Although a lot of the musical focus in the years after the cataclysmic mid-‘50s arrival of rock ‘n’ roll in the charts was on the personality singers, there were several strands of instrumental music which featured highly in the charts, and although the music comes from the rock ‘n’ roll era, by no means all of the records were rock ‘n’ roll-based.
On the rock ‘n’ roll and R&B front, there were the guitar groups like the Ventures in the USA and The Shadows in the UK, plus the organ-based sounds of Johnny & The Hurricanes, Bill Black and Dave ‘Baby’ Cortez. There were plenty of orchestral hits, often with movie themes, plus some piano pieces and hangovers from an earlier era, along with Latin tunes, dance craze tunes, country records and novelty items.
This 87-track 3-CD collection comprises most of the instrumental hits that made the US Top 10 and UK Top 5 from these years, plus some selected collectable obscurities and wild cards. It makes for fascinating listening, looking at the charts from a particular angle, and many of the records will spark special memories for baby-boomers who grew up through those years.
Tracks
CD 1
1. JIVIN' AROUND PTS. 1 & 2 Ernie Freeman (Cash 1017) 1956
2. LOST DREAMS Ernie Freeman (Imperial 5381) 1956
3. RAUNCHY Bill Justis & His Orchestra (Philiiips 3519) 1957
4. RAUNCHY Ernie Freeman (Imperial 5474) 1957
5. LET'S HAVE A BALL PT. 1 Winifred Atwell & Her Other Piano (Decca) 1957
6. PATRICIA Perez Prado & His Orch. (RCA 7245) 1958
7. SO RARE Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (Fraternity 755) 1958
8. TEQUILA The Champs (Challenge 1016) 1958
9. TOPSY II Cozy Cole (Love 5004) 1958
10. SAIL ALONG SILVERY MOON Billy Vaughn & His Orchestra (Dot15661) 1958
11. THE RUMBLE Link Wray & His Ray Men (Cadence 1347) 1958
12. REBEL ROUSER Duane Eddy (Jamie 1104) 1958
13. TEA FOR TWO CHA-CHA Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (Decca 30704) 1958
14. EL RANCHO ROCK The Champs (Challenge 5907) 1958
15. MANHATTAN SPIRITUAL Reg Owen & His Orchestra (Palette 5005) 1958
16. NEAR YOU Roger Williams (Kapp 233) 1958
17. BIG GUITAR Owen Bradley Quintet (Decca 30564) 1958
18. TOM HARK Elias & His Zig Zag Jive Flutes (Columbia DB4109) 1958
19. HOOTS MON Lord Rockingham's XI (Decca F11059) 1958
20. THE CLOUDS The Spacemen (Alton 254) 1959
21. SIDE SADDLE Russ Conway (Columbia UK) 1959
22. THE HAPPY ORGAN Dave 'Baby' Cortez (Clock 1009) 1959
23. SLEEP WALK Santo & Johnny (Canadian A103) 1959
24. SMOKIE PT. 2 Bill Black's Combo (Hi 2018) 1959
25. IN THE MOOD Ernie Fields Orchestra (Rendezvous 110) 1959
26. QUIET VILLAGE The Exotic Sounds Of Martin Denny (Liberty 55162) 1959
27. TEEN BEAT Sandy Nelson (Original Sound 5) 1959
28. GUITAR BOOGIE SHUFFLE The Virtues (Hunt 324) 1959
29. PETITE FLEUR Chris Barber's Jazz band (Laurie 3022) 1959
CD 2
1. RED RIVER ROCK Johnny & The Hurricanes (Warwick 509) 1959
2. THERE IS SOMETHING ON YOUR MIND Big Jay McNeely and Band (Swingin' 614) 1959
3. PETER GUNN Ray Anthony & His Orchestra (Capitol F4041) 1959
