The Nineties - Part IV

1997 - The Top fuel machine continues it's touring jaunt, again taking in some far away locations. The set list would somewhat devolve, incorporating less and less "Rhythmeen" material. The band did reach a solid groove however, reflected in some very impressive, aggressive and fluent playing from all three members. A number of recordings exist from the tour, but high quality sounding versions are tough to come by.

1998 - Relatively quiet period. After the extensive touring of the two prior years a rest was well warranted.

1999 - Work towards ZZ's new album was initiated and completed in the Winter and Spring. "XXX", a nod to the number of years the band had been in operation at the time, would ultimately be a mixed effort. Opening with the stunner "Poke Chop Sandwich" and it's aggressive power chords and catchy lyrical hooks, it quickly asserted the continued creativity and originality of the band. Ultimaley it would prove to me a more uneven effort than its predecessor. Some tracks such as "36-22-36" and "Fearless Boogie" were classic Top, solid all around. Others such as "Crucifixx-A-Flatt" and "Trippin'" were harder to love. "Made Into A Movie", the album's token and expected blues laden effort, serves as the most muddied, oil grudged, chopped and screwed track ZZ Top has ever performed - it doesn't get any heavier. The Japan only bonus track, "Ninja Shack", again features distorted and sharp guitar in line with the album's other offerings.

The group would initiate a tour in late July to get an early start on live promotion of the album, which would be released in late September. Except they didn't actually play any tracks from the record. Okay, they played one, "Fearless Boogie". But no "Poke Chop" or " 36-22-36"? Come on.
Granted part of the tour was traveled together with "Lynyrd Skynyrd" shortening the set list as a result, similar to this past Summer's tour with Aerosmith. But the lack of live reproduction was stunning. Set lists available online indicate that towards the end of the tour in April 2000 they broke out some additional tracks to the assumed delight of Australia and New Zealand. Little too late in my opinion.

-----

Okay, so there it is, ZZ Top in the Nineties in four parts. Not my most liberated postings, and more or less the benefit of (or consequence if you found the writings labored) the quiet period that has been ZZ Top in the Winter of 2010.

The group entered the '90's with the question of what type of album to record, what type of sound to exemplify. They ended the decade returning to their roots, playing what they wanted to play and recording what they wanted to record - public at large and RCA approval be damned. A decade of continuing evolution, fitting for a group that has never stayed the same for long.