Instrumental albums from previously vocal-oriented bands?

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I can think of a few bands who started out as strictly instrumental but then began to add vocals here and there -- Out Hud is what prompted this thread, but also the guest spots on the last Rachel's record (Shannon Wright) and Tortoise record (Kelly Hogan). Mouse on Mars would count, too. Probably a lot more.

But are there any acts that started out with vocals but then ditched them on subsequent records? I can't think of one. Bowie's Low definitely jettisons a lot of vocals, but half the songs on the album still have lyrics. I guess maybe Billy Joel's classical piano album? Are there others?

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Prince?

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Dreamweapon springs immediately to mind. Those Sonic Youth EPs.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Ah yes, good. I forgot about the SY ones.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:24 (twenty-one years ago)

There's that Black Flag album. Never heard it though.

― everything, Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha not the terrible half poetry/half instrumental one?!?! Oh jeez.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Your mention of Bowie brings Eno to mind. Also, Soft Machine. And many of the instrumental surf bands had been vocal groups a couple of years prior to the surf craze. Of course they were probably vocal groups again a couple of years later.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Felt to thread

― rentboy (rentboy), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh yeah, Eno, duh. That's funny I mentioned Low and wasn't even thinking.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:47 (twenty-one years ago)

George Harrison, Wonderwall

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh yeah, Felt's "Train Above The City" is not their worst.

― everything, Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Early Labradford had vocals, as did early Tortoise, unless I am mistaken (I have an early Toroise single w/ vox but not sure where exactly it fits w/ chronology.)

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:54 (twenty-one years ago)

The final Uncle Wiggly album (disclaimer: which I put out), Farfetchedness, is all instrumental, aside from a little bit of ba-ba-ba on the last track. (They'd had instrumentals I'd loved on each of their first three albums, then their Teenbeat album was all songs with vocals, so I asked them if they'd do an instrumental album for Dark Beloved Cloud.)

I suppose Young Marble Giants' Testcard EP counts here too, but that's more a case of the singer having left.

― Douglas (Douglas), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:55 (twenty-one years ago)

And, actually, what about Can?

― Douglas (Douglas), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Isn't there some instrumental Fugazi album? I remember thinking "this is like the album they made for their drug-doing friends to do drugs to".

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh yeah, Felt's "Train Above The City" is not their worst.
Then what is?

― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:59 (twenty-one years ago)

the soundtrack to the Fugazi doc 'Instrument' was mostly demos, some of them instrumental, some of them not. (xp)

― Al (sitcom), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Two Dollar Guitar - Train Songs

― Al (sitcom), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:01 (twenty-one years ago)

and Soul Coughing had some limited edition EP that was instrumental

― Al (sitcom), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:01 (twenty-one years ago)

"Sho Is Funky Down Here," James Brown, '71. Arranged by Dave Matthews. Backed by a band whose name I forget, I believe "Mojo" mag did a think on them in the current issue, something like Grypwinder McChili...

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Arranged by Dave Matthews. Backed by a band whose name I forget

Grodjeck Whipperjenny

― The JaXoN 5 (JasonD), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:08 (twenty-one years ago)

actually, spelled that wrong The Grodeck Whipperjenny - Classic or Absolute Classic?

i've been wanting that Sho Is Funky album forever. i bought it once and it was warped :( so i listened to it once, loved it and returned it

also, wasn't O'rang an instrumental version of Talk Talk, minus Hollis?

― The JaXoN 5 (JasonD), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Not Only Can But Faust Also

― Bad Day At Dadrock (Dada), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:11 (twenty-one years ago)

And, of course, SOFT MACHINE!!!!!!!

― Bad Day At Dadrock (Dada), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

i actually think Train Above the City is my favorite Felt record

― rentboy (rentboy), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh yeah, Felt's "Train Above The City" is not their worst.
Then what is?

It's an instrumental album with a lot of jazzy vibraphone, bass and drums.

― everything, Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry, I misread that. I don't know what their worst album could possibly be, but I like TATC.

― everything, Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:15 (twenty-one years ago)

*actually, spelled that wrong The Grodeck Whipperjenny - Classic or Absolute Classic?

i've been wanting that Sho Is Funky album forever. i bought it once and it was warped :( so i listened to it once, loved it and returned it*

thanks! "Sho Is Funky" is pretty amazingly...something...last LP for King, strangely enough...my copy's in pretty good shape, since I barely ever played it.

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:19 (twenty-one years ago)

There are TONS of instrumental albums in the James Brown catalogue. The first one, I believe, is called "Mighty Instrumentals."

