Classic Rock Instrumental Tracks: 'Beck's Bolero' and 5 Other Essentials
Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter
June 24th
Lyrics-shmyrics! Who needs words to rock out anyway?! In honor of Jeff Beck’s birthday (June 24), here is a handful of some of our favorite classic rock instrumental tracks.
The b-side to Beck's first solo single, "Hi Ho Silver Lining," "Beck's Bolero" features a stacked lineup of musicians including Jimmy Page, Keith Moon, John Paul Jones, and Nicky Hopkins.
Released in February 1973, "Frankenstein" was the Edgar Winter Group's lone number one hit.
"Rat Salad" is featured on Sabbath's classic album 'Paranoid.' (Fun fact: Rat Salad was the name of an up-and-coming band out of California that would eventually become Van Halen.)
The second track off of Van Halen's self-titled debut, all it took was this epic 1:42 track to signal the arrival of Eddie Van Halen to Guitar God status.
This drum-solo track from the late, great John Bonham only added to the greatness that was 'Led Zeppelin II.'
"La Villa Strangiato" is the closing track on 1978's 'Hemispheres.' It clocks in at 9:35 and is somehow only the second-longest track on the album behind "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres," which takes up all of side 1 and is 18:08.