For no other reason than it seemed pointless and boring, I never tried to formulate and make a list of my favorite ZZ Top albums, from favorite to "least favorite". But what the hell, it's my blog.
01) Rhythmeen
02) Mescalero
03) Tejas
04) Afterburner
05) Antenna
06) Rio Grande Mud
07) La Futura
08) XXX
09) Recycler
10) Fandango
11) Eliminator
12) ZZ Top's First Album
13) Tres Hombres
14) El Loco
15) Deguello
Over time "Antenna" has moved up several notches and XXX and El Loco have moved down. Other than that and the new entry of "La Futura", the order has roughly been the same for years.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Saturday, October 27, 2012
La Futura correspondent review
Senor Volto offers his thoughts on "La Futura":
***
Musically, Billy’s guitar is outstanding as he shows us some
new tricks, as well as quoting some of his old licks. Also, his (excellent) slide is obvious on at
least four songs and is really highlighted on Chartreuse and Breakdown. The rhythm section is equally up for the task
and sounds great. Billy’s vocals sound
very good as he has settled into the same voice we hear at live shows. Dusty’s vocals continue to be a mystery. At a show in May of this year, Dusty’s voice
was way down in the mix on several songs, which seems to agree with how his
voice is mixed on LF. But then he rips
it up on Drive By Lover. The first four
tracks (Texicali) are crammed full of stuff – guitars, overdubs and sound
effects. Maybe this was Rubin’s
doing. But the rest of the album has
some “space” – one song has just one guitar track – that allows the band to
breathe and play more as a trio. It’s
also cool how some of the songs have rough “jam style” endings (Lose, Lose You
for example). That said, I’m sure ZZ can
blast away on any of these 12 tracks live.
Let’s hope 2013 has some more LF songs!
We heard leading up to the release that the band started
with loads of CDs full of musical thoughts, which makes one think about the
selection of songs on LF. Were those the
best 10 (or 12) songs? We heard Dusty
sing Future Blues again last year (sounded great), and it was said to be one of
the working tracks for LF. How come no
Dusty lead vocal on the original 10 songs?
There were also teases of other tunes (Mexican?) that weren’t on
LF. Last comment - LA FUTURA is very
good, but it won’t knock Rhythmeen out of my top spot.
Extra Credit (Bonus Tracks)
Side Note – either of the bonus
tracks would have been right at home on XXX.
Final Score 93 (111/120), Grade = A
***
I will start by saying that I think LA FUTURA (LF) is a damn
good album, and it fully meets my expectations.
It was good to read BFG’s track-by-track description about how the ten
songs (excluding the bonus tracks) on the album came about, but it would have
been nice to hear any morsel of information about the album from Dusty or
Frank. The music sounds really good on
LF although I don’t agree with BFG about once said “a mixture of Tres Hombres
and Eliminator”. I think it’s more of a
Mescalero/Rhythmeen/ Recycler/ Eliminator/XXX mashup with a couple of glances
to the Pre-Eliminator stuff. The album
is more of a rock album than a blues album, but that’s OK. I think the fans that were cast off by XXX
and Mescalero will be reeled back in with this one.
- I
Gotsta Get Paid – Great opening number – sets the tone for the rest of the
album. Nice strong backup vocals
from Dusty. Overdubs galore. Approved by the H-Town Hip-Hop
crew. ‘Nuff said! Score = 10.
- Chartreuse
– Keepin’ the pedal to the metal with this one. The only blues shuffle beat on the
album. The song works great and
features the best slide guitar on the original 10 tracks. Score = 9.5.
- Consumption
–Good song, but one point deduction because of its place in the track
order. Sounds too close to Chartreuse,
but with a straight four beat, and is saved by some more nice slide work.
Score = 8.5.
- Over
You – This one has grown on me. I
like the “uplifting” chords at the end.
However, I think the song could do without the string synth – maybe
a pedal steel, violin, mandolin (or nothing) instead. Score = 9.
- Heartache
in Blue – Chang Chang, it’s just the thang. Has that “What’s Up With That” killer
vibe. This song would sound great
even without the super harp (once again by James Harman). Fuzzy guitar solo with phrasing that
would make Albert Collins proud.
Score = 10.
