Stages of ZZ Top
A group of three musicians jam together playing blues riffs with a rock beat. They release hard rock albums through the 1970s until they hit the mainstream in 1983. ZZ Top made perfect Mtv videos. Two of the three musicians had beards and they rode in a customized 1934 Ford. Girls followed them everywhere.
ZZTop formed in 1969 in Houston Texas. They played southern blues but a lot of other bands did too. ZZ Top toured constantly and made fans through word of mouth. ZZTop’s first album called ZZTop's First Album was released in 1971. It went nowhere. That didn't stop the band. They toured and worked on their sound. The 1973 album, Tres Hombres features the classic song, LaGrange. Their first hit was about a bordello. That's a way to get attention!
They continued to build an audience. Radio discovered them and they became a success on hard-rock radio.
Mtv came along and if a band had the right look, they could be a success. MTV bred crappy bands based on looks. Image became important. Once in a while MTV could bring more success than radio could give.
A band with three musicians, Dusty Hill on vocals, Billy Gibbons who was/is the lyricist and arranger and Frank Beard on drums were big on Mtv. Two guys with long beards and a drummer named Beard who didn't have a beard looked cool and grungy. The guys were photogenic and charismatic. Their videos had women and cars. A big plus to them was they could play instruments after years of touring.
In 1983, the album Eliminator became their break through. All the elements came together on a song called Legs.
It took a few years for ZZTop to come back in 1985 with Afterburner. They changed the car for a rocket ship. They used synthesizers! The first song released from the album, Sleeping Bag, opened with a drum machine. This was very different to long time fans. New fans were intrigued. The song still had a classic guitar solo. All these elements propelled the song to hit the Top 10. It propelled the album to 4 on the Billboard Top 200 albums.
Stages was the next single, a more classic sound. I had the 45 when it came out. Can't Stop Rockin was the flip side. Both were strong ZZTop songs. The guitars were louder and the synthesizer went more to the background. This was a ZZ Top that fans could still hang on to. Rough Boy came out next and for a change, it was a ballad. The final single was the synthesizer heavy Velcro Fly. Each single was something different from the last.
The success would bring the band to arena tour success. From the touring and the videos in rotation, ZZ Top could take time on their next album.
Their next album would come out in 1990.
ZZTop would remain a big touring act even after the songs stopped being as successful. You may even recognize Billy Gibbons from his role in the successful Fox show Bones.
ZZ Top is on tour this summer. They are playing New Jersey in a couple of places. Bet the set list will be diverse.