70's Classic Albums Discussion (now featuring: ZZ Top)

[jammindude]

Sorry, but I would EASILY put Led Zeppelin comfortably in 2nd. And yes, I understand this isn’t a “personal favorite” kind of thing. I just don’t see how Queen comes close. And even though I don’t particularly care for the Stones, I will concede they are at least in the running. But Zep passed them up nearly from the get-go

[Stadler]

Nah, Beatles and Stones are one-two in the "ubiquitous" category.   I don't think it's even close, either.

When John Lennon was shot, my mom went out and bought me the Red and Blue Capital compilations (Beatles) and Hot Rocks by the Stones.   Music she felt I "had to know".   I get that that was forty years ago and times change, but the point is, The Beatles and The Stones are working not just on two generations, but closer to four at this point. 

They've also transcended their genre.   You hear The Beatles and The Stones in places like elevators and grocery stores in a way that you don't with Zeppelin and Queen.   You can use "Keef" as a euphemism in a way that you can't with Brian May or even Freddie. 

[Cool Chris]

Backtracking a bit... listened to a little Joe's Garage, not being familiar with FZ at all. I wouldn't go as far to say I enjoyed it. It isn't my thing. But I found it more enjoyable than I anticipated.

[TAC]

Nah, Beatles and Stones are one-two in the "ubiquitous" category.   I don't think it's even close, either.

It isn't.

[Kwyjibo]

I really like ZZ Top and I like that record, but I'm not high and can't talk you up on the deep cuts. La Grange is great but seriously overplayed, Jesus and Bus and Beer Drinkers are all fun and classic tunes. The rest isn't bad either, but not really outstanding.

[Stadler]

I bought one of those value pack, 10-CD sets on eBay of the first 10 ZZTop albums (up through Recycler, if memory serves).  I knew only the hits (and the revamped ones at that) and some of those early albums were a revelation.  Billy Gibbons is the real deal.

[Podaar]

ZZ Top - Tres Hombres



I like ZZ Top a lot, but they have never really band an album band for me, but more of a band where I like a few songs from most albums and that's it.  I can't remember the majority of this album, but it does have their most classic song, La Grange, as well as Waitin' for the Bus and Jesus Just Left Chicago, another one of those 70's back to back deals where you can't have one without the other.  I like Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers quite a bit as well.  I'll be curious to see if anyone is really high on the whole album and can talk up some of the deep cuts.

By far, my favorite ZZ album! The only real "meh" song for me is Have You Heard. To the songs you mentioned I'd add Master of Sparks, Hot Blue and Righteous, Precious and Grace and Sheik. But then, I'm probably more of a blues fan than most regulars on the forum. I also really dig the grove of Move Me on Down the Line, but not near as much as the rest of the album. Side one is all win for me.

[pg1067]

As a result of this Stones album showing up in this thread, I took a look at their album releases.  From the beginning of their career, it took until Tattoo You to find an album where I recognized more than two songs by name.  I'd have figured that there would be albums where I knew at least 4-5 songs.

That blows me away.   Seriously.  (And I don't mean that in a mocking or negative way; I'm sure I'm the same way with Bob Dylan). But the Stones are one of the more covered bands out there, plus they do a fair number of covers themselves, so...

I was surprised too, but remember I said my foundation of Stones knowledge was a K-Tel commercial.  I thought I knew a lot of Stones songs, but they've got more albums than I thought (although it's a bit convoluted given the different UK and U.S. releases) and, like I said, I've never been a fan.  I know the big hits but have never gone deeper.

The Rolling Stones:  none (I'm familiar with Not Fade Away, but not the Stones' version)
12x5:  Time Is on My Side
Rolling Stones Now:  none
Out of Our Heads:  Satisfaction
December's Children:  Get off My Cloud
Aftermath:  Mother's Little Helper, Paint It Black (apparently, these were alternate tracks on the UK and U.S. releases)
Between the Buttons:  Let's Spend the Night Together, Ruby Tuesday
Satanic:  She's a Rainbow
Beggar's Banquet:  Sympathy for the Devil
Let It Bleed:  Gimme Shelter, You Can't Always Get What You Want
Sticky Fingers:  Brown Sugar
Exile:  none
Goats Head Soup:  Angie
Only Rock n Roll:  It's Only Rock 'n Roll
Black and Blue:  none
Some Girls:  Beast of Burden, Shattered
Emotional Rescue:  She's So Cold
Tattoo You:  Start Me Up, Hang Fire, Waiting on a Friend (the three singles, all of which had videos on MTV)

And I probably only know 1 or 2 songs released after Tattoo You.

