Father"--John Jorgensen, Return of the Hellcasters.

 

Instrumental at the end of "Rock-a-bye-bye"--Extreme I

 

"Where Were You"--Jeff Beck, Guitar Shop

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Let's add:

 

Waltz for Debby, Bill Evans.

 

Meditation, from Thais, Massenet

 

Prelude from "The Afternoon of a Faun" Debussy (okay, bright and sunny, not tragic. But achingly beautiful.)

 

Adagio for Strings, Barber

 

Guitar (Lute) Concerto in D, Mvt. II, Vivaldi

 

Nocturnal for Guitar (after John Dowland). Benjamin Britten (again...the tragedy of death, the opening of heaven.)

 

There are others.

"Let's raise the level of this conversation" -- Jeremy Cohen, in the Picasso Thread.

 

Still spendin' that political capital far faster than I can earn it...stretched way out on a limb here and looking for a better interest rate.

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Does it count if you don't understand the words? Because then I would definitely vote for "Ode to Joy" and umm, the entirety of La Boheme. Damn, that's a good opera, and I'll admit to crying at the end.
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Second the motion on "Ashokan Farewell". "Wheel Hoss" and "Five Speed" get me too but in a different way. This ones cheating but since its the guitar effects and not the vocals I'll throw in "Good Shepherd" by the Jefferson Airplane along with "Embryonic Journey" and "Hey, Fredrick".

 

 

www.ethertonswitch.com

 

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I'm surprised I'm the first to mention "Portrait of Tracy," Jaco Pastorius' solo piece from his eponymous debut album. (Or did I just read through the posts too fast?)

 

"Lotus on Irish Streams," the Mahavishnu Orchestra

 

"Both Sides Now," Pat Martino's 1974 solo arrangement from Consciousness, not his duet with Cassandra Wilson, which is pretty darn good too.

 

"We'll Be Together Again," "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" and "You Don't Know What Love Is," three of the wonderful introspective duets that Pat Martino did with pianist Gil Goldstein in 1976 and released as We'll Be Together Again.

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