- I Don’t
Wanna Lose, Lose You – My personal favorite. Straight-ahead rocker with a pounding
rhythm section featuring Frank’s sledgehammer snare. Two very tasty eight bar guitar
solos. Try to get this one out of
your head! Another one that could
easily be done live (2013?). Score
= 10
- Flyin’
High – This one is controversial. The original version (that I prefer) sounds
a lot more like ZZ than the one on the album. The opening chords on the LF version sound
just like AC/DC or even Journey. That
said, the LF version could easily be a big-hit crossover on country or pop
radio stations. Score = 7.5.
- It’s
Too Easy Manana – Change of pace.
The first solo is a spacey delay-drenched twisting riff that would
be right at home on a Pink Floyd song.
Would have liked the delay on the second solo as well. The “left
turn” outro that says “Decision or Collision” to me, but I can’t help but
wondering what the rest of that jam sounded like. Score = 9.
- Big
Shiny Nine – The double (or triple) entendre song. Nuts and bolts – Smith, Wesson and Colts
– great line! Nice guitar fills and
solos. Again would like to hear
more of the outro. Score = 9.
- Have A
Little Mercy – Kind of a letdown as the final (original) track. The song just kind of fizzles out at the
end. Score = 8.5
Extra Credit (Bonus Tracks)
- Threshold
Of A Breakdown – Really good straight-up rocker song featuring the best
slide work of all the tracks. The
rhythm guitar sounds like it was lifted from XXX. Score = 10
- Drive
By Lover – Cha Cha Cha! Finally, a
lead vocal from the Dust! More
screaming guitar from BFG. The last
note is an exclamation point providing a much stronger ending to the album
than “Mercy”. Score = 10
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
The Ballad (of Sir Frankie Crisp)
So, "Over You"....
I like it. I do. Some people don't. Let's talk about it....
To me it represents the third ballad in ZZ's history, following "Leila" and "Rough Boy". To me "Breakaway" is neither blues nor a ballad, but that's another topic for discussion.
"Leila" is hit or miss. It is uncharacteristic of the Top, and likely does not suit the majority of fans' tastes. But can we criticize a band for an eccentric song when at the same time we praise the band for not sticking to a formula and their incessant willingness to try different genres?
"Rough Boy" is the best of the three in my opinion. Whether you opine that "Afterburner" sounds dated and metallic is a moot point. This song fit perfectly in the mid 1980's music scene, and the band made a concentrated effort to prove that first they could write such a song and secondly make it a damn good one. Like Dusty once said, they didn't lose any longtime fans when the ballad reached the airwaves, but they gained a lot of new ones, especially women, which ain't a bad thing.
"Over You" is somewhere in between. The lyrics are simple like "Rough Boy" and Billy's gravel road voice fits the context perfectly. What the song lacks are the slick, smooth, effortless guitar licks that, especially in the outro, made "Rough Boy" such an amazingly proficient number. Billy's ability to pull out the absolute best solo, the only solo, that could ever fit "Rough Boy" was proof the band, even under intense pressure, could rise to the occasion and do no wrong during that 1981 to 1987 period. "Over You" seems to lack the focus, drive and concentrated guitar work that is essential to projecting that ZZ "sound". Jeff Beck commented that Billy is the greatest at knowing when it is better to NOT play a note rather than to, but in this instance additional takes and trial and error could have proved beneficial and elevated a good song to a great song. Isn't It a Pity....
I like it. I do. Some people don't. Let's talk about it....
To me it represents the third ballad in ZZ's history, following "Leila" and "Rough Boy". To me "Breakaway" is neither blues nor a ballad, but that's another topic for discussion.
"Leila" is hit or miss. It is uncharacteristic of the Top, and likely does not suit the majority of fans' tastes. But can we criticize a band for an eccentric song when at the same time we praise the band for not sticking to a formula and their incessant willingness to try different genres?
"Rough Boy" is the best of the three in my opinion. Whether you opine that "Afterburner" sounds dated and metallic is a moot point. This song fit perfectly in the mid 1980's music scene, and the band made a concentrated effort to prove that first they could write such a song and secondly make it a damn good one. Like Dusty once said, they didn't lose any longtime fans when the ballad reached the airwaves, but they gained a lot of new ones, especially women, which ain't a bad thing.
