ZZ Top Appreciation Thread

[Feynman]

Man-oh-man do they have some great tunes in their catalog. And tone. Lots of it.

I'll start:

[ScottM]

Man-oh-man do they have some great tunes in their catalog. And tone. Lots of it.

I'll start:

I agree. Heard this on the radio and cranked it the other day. One of my all-time favs.

Scott M.

[Ted]

To me some of the Best Tones ever!

[Willie G. Moseley]

Little known secret: Live, Rev. Gibbons uses a Tokai Les Paul copy (Love Rock?) for "Just Got Paid"...or at least, he used to. Probably the most intriguing and enigmatic rock star I've ever met.

[bubs_42]

Jesus Just Left Chicago!

[hamerhead]

My favorite band.

Street dance a couple years ago. ZZ Top medley, of course!

[Armitage]

I think I'm the only one in the world who doesn't like ZZ Top (no disrespect mind you)... or the Stones... or AC/DC...

[cspot]

They were supposed to open for Aeromsith here until stevie boy fell off the stage.

Now they are coming by themselves in December, I'm so excited! tix go onsale this Sat! WHOO HOO....

[Hgb5000]

I love Billy's playing and tone. (But I have no intention of dropping the big $$ on his signature Les Paul). He takes all of the old stuff that came before him and does it in his own cool way.

[3of5]

I think I'm the only one in the world who doesn't like ZZ Top (no disrespect mind you)... or the Stones... or AC/DC...

I thought I was the only one who didn't like ZZ.

[Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame]

I think I'm the only one in the world who doesn't like ZZ Top (no disrespect mind you)... or the Stones... or AC/DC...

I feel your pain. I happen to sorta like AC/DC and ZZ Top, but I feel like the only person in the world who doesn't like and/or is unimpressed by the Stones, the Beatles, Zep, GNR, and Tom Petty.

[Disturber]

I had Mescalero in the car the other day. Very underated album. I love the dark production and the slight vibe of modern dance music that is mixed in there. It is so cool I guess most rock fans don't get it. Instant Tiuana on plastic.

Can't wait to hear what they record with Ric Rubin for their next album. It's hit or miss, but if we are lucky it could become their best album since the 70's. Anticipations are high....

[Brooks]

I think I'm the only one in the world who doesn't like ZZ Top (no disrespect mind you)... or the Stones... or AC/DC...

I feel like the only person in the world who doesn't like and/or is unimpressed by the Stones, the Beatles, Zep, GNR, and Tom Petty.

yeah, i just hate the best classic rock songwriters in the history of man, too.

lets listen to some ratt & poison!!!!

back to the OP,

you guys GOTTA get "chrome smoke & BBQ", the zz box set.

besides being a textbook of THE best tones,

it has all their killer early stuff

(brown sugar, precious & grace, heartbreaker, el diablo, manic mechanic, etc)

but w/o the terrible 80's gated reverb remix of the earlier released "six pack" boxed set.

[GaryT]

The Rev. ain't no joke. Held in high regard by most who play. Is he still promoting CRATE? If I didn't see him with CPB I would have "never" gave one a shot. As it is I tried it and wound up keeping one for a back-up.

Signature Sound, great Blues and Rock, that what its all about in my book.

[Brooks]

The Crates are just props. he uses

Marshall JMP-1 rackmount preamps

Marshall Valvestate rackmount amps

Peavey programable EQ's.

He actually runs from that rack straight into a Demeter isolation cab with a single 12" in it.

The cab sits under the stage about 10' from the rack.

This is cool; he takes his #1 les paul (pearly gates),

and plays an open G, and the peavey EQ records the frequency response,

and saves it as the default EQ curve.

Then it adjusts any other guitars response to fit the default EQ curve,

that way ALL his guitars have the same frequency curve as his LP.

[GaryT]

OH I'm not talking about "his" signal path.

But I have seen photo's of him using the Crate Power Blocks. I believe they were on the road shots of hotel room noodling. Which wound up being part of a advertising campaign by Crate. Crate actually tried to build a a few decent amps a couple of years back. While I thought they were OK for the price. I do like the portability of the Power Block.

BTW he has made several "guest" appearences on the TV Show "Bones". I believe that actually might be his daughter whos acting on the show.

[Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame]

I think I'm the only one in the world who doesn't like ZZ Top (no disrespect mind you)... or the Stones... or AC/DC...

I feel like the only person in the world who doesn't like and/or is unimpressed by the Stones, the Beatles, Zep, GNR, and Tom Petty.

yeah, i just hate the best classic rock songwriters in the history of man, too.

lets listen to some ratt & poison!!!!

I know. I always feel a little sheepish when I admit it.

My favorite band ever is Styx, especially Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight. But their southern rock before Tommy Shaw joined is excellent. I think James Young is one of the most underrated hard rock guitarists/composers out there.

So of course I like Queen, Journey, Foreigner, Kansas, Heart, Chicago, Foreigner...even into a little Toto and Survivor.

Basically, my favorite stuff is guitar-based, keyboard-enhanced Hard/Pomp Rock. Complex rhythm and harmonic work and advanced chord structures/progressions, without being too artsy for the sake of being too artsy (like Yes gets into sometimes).

