Earlier ZZTop.....this IS the blues personified.....

Many people are familiar with ZZ Top from their commercially successful 'Eliminator' album. But their earlier work as per this piece, really shows their incredible raw and dynamic blues. Backtrack more you guys, they're a music treat!

Beer Drinkers, and Hell Raisers I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide La Grange Just Got Paid Blue Jeans Blues These are a few more songs by ZZ Top that you should check out.

70's era ZZ Top rules! From what I understand, "Waitin' For The Bus" and "Jesus Just Left Chicago" were supposed to be separate songs but a production mistake made along the way to releasing the album left the two songs back to back and the band liked the transition so much they kept the mistake in place. When you're ready for more from them, check out "La Grange", "Tush", "Just Got Paid", "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide", "I Thank You", and "Heard It On The X" which tells a story about listening to rock-n-roll, blues, and other "forbidden" music during the segregated 50's on border radio stations broadcast out of Mexico at 50,000+ watts so that their signals reached well over a hundred miles across the border into Texas.

Been Arrested for Driving while Blind and It’s Only Love are two of my favorite songs by ZZ Top.

ZZ Top "Blue Jean Blues"...Nuff Said.

I think you guys are listening to the remastered version that added more reverb, so, good ear that picked up the difference in sound. The original vinyl is the best way to go!

Im from Texas and they are loved I've seen them several times, met Billy G. He's just the koolist in person and personable

My favorite ZZ Top album. Beer Drinkers, and Hell Raisers, is another great song from this album. Great job guys.

Jesus Just Left Chicago, is inspired by picking up a Chicago radio station. I’m from a tow an hour away from Memphis., and in the 70s, at night, we could listen to WLS Chicago. It was great times!

When Billy Gibbons and his first band The Moving Sidewalks opened for Jimi Hendrix on his first official US tour in 1968, Jimi called him the best guitarist he'd ever heard and gifted him a pink stratocaster (Billy played it in concert recently). Billy revealed that he thought Jimi's greatest innovation in guitar playing was “Jimi took the three-way toggle switch into five-way... He’s the one that discovered the in-between positions, and in order for that not to pop out of place, he showed me how to take off the back scratch plate and remove the spring within the toggle switch, so it would more or less stay in place! And that sound had this extra chimeyness to it."

Yes. You're right. They remixed these albums back in the 90s and added all this echo shit. Broke my Texan heart. I loved the originals. Sounded like you were in the room.

Tres Hombres came out in like early 1970s been listening to them all my life 1 of my top 5 bands

Fun fact...Billy was buddies with Jimmy Hendrix. 😎

Bill Ham was a great producer and gave them that unique sound on record. It is very 'present' with little to no reverb or delay. Love this little medley.

Originally from 1973, this version is a 1980s mix with a bunch of added reverb on the drums and some compression on the lead guitar. The -73 original sound has super-crsip, tight drum sound and an overall less processed ambience. It's a matter of taste but we old head ZZ Top fans love that crisp blues rock from the first few albums.

It's Sharpe and fuzzy at the same time, as only ZZ Top can be.

You’ll never go wrong with that lil ol band from Texas!

Watching you guys Bob your heads is cracking me up.

I love the inside of the album jacket. A big authentic tex-mex meal!

"Takin' care of business is His name." My all time favorite ZZT cut! Thanks, guys!

"Well you don't have to worry, 'cause takin' care of business is his name"

Living in Houston growing up listening to ZZ TOP is like listening to your neighbor next door.

Their sound is tight.. ... The sound was tight in the 70's..... I'm so glad that y'all recognize. These boys out of Houston. I want the same high School the two of them went to...👊❤️😎

Jesus just Left Chicago, is an homage to blues music. The places he mentions are all areas with a blues history. Chicago, New Orleans, Mississippi. I think that the implication, is that, Jesus goes where the Blues is!

Thanks y'all! Love love love! Their tunes Tush, Blue Jean Blues, I Gotsta Get Paid, Thank you - all kick azz & are well worth your' time!