ZZ Top - Tres Hombres

I like maybe one ZZ Top song (Sharp Dressed Man).  The only thing I know on this album (La Grange) is one of those songs that causes me to leap to change the station or mute when it starts.

[Stadler]

As a result of this Stones album showing up in this thread, I took a look at their album releases.  From the beginning of their career, it took until Tattoo You to find an album where I recognized more than two songs by name.  I'd have figured that there would be albums where I knew at least 4-5 songs.

That blows me away.   Seriously.  (And I don't mean that in a mocking or negative way; I'm sure I'm the same way with Bob Dylan). But the Stones are one of the more covered bands out there, plus they do a fair number of covers themselves, so...

I was surprised too, but remember I said my foundation of Stones knowledge was a K-Tel commercial.  I thought I knew a lot of Stones songs, but they've got more albums than I thought (although it's a bit convoluted given the different UK and U.S. releases) and, like I said, I've never been a fan.  I know the big hits but have never gone deeper.

The Rolling Stones:  none (I'm familiar with Not Fade Away, but not the Stones' version)Tell Me, Walking The Dog
12x5:  Time Is on My Side   It's All Over Now
Rolling Stones Now:  none  Heart Of Stone
Out of Our Heads:  Satisfaction  Play With Fire
December's Children:  Get off My Cloud
Aftermath:  Mother's Little Helper, Paint It Black (apparently, these were alternate tracks on the UK and U.S. releases) Under My Thumb
Between the Buttons:  Let's Spend the Night Together, Ruby Tuesday
Satanic:  She's a Rainbow   2,000 Man, 200 Light Years From Home
Beggar's Banquet:  Sympathy for the Devil  Street Fighting Man
Let It Bleed:  Gimme Shelter, You Can't Always Get What You Want  Live With Me, Let it Bleed, Midnight Rambler, Monkey Man
Sticky Fingers:  Brown Sugar  Wild Horses, ...Knocking, Bitch, Sister Morphine, Moonlight Mile
Exile:  none
Goats Head Soup:  Angie   Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker), Star Star
Only Rock n Roll:  It's Only Rock 'n Roll
Black and Blue:  none  Memory Motel, Fool To Cry
Some Girls:  Beast of Burden, Shattered  Miss You, When The Whip Comes Down, Some Girls
Emotional Rescue:  She's So Cold  Emotional Rescue
Tattoo You:  Start Me Up, Hang Fire, Waiting on a Friend (the three singles, all of which had videos on MTV)  Slave, Little T&A, Neighbnours

And I probably only know 1 or 2 songs released after Tattoo You.  Undercover, She Was Hot, It Must Be Hell from Undercover, and One Hit To The Body from Dirty Work

Do you like those songs you listed, or no?  I say this nicely, and in the spirit of opening doors (not at all making fun of you or anything like that) but there's a lot of low-hanging fruit in your list.  See the bold.  In particular, these are ESSENTIAL:  UnderMy Thumb, Street Fighting Man, Monkey Man, Wild Horses, Midnight Rambler, Miss You, and Some Girls.

Oh, and trivia: in the video for "Waiting On A Friend", Mick Jagger is sitting on the stoop of the building that is the cover of Led Zeppelin's "Physical Graffiti" (it's in NYC, on St. Mark's Place near McSorley's and NYU.)

[pg1067]

Do you like those songs you listed, or no?  I say this nicely, and in the spirit of opening doors (not at all making fun of you or anything like that) but there's a lot of low-hanging fruit in your list.  See the bold.  In particular, these are ESSENTIAL:  UnderMy Thumb, Street Fighting Man, Monkey Man, Wild Horses, Midnight Rambler, Miss You, and Some Girls.

Essential for what?  (that word is a pet peeve of mine).

To answer your question, generally, no.  Those are the songs I know by name on the albums listed.  The only Stones song I would say I truly "like" is She's a Rainbow.  For the most part, everything else I mentioned ranges from garbage (You Can't Always Get What You Want and Shattered) to just ok (Satisfaction and It's Only Rock 'n Roll).

By the way, this is probably the commercial that I mentioned previously:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc-lhFrzNsQ

Also, my list omits a few songs that were released only as singles (e.g., Jumpin' Jack Flash and Honkey Tonk Woman).

[Stadler]

Do you like those songs you listed, or no?  I say this nicely, and in the spirit of opening doors (not at all making fun of you or anything like that) but there's a lot of low-hanging fruit in your list.  See the bold.  In particular, these are ESSENTIAL:  UnderMy Thumb, Street Fighting Man, Monkey Man, Wild Horses, Midnight Rambler, Miss You, and Some Girls.

Essential for what?  (that word is a pet peeve of mine).

To answer your question, generally, no.  Those are the songs I know by name on the albums listed.  The only Stones song I would say I truly "like" is She's a Rainbow.  For the most part, everything else I mentioned ranges from garbage (You Can't Always Get What You Want and Shattered) to just ok (Satisfaction and It's Only Rock 'n Roll).

By the way, this is probably the commercial that I mentioned previously:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc-lhFrzNsQ

Also, my list omits a few songs that were released only as singles (e.g., Jumpin' Jack Flash and Honkey Tonk Woman).

Well, "essential" in understanding the artist's work.   I can use another word, but I really just mean "those songs that capture the essence of the artist".  Though, if "She's A Rainbow" is the one song you do like, you won't really like most of what I cited.  You may like 2,000 Man - covered by Kiss - and "2,000 Light Years From Home" since they are in the same vein, but that album is very much an outlier in the catalogue.  I happen to like it, but it's a very polarizing record. 

EDIT:  That commercial is classic.   

[pg1067]

EDIT:  That commercial is classic.   

I have to be very careful with stuff like that because I can end up going down a YouTube wormhole and not coming up for a few hours!

[TAC]

So I have never listened to a ZZ Top album in my life. I just ran through Tres Hombres. It's actually a really cool album. 1973. Nice.

Being that it is a so called "classic" I kind of expected to have heard a few songs from it. I only know La Grange, and Waitin' For The Bus sounds familiar, though I don't think I have ever placed that as ZZ Top.

[Stadler]

So I have never listened to a ZZ Top album in my life. I just ran through Tres Hombres. It's actually a really cool album. 1973. Nice.

Being that it is a so called "classic" I kind of expected to have heard a few songs from it. I only know La Grange, and Waitin' For The Bus sounds familiar, though I don't think I have ever placed that as ZZ Top.

ZZ Top is one of those few bands that, at least up until Eliminator, I can do without the radio hits.  I don't like La Grange, I can do without Tush, but give me Just Got Paid or Sure Got Cold After The Rain Fell all day long.

Have to remind people, though if you're getting into ZZ Top, you have to be careful.  There are original mixes, which are dry and of the time (early 70's) but after the success of Eliminator, for the first CD releases, they went back and remixed most (I know all of them for sure except the first two) of the early albums to beef up the drum sound to be more like that found on Eliminator.  A travesty if you ask me.  Starting in 2006 or so, they started using the original mixes again.

[DragonAttack]

ZZ Top - Tres Hombres

I like ZZ Top a lot, but they have never really band an album band for me, but more of a band where I like a few songs from most albums and that's it.  I can't remember the majority of this album, but it does have their most classic song, La Grange, as well as Waitin' for the Bus and Jesus Just Left Chicago, another one of those 70's back to back deals where you can't have one without the other.  I like Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers quite a bit as well.  I'll be curious to see if anyone is really high on the whole album and can talk up some of the deep cuts.

Fun to listen to as a growing teen.  'Waitin' For The Bus'/'Jesus Just Left Chicago' is a classic 'two fer'.  A bit of a segue....back when we could have a go at made up song titles, lengths, and topics for 'The Astonishing', I included DT doing a cover of 'Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers', and a couple of off the wall upbeat tracks that the band would never do.  So, I did get a laugh when I saw the tracklisting for the now current LP, with a song titled 'Barstool Warrior'. 

I wonder if they read this forum

[hefdaddy42]

Are the 70s finally over?

[pg1067]

Are the 70s finally over?

And the 80s (other thread)?

Hope not.