Pop Instrumentals

Hard to Find Orchestral Instrumentals, Vol. 2 gathers up 20 lush, rich, and string-filled songs played by a wide variety of big orchestras both well-known, like Nelson Riddle's orchestra, and lost to the vagaries of time, like Sir Chauncey & His Exciting Strings. The disc is consistently lush and would make any elevator ride a pleasant journey. If you like beautiful melodies played by lots and lots of violins, this is the perfect disc for you.

For Sentimental Reasons: Great Instrumentals is a 1995 compilation disc. Highlights include an accordion version of Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called To Say I Love You". It was released by Reader's Digest as part of The World's Most Beautiful Melldies series of albums.

Although Swing Out Sister's music is unashamedly commercial pop, their impeccable indie credentials (keyboardist Andy Connell and drummer Martin Jackson were formerly of A Certain Ratio and Magazine, and singer Corinne Drewery had no professional experience at all before joining), jazz-tinged arrangements, and knack for clever hooks move them closer to the indie dance territory of St. Etienne or late period Everything But the Girl than to the cookie-cutter dance-pop of Kylie Minogue or Paula Abdul.

Even through the '60s, when rock & roll had supposedly taken over the pop landscape, there was still plenty of room on the singles charts for easy-listening orchestras fortunate enough to find and record compositions catchy enough to grab the attention of mainstream audiences. Hard-to-Find Orchestral Instrumentals gathers some of these tunes, leading off with three of the '60s' biggest hits in the genre.

Vol. 3 in acclaimed instrumental series finds Duane Eddy and his guitar Moovin' 'N' Groovin' and the Phil Upchurch Combo steppin' to the dancefloor with their fantastic, double-sided single You Can't Sit Down (Parts 1 & 2) (incidentally, this has, for its time - 1961, a floor-shaking, rootsy bass-guitar solo that predicts the later stylings of bassists like Willie Weeks). Here are UK Pop chart hits Perfidia by The Ventures (#4), Wipe Out by The Surfaris (#5), (Ghost) Riders In The Sky by The Ramrods (#8), Pipeline by The Chantays (#16), Quite A Party by The Fireballs (#29) and the afore-mentioned You Can't Sit Down (#39). Lesser known items by The Teen Beats (The Slop Beat) and Buddy Lucas (I Want To Know) help present a more complete picture of these instrumental years from the late 1950s to early 1960s (but are also included because they are so damn good!). The detailed sleevenotes are by Stuart Colman.

English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark release a special "Instrumentals" edition of their fourteenth studio album Bauhaus Staircase, the fourth album released since their 2006 reformation. The record was largely inspired by world politics during the late 2010s and early 2020s. Includes the singles "Slow Train," "Veruschka," and the title track.

Our mission at Complete 60s Records to collect every U.S. pop instrumental hit of the 1960s produced three spectacular box sets, but when we found it impossible to go forward past 1962, collectors demanded we turn back the clock to 1959, another great year for instrumentals. So now, on two jam-packed CDs, we have collected every charting U.S. pop hit from 1959 in sparkling fidelity, all 66 of them! Nearly a third of these (21) are CD debuts, tracks that appear on CD for the first time ever.Even more exciting, Complete Pop Instrumental Hits of 1959 sports EIGHT iconic 1959 songs in real STEREO for the first time. These aren't just minor hits, but the biggest hits of the year in spectacular new STEREO that will knock your socks off. Check out the sound samples available elsewhere (search for CD Title + Listen). You won't believe your ears!

These Guitar Instrumentals from the UK '61-'64 were a short period when groups took control. There's a quick visit to Joe Meek's studios, and a track from The Gladiators without Nero and more. Compiled by psych musician/Psychic Circle Records' Nick Saloman (The Bevis Frond). Artists included: The Falcons, The Krew Kats, The Phantoms, Bobby Taylor, The Hunters, Dennis Newey, The Executives, The Nu-Notes, The Cougars, The Champions, The Fentones, The Gimmicks, Dunhill & Weiser, The Packabeats, The Planets, Johnny Howard Group, Rhet Stoller, The Players, The Violents, Group X, The Barons, Bob Miller & The Millermen, The Vengers and The Royal Showband, Waterford. 25 tracks.

As a teenager, Vicki Fox worked at Rock On before becoming involved with Ace, where her skill at photographic restoration enhanced so many of their releases. A gifted artist and a passionate music fan, Vicki's joie de vivre and live-wire personality enriched everything she undertook. Vicki also compiled several releases herself. Her love of cats was immortalised in Feline Groovy (CDCHD 1168), a CD which launched a thousand T-shirts. This was followed by All Aboard (CDCHD 1450), a highly eclectic collection of train songs.