“La Grange” (1973)Ī deliciously juiced-up John Lee Hooker–derived rhythm-guitar lick drives this classic “two-minute wonder” (in Billy Gibbons’ words), which paid tribute to the Chicken Ranch, the same long-standing real-life brothel in La Grange, Texas, that inspired the book and movie T he Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Here we look back at 10 of the band’s defining tracks. The lasciviousness of their lyrics always came with a wink, as did their Reagan-era transformation: The electronics of Eliminator and its follow-ups somehow only brought out more of the band’s inimitable essence. “We all woke up to the reality of an almost telepathic way to communicate,” Gibbons once said of an early rehearsal. After Cream and Jimi Hendrix warped electric blues into psychedelia, ZZ Top pulled it back to the dusty ground of Texas, but they weren’t as straight-ahead as they seemed: The rhythm section of drummer Frank Beard and late bassist (and sometime vocalist) Dusty Hill could groove so uncannily hard that a song like “Jesus Just Left Chicago” could feel otherworldly - and then the interdimensional squall of Billy Gibbons’ lead guitar would arrive. Even before they revved themselves up into synth-boosted MTV hitmakers in the Eighties, ZZ Top were never an ordinary blues-rock band.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |