ZZ Top had always been known for their blues rock sound, exemplified in hit songs such as “La Grange” and “Tush”, but as the band moved into the 1980’s, and the change in the music landscape around them, there was a push by band leader Billy Gibbons to update that sound slightly for the new generation.
What exactly did this mean? Well, Gibbons has gone on record that he was looking to find the synth rock and new wave vitality that was popular at the time, while retaining the band’s basic guitar rock sound as well. How was this achieved? It was a somewhat controversial move at the time, where fellow band members Dusty Hill and Frank Beard had come in to record their bass and drum parts, as well as contribute the vocals that they needed to, and left to return home. From here, Gibbons and the album producer and engineer came in and almost systematically replaced the majority of their parts – with Gibbons replacing the bass with his own playing or of that on a keyboard synthesiser, and the drums being replaced by a drum machine, with Beard’s tom rolls and cymbals being the only thing left in the recording. Outside singers also came in to add backing vocals where necessary.
There was also a push to have the tempo of the songs played at a certain bpm, as this had apparently been proven to be the speed which helped songs become popular when broadcast. Go figure. And finally there was a dispute over the writing credits for the album, with Linden Hudson claiming to have been a collaborator on many of the tracks, and solely on the song “Thug”. Overall, despite these things all happening, the whole process seemed to move rather smoothly. Now all that had to happen was to wait and see if they would gain the rewards for their work.
Aside from the hit singles that everybody knew if you were growing up in the 1980’s, the remainder of the track list is a mixed bag, depending on whether you were a massive fan of the band or a casual observer, and whether you enjoy their style of blues based rock with the modern changes that had been made to coincide with the writing for this album. “I Got the Six” (sung by Dusty Hill) and “If I Could Only Flag Her Down” are typical ZZ Top tracks from their past, utilising all of the trademarks from those early albums and hits. Yes, it is in a modern way but the techniques are the same. “Bad Girl” draws from old school rock and blues such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard, which must have been a shock to the kids listening to this who had no idea such artists existed. All three are good strong tracks that are a strength of ZZ Top at their best. Other tracks such as “I Need You Tonight” and “Dirty Dog” and “TV Dinners”, which was released as a single, are more in the average class of song, and not the kind of song that makes you sit up and notice. In most ways, they are overshadowed by the singles and the popularity they garnered.
Surely even the band could not have imagined the way those singles went through the charts and blew up the screens. Backed by the fun storylines drawn out by the music videos that took over MTV and other music video shows around the world, these songs pushed the enormous sales of the album and therefore the fans love of the album. “Gimme All Your Lovin”, “Sharp Dressed Man” and especially “Legs” became the standard bearers for the album, highlighted by the 1933 Ford coupe that appeared in each film clip, and the band themselves. And, the good looking women too I guess. Along with the superb guitar riffs, great vocals and catchy lyrics, the album took off around the world, going top ten in the US, UK and Australia.
Given that this was released in the year that I first became interested in buying albums of bands rather than Various Artists compilations, and that I was still focused on rock bands more than the heavy metal gnre that came a couple of years later, there was always a chance that I may have purchased this at the time it came out. But because of the staggered singles release, it wasn’t until over 12 months later that “Legs” was released as a single and a music video, and it was definitely this song that made me look up and take notice. For reasons already mentioned. And the first two singles are good ones, and got good coverage on the radio at the time. Despite this, I didn’t actually listen to the album until I had left high school a few years later, and it came on at an acquaintances house we were gathered at that evening. And the conversation around the album as it played was “remember those film clips for those songs?!?”
It is not an album I have owned a physical copy of. I have a downloaded version, and I have listened to it sparingly over the years. I did so most recently on the passing of Dusty Hill last year, and came away from that with a more rounded view on the album rather than just the singles component.
The album remains as the band’s best known, and if you play it today you will get as much enjoyment out of it as you are looking for.
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