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Dusty And Billy
The men who would form ZZ Top had played in several different Texas-based groups (main among them were Moving Sidewalks with Gibbons and The American Blues with Hill and Beard) before joining forces in late 1969: at first, Billy invited Frank for his project of a blues rock trio, and then, when they were looking for a new bassman, the drummer proposed his former bandmate, Dusty.
They played their first show in February, 1970 and toured almost continually for several years, but first gained wide acclaim with their third album on London Records, Tres Hombres (1973). It contained the classic song "La Grange", referencing the bordello that is the subject of the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
The band continued touring, recording, and releasing albums until 1977, when they took an extended hiatus. Their long-time manager/producer/image maker Bill Ham used this time to negotiate a deal that allowed the band to keep control of their previous recordings, which would be distributed by their new label, Warner Bros. Records. They reunited two and a half years later in order to start recording under that new Warner Brothers contract. Unbeknownst to one another, both Hill and Gibbons had grown the chest-length beards that quickly became a part of their "wildman" image.
They reached new heights of popularity with the 1983 album Eliminator, boosted to prominence by memorable music videos for the tracks "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Legs" and "Sharp-Dressed Man" each of which featured a small bright red 1933 Ford Coupe 3 window hotrod called The Eliminator and a trio of mysterious, beautiful women who travel around helping various people. The album also featured a distinctive synthesizer-laced sound—a rarity in the blues rock genre—which added a modern, electronic edge to the music, and helped the album become successful and a fan favourite. Eliminator remains their most successful album to date.
Their next album, Afterburner, mostly featured the same blend of synthesizers, blues rock and the use of sequencers. But on subsequent albums, less and less synth- and sequencer-influenced music is heard. An occasional song with those elements and instruments is included on recent albums as a nod to their past.
In 1985, they released the three-disc set, The ZZ Top Six Pack. When Warner chose to remaster six select albums from 1970 to 1981, they (along with the members of ZZ Top) remixed the back catalog to make it sound like their new music output. All the drum tracks were re-recorded and other random digital effects were applied. In trying to fit six albums on three discs, some tracks were faded out sooner than their original release versions. At the same time, individual remixed cd releases were released.
In 1993, ZZ Top inducted Cream into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 1994, ZZ Top signed a five-disc deal with RCA Records. Many fans (or, as they refer to themselves, "fanzz") feel that the recordings of this era are as artistically strong as the earlier London and Warner Brothers recordings, but have expressed disappointment with RCA's promotion of these releases.[citation needed] Clive Davis wanted to do a Santana type Supernatural colaboration record on the 2003 record Mescalero. As per an interview in Goldmine magazine Pink, Dave Matthews and Wilco were among the artists slated for the project.
In July 2000, while on tour in Europe, Hill was diagnosed with Hepatitis C, which forced the cancellation of several dates in that tour. Hill has since recovered.
In 2003, a comprehensive collection of recordings from the London and Warner Brother years entitled Chrome, Smoke & BBQ was released.
In 2004, ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
As of 2006, it is reported that ZZ Top are recording their 15th studio album. On September 17th 2006 they ended their contract with RCA Records and left their manager Bill Ham, president of Lone Wolf management. No reasons were given for these changes. Also, digitally remastered versions of the original un-remixed studio albums from '70's and '80's are currently in production. Some have been released and the remainder have yet to be released. In December 2006, Sanctuary Management added ZZ Top to its roster. February 11 2007 brought the band to the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood for a very intimate gig.
They played their first show in February, 1970 and toured almost continually for several years, but first gained wide acclaim with their third album on London Records, Tres Hombres (1973). It contained the classic song "La Grange", referencing the bordello that is the subject of the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
The band continued touring, recording, and releasing albums until 1977, when they took an extended hiatus. Their long-time manager/producer/image maker Bill Ham used this time to negotiate a deal that allowed the band to keep control of their previous recordings, which would be distributed by their new label, Warner Bros. Records. They reunited two and a half years later in order to start recording under that new Warner Brothers contract. Unbeknownst to one another, both Hill and Gibbons had grown the chest-length beards that quickly became a part of their "wildman" image.
They reached new heights of popularity with the 1983 album Eliminator, boosted to prominence by memorable music videos for the tracks "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Legs" and "Sharp-Dressed Man" each of which featured a small bright red 1933 Ford Coupe 3 window hotrod called The Eliminator and a trio of mysterious, beautiful women who travel around helping various people. The album also featured a distinctive synthesizer-laced sound—a rarity in the blues rock genre—which added a modern, electronic edge to the music, and helped the album become successful and a fan favourite. Eliminator remains their most successful album to date.
Their next album, Afterburner, mostly featured the same blend of synthesizers, blues rock and the use of sequencers. But on subsequent albums, less and less synth- and sequencer-influenced music is heard. An occasional song with those elements and instruments is included on recent albums as a nod to their past.
In 1985, they released the three-disc set, The ZZ Top Six Pack. When Warner chose to remaster six select albums from 1970 to 1981, they (along with the members of ZZ Top) remixed the back catalog to make it sound like their new music output. All the drum tracks were re-recorded and other random digital effects were applied. In trying to fit six albums on three discs, some tracks were faded out sooner than their original release versions. At the same time, individual remixed cd releases were released.
In 1993, ZZ Top inducted Cream into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 1994, ZZ Top signed a five-disc deal with RCA Records. Many fans (or, as they refer to themselves, "fanzz") feel that the recordings of this era are as artistically strong as the earlier London and Warner Brothers recordings, but have expressed disappointment with RCA's promotion of these releases.[citation needed] Clive Davis wanted to do a Santana type Supernatural colaboration record on the 2003 record Mescalero. As per an interview in Goldmine magazine Pink, Dave Matthews and Wilco were among the artists slated for the project.
In July 2000, while on tour in Europe, Hill was diagnosed with Hepatitis C, which forced the cancellation of several dates in that tour. Hill has since recovered.
In 2003, a comprehensive collection of recordings from the London and Warner Brother years entitled Chrome, Smoke & BBQ was released.
In 2004, ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
As of 2006, it is reported that ZZ Top are recording their 15th studio album. On September 17th 2006 they ended their contract with RCA Records and left their manager Bill Ham, president of Lone Wolf management. No reasons were given for these changes. Also, digitally remastered versions of the original un-remixed studio albums from '70's and '80's are currently in production. Some have been released and the remainder have yet to be released. In December 2006, Sanctuary Management added ZZ Top to its roster. February 11 2007 brought the band to the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood for a very intimate gig.
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Steve Goudie