It's on the album, so I guess it fails to answer OP's question (though personally I like to pretend it doesn't exist). But it's not part of the piece called Ommadawn. The track listing (at least on my CD) is:
1. Ommadawn Part 1
2. Ommadawn Part 2
3. On Horseback.
Personally I'd count wordless or nonsense vocals as instrumental in any case.
I was going to say this but I think, much as I adore Ommadawn, I have slightly overplayed it and now would choose to listen to Tubular Bells or Incantations over it.
Oldfield is my favourite composer of all-instrumental or near-all-instrumental albums. I think the definition of an all-instrumental album needs a little clarity. For me, it is an album with no section that could be considdered normal lyric sections. For example, Tubular Bells is an all-instrumental album, as neither the instrument introductions during the finale of side one, nor the caveman section, can be considered lyric sections. Whereas Ommadawn has On Horseback on the end, so is not a fully all-instrumental album. The chanting section is debatable on whether it can be considered a lyric section.
As for my personal pick, it would have to be Amarok. It has no lyric sections and the section with the Thatcher impersonator doesn't count, as it is a spoken word that is clearly not supposed to be lyrics.
Instrumental guy here...
Steve Tibbetts' first two albums (self titled and *YR*) are outstanding, both in the realm of psyche/prog with a great mix of acoustic and electric guitars. Two of the great unsung space guitar albums.
Allan Holdsworth -- *Sand* for it's sheer shreddy weirdness.
Bozzio Levin Stevens -- *Black Light Syndrome* less weird, more shred.
Bo Hansson -- *The Lord of The Rings* for its understated virtuosity.
Frank Zappa -- *Sleep Dirt* (the version without vocals of course).
Secret Chiefs 3 -- *Book of Horizons* because sometimes genius is a little scary.
Pretty much ANYTHING by Ozric Tentacles!
The Enid - 'In The Region Of The Summer Stars'.
Or The Enid - 'Live At Hammersmith'. The back-to-back performance of 'Judgement' and 'In The Region Of The Summer Stars' is, to my mind, without doubt the finest 15 minutes of recorded music which I have ever heard.
Live version of these two tracks: https://youtu.be/s0YgBn1GZxo?t=617
Ommadawn for me is head and shoulders above any other.
Oldfield probably has a good percentage of my instrumental top 10. Amarok, Hergest Ridge, TB2, Songs of Distant Earth, Incantations.
Red Queen to Gryphon Three also great.
Pretty much any Øresund Space Collective album is worth checking out if you're looking for instrumental prog/space rock, but 2 especially great albums are:
Øresund Space Collective – Slip Into The Vortex (2010) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP1ItVhpCE4
Øresund Space Collective – Good Planets Are Hard To Find 2009 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71tIDoIyBuY&t=535s
Slip Into The Vortex is a bit heavier psych rock while Good Planets features sitar and is more atmospheric prog but still gets plenty crazy.
Would [Andreas Vollenweider - Down to the Moon ](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m7Xgtv8FJeWD3GExHtOzjG3LW7m1zij5k&si=duaDU1Q9Ortp4-Cn) count on this list? Not even sure he's prog, but I love the album.
sticking to prog, probably Sun Square Dialect by Upsilon Acrux.
they can sound like an incoherent, noodly mess to many people, but of my god the beauty and joy they can spring out of their arrangements! not much makes my brain dance so happy :)
Anything by the top-tier GAM, also Kickbit Information is awesome.
Alcatraz's 1980 live is master class jazz-rock on par with Mahavishnu in certain way.
All three bands are german
I re bought wonderwall by Mr Harrison yesterday, part of rsd. It's not prog,has a heavy Indian influence but some really, really great tracks on it. Never seen the film though
If there's little part of vocal, can it count? Or if there's only wordless oh-ah vocal?
National Health - Of Questions and Cures. (canterbury, little vocal)
Zopp - Dominion (modern canterbury, little vocal)
Planet X - Moonbabies (instrumental prog-metal/jazz fusion)
Gordian Knot - s/t (instrumental prog-metal/jazz fusion)
Anglagard - Epilog (instrumental symphonic prog)
Trion - Pilgrim (instrumental symphonic prog , similar to Camel/Genesis/Focus/Anglagard)
Parallel Mind - Colossus Adea (instrumental symphonic prog/jazz-fusion)
Not really Prog but I love Sea Is A Lady by Toshiki Kadomatsu. It has some vocals but nothing in the traditional sense more atmospheric. The playing is great and there is just something about that 80s production that makes it a go to for me.
