![]() ![]() Their stardom faded a bit in the mid-’90s as their albums stopped topping the charts, but they remained a popular live act that could reliably fill large venues and give fans a great show more than 50 years after the act debuted. ![]() At their core, ZZ Top’s songs never changed that much, taking standard blues figures, filtering them through Gibbons’ precisely raunchy guitar, marrying them to the simple but funky groove of Hill and drummer Frank Beard, and adding lyrics steeped in surreal wit as they dealt with sex, booze, the blues, and the glorious idiosyncrasies of life in Texas. This gambit made them one of the only groups of their era to not only survive in the new arena of pop, but to become more popular than ever, gaining a new audience without sacrificing the old one. In the 1980s, they cannily reinvented themselves, hot-wiring their sound with sequencers and synthesizers and becoming unlikely MTV heroes with a series of clever videos that turned bearded frontmen Billy Gibbons (guitar) and Dusty Hill (bass) into an eccentric visual signature. They started as a trio putting their own spin on blues & boogie rock, and became arena rock stars in the 1970s. Known to the world as “That Lil’ Ol’ Band from Texas,” ZZ Top were had a thoroughly unique career. STUDIO ALBUMS | LIVE ALBUMS | COMPILATIONS ALBUMS | BOX SETS If you can find it, and if you can afford it, the Japanese import version of the CD is desirable, due to the inclusion of the bonus track "Isn't Love Amazing".Įither way, Buy This Disc and TURN IT UP! Good Vibes To Y'all.EAC Rip | FLAC Tracks & Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included One note for the casual ZZ Top fan this disc requires more than one listen to fully appreciate and enjoy the full effect, much like the Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main Street". The disc pushes forward with a slightly ominous tone reminiscent of heavier Black Keys tracks (who are, according to 2008 Billboard reports, writing material with Billy Gibbons for a new ZZ Top disc to be produced by Rick Rubin). This is the first disc of the Drums-Bass-Fuzzy Guitar trilogy (continued and completed by 1999's "XXX" and 2003's Mescalero").įrom the first track to the last, your senses are pleasantly assaulted by reverb- and tremolo-drenched distortion and crunch, heavy drums, growly vocals and rumbling bass. The Boyzz tuned down (in some cases, two full steps below 440/concert pitch!), turned up the distortion, and went on a seedy surrealistic sonic roadtrip from New Orleans to Tijuana. Time to re-tool, re-invent and re-invigorate. "Rhythmeen" is as strong as any of those albums, whether from the standpoint of creativity and artistic ability, continuation of a well-established thread, or just plain fun boogie-blues.īy 1996, the 1980s Texas Blues Revolution had suffered the loss of Stevie Ray Vaughan, grunge had peaked and was quickly collapsing, "Eliminator" was a pleasant-but-distant memory, and ZZ Top was making their second disc for their new label (RCA). 1983's RIAA Diamond Certified "Eliminator" combined electronic synthesizers with the classic ZZ Top "wink-and-a-smile-boogie-blues" and benefitted from the new phenomenon of MTV, a red 1933 Ford and some leggy chicks. ![]() ![]() 1975's "Fandango" rises due to a great live side one, and an even greater studio side two. 1973's "Tres Hombres" stands out for solidifying the classic ZZ Top sound and style. 1971's "First Album" showed the world that the then-emerging "southern rock" genre had a tougher, grittier but ultimately humorous cousin in "Texas Blues/Rock/Roadhouse Music". "In the long discography of ZZ Top, there are certain albums that stand out. ![]()
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