Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2016/12/23/things-i-miss-bearded-kings-o.html
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Serious question: Is there anybody in the world that claims ZZ Top is their favorite band?
I’ve pondered this a few times.
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They’re … in my top 20. I am a fan of the 80s synth stuff (Rough Boy, anyone), but Jesus just left Chicago and their more bluesy stuff I’d put ahead of this.
This video says “to be continued” at the end. Which video did it “continue” with?
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Yeah, I like ZZ Top and am glad to listen to them – but they don’t crack the top 10. Totally reliable, rocking band for the boogie-woogie. A lot of the songs do blend into one for me, tho.
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I like it all but I am more partial to the earlier more blues sounding stuff.
La Grange is one of my favorite songs for a road trip mix for sure.
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I was 16 in 1985. I purchased both Afterburner and Eliminator on vinyl. I must have worn the grooves out on those two albums.
Cars, women and electric guitars all wrapped up in a PG-13 package - what’s not to like. And yes, each album had a “funny” song on it - like “Velcro Fly” or “TV Dinners”.
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My favorite piece of wiZZdom is their advice in Sharp Dressed Man:
Apparently, women like men who wear clean shirts.
This arcane knowledge has served me very well.
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That is perfect.
All the WiZZdom they shared.
“When you get up in the morning and the light is hurt your head. The first thing you do when you get up out of bed is hit that street a-runnin’ and try to meet the masses. And go get yourself some cheap sunglasses.”
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See? They knew. They just knew.
Moderately priced sunglasses? Get out of here with that shit.
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I know a dude that…
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No reminiscence of ZZ Top is really complete without Jon Glaser’s 11 minute monologue on how he discovered that his deceased father was a founding member of the band.
Somewhat NSFW (some mellow, laid back F-bombs, also that P-word which Trump grabs).
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also that P-word which Trump grabs
Pringles?
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I had the tape of Afterburner when it was out, I was pretty young. It was definitely my coolest tape at the time. I remember it was the first time I had a tape where the artwork folded up into multiple panels. It was the ZZ Top space shuttle flying across a big panorama and before long I noticed the easter eggs: portraits of the band members and probably other stuff hidden in the clouds and mountains. It was awesome!
The synth parts always reminded me of the rhythms by Jan Hammer I was hearing on Miami Vice, which was just the coolest show. But even at that age I found it a little incongruous with the rock music. I’d love to hear a version with that stuff stripped out, but I still like the tunes on that record at any rate.
I just discovered something really interesting about Hill and Beard, they were part of a sham band that was formed to capitalize on the success of the Zombies’ “Time Of The Season,” which was released as a US single as a last ditch effort to make any money on the Odessey and Oracle LP, which had flopped initially and the Zombies had already disbanded. A shady stateside promotions group in Detroit set up an all-american band with them in it and sent them out on tour as The Zombies. Totally weird. Check it out.
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That’s not the NSFW word I was thinking of, but now I kind of wish someone would create a plugin to automatically change the one word to the other word.
“Pringles Riot”
“Grab her by the Pringles”
“Roger Moore as James Bond in Octopringles”
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ZZTop’s electric boogie sound is just waiting for some band to rediscover and claim as their own. I always thought it sounded great.
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Jimi Hendrix was also a fan of Billy Gibbons before anyone else had heard of him.
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People who went deaf before Afterburner came out?
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Are you trolling by not making the joke “TV Dinners”?
Anyhow, as far as guitar noodling goes this is their best well known track:
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I’ll see your ZZ Top and raise you a Jethro Tull:
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