Over the past twenty years, the evoluton of guitar-based instrumental rock has seen tremendous ebb and flow. In some instances, it has followed popular musical trends. In other cases, it has happened purely by accident. Many of today's best-known rock "lick-meisters" were part of the explosion of this particular genre, which also coincided with the influx of metal music into mainstream listening back in the early 1980's, and then, throughout that decade. While this period has often been heralded by both players and critics as the "heyday" of this musical style, instrumental guitar was a key element in popular music long before spandex pants and big hair. With that, let us begin.

Chet Atkins was perhaps one of the very first prominent guitar instrumentalists. A dazzlingly deft artist, Chet would advance the rgus genre of music by leaps and bounds, with his amazing command of the fretboard, and light, silky-smooth touch. Atkins' standards have been a mainstay amongst his fans and fellow guitarists for well over five decades. Sadly, Chet Atkins passed on in 2001, but left an incredibly vast catalog of phenomenal work, and a trophy case any guitarist would be proud of. Some of his honors include being elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1973. And between 1967 to 1988, he claimed the CMA’s (Country Music Association) Instrumentalist of the Year honor (11) times! Chet's close friend, Les Paul, was also an early pioneer in instrumental guitar music, and has already been featured in previous HYH review (Les Paul & Friends).

Surf music was part of the burgeoning 60's music & car culture, and at the "point break" of this style of music were two largely instrumental bands. One of the definitive sounds of the day belonged to Dick Dale, who has long been considered the originator of surf guitar music. Dale's daring and dynamic use of staccato picking techniques and cavernous reverb soon became the trademark tone of many surf-sound bands. Also making "waves" (pun intended!) at the same time were The Ventures, an instrumental group featuring the dual-lead stylings of Don Wilson and Nokie Edwards (later be replaced by Gerry McGhee in 1968.) The hypnotic surf beats of "Pipeline" (Chantays) or the swingin', up-tempo "Wipe Out" (Surfaris) became instant classics, and not only a hit with radio listeners, but also with young, up-and-coming guitar players, who were affixed to surf music's incredible sounds and diverse playing styles. In fact, The Ventures became so big, Mosrite Guitars (a California-based company) decided to capitalize on the ever-growing popularity of surf music by developing a signature "Ventures" style guitar. These particular guitars are now highly collectible, and pristine examples often fetch several thousand dollars! At a point further down the road, a Mosrite Ventures II model would later land in the hands of a young Johnny Ramone (aka John Cummings) - and eventually become the signature sound of the American punk revolution. Funny how that stuff works, isn't it?

As the 60's wore on into the 70's, and the 70's into the 80's, there were other artists and bands who would successfully infuse the instrumental rock sound into their own material, whether it be acoustically or electrically-based. Some of these artists included: Jimi Hendrix ("Driving South"), The Grateful Dead ("Sage & Spirit"), Led Zeppelin ("White Summer / Black Mountain Side"), The Allman Brothers ("In Memory of Elizabeth Reed"), Carlos Santana ("Samba Pa Ti"), and Frank Zappa ("Rat Tomago"). (*Author's Note - This is by no means a "complete" list of instrumental bands / artists - just a few that readily came to mind while writing this review.)

The 1970's were a creative high-point for various forms of instrumental guitar alchemy, and two of the forerunners in this sound revolution included Steve Howe of the rock group Yes, and Jeff Beck, formerly of Yardbirds and The Jeff Beck Group fame. Yes was a prominent player in the progressive rock movement of the early 70's, and featured a collection of superbly talented, studio-minded musicians - among them Steve Howe. With his band counterparts, Howe formulated new and exciting approaches to guitar arrangements, as well as structural movement within songs. Although vocals were often a key feature of their material, their extended instrumental jams within songs were abound with detail, and infused with creative energy.

Following Rod Stewart's departure to Faces, and the marginally successful "Beck - Bogert - Appice", Jeff Beck was eager to explore new ground. Spanning a period of of five years (1975-80), Beck released (3) phenomenal rock-fusion instrumental albums: "Wired", "Blow By Blow", and "There And Back", all of which incorporated a guitar-heavy, vocal-less approach. But what was most interesting about Beck's work during this period was that his guitar tone had a uniquely "vocal" feel to them. Even tough there weren't any vocals, it "felt" like there were. Add into that equation Beck's penchant for aggressively exploring tonal boundaries, firm groundwork had now been laid for other artists to follow. Although I am no expert in the field of instrumental rock music, I have read plenty of reviews that point to Jeff Beck as an integral contributor to this genre of music, and his work a keypoint in the transition of this style into both harder rock, and jazz-fusion based music.