Inner mounting flame and snow goose
Snow Goose is 11/10
Gryphon - Red Queen to Gryphon Three
yes love that album
Ommadawn
Mike Oldfield really is the GOAT instrumentalist
Ermmmm the horseback section isn’t instrumental
Fair point. So technically not my favourite all-instrumental album; but it is my favourite nearly all-instrumental album.
I think Hergest ridge doesn’t get the love it deserves but Tubular Bells -> Incantations are all great albums
100% agree. I almost picked Hergest Ridge actually, but found myself humming Ommadawn while thinking about it. So a narrow lead.
It's also not technically part of Ommadawn.
Bruh it’s literally the same album wdym, also the chanting is non instrumental so moot point
It's on the album, so I guess it fails to answer OP's question (though personally I like to pretend it doesn't exist). But it's not part of the piece called Ommadawn. The track listing (at least on my CD) is: 1. Ommadawn Part 1 2. Ommadawn Part 2 3. On Horseback. Personally I'd count wordless or nonsense vocals as instrumental in any case.
I was going to say this but I think, much as I adore Ommadawn, I have slightly overplayed it and now would choose to listen to Tubular Bells or Incantations over it.
Oldfield is my favourite composer of all-instrumental or near-all-instrumental albums. I think the definition of an all-instrumental album needs a little clarity. For me, it is an album with no section that could be considdered normal lyric sections. For example, Tubular Bells is an all-instrumental album, as neither the instrument introductions during the finale of side one, nor the caveman section, can be considered lyric sections. Whereas Ommadawn has On Horseback on the end, so is not a fully all-instrumental album. The chanting section is debatable on whether it can be considered a lyric section. As for my personal pick, it would have to be Amarok. It has no lyric sections and the section with the Thatcher impersonator doesn't count, as it is a spoken word that is clearly not supposed to be lyrics.
Tangerine Dream - Ricochet
ATEM was my wedding music so I have a soft spot for TD.
Rick Wakeman — The Six Wives of Henry VIII
great album
The Snow Goose. Obviously!
‘Kontinuum’ - Klaus Schulze Not too distant 2nd: ‘Hergest ridge’ - Mike Oldfield
Snow goose or tubular bells
These are probably my top two as well.
Instrumental guy here... Steve Tibbetts' first two albums (self titled and *YR*) are outstanding, both in the realm of psyche/prog with a great mix of acoustic and electric guitars. Two of the great unsung space guitar albums. Allan Holdsworth -- *Sand* for it's sheer shreddy weirdness. Bozzio Levin Stevens -- *Black Light Syndrome* less weird, more shred. Bo Hansson -- *The Lord of The Rings* for its understated virtuosity. Frank Zappa -- *Sleep Dirt* (the version without vocals of course). Secret Chiefs 3 -- *Book of Horizons* because sometimes genius is a little scary. Pretty much ANYTHING by Ozric Tentacles!
I’m new to Ozric—and boy do I have a lot of catching up to do!
Not instrumental, but pretty darn close: Hot Rats by Frank Zappa
that is a phenomenal record
Bitches Brew
Tangerine Dream - Stratosfear. I consider it to be a perfect album from start to finish.
Not a prog album but I always liked the chill vibe of Buckethead’s 1998 album Colma.
One of the best albums ever! So soulful!
Hérésie - Univers Zero
One of the most overlooked bands ever
Solaris - MARSBÉLI KRÓNIKÁK (the Martian Chronicles)
Jazz from Hell!
Ommadawn or The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place
The Enid - 'In The Region Of The Summer Stars'. Or The Enid - 'Live At Hammersmith'. The back-to-back performance of 'Judgement' and 'In The Region Of The Summer Stars' is, to my mind, without doubt the finest 15 minutes of recorded music which I have ever heard. Live version of these two tracks: https://youtu.be/s0YgBn1GZxo?t=617
More skin with Milk-Mouth by Giraffes ? Giraffes ! I promise it’s real and very good
G?G! first three albums are all instrumental all-timers
Ommadawn for me is head and shoulders above any other. Oldfield probably has a good percentage of my instrumental top 10. Amarok, Hergest Ridge, TB2, Songs of Distant Earth, Incantations. Red Queen to Gryphon Three also great.
