Hey, dis rekid ain’t got no words…

Instrumentals are a staple for the discerning record buyer and there are a heck of a lot of them. So for this week’s newsletter we have waded through the poor Shadows and Ventures wannabes to find the groups that have dispensed with vocals to concentrate on blasting guitar, wailing sax and a huge sound.  Here are six of the best covering various styles.  

Nick and the Jaguars – Ichi-I-Bon #1 / Cool and Crazy – Tamla

Yep, Tamla the Soul label issued this amazing instro double sider in 1959. With a line up of two guitars and drums only, this is stripped down rock n roll blown up as loud as it can be in the expert hands of Berry Gordy.

Jay Hodge Ork – Goatsville

The most mono guitar drives this monster along with shouts and drums and cowbells playing around all over the place underneath. The end of the song is unique. (The flip is a non-instro female shouter with a cool Latin feel).

Roy Buchanan – Mule Train Stomp / Pretty Please – Swan

Sometime between being the driving forced behind Dale Hawkins and then Ronnie Hawkins, Roy took a few minutes to knock out this tough as nails version of Mule Train making it, as the title says, into a real stomper.  The flip is a real groover at a slower pace that still has all the power of the stomp side.

Gentry Brothers – Swanky / Swooney – Dixie

Two powerhouse Rockabilly sides right here from Indiana, recorded in 1961 and released on the fabled Dixie Label. Sometimes categorising instros into genres seems redundant, as the vocal style so often defines the sound, but Swanky in particular is rockabilly to the core.

Clyde Stacey – Scrounge / I Got A Baby – Bella

Hiding underneath the often comp’d driving rocker I Got A Baby is Scrounge a fabulous boppin’ rockabilly instro.  Issued in 1958 in California, but that is about it for info. But this is about sound and it sounds great. 

The Aquanauts – Rumble On The Docks / Bombora – Safari Records

Finally some surf, masses of heavy atmospheric guitar with a high pitched sax burning through the fog like a lighthouse’s beam on the top side contrasting with a throbbing drum on the flip creating a deep foundation for sax and guitar to build on. Just great.

We had decided to do this instro run as so many great ones have been issued lately but we got so caught up in some of our favourites that there was no room for the great new ones so, please jump into our instrumentals section for many more like Freddy & The Heartaches – Womp Womp, The Cobras – Ghoulish, Mac Rebennnack – Storm Warning and don’t forget the great modern bands like The Arousers and Sir Bald and his various men.