Billy Gibbons tells you which ZZ Top to check out
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, ZZ Top has been a constant on the radio, dating back to the ’70s, when songs like “Tush,” “La Grange” and “Cheap Sunglasses” were in heavy rotation. Despite synthesizers being added to the mix, the band didn’t miss a step in the MTV-driven era of the ’80s thanks to hits like “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Legs” and “Under Pressure” For founding member Billy Gibbons, this is the quintet of ZZ Top albums that really gets his motor running.
Tres Hombres (London) – “You got a big chunk of our current set right there—‘Waitin’ For the Bus/Jesus Left Chicago,’ ‘Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers,’ ‘La Grange.’ I mean there’s a whole lot there and the cover is a nice shade of green.”
Fandango! (London) – “It’s a both a studio album and a live album. ‘Tush’ comes through but don’t forget Elvis—we’ve got ‘Jailhouse Rock’ covered. ‘Blue Jean Blues’ is a something of an homage to Albert King and ‘Heard It On the X’ is a musical history of border radio.”
DeGuello (Warner Brothers) – “Our sound got a little harder and a little more lowdown. Starts off with a tip of the hat to Memphis and the Stax greats with ‘I Thank You.’ ‘Cheap Sunglasses’ and ‘I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide’ are national anthems of a kind.”
Eliminator (Warner Brothers) – “Must be included because so many doors opened after that one. Everybody knows the trilogy— ‘Gimme All Your Lovin’,’ ‘Sharp Dressed Man’ and ‘Legs’ but we’re especially fond of ‘I Need You Tonight’ and ‘Under Pressure’ (which we were).”
La Futura (American Recordings/Universal Republic) – “The future is finally here. We took a while to get it down but we got it down! We think it’s fonky with an ‘o.’”
For the full story on ZZ Top, please click here.
