10 Surprising Instrumental Tracks You NEED To Hear
1. YYZ - Rush
As Rush were getting together material for their album Moving Pictures, Geddy Lee and Neil Peart decided to have an impromptu jam session while guitarist Alex Lifeson was out of the studio. With the album's tone taking inspiration from the life of a traveler, the song's rhythm was taken from the Morse Code at one of Canada's airports.
Once Lee and Peart had laid down a rhythm track, they realized they might have another keeper for the album. This led to the song being tracked by the power trio with Lifeson contributing a Middle-Eastern-inspired lead guitar break to compliment the initial groove.
Midway through the song, the riffs shift into a rhythm extravaganza, with Lee laying down thick bass breaks and Peart pounding out hard-hitting drum fills.
Upon its release, "YYZ" was hailed as one of the greatest songs on the record and continued to have a prominent position in Rush's setlist throughout the rest of their career.
Rush had done tremendous instrumental feats before, but this song is the prime example of an instrumental where you can sing along with every melody without every needing to learn a word.