If you get into my 2nd favorite style of music, yeah, it's 80s hair band. But my two favorites in that Genre are Night Ranger and Giant. If you limit me to non-keyboard-enhanced bands, I would have to say my favorites are Loudness, Dokken, Metallica (1st 3 albums only) and, yes, Ratt. But I hated Poison...does that help?

Individual songs that I like without getting much into the band include Green Eyed Lady, Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress, Frankenstein, Radar Love, Hocus Pocus...

You know, there really is no accounting for taste. I can't help what I like and don't like. [shrug]

Luckily, I'm immune to embarrassment, so I might as well admit I almost universally like Led Zeppelin imitator bands better than Led Zeppelin itself.

I think that means I basically like Zep's songs, but I hate Plant's voice (too whiny) and Page's guitar work (too sloppy). But it is just a visceral reaction.

FWIW, there is one Stones song I absolutely love: Paint it Black.

[GaryT]

I think I'm the only one in the world who doesn't like ZZ Top (no disrespect mind you)... or the Stones... or AC/DC...

I feel like the only person in the world who doesn't like and/or is unimpressed by the Stones, the Beatles, Zep, GNR, and Tom Petty.

yeah, i just hate the best classic rock songwriters in the history of man, too.

lets listen to some ratt & poison!!!!

I know. I always feel a little sheepish when I admit it.

My favorite band ever is Styx, especially Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight. But their southern rock before Tommy Shaw joined is excellent. I think James Young is one of the most underrated hard rock guitarists/composers out there.

So of course I like Queen, Journey, Foreigner, Kansas, Heart, Chicago, Foreigner...even into a little Toto and Survivor.

Basically, my favorite stuff is guitar-based, keyboard-enhanced Hard/Pomp Rock. Complex rhythm and harmonic work and advanced chord structures/progressions, without being too artsy for the sake of being too artsy (like Yes gets into sometimes).

If you get into my 2nd favorite style of music, yeah, it's 80s hair band. But my two favorites in that Genre are Night Ranger and Giant. If you limit me to non-keyboard-enhanced bands, I would have to say my favorites are Loudness, Dokken, Metallica (1st 3 albums only) and, yes, Ratt. But I hated Poison...does that help?

Individual songs that I like without getting much into the band include Green Eyed Lady, Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress, Frankenstein, Radar Love, Hocus Pocus...

You know, there really is no accounting for taste. I can't help what I like and don't like. [shrug]

Luckily, I'm immune to embarrassment, so I might as well admit I almost universally like Led Zeppelin imitator bands better than Led Zeppelin itself.

I think that means I basically like Zep's songs, but I hate Plant's voice (too whiny) and Page's guitar work (too sloppy). But it is just a visceral reaction.

FWIW, there is one Stones song I absolutely love: Paint it Black.

What you like is what you like. Nothing wrong or right about it. I could leave or take later Zepplin. But their first two LPs are works of art IMO. Certainly nothing wrong with early Styx either. And the Winters Brothers are both just fabulous players. Can't remember who did Radar Love though I remember the song. All good stuff though.

I'm a little more into Blues and Blues-Rock so it would be natural for me to prefer early Zepplin and like ZZ-Top.

[Willie G. Moseley]

Have seen BFG on "Bones"; can say that Emily Deschanel's mom in real life is Mary Jo Deschanel, who played Annie Glenn in THE RIGHT STUFF and Dave Bowman's widow in 2010. She was also in "Twin Peaks".

Anybody catch the 2003-2004 ZZ TOP tour, which had the set where the Dio De Los Muertos zombie freaked out everybody? Ted Nugent opened in '03; great double bill, and at one of the shows I caught, it was a triple threat w/ Gov't Mule added at the outset.

[Frank]

One of the greatest party bands ever! And the Rev playing through 6 Expandoras - crazy! "Just Got Paid" is an all time favorite. Unfortunately the great version on youtube was recently removed.

[BubbaVO]

Nobody does better pole dancing music than ZZTop.

[specialk]

Can't remember who did Radar Love

Golden Earring. They also did Twilight Zone (When the bullet hits the bone).

[HAMERMAN]

The character on bones who has Billy as her dad is Angela Montenegro played by Michaela Conlin. No real relation between the two I think.

[Brooks]

I know. I always feel a little sheepish when I admit it.

My favorite band ever is Styx

You know, there really is no accounting for taste. I can't help what I like and don't like. [shrug]

styx? really?? haha

you don't need to defend what you like and dislike, i'm just busting your balls.

i can understand when folks don't like stones/zep/sabs/rush/ac dc/GnR,

as their vocalists can be an aquired taste (i can't stand most GnR because of axl's schreechy voice).

i'm always baffled when folks don't like the beatles.

i'm not a fan of their sgt pepper or earlier stuff,

but they have written some of the best songs ever.

but hey, some people don't like pizza or sex, either. go figure.

And the Rev playing through 6 Expandoras - crazy!

BG is legendary for his bullshitting people about his gear,

that's a prime example. another one is

"the amp cabin", where he said he stacked a pile of various amps

around a single mic (completely enclosing it) to get the tones on "eliminator"

(when most of it was recorded w/ a rockman).

[Monacosis]

love the Top.....

'cept for those dark years between El Loco and Antenna.

mike