4. FORTY MILES OF BAD ROAD Duane Eddy (Jamie 1126) 1959
5. ONLY YOU Franck Pourcel's French Fiddles (Capitol 4165) 1959
6. ROULETTE Russ Conway (Columbia DB4298) 1959
7. CALCUTTA Lawrence Welk & His Orch. (Dot 16161) 1960
8. WONDERLAND BY NIGHT Bert Kaempfert (Decca 31141) 1960
9. WHITE SILVER SANDS Bill Black's Combo (Hi 2021) 1960
10. THEME FROM A SUMMER PLACE Percy Faith & His Orchestra (Columbia 41490) 1960
11. THEME FROM EXODUS Ferrante And Teicher (United Artists 274) 1960
12. LAST DATE Floyd Cramer (RCA7775) 1960
13. WALK DON'T RUN The Ventures (Dolton 25) 1960
14. OOH-POO-PAH-DOO PART II Jessie Hill (Minit 607) 1960
15. BECAUSE THEY'RE YOUNG Duane Eddy (Jamie 1156) 1960
16. THE MADISON TIME PT. 2 Ray Bryant Combo (Columbia 41628) 1960
17. DON'T BE CRUEL Bill Black's Combo (Hi 2026) 1960
18. HIT & MISS John Barry Seven Plus Four (Columbia DB4414) 1960
19. ROCKIN' GOOSE Johnny & The Hurricanes (Big Top 3051) 1960
20. PERFIDIA The Ventures (Dolton 655, London-American HLG9232) 1960
21. THEME FROM THE APARTMENT Ferrante And Teicher (United Artists 231) 1960
22. APACHE The Shadows (Columbia UK) 1960
23. ONE MINT JULEP Ray Charles (Impulse 200) 1961
24. MEXICO Bob Moore & His Orch. (Monument 446) 1961
25. PEPE Duane Eddy (Jamie 1175) 1961
26. LAST NIGHT Mar-Keys (Satellite 107) 1961
27. GONZO James Booker (Peacock 1697) 1961
28. WHEELS The Stringalongs (Warwick 603) 1961
29. ON THE REBOUND Floyd Cramer (RCA 7840) 1961
30. YELLOW BIRD Arthur Lyman Group (Hi Fi 5024) 1961
CD 3
1. TAKE FIVE Dave Brubeck Quartet (Columbia 41479) 1961
2. LET THERE BE DRUMS Sandy Nelson (Imperial 5575) 1961
3. TONIGHT Ferrante And Teicher (United Artists 373) 1961
4. SAN ANTONIO ROSE Floyd Cramer (RCA 7893) 1961
5. ASIA MINOR Kokomo (Felsted 8612) 1961
6. QUITE A PARTY The Fireballs (Warwick 644) 1961
7. KON-TIKI The Shadows (Columbia DB4698) 1961
8. SUCU SUCU Laurie Johnson & His Orch. (Pye 7N15383) 1961
9. GREEN ONIONS Booker T & The MGs (Volt 102, Stax 127) 1962
10. MIDNIGHT IN MOSCOW Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen (Kapp 442) 1962
11. SOUL TWIST King Curtis & The Noble Knights (Enoy 1000) 1962
12. STRANGER ON THE SHORE Mr. Acker Bilk (Atco 6217) 1962
13. THE STRIPPER David Rose & His Orchestra (MGM 13064) 1962
14. TELSTAR The Tornadoes (London 9561) 1962
15. ALLEY CAT Bent Fabric (Atco 6226) 1962
16. TUFF Ace Cannon (Hi 2040) 1962
17. OUR WINTER LOVE Bill Pursell (Columbia 42619) 1962
18. WONDERFUL LAND The Shadows (Columbia DB4790) 1962
19. WALK ON THE WILD SIDE PT. 1 Jimmy Smith & The Big Band (Verve 10255) 1962
20. I'VE GOT A WOMAN PT. 1 Jimmy McGriff (Sue 770) 1962
21. THE LONELY BULL The Tiju ana Brass (A&M 703) 1962
22. RINKY DINK Dave 'Baby' Cortez (Julia/Chess 1829) 1962
23. SWEET SIXTEEN BARS Earl Grant (Decca 25574) 1962
24. LET'S GO (PONY) The Routers (WB5283) 1962
25. PERCOLATOR TWIST Billy Joe & The Checkmates (Dore 620) 1962
26. LET'S GO TRIPPIN' Dick Dale & The Del-Tones (Deltone 5017) 1962
27. NUT ROCKER B. Bumble & The Stingers (Rendezvous 166) 1962
28. DANCE ON The Shadows (Columbia DB4948) 1962