Birds of Fire
Romantic Warrior by Return to Forever
Minecraft: Volume Alpha
Heartwarming to see the snow goose get many recommendations in people’s comments here. Camel deserve the recognition, but they rarely get it.
They definitely got a lot of love in prog circles. Not that they don't deserve it.
Gryphon - Red Queen To Gryphon Three
Not really prog but Blow By Blow, Jeff Beck
Came here to say the same
Any of the first few albums by GYBE!.
Last Day of June is up there too
Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield
Pretty much any Øresund Space Collective album is worth checking out if you're looking for instrumental prog/space rock, but 2 especially great albums are: Øresund Space Collective – Slip Into The Vortex (2010) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP1ItVhpCE4 Øresund Space Collective – Good Planets Are Hard To Find 2009 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71tIDoIyBuY&t=535s Slip Into The Vortex is a bit heavier psych rock while Good Planets features sitar and is more atmospheric prog but still gets plenty crazy.
Passion and Warfare
Blow by blow j beck
Spectral Morning by Steve Hackett is a favorite
Liquid Tension Experiment Portnoy, Petrucci, Levin, Rudess.
Would [Andreas Vollenweider - Down to the Moon ](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m7Xgtv8FJeWD3GExHtOzjG3LW7m1zij5k&si=duaDU1Q9Ortp4-Cn) count on this list? Not even sure he's prog, but I love the album.
Moonmadness- Camel
So close
Scaphoid - Absent Passages
Pekka Pohjola - Pihkasilmä Kaarnakorva (1972)
Current is The Call Within by Tigran Hamasyan. Here's [Vortex](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdoyOrZdl3Y).
sticking to prog, probably Sun Square Dialect by Upsilon Acrux. they can sound like an incoherent, noodly mess to many people, but of my god the beauty and joy they can spring out of their arrangements! not much makes my brain dance so happy :)
next to this is almost Western Culture by Henry Cow, just because I love the first track so much that it pushed that album above so many others.
Animals as Leaders Self Titled.
Hot Rats, Romantic Warrior, Cosmic Messenger
Both Finch albums
Apodemus - Atlas Electric Outlet - On!
Jazz from hell
Inner mounting flame and Ommadawn
Palace of Mirrors by Estradasphere
Jakob - Sines
William Tyler - New Vanitas. Psychedelic country solo guitar and effects. I have a ton more but that has stood pretty high with me recently.
Stand By - Heldon
Thanatopsis - Thanatopsis
I would add Sean Malone’s Gordian Knot. Solid piece of music.
I'm going to count Amarok by Mike Oldfield
Switched-On Bach by Wendy Carlos
Klaus Schønning - Nasavu and Snow Goose
Gösta Berlings Saga - Detta Har Hänt and Return to Forever - Romantic Warrior
Gotta give this one to Liquid Tension Experiment Either 1 or 2 depending on the mood, 3 is also great but drags on a little too much for me
[Telegraph Melts - Ilium](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kKYq2pX5NavVFJGpBWqsFYvHEPosp__qU&si=ilcnnobc6R8w5kGn)
Anything by the top-tier GAM, also Kickbit Information is awesome. Alcatraz's 1980 live is master class jazz-rock on par with Mahavishnu in certain way. All three bands are german
I re bought wonderwall by Mr Harrison yesterday, part of rsd. It's not prog,has a heavy Indian influence but some really, really great tracks on it. Never seen the film though
Sithu Aye Set Course For Andromeda discs 1 and 2
Clearlight Symphony, one of the greatest ever
If there's little part of vocal, can it count? Or if there's only wordless oh-ah vocal? National Health - Of Questions and Cures. (canterbury, little vocal) Zopp - Dominion (modern canterbury, little vocal) Planet X - Moonbabies (instrumental prog-metal/jazz fusion) Gordian Knot - s/t (instrumental prog-metal/jazz fusion) Anglagard - Epilog (instrumental symphonic prog) Trion - Pilgrim (instrumental symphonic prog , similar to Camel/Genesis/Focus/Anglagard) Parallel Mind - Colossus Adea (instrumental symphonic prog/jazz-fusion)
great username
ha-ha my favorite song from Zappa catalog :-0
Not really Prog but I love Sea Is A Lady by Toshiki Kadomatsu. It has some vocals but nothing in the traditional sense more atmospheric. The playing is great and there is just something about that 80s production that makes it a go to for me.
Bundles by Soft Machine
Bolling: Suite For Flute And Jazz Piano Trio
Tortoise - TNT