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March 28, 2024, 11:55:09 PM

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ZZ Top

Started by Dr Syntax Head, March 22, 2020, 09:37:30 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

magval

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on March 24, 2020, 11:09:12 AM
Which ones? Tres Hombres is ok and I heard they went back and put Eliminator style drums all over it when it got released to CD.

It's been fixed! Last time I checked Tejas had the weird remixed drums, but the version of it on the Complete Studio Albums was OK. Now both are.

Comparison for anyone who's curious:

Original mix - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_hE2mMwAek

Shite mix with ruined drums - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGXowYZHA7I

buzby

Quote from: The Culture Bunker on March 24, 2020, 11:38:41 AM
Wasn't part of their move towards using synths/drum machines inspired by being taken with OMD's sound, after appearing with them on (presumably) the Old Grey Whistle Test?

Can't say I'm a huge fan, but I do like the idea of a group of grizzled Texas blues guys seeing these weird geeks from Birkenhead and thinking "yeah, we need some of this!"
They were already using electronic percussion by the time of their OGWT appearance alongside OMD in 1980. Gibbons was a bit of an Anglophile, and had picked up on punk at first, and then the electronic new wave and pop acts like OMD, Depeche Mode and A Flock Of Seagulls, particularly that the use of drum machines and sequencers could help him write and record (and help get ZZ Top's records played in clubs). To that end, he bought an early Fairlight which was first used on 1981's El Loco, and It's commonly believed that Eliminator in 1982 was basically a Gibbons solo record (with an Oberheim DMX replacing Beard).

idunnosomename

well I think that Hill and Beard were barely, if ever in the studio is not in doubt, but Eliminator's def not Gibbons on his own by any means. sound engineer Linden Hudson probably had a hand in crafting much of the album (he earned a writing credit on Thug in court). and terry manning was a big part of shaping the sound, with the drum programming and also played synths and some bass

gilbertharding

I always liked this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctt16zqgDpU by the Moving Sidewalks, featuring Billy Gibbons.

idunnosomename

i love the cover Queens of the Stone Age did of Precious and Grace with the Reverend. makes a heavy as fuck song even heavier.

also 3/4 of Pantera doing Heard it on the X (Dime and Rex doing vocals). hell yeah.

there should be more heavying up of 1980s songs imo. you could thrash up Got Me Under Pressure a charm

famethrowa

Billy is a really intriguing character. Son of a concert pianist, seeing Elvis at 5 years old, watching BB King in the studio at 7, studying with Tito Puente.... obviously a well educated chap, and he looks kind of nerdy in his early pics. So is wallowing in all these rock/blues cliches a conscious decision, or is it the real thing? Bit of both probably.

Rizla

See the latest Office Hours podcasts for some top drawer ZZ Top humour.

https://youtu.be/_K34Hr9wPrY?t=3716

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

They've changed their name to suit the times. Now they're Diseasey Top.

Artie Fufkin

Quote from: Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth on March 25, 2020, 12:10:11 PM
They've changed their name to suit the times. Now they're Diseasey Top.
LOLZZZZ

Artie Fufkin

Doc
Grumpy
Happy
Sleepy
Dopey
Bashful
Cunt

popcorn

Is the Netflix  ZZ Top doc not on UK Netflix?

Jockice

Not a lot of people know this, but the drummer is called Frank Clean-Shaven, which is quite ironic as he has a beard. And on the same lines the singer of the British band Shack doesn't actually have a head.

Artie Fufkin

Quote from: popcorn on March 26, 2020, 07:35:15 PM
Is the Netflix  ZZ Top doc not on UK Netflix?
That's where I watched it

idunnosomename

Billy Gibbons isnt a lonely monkey and Dusty Hill isnt a dusty hill. How ironic

popcorn

Quote from: Artie Fufkin on March 27, 2020, 09:10:48 AM
That's where I watched it

Well why isn't it there?!?!?!?!?!? My dad was crushed.

bigfatheart

I watched it there the other day too, found it by searching 'ZZ Top'. Not sure why there'd be a problem finding it.

Shit Good Nose

Big fan here.

Nothing to add except that a mate was in the front row when they did Glastonbury and they were DEFINITELY miming the vocals.

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

Their beards probably make to much noise on the microphones.

Artie Fufkin

Quote from: popcorn on March 27, 2020, 12:05:14 PM
Well why isn't it there?!?!?!?!?!? My dad was crushed.
I don't like your dad, so I made them take it down. Ha! Ha! VERY HA!

popcorn

Quote from: Artie Fufkin on March 27, 2020, 04:12:48 PM
I don't like your dad, so I made them take it down. Ha! Ha! VERY HA!

No!

Dad!

Keebleman

It's called That Little Ol' Band From Texas.  I had only ever seen a couple of pics of Gibbons and Hill without the facial fuzz and consequently found the archive footage utterly fascinating.  Pre-beard Gibbons looked like a young academic.

Keebleman

Interesting fact: Sharp Dressed Man does not contain a single definite article.  I learned this when it was one of the quizzes on Sporcle where you have to guess the lyrics to a song without any clues.  'The' is, naturally, always the first word I guess.  SDM is the only time it's drawn a blank.

popcorn

Quote from: Keebleman on March 27, 2020, 04:31:07 PM
It's called That Little Ol' Band From Texas.

Dad has now found this and is chuckling along with all the anecdotes and saying things like "They were brilliant."

QuoteI had only ever seen a couple of pics of Gibbons and Hill without the facial fuzz and consequently found the archive footage utterly fascinating.  Pre-beard Gibbons looked like a young academic.

Yes, the transformation of Gibbons is fascinating and sort of exciting for some reason. Also he's got brilliant legs.

Keebleman

There are a couple of disappointing omissions from the film, such as an account of the time Dusty Hill accidentally shot himself in the stomach just prior to shagging a groupie, and the story of Bill Ham's wife's murder and the eventual execution of her killer.

popcorn

I think it was pretty rubbish tbh - absolutely surface-level stuff designed to entertain dads. I mean, there was no exploration of what it was that made Eliminator different from the previous albums (especially the different production and the fact that the other band members weren't much involved). They just said "the band decided they had to do something new (no idea what 'new' is) and it was a big hit and the MTV videos were popular".

magval

These films often have stuff like that in the DVD extras, but the main built-for-BBC4 film is often surface level, aye.

The director has also made films about Rush and Iron Maiden, as well as a few TV series about metal in general. He's a fine filmmaker but I could do without him occasionally appearing as an interviewer. He does my fucking head in.

popcorn

Should add that this really did delight my dad which for which I am grateful in these locked down times. Thanks for the alert.

Quote from: Jockice on March 27, 2020, 08:17:22 AM
Not a lot of people know this, but the drummer is called Frank Clean-Shaven, which is quite ironic as he has a beard.

I think you've got this the wrong way round Jockice, he's actually called Frank Beard and he's the only one who hasn't got a beard

Jockice

Quote from: xxxx xxx x xxx on March 28, 2020, 08:25:17 PM
I think you've got this the wrong way round Jockice, he's actually called Frank Beard and he's the only one who hasn't got a beard

Ah! Well I wasn't far off.

MrSerious

My biggest takeaway from this is how much that live version of Manic Mechanic sounded like a prototypical Butthole Surfers/Big Black. Really heavy.