I POLLed It On The ILX! - ILM Artist Poll #110 - ZZ Top - Results Thread

yes it is

I know I mentioned this on the polling thread but the nod to “back in black” in the chorus is so choice.

oh wow a few that i voted for

"asleep in the desert" - beautiful tex-mex instrumental, and an ideal closer for their weirdest record
"ten dollar man" - rollicking I-bVII-IV banger with an amazing dusty vocal and some of my fav screeching gibbons guitar sounds (and hints of deguello-style slickness in the rhythm guitar). was my #3.
"i got the six" - another dusty banger and my highest-rated track from eliminator. love the bawdy single entendre of the chorus, and the driving drum machine. a buttrock anthem scrubbed to an immaculate sheen.

"Ten Dollar Man" was my #8, unusual in that the tone seems genuinely angry rather than their usual mode of detached amusement.

Thinking about Afterburner, what if it hadn't wound up being a New Jersey? Could ZZ Top ever have remained truly giant stars, or were