ZZ perfectly replicated the Mississippi Delta blues sound on Jesus left Chicago. One of my very favorite songs of all time.

"muddy water turned to wine" Lyric is a nod to the late great blues musician Muddy Waters.

ZZ Top is probably the only band I've seen play in four different decades. 70s 80s 90s and early 2000s. If you grew up in Texas (I did) they were always around. That little O'band from Texas ain't no lie.

Down home Texas all the way🤠🔥✌🤘

Billy and the boys were from Houston. They could stop in and listen to Lightning Hopkins, Albert Collins or Johnny Winter live anytime. They soaked it up.

I first saw them on this tour, back in 1973, they were the opener for Uriah Heep and blew the crowd away with heavy blues the likes of which was new and exciting. Been a fan ever since. Try Just Got Paid next, another of their classics from back in the day. Enjoy! 🎵🎸🎤🎸🎶

And Now That of 'Muddy Waters' has turned to Wine... And Jesus is with our Music

You got to remember guys that durning the 70’s and 80’s technology in the music industry was changing drastically by the month - not yearly but monthly!!!!! By leaps and bounds!!!! Just saying!!!! So says Austin Tx!!!!!! 🤩🤩🤩😎🍸

In 1973, the recording and effects techniques were very different to later in the 70's, and early 80's. I think that, and the vocal reverb were what you were hearing. The dynamics of early ZZ Top were easily more noticeable with the stripped down recording techniques. They were a 3 piece band, and the sound of that is more obvious in their early recordings. Their later recordings had a lot of over dubs, and multitracked guitars to fill in the sound.

I'm generally in the minority but I think "Sure Got Cold After the Rain Fell" and "Brown Sugar" are 2 of their most powerful songs, off their first 2 albums. Check them out some time.

Fabulous…. My favorite ZZ Track ever… extremely under appreciated band…

Give "Blue Jean Blues," a listen by ZZTop

Hot, Blue and Righteous

AHH TAKE ME WITH YOU JESUS into that solo gives me stank face everytime

Billy Gibbons and the Fender Telecaster were a match made in heaven

Ive had a lifetimme of study on this regarding blues and come to conclude billy gibbons a master class blues man! Ive studied long and hard on this! And Reverend Billy Gibbons is the undisputed MASTERCLASS BLUES ARTIST OF ALL TIME! NOBODY ELSE COMES CLOSE. TO THERES SOME HOT HANDS OUT THERE HOWEVER NOT ONE CREATED A MUSICAL BLUES SCORE UNIQUELY AS GIBBONS ACCOMPLISHED. NOBODY PLAYS LIKE HIM.JIMI HENDRIX AGREED FROM THE GRAVE!!?

Here in Houston, we had a radio station for 34 years with the call letters KLOL. You could count on them to play Top every couple of hours, and with their portfolio you never got tired of it!

Blue Jean Blues fits in this style of theirs. It’s my favorite song of theirs.

Hard to believe it was only 3 dudes. Two of my favorite cuts.

Gotta love that "little ol' band from Texas"!

First time I heard this I'm a white kid who likes Motown playing hoops. I was certain this was something new out of Motown. I was hooked on ZZ Top until MTV played TV Dinners too much and Rush was filling my head with Hemispheres.

Tres Hombres is simply a perfect LP! 👍

3 men playing fire

From New Orleans, to Austin, to San Francisco, to the Philippines then back to Memphis... these guys anchored me. Paused in there to get a hat at Texas Hatters.

Back in 1967 Jimi Hendrix saw Billy Gibbons and ZZ Topp and offered them the warm-up Band job on his first tour as "The Jimi Hendrix Experience," in Europe. Jimi and Billy got along famously from the very beginning.

They turned a little too commercial towards the end but , come on man ................ZZ Top ROCKS ! ..and the Blues to boot ! Peace and love

ZZ Top, SRV, Fabulous Thunderbirds are all part of Texas Blues and very revered in Texas 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼

That snare sound is a gated reverb... ZZ Top were a little ahead of the curve using this effect as it was just about everywhere in the 1980s...

When you're drivin' down the highway at night and you're feelin' that Wild Turkey bite..