Then - it happened. The instrumental rock guitar equivalent of the atomic bomb: it was called "Eruption". Ground zero: the 1977 blockbuster debut of southern California rock sensations "Van Halen". The song title was ever-so-fitting of the furious, six-string supernova that it was, and one that had every awe-struck guitar player's jaw bouncing off of the ground. And the axe-wielding madman behind this stunning display of fretboard mastery: a young player named Edward Van Halen. Granted, there had been other players who had appeared on the music scene amidst the clamor of critics and fans. But few had done so with Van Halen's masterful panache' - chops so tight, phrasing so intricate, and technique so fully developed. Not since Hendrix's explosion on the U.S. music scene at the Monterey Pop Festival in June '67 had a new guitar-playing revolution been so firmly placed on the horizon. Van Halen's unfathomable virtuosity set off a flurry of activity in technical realms that before, had been unchartered waters - things such as string harmonics, fret-tapping, and string / locking vibrato - all became a standard part of the modern player's arsenal. And while Eddie Van Halen would routinely include an instrumental guitar piece on each of Van Halen's albums that followed, the band's sound was not so entirely dependent his guitar. And how could it be? With raucous, whiskey-swilling frontman David Lee Roth firmly at the helm of the Van Halen pirate ship, the band would eventually pillage and plunder their way to the arena rock throne, and rule their kingdom as party kings par excellance'.

Although Eddie Van Halen would continue to be the prototype of the modern rock player throughout the 80's, around 1987, something very interesting happened. Another rock artist appered on the scene, and almost overnight, re-invented the instrumental guitar genre. That man: Joe Satriani. A former guitar instructor from Van Halen's southern California, Joe had made a name for himself first as a guitar teacher. Among Satriani's past pupils: Steve Vai (Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth Band); Kirk Hammett (Metallica); Alex Skolnick (Testament); and Larry LaLonde (Primus). When Satriani's "Surfin' With The Alien" hit the airwaves in '87, it coincided perfectly with pop metal's dominance on the charts. And like its surf-music predacessors, the catchy, hook-based riffwork was an instantaneous hit with listeners and players everywhere. Satriani's music was almost wholly instrumentally-based: rich with tonal structure, amazing fretwork, and a melodic, intimate feel. Yes, guitar work that was so good, vocals would have been an after-thought. I was one of the first on my block to own "Surfin'", and I will tell you that it made a HUGE impression on me. Not only from the aspect of technique and skill, but that the music had such a "listenable" quality to it, much like the previously-mentioned Jeff Beck material. Steve Vai had tread similar ground as Satriani with his "Flex-able" release in 1982, though it perhaps lacked the more radio-friendly saviour fare' of Satriani's material. Swedish-born Yngwie Malmsteen would also make new inroads to the instrumental hard rock arena in 1984, with the mind-numbing, classical movement-based fury of "Rising Force". It is perhaps every bit as technically impressive as Van Halen's "Eruption", and earned him a Grammy Award nomination that same year. But just as fast as this new rock / instrumental movement rose to prominence, it would be soon be snuffed out to a smoldering ember by the onset of grunge and industrial hard rock.

Throughout the 90's, and the early part of the millenium, there have been a number great instrumental players who have continued to carry the torch - among them: Warren Haynes (Allman Bros. / Gov't Mule), Eric Johnson, Derek Trucks, and Trey Anastacio (Phish). Bands in other genres have followed their own cues, as well, and have made instrumental guitar rock part of their sound.

It would be interesting to hear from other Fret.Net members about other bands / artists / albums that have embraced this style of music - especially some of the newer artists / groups, as well as those outside of the rock, progressive rock, and hard rock genres. Remember - "style points" to the best responses, so c'mon - let's see your "A" game on this one!!

Wishing everyone good listening - Nelskie (1/14/06)