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Thread: 50% instrumental (but >0)

  1. #1

    50% instrumental (but >0)

    Your favourite songs that are >50% instrumental?

    I think of this because when Pink Floyd reformed after The Final Cut without Waters, I remember Gilmour saying something to the effect of "the Pink Floyd formula", I.E. lots of instrumental sections.

    And...go!
    rcarlberg: Is there anything sadder than a song that has never been played?
    Plasmatopia: Maybe a song in D minor that has never been played?

    bob_32_116: That would be a terrific triple bill: Cyan, Magenta and Yello.

    trurl: The Odyssey: "He's trying to get home."

  2. #2
    Without getting out a stop watch:

    Gentle Giant - Lost My Head
    Last edited by Shadow; 12-02-2014 at 06:14 PM.
    NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF STUPID PEOPLE IN LARGE GROUPS!

  3. #3
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Shine On You Crazy Diamond of course

    Camel - Metrognome probably
    KC - Moonchild ( I LIKE IT!!!)

  4. #4
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    So come on, who is Dusty Chalk anyway?

  5. #5
    A music fan, like the rest of you, just a shmuck with an opinion. Nothing more.

    And yeah, I'm not too worried about it being exact, Shadow. Just something with an extended instrumental section, to the point where it dominates the song.

    Yes, of course Shine On You Crazy Diamond and Echoes, for that matter. Those are the template, pretty much. Mike Oldfield's Taurus II has some lyrics in the middle of it. Actually, Orabidoo fits the bill, too, now that I think about it.

    Those others are new to me, thanks, keep them coming.

    Some others:

    Supertramp, "Child of Vision"
    Sweet, "Love is Like Oxygen"
    The The, "Uncertain Smile"
    Stranglers, "Too Precious"
    Tear Garden, "Last Post"
    rcarlberg: Is there anything sadder than a song that has never been played?
    Plasmatopia: Maybe a song in D minor that has never been played?

    bob_32_116: That would be a terrific triple bill: Cyan, Magenta and Yello.

    trurl: The Odyssey: "He's trying to get home."

  6. #6
    King Crimson - Starless
    Rush - Xanadu?

  7. #7
    Here's some

    B52s - Planet Claire
    Ben Craven - No Specific Harm
    The Cure - Plainsong
    The Cure - Closedown
    The Cure - Fascination Street
    The Cure - Prayers For Rain
    The Cure - Homesick
    The Cure - Untitled
    The Cure - Pornography
    The Cure - Three
    The Cure - A Forest
    The Cure - Push
    The Cure - Sinking
    The Cure - Wailing Wall
    The Cure - The Kiss
    The Cure - If Only Tonight We Could Sleep
    The Cure - Snakepit
    The Cure - One More Time
    The Cure - Like Cockatoos
    The Cure - Icing Sugar
    The Cure - Shiver And Shake
    Midnight Oil - Profiteers
    Midnight Oil - Surfing With A Spoon
    Mike Rutherford - Working In Line
    "One should never magnify the harsh light of reality with the mirror of prose onto the delicate wings of fantasy's butterfly"
    Thumpermonkey - How I Wrote The French Lieutenant's Woman

    "I'm content to listen to what I like and keep my useless negative opinions about what I don't like to myself -- because no one is interested in hearing those anyway, and it contributes absolutely nothing to the conversation."
    aith01

  8. #8
    Wow, I wouldn't have expected the Cure (I love them and am well familiar with them), but I picked one (A Forest) and it definitely qualifies. Thanks, definitely checking all the others out.
    rcarlberg: Is there anything sadder than a song that has never been played?
    Plasmatopia: Maybe a song in D minor that has never been played?

    bob_32_116: That would be a terrific triple bill: Cyan, Magenta and Yello.

    trurl: The Odyssey: "He's trying to get home."

  9. #9
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    I've never done a stop-watch on it, but it's always seemed to me that the Carpenters' 'Goodbye To Love' is half-instrumental. There's a guitar solo in the middle and then another longer one that closes it.

    One of my favourite ones that I think would surprise a lot of people here is Johnny Mathis' 'Life Is A Song Worth Singing'. It takes about 3 minutes before his vocals come in, it's very much in a sort of 'symphonic soul' style- marvellous! The same writers were responsible for another earlier one in a similar style, The Stylistics' 'People Make The World Go Round'.

  10. #10


    Made me think of this one:
    rcarlberg: Is there anything sadder than a song that has never been played?
    Plasmatopia: Maybe a song in D minor that has never been played?

    bob_32_116: That would be a terrific triple bill: Cyan, Magenta and Yello.

    trurl: The Odyssey: "He's trying to get home."

  11. #11
    Parrots Ripped My Flesh Dave (in MA)'s Avatar
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    Carrying No Cross.

  12. #12
    ^ Very probably.

    Alas, Carpenters -- as much as I love 'em -- had to be disqualified, wasn't even close. I love the lightness of the melody being at cross purposes with the lyrics, though. Right up there with Cardigans' Love Fool.