― Douglas (Douglas), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Yo La tengo did that underwater soundtrack. but that seems a bit like cheating...

― b b, Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Camel: The Snow Goose

They then went on to become vocal-oriented though.

Also, it depends on your definition of "instrumental", but Underworld got gratually more and more instrumental from the start of their career.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:59 (twenty-one years ago)

rez and dirty guitar are both instrumentals from early on - some of their first tracks, actually.

― rentboy (rentboy), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 19:02 (twenty-one years ago)

And, of course, SOFT MACHINE!!!!!!!

Yeah I already mentioned them. There must be some other prog bands as well who started out as semi-poppy psychedlic/progressive bands but eventually fell into full-blown orchestral indulgences or sidelong fusion jams.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 19:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Black Dice

I don't know if they were ever "vocal-oriented" since I haven't actually heard the older stuff, but apparently they used to have vocals. Now they don't!

― sleep (sleep), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 19:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Unless you count the robot vox from R2D2

― sleep (sleep), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Kinski started out as a three piece where Chris Martin screamed during the songs.. they pretty much ditch the vocals since their first EP.. with small exceptions.

And I was going to mention Ungle Wiggly, but Douglas got there before me (for obvious reasons, heh heh)

And Train Above The City is NOT Felt's worst album.. I actually like it more than some other Creation era Felt. The worst Felt honor would go to the vocal final album Me And A Monkey And The Moon. *snoooze*

Are we forgetting the superior though short instrumental album Let The Snakes Crinkle Their Heads To Death?

― donut debonair (donut), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 19:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I think Paul Newman, the band, followed this pattern as well.

― donut debonair (donut), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Renegade Soundwave! (In Dub)

― donut debonair (donut), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

well, that is before Karl Bonnie left.. then the vocals came back.

― donut debonair (donut), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 19:17 (twenty-one years ago)

rez and dirty guitar are both instrumentals from early on - some of their first tracks, actually.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:nmec97b7krdt

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 19:18 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.ac-amiens.fr/internotes/Magazine/revuepresse/strange/reedmetal/c_reed1.jpg

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 19:19 (twenty-one years ago)

oh yeah, you're right. i always forget about that - probably because i spent so much effort trying to forget about it.

― rentboy (rentboy), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 19:27 (twenty-one years ago)

King Cobb Steelie ditched vocals for Destroy All Codes.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 19:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Benny Andersson released an instrumental album with traditional Swedish accordian music sometime during the late 80s.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 19:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Keeping in mind the thread-title literally (i.e. ALBUMS, not bands), MX-80's curious Das Love Boat: Instrumentals 1975-'90 qualifies. "Curious" because it was a compilation mixing previously released and previously UN-released instrumentals, plus three prev. released vocal tracks w/vocal erased.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

do fort lauderdale count?
i think their instrumental albums might have come first come to thijk of it

― Slump Man (Slump Man), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 22:29 (twenty-one years ago)

The aforementioned Felt instrumental LPs are such brilliant career moves: Janglesome popsters make their Creation long-playing debut with a selection of sprightly Hammond-driven numbers for your next gathering. Then "Train Above the City" approximates coctail jazz and the vibes player replaces Lawrence altogether, allowing him to devote himself to the selection of appropriate track titles! == The epitome of cool.

Wouldn't rate either of them as their worst. Sometimes I just want to produce a TV program for which "Song for William S Harvey" would be the theme music.

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 23:14 (twenty-one years ago)

The first Lanterna album had one song with vocals and then Henry Frayne dumped the vocals for the following three albums

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 23:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Lanterna is essentially The Moon Seven Times without vocals anyway

― Yngwie AlmsteenMay (sgertz), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 01:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Harmony Rockets (Mercury Rev) - "Paralyzed Mind of the Archangel Void"

Beastie Boys - "The In Sound From Way Out"

― Yngwie AlmsteenMay (sgertz), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 01:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Frank Zappa - the Shut Up n' Play Yer Guitar series

― jim wentworth (wench), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 01:32 (twenty-one years ago)

The Church - Bastard Universe and Jammed

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 01:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Frank Zappa - the Shut Up n' Play Yer Guitar series

He did this already with "Lumpy Gravy", and then, several times throughout his career.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 09:14 (twenty-one years ago)

SYR 2, the Sonic Youth instrumental thing w/Esperanto titles, is groovy (and the only one of their instrumental series I've heard.) Steve Shelley really comes into his own here, pushes things along.

― mcoleman (lovebug starski), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 10:46 (twenty-one years ago)

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