5 Stars
Audio CD (paid link)
Arriving on the doorstep, left by the kindly postman, was the new album from ZZ Top. It’s a live affair titled RAW (That Little ‘Ol Band From Texas). Sadly it will be the last album to feature Dusty Hill, the band’s bass player, the very heart and soul of the band.
ZZ Top formed in Houston, Texas, the US of A in 1969 as the trio of Billy Gibbons on lead guitar and vocals, Frank Beard on drums, and Dusty Hill on bass guitar and vocals. They had been together for fifty one years before Dusty was taken away.
Between 1971 and 1981, ZZ Top released six studio albums. Well, actually Fandango 1975 was half studio with an amazing half live and in your face.
Each album was met by great critical acclaim, with moderate success. But every album held classic road songs that became ear worms in the world of rock music. (Fandango also included the studio version of Tush. Which up and coming band has not included a version of Tush in their set list at some point?)
Then, in early 1983, Eliminator was released upon the world. With its smooth, polished sound, brought to a fine sheen by producer Bill Ham and engineer Terry Manning, with Billy Gibbons himself. You can’t argue with facts and figures. The album topped the charts worldwide, selling over 20 million copies.
MTV was dominant in those days and their air play more or less guaranteed more success. Who could possibly forget the videos for the singles from the album, with Gibbons and Hill in splendid waist length beards, the 1933 Bright Red Ford Coupe, and those legs?
ZZ Top became one of the biggest bands in the world. Not bad for a little ol’ band from Texas with their southern fried boogie.
The live set carried on the same way—three guys on stage playing as the tightest band on this planet or any other.
So saying of course they weren’t always just a trio. In 1976, ZZ Top hit the road on their world tour with a full menagerie in tow! This included buffalo, longhorns, rattle snakes, vultures, buzzards, and hyenas. I kid you not. It was a spectacular site. The band also let off fireworks during the show. Plus of course rock music is by nature loud. At certain points during the show the buffalo would look very anxious, although it probably wasn’t as it never went on the rampage, but every night the snake wrangler would pretend one of the rattlers had escaped. That put the wind up I can tell you! Attending those concerts you kept one ear and eye on the band the other on the animals!
After more successful albums in this vein, in the 2000s, ZZ Top started to come back to the more rock style of their earlier albums. All the while they remained a top draw on the live circuit.
During the making of the Netflix movie for “ZZ Top – Little ‘Ol Band From Texas,” ostensibly to get some photos at Gruene Hall, Texas’s oldest dance hall, this wonderful recording took place. But the band’s equipment was set up, and when the members of ZZ Top get together, they play music.
Luckily, the mobile recording studio was there, so what we get is a powerful performance from the three of them, just one take, no audience, just the band playing for the sheer joy of it. The band by this time knew each other inside out.
It’s glorious. If the editor would allow I would give this album 6 out of 5 stars. The mix is perfect, separating each instrument as they play alongside each other. You can actually hear and see the looks of friendship that swap between the three of them. This is what comes from playing in one band for more than half a century.
The songs on show are highlights from across the albums in their career. Older classics such as ‘Tush’ are played in such rip roaring fashion, look out for your roof blowing off. ‘La Grange’ is now a staple of Joe Bonamassa’s set usually saved for the climax of his shows. ‘I’m Bad I’m Nationwide’ speaks for itself! Finishing with a definitive version of ‘Tube Snake Boogie‘, watch out for them rattlers.
The opening salvo is ‘Brown Sugar‘ (not the Rolling Stone song, but ZZ Top’s own Brown Sugar). Billy Gibbons leads the band in with typically gruff vocals and guitar, but at one minute and forty seconds Dusty and Frank come in and the band thunder away. Rock’n’roll bliss.
The hits and deeper tracks keep coming at you. You cannot help but nod along, shaking yourself to the core. ‘Just Got Paid’ is thrown in as the second song. Then the Eliminator songs ‘Legs’ and ‘Gimme All Your Lovin’ are given a good shake down. A class song is a class song—they are still amazing without all the studio razamanaz. In fact, to some ears, they’re far superior. ‘Certified Blues’ is a slow burning number with some mind numbing guitar work. ‘Thunderbird’ is a wonderful groovy 12 bar blues to set the dance floor alight.
A fine way for Dusty to bow out.
ZZ Top with Dusty’s blessing are still going strong, with Dusty’s friend and ex guitar tech Elwood Francis having stepped into the breach.
Certainly the finest of ZZ Top’s Live albums, therefore one of the best live rock albums of all time.
ZZ Top on RAW
Billy Gibbons- Guitar and Vocals
Dusty Hill – Bass Guitar and Vocals
Frank Beard – Drums
Songs
Just Got Paid
Heard it on the X
La Grange
Tush
Thunderbird
Legs
Gimme All Your Lovin’
Blue Jean Blues
Certified Blues
Written by Mott the Dog
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I love reading your reviews.. Sharp dressed man and Legs are there at my all time ZZTop favorites ..
Why thank you so much Mr. Liam. How nice of you to leave such a nice comment.