    I think Peter Gabriel's "We Do What We're Told" qualifies -- the song is almost exactly half over when the lyrics start.
    rcarlberg: Is there anything sadder than a song that has never been played?
    Plasmatopia: Maybe a song in D minor that has never been played?

    bob_32_116: That would be a terrific triple bill: Cyan, Magenta and Yello.

    trurl: The Odyssey: "He's trying to get home."

  13. #13
    Caravan - For Richard
    Loggins & Messina - Angry Eyes
    Traffic - Low Spark....
    Allman Brothers - Whipping Post
    NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF STUPID PEOPLE IN LARGE GROUPS!

  14. #14
    Member Digital_Man's Avatar
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    Isn't most classic epic prog about 50 percent instrumental?
    Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Dusty Chalk View Post
    Wow, I wouldn't have expected the Cure (I love them and am well familiar with them), but I picked one (A Forest) and it definitely qualifies. Thanks, definitely checking all the others out.
    Yes it's not really something you might expect from The Cure but, over the Kiss Me x 3/Disintegration/Wish album sequence, they had a large number of songs with extended introductions and/or endings. Like you I figured A Forest would qualify and I suspected that The Kiss would too. I was surprised to find so many other songs that qualified.

    Here's some other songs I've found:

    Oceansize - It's My Tail And I'll Chase It If I Want To
    Oceansize - The Strand
    Oceansize - Commemorative ____ T-Shirt
    Oceansize - The Frame
    Oceansize - Mine Host
    Oceansize - Ornament/The Last Wrongs
    Opeth - Blackwater Park
    Opeth Atonement
    The Pineapple Thief - What Have We Sown?
    Porcupine Tree - Anesthetize
    Porcupine Tree - .3
    Porcupine Tree - Last Chance To Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled
    Porcupine Tree - Russia On Ice
    Porcupine Tree - Time Flies
    Sound Of Contact - Mobius Slip
    Steve Hackett - Every Day
    Steve Hackett - Tigermoth
    Steve Hackett - Shadow Of The Hierophant
    Steven Wilson - No Twilight Within The Courts Of The Sun
    The Stranglers - Walk On By
    The Stranglers - Time To Die
    The Stranglers - Down In The Sewer
    The Stranglers - Hallow To Our Men
    The Stranglers - The Raven
    "One should never magnify the harsh light of reality with the mirror of prose onto the delicate wings of fantasy's butterfly"
    Thumpermonkey - How I Wrote The French Lieutenant's Woman

    "I'm content to listen to what I like and keep my useless negative opinions about what I don't like to myself -- because no one is interested in hearing those anyway, and it contributes absolutely nothing to the conversation."
    aith01

  16. #16
    ^ Awesome, I love Oceansize, go through spates of listening to all of their albums that comprise Feed to Feed. And I have recently concluded that Pineapple Thief is my favourite current band.
    Quote Originally Posted by Digital_Man View Post
    Isn't most classic epic prog about 50 percent instrumental?
    Pretty much. That's why I asked for favourites...really, it's just an excuse to talk about the music we love with a particular slant. Feel free to bring up or not bring up whatever examples you feel worth mentioning.

    That said, this really is a topic that is near/dear to my heart, and I really am enjoying hearing all these great examples.

    It's like hearing a song where they wait to bring the drums in -- the restraint just makes the introduction that much more impactful. It's not that I don't want to hear the drums -- I love drums! -- it's that I enjoy it that much more when it's done well and artistically.
    rcarlberg: Is there anything sadder than a song that has never been played?
    Plasmatopia: Maybe a song in D minor that has never been played?

    bob_32_116: That would be a terrific triple bill: Cyan, Magenta and Yello.

    trurl: The Odyssey: "He's trying to get home."

  17. #17
    Member bill g's Avatar
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    Here's a few:

    Hatfield & The North - Son of There's No Place Like Homerton, Mumps
    Mr. Sirius - All The Fallen People, Nile For A While
    Advent - Ramblin' Sailor
    Tony Banks - An Island In The Darkness
    PFM - Appena Un Po
    Thieves' Kitchen - The Water Road
    Genesis - Firth of Fifth, Cinema Show

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Dusty Chalk View Post
    Supertramp, "Child of Vision"
    Sweet, "Love is Like Oxygen"
    The The, "Uncertain Smile"
    Stranglers, "Too Precious"
    Good choices!

    My top would probably be “Metamorfosi” by Banco. The vocals consist of one verse about two minutes from the end of the piece, but the vocals absolutely make the piece.

    Similarly ridiculous: Gino Vannelli’s “A Pauper in Paradise Suite.” His brief vocal part (again, one single verse) comes in at roughly 12 minutes into a 15 minute piece.
    Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...

  19. #19
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    Once Upon A Time In The West (version on the live Alchemy album), by Dire Straits

  20. #20
    Member davis's Avatar
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    'End of the Day' from Al Stewart's 'Time Passages' album

  21. #21
    Member bigjohnwayne's Avatar
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    There's a bunch I like better but how about...


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