ZZTop are a mix of old school 50's rock n roll, blues, country but most importantly they had that Texas swing. Allot of rock bands from there have that same swing, the Winter bros Johnny and Edgar, Pantera, The Fabulous T-birds and most importantly Stevie Ray Vaughn all have that same Texas swing in their styles.

Back in the '90s, maybe early 2000s, I found a compilation CD of theirs titled 'One Foot In The Blues'. It's their more blues-ey stuff obviously. It's ALL phenomenal. My favorite period of their music though was the '70s for sure.

"Just got paid" is about my favorite faster zz top song. But you should also try "blue jean blues", super mellow blues.

Now that I'm messing around with the guitar, Billy Gibbons has really caught my attention. I've seen them live, but didn't really appreciate them like I do now.

Guys, I've seen them 7. Times in Houston. Even before those long beards . Please watch them live,. Zz top ateric Clapton guitar festival,. Live. It's awesome billy, dusty & frank are the best. 🎸🎸🥁🙏🙏🙏🙏. They do this song, ❤️🤩❤️🤩. You will see dusty. Twang them bass strings so dam hard.🥰🥰🥰🥰

Billy Gibbons had the most efficient sense of timing. If aliens came down and said, "Pick one person to play one note at the absolute perfect time or we blow up the world," he is my choice. Phenomenal guitarist.

Billy Gibbons one of the best guitar players of my generation, damn can sure sing this Texas Boogie too!

IF you put ZZ Top on in a funeral home , when that drum punching through the air the bass rhythm kicks in dead people heads start to bob.

You didn’t have to listen like you you did, but you did, but you did and your ears thank you.

This is a remastered version that came out in the late 80s called The ZZ Top SixPack. The record label remastered their first six albums for a multi disk set release. If you listen to these songs from the original albums, there's a pretty distinct difference. You both called it. It's highly compressed from the original mix. It upset most of the ZZ Top purists, but it's still great!

Billy Bobbins on lead guitar. Dusty Rhodes, bass, passed away last year.🙏RIP🙏

You need to check out Johnny and Edgar Winter. You want some Texas Blues, they'll blow you away. Check out Tobacco Road. The live version on video

Love the Texas blues and Billy and Dustys tone

They were awesome in the 70s! I had every album and saw every concert here in Memphis!!!

Hahahaha, great . Thank y’all . TEXAS MAN HERE. U.S. Navy Veteran. Hahahaha, I was in High School this album came out. Again thanks.

These are great tracks, no doubt. Some other excellent ones are: Nasty dogs and funky kings Heard it on the X Manic Mechanic My Head's in Mississippi Balinese 2000 Blues I Thank You

Early ZZ Top is a treasure trove of Texas blues. You’ll love this part of their discography. Thanks for reacting to this. Have a happy new year. 🔥

Personally I have an obsession with ZZ Top’s album XXX. A lot of fans who only like their old stuff either hate it or have never listened to it. But, it has some of the most insane mixing & layering of guitar, bass, & drum tones, possibly ever. The lyrics are surreal & weird, & the technology to implement samples had evolved enough to finally catch up with ZZ Top. It’s like a cosmic, heavy, blues rock on acid fever dream, from another dimension. I don’t know how it sounds like they put hot deep fried gristle in a pair of maracas & made it an integral part of the mix next to fuzzed out guitars, but by god they did it. The drum tones on “It should be made into a movie” are out of this world. Lyrics about poke chop sandwiches & thunderbirds & ladies… 12/10 for me. It would be awesome to see the album get some exposure on KZfaq reactions.

Muddy Waters means something.

Best ZZ Top song’s ever. Thanks.

