Best Instrumental Albums of All Time
No vocals needed — jazz, ambient and electronic records that say everything through sound alone.
-
1Kind of BlueMiles Davis
Kind of Blue
The best-selling jazz album of all time and the gateway record for countless listeners, built on modal improvisation and an unmatched band. Cool, spacious and endlessly calming, it never wears out. If you own one jazz record, start here.
-
2A Love SupremeJohn Coltrane
A Love Supreme
A four-part spiritual suite of overwhelming intensity and devotion, recorded by Coltrane's classic quartet. It moves from searching to ecstatic to serene. A towering statement that rewards close, uninterrupted listening.
-
3Time OutDave Brubeck
Time Out
An experiment in unusual time signatures that became an unlikely smash, led by the 5/4 'Take Five'. Cool, accessible and hugely popular. A perfect jazz starter record.
-
4Ambient 1: Music for AirportsBrian Eno
Ambient 1: Music for Airports
The album that named and defined ambient music, designed to be as ignorable as it is interesting. Calm and revolutionary. A genre's foundation.
-
5Selected Ambient Works 85-92Aphex Twin
Selected Ambient Works 85-92
A foundational ambient-techno record, melodic and warm beneath its machine textures. Hugely influential and still beautiful. The gateway to Aphex Twin's world.
-
6Music Has the Right to ChildrenBoards of Canada
Music Has the Right to Children
Hazy, nostalgic electronica of half-remembered childhood, woozy synths and found voices. Warm, eerie and beloved. A modern ambient touchstone.
-
7Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to HeavenGodspeed You! Black Emperor
Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
A monumental post-rock double album of orchestral crescendo. Immersive and acclaimed. A genre landmark.
-
8The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead PlaceExplosions in the Sky
The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place
A soaring, emotional post-rock landmark of wordless drama. Cinematic and beloved. A genre favourite.
-
9Head HuntersHerbie Hancock
Head Hunters
The album that fused jazz with funk and sold in huge numbers, anchored by the slinky 'Chameleon'. Groove-led and irresistible. A fusion landmark.
-
10OxygeneJean-Michel Jarre
Oxygene
A lush, melodic synthesizer landmark that brought electronic music to the masses. Atmospheric and beloved. A genre classic.