"Over You" is somewhere in between. The lyrics are simple like "Rough Boy" and Billy's gravel road voice fits the context perfectly. What the song lacks are the slick, smooth, effortless guitar licks that, especially in the outro, made "Rough Boy" such an amazingly proficient number. Billy's ability to pull out the absolute best solo, the only solo, that could ever fit "Rough Boy" was proof the band, even under intense pressure, could rise to the occasion and do no wrong during that 1981 to 1987 period. "Over You" seems to lack the focus, drive and concentrated guitar work that is essential to projecting that ZZ "sound". Jeff Beck commented that Billy is the greatest at knowing when it is better to NOT play a note rather than to, but in this instance additional takes and trial and error could have proved beneficial and elevated a good song to a great song. Isn't It a Pity....
Friday, October 12, 2012
MTV: Miscellaneous Video Television
The music video for "25 Lighters" has finally appeared and can be seen here:
http://www.vevo.com/watch/zz-top/i-gotsta-get-paid/USUV71201019#/watch/zz-top/i-gotsta-get-paid/USUV71201019
Pretty cool. Usual but fail-safe formula of cars, guitars and pretty girls. Wisely the band appears to be releasing promotional material incrementally - to try to squeeze out as much hype and momentum as possible. Music videos across the board aren't much different from ZZ's - make it flashy, make it slick, and make them perky.
-----
"Chartreuse" debuted in the live set in Columbia, MD at FreeFest, taking the place of stages. It how has been moved to the show opener, coming in prior to "Thank You". This is the first song where all three members share writing credits to be debuted since 2000. "Piece" and "Buck Nekkid" where Gibbons compositions.
For the first time in many years the band has shown some flexibility and spontaneity in the set list. This is very welcomed indeed. Capping this great trend would be one more song from Futura (maybe "Lose Lose You"?) and an old Dusty chestnut. Come on "Teddy Bear"...
-----
The vinyl edition of "La Futura" has again been delayed, now scheduled for release in the U.S. on 10/22/12 (which may again be moved since this is a Monday and U.S. releases typically come out on Tuesdays). No additional word regarding bonus tracks. Fingers crossed....
-----
I intended to do a large "La Futura" review, but its highly likely that fans have read enough reviews in the press to get a gauge of mass opinion. I am looking forward to some reviews from readers (Volto?) but in the interest of getting to the point I will make this brief:
Hits:
"Gotsta" - Full tilt Billy imagination and creation.
"Consumption" - Awesome.
"Over You" - I may be in the minority, but this song is a fitting obligatory one track blues.
"Heartache" - harp and Dusty - perfect.
"Lose Lose You"- upbeat, group sounds like their 30 years younger.
"Threshold" - non-mainstream song that allows Billy to branch out.
"Drive-By" - Dusty dials in Elvis, just right every time.
In-betweens:
"Chartreuse" - good jam, missing something.
"It's Too Easy Manana" - good, but would rather have a song written by the three members than a cover
"Big Shiny Nine" - vocals are buried, solo and outro are too short. Song deserved more thought and time.
Misses:
"Flyin High" - AC/DC, ZZ Top, whatever....this song is too straightforward for its own good. A missed opportunity.
http://www.vevo.com/watch/zz-top/i-gotsta-get-paid/USUV71201019#/watch/zz-top/i-gotsta-get-paid/USUV71201019
Pretty cool. Usual but fail-safe formula of cars, guitars and pretty girls. Wisely the band appears to be releasing promotional material incrementally - to try to squeeze out as much hype and momentum as possible. Music videos across the board aren't much different from ZZ's - make it flashy, make it slick, and make them perky.
-----
"Chartreuse" debuted in the live set in Columbia, MD at FreeFest, taking the place of stages. It how has been moved to the show opener, coming in prior to "Thank You". This is the first song where all three members share writing credits to be debuted since 2000. "Piece" and "Buck Nekkid" where Gibbons compositions.
For the first time in many years the band has shown some flexibility and spontaneity in the set list. This is very welcomed indeed. Capping this great trend would be one more song from Futura (maybe "Lose Lose You"?) and an old Dusty chestnut. Come on "Teddy Bear"...
-----
The vinyl edition of "La Futura" has again been delayed, now scheduled for release in the U.S. on 10/22/12 (which may again be moved since this is a Monday and U.S. releases typically come out on Tuesdays). No additional word regarding bonus tracks. Fingers crossed....
-----
I intended to do a large "La Futura" review, but its highly likely that fans have read enough reviews in the press to get a gauge of mass opinion. I am looking forward to some reviews from readers (Volto?) but in the interest of getting to the point I will make this brief:
Hits:
"Gotsta" - Full tilt Billy imagination and creation.
"Consumption" - Awesome.
"Over You" - I may be in the minority, but this song is a fitting obligatory one track blues.
"Heartache" - harp and Dusty - perfect.
"Lose Lose You"- upbeat, group sounds like their 30 years younger.
"Threshold" - non-mainstream song that allows Billy to branch out.
"Drive-By" - Dusty dials in Elvis, just right every time.
In-betweens:
"Chartreuse" - good jam, missing something.
"It's Too Easy Manana" - good, but would rather have a song written by the three members than a cover
"Big Shiny Nine" - vocals are buried, solo and outro are too short. Song deserved more thought and time.
Misses:
"Flyin High" - AC/DC, ZZ Top, whatever....this song is too straightforward for its own good. A missed opportunity.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
"The Future"....and Beyond!
ZZ gets back on the road tonight, appearing at the Chicago Theater in Chicago, Illinois. Hopes are high for a set list change - mostly a couple more additions from "La Futura" would be good - since that is the name of the tour and all.
Also "Driving While Blind" - but I'm dreaming now....
I will post a set list as soon as I can.
-----
"La Futura" debuted on the charts in the U.S. at number six - highest ever. They also moved 30K copies in the first week, the most albums they have sold since during the first few weeks of "Antenna". Great to see this.
-----
It has been discussed and agreed that if ZZ does put out another album, it likely will not be produced by Rubin. It has also been discussed that the "Texicali" songs seemed more polished and 'finished' than the remaining six (or eight) tracks. Perhaps Rubin's seemingly OCD production approach got to be too much for Billy, and the band decided it would be released in September come hell or high water. Who knows....
-----
Amazon shows the vinyl release date to be October 9th.
Best Buy shows the vinyl release date to be October 16th.
Which one is right? Does Best Buy have another exclusive version in the works? If you have any info please comment accordingly.
------
Thanks go out to the readers. I greatly enjoyed reading everyone's comments on the recent posts and rest assured I read every one, even if I do not get a chance to comment back. Please continue to participate in discussion if the mood strikes you!
-----
If we see another ZZ Top release of new music, will it be called "ZZ Top's Last Album"??
-----
Anybody know what Bill Ham is up to? Bill, if you ever read this page, know that the fans will always respect and appreciate your countless contributions and leadership towards that "Little Ol' Band from Texas".
Also "Driving While Blind" - but I'm dreaming now....
I will post a set list as soon as I can.
-----
"La Futura" debuted on the charts in the U.S. at number six - highest ever. They also moved 30K copies in the first week, the most albums they have sold since during the first few weeks of "Antenna". Great to see this.
-----
It has been discussed and agreed that if ZZ does put out another album, it likely will not be produced by Rubin. It has also been discussed that the "Texicali" songs seemed more polished and 'finished' than the remaining six (or eight) tracks. Perhaps Rubin's seemingly OCD production approach got to be too much for Billy, and the band decided it would be released in September come hell or high water. Who knows....
-----
Amazon shows the vinyl release date to be October 9th.
Best Buy shows the vinyl release date to be October 16th.
Which one is right? Does Best Buy have another exclusive version in the works? If you have any info please comment accordingly.
------
Thanks go out to the readers. I greatly enjoyed reading everyone's comments on the recent posts and rest assured I read every one, even if I do not get a chance to comment back. Please continue to participate in discussion if the mood strikes you!
-----
If we see another ZZ Top release of new music, will it be called "ZZ Top's Last Album"??
-----
Anybody know what Bill Ham is up to? Bill, if you ever read this page, know that the fans will always respect and appreciate your countless contributions and leadership towards that "Little Ol' Band from Texas".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)