It's pretty amazing that you guys also picked up on the sonic and/or engineering differences in this track. You are actually listening to a more modern remastering of the song probably from the 1990s. The original 1973 vinyl had a much more dry & muscular right in your face punch to the sound. A few vinyl versions have been previously uploaded to KZfaq to hear the difference. At some point during the 1990s when album remastering started to become the norm, someone decided "badly" in my opinion how to remix early Z Z Top records which included an almost cavernous reverb applied mostly to the drum tracks only and sometimes added to the whole mix. When you hear the original, there is no comparison. The original mix is rough, tough, dry & dirty sounding. The 90s remixed version sounds "overproduced" and loses much of its snarling "in yo face" attitude. Another great Z Z Top track that features a much better dry to wet sound using reverb on the guitar from the time of recording and original mixing is to listen to "Blue Jean Blues" off their 1975 album "Fandango". The song features a similar dry, up close & personal tone. By the middle of the song during the entry of the 2nd guitar solo, more reverb is added giving the impression of a deeper listening space and distance of the guitar as if it has gone up a mountain to be heard for miles. When used judiciously, sound effects can be really tastefully effective. 😎🎸🎶

Gotta listen to some Molly Hatchet “ Dreams I’ll never see again “ , “ Gator Country” , “ Flirting with Disaster “ , “ Boogie no more “ , “ Ragtop Deluxe” many more awesome southern rock jams! Thanks, new subscribers.

ZZ Tops sound is distinct. As the story goes, the guys were looking for their own sound ans the manager had his vision. They were in the studio and trying different things but their manager kept budding in. So they him out for food at place that was at least an hour one way. Shall we say 'the rest is history'. Their sound was born.

Whole Fandango album is worth a listen. Expertly engineered and produced.

The best little band fromTexas. There is a line from their song "Heard it on the X" which says " country Jesus and hillbilly blues is where I learned my licks" which is a perfect example of their sound.

These guys rock. This album tres hombres Is 50 years old. Amazing album and band.

The gritch grassiness of that crunchy tone is blues groovin'...😁😁😁🤣 Just got Paid should be next up for a listen.

Heard different stories ZzTop played Chicago after Elvis ..and was headed to New Orleans.References the he took a job in Mississippi Elvis' birthplace .The the reference to Taking care of business was the name of his game...TCB was an Elvis trademark that his private jets carried on their tail..and TCB Enterprises also..This story was told in a Memphis restaurant called Molly Gonzalez LA Casita which was frequented when recording at Ardent Srudios

You guys are definitely hitting on all my favorite ZZ hits. I wasn't even a fan until some friends invited me to attend a concert. I've seen dozens of bands in concert and ZZ Top is the funnest time. Had so much fun we drove to a 2nd show just a couple of days later. Lifelong fan now.

Bars “Took a jog through Mississippi Muddy Water turn to wine” reference to the late great Muddy Waters and his birthplace of Mississippi

Took bus to school from 7th to 12th grade!!! And family had many Cadillacs!!!!😎😎😎😎😍😍😍😍

Zig Zag and Top brand "cigarette rolling papers" were the only ones available in most parts of South Texas back in the day. ZZ Top.

Billy g the coolest car ever picked up a guitar. King of tone

While you're on ZZ Top, have you heard "Mexican Blackbird"?

These guys ran their guitars through compressors ran through compressors ran through compressors ran through compressors like a daisy chain. Hence the unique sound.

Have mercy

I seen ZZ Top in '90 at the Cotton Bowl with Santana and Steve Miller.... ZZ Top Sounded so good...! Better than any other band I've seen live...!

best country music, blues, southern rock and heavy metal comes from Texas

This is raw ZZ Topp. Before the beards, the cars, etc. 2nd album.

"Just Got Paid" would be a good follow up while you're in the epic early part of their career.

Both of these are standard blues songs. Both use the same lyrical delivery of : line A. Repeat line A, and response...... also, the chord pattern is typically blues.... Both are renditions of the 12 bar blues progression.

One of the things that makes ZZ Top sound different is that Billy Gibbons likes to use a Peso for a pick which gives his playing a distinct sound.

I think it was in the 90's.....they did a greatest hits thing with all the drum tracks remastered....that's why they sound so different than the original.

The top local band when I was in high school on Texas Gulf Coast. Back up into the FIRST ALBUM for their early blues sound. First regional hit: Neighbor, Neighbor.

"Ahhh..Take me with you Jesus!!"