The Vault - 1970's addition and 1980's Part I

Vault - Addition to 1970's

Warehouse, New Orleans 1974 - How could I forgot the infamous live side one of "Fandango". Featuring "Thunderbird", "Jailhouse Rock" and "Backdoor Medley" the live capture and sound, especially on the remastered CD release, is pretty impressive. There is no doubt that several concerts around this time period were recorded in their entirety. I have many shows from this era but they are all recorded from the audience and have nowhere near as good of sound quality. The band was also on top of their game during the early days and shows were consistently amazing. Why not put out an audio release of a show from this period? I'm guessing it would sell quite well.

Vault - 1980's - Part One

The 80's have more video of ZZ Top than any other decade. Having returned from hiatus Bill Ham was keen on further pushing the popularity of his greatest act. Hence...

 04/20/1980 - Rockpalast - a concert in the Spring of 1980 in Essen, Germany - professional filmed and transmitted throughout Europe. ZZ went on after midnight so the date is 04/20, not 04/19. This concert more than any other event got the word out about the Top. No longer were they Nationwide, they were International. An incredible performance with the group pulling out all the stops, even debuting an early pre-LP version of "Tube Snake Boogie". No surprise this was released as an official DVD. Why stop here?

1980 - Old Grey Whistle Test - Featuring a performance of "Cheap Sunglasses", this finds the group performing with no audience. Professionally filmed and great sound, but sort of a weird vibe.

04/21/1980 - Paris - One and a half days after Essen the group was again professionally filmed. What has leaked out contains about 1/2 of the concert. Good, but not great sound, and also somewhat diminished video. No question that there is a pristine copy of this show in it's entirety sitting in Billy's office. Sell it and people will buy it.

Next: The Vault - 1980's Part II