THAT LIL OLD BAND FROM TEXAS

WHITE LINE FEVER

ZZ TOP has got to be one of the most misunderstood bands out there. I hear people say all their songs sound essentially the same. That couldn't be further from the truth. In fact their sound kept changing while remaining in the same tight framework. A considerable achievement for a band that has kept going for 40 years without a single line-up change or a solo album by any of its members.
I already posted here about my love for ELIMINATOR, but these days I've been going loco for their previous LP, EL LOCO, their first attempt at blending electronic sounds with their usual southern boogie riffs. It also features their sole (as far as I know) troo yacht-rock song, LEILA.

LOOK SHARP!

Some people say ZZ TOP jumped the shark when they came up with the idea of blending MIDI-track and sequencers with their usual boogie. Fuck that!
Sure, in retrospect, now that we know they'd turn out to sell millions, one could see this move as selling out. But think about it: had that kind of rock (digital Southern rock) ever been tried before - or since for that matter? Wasn't that a bold move, one that requires major TexMex cojones? I say that was a highly original idea, completely groundbreaking, and the resulting album, ELIMINATOR, is easily one of the best albums of the eighties. So if someone comes a hatin' on the Top, THROW EM IN AND WAVE EM.