Sometimes the word instrumental makes me shiver or worry. I can recall them sometimes being used as a cheap filler on a B-side. But many others far exceed those memories and stand up as singles in their own right.
The 1970s saw quite a variety of music and plenty of instrumentals being released. There was a trend towards the work of classical music which worked well to open up that world to more people. Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band with "A Fifth of Beethoven" for example. Or the band Sky, who brought a rock, and, at times, a progressive or jazz sound to many more formal classical compositions.
I liked the merging of different types of music. But I much prefer it when there is a very real rock style to an instrumental. There were plenty of rocking music only tunes in the 1970s to listen to. I’m only scratching the surface with these five excellent tunes below to give a flavor of what was happening back then. They all brighten the day for me when I hear them.
Five rocking 1970s instrumental singles
Allman Brothers Band - “Jessica”
First on my list is this superb track from 1973 by the Allman Brothers Band. They were known for their amazing guitar work and this song showcases that. It was written by guitarist Dickey Betts as a tribute to Django Reinhardt and named after Betts’ daughter. In addition to Betts’ subtle guitar play, there’s the brilliant piano solo in the middle of the song too.
Released as a single it didn't get huge chart success. The tune became a radio favorite and a strong crowd-pleaser on their live set lists. It also became the theme tune for BBC’s Top Gear show and was featured in a few movies, like Field Of Dreams. It is a classic and very familiar tune for sure.
CCS - “Whole Lotta Love”
I hadn’t realized until now that CCS stood for Collective Consciousness Society. I can see why they went for the much shorter abbreviation. Led by UK blues star Alexis Korner the band was made up of a collection of session musicians. Somehow a cover song seems a pretty appropriate record for their big hit. It’s maybe a bit odd that they chose an instrumental version of the classic Led Zeppelin song, but it worked very well.
I’d not usually be keen to hear a cover of such a great song, especially an instrumental. Butt this one gets a full pass mark. Perhaps in the UK, we are heavily swayed by its use as a theme tune for the BBC iconic pop music show Top Of The Pops (TOTP), a hugely watched show back in the 1970s.
That theme tune isn't the same single that CCS released though. Instead, it was the TOTP Orchestra who recorded the theme tune. They were made up of a bunch of session musicians, many of whom were in CCS, so it kind of stuck that it was a CCS version used.
Cozy Powell - “Dance With the Devil”
A drummer giving us instrumental sounds like the dreaded part of a show where the drum solo kicks in. Anything more than a couple of minutes usually has me losing interest. So a single drum-based release doesn't initially inspire. This, though, overcomes that problem very well. Sure it's the start of a drum solo that then builds and intensifies. But the added guitar, neat bass from Suzi Quatro, and some wordless background vocals make a huge difference and a great tune.
If you listen carefully you’ll hear traces of the tune on some other popular records. Boney M has the drum rhythm in their intro to “Rasputin.” UK fun pop duo Right Said Fred also slipped the more musical theme from it into “I’m Too Sexy.”
Emerson Lake and Palmer - “Fanfare For The Common Man”
I mentioned earlier about the rush of classical music being made into pop and rock songs. This is one of the best examples. The underlying tune is a fanfare composed by Aaron Copland in 1942. It was originally used to mark the US entry into World War II. Keith Emerson adapted it in 1977 for Emerson Lake and Palmer (ELP), taking the dramatic fanfare and drums and rocking it up with added bass guitar and synthesizer.
It went on to be used as a great Winter Olympics TV theme and has a second connection with that sporting event. ELP was rehearsing for a tour in the outdoor Montreal Olympic stadium and made a superb and very iconic video in a cold, snowy setting. Dressed in furs and warm clothing it made for a very different look at the band and the tune.
The Edgar Winter Group - “Frankenstein”
A chart-topping and huge success from 1973. It wasn’t based on the literary monster but took its name from the way it was put together. A whole raft of edits, cuts, and snippets were all stitched and wrapped up together in the studio production. There’s great use of a synthesizer in the tune too.
The opening riffs are instantly recognizable and set the scene for a few minutes of heavy monster rock, so the name isn't that odd at all. One segment, just before the extended drum solo, sounds a lot like Focus, a Dutch band with some stunning instrumentals to their name. Edgar Winter had been performing Frankenstein in one form or another since 1970 before adding it to their 1972 album. So that seems to predate Focus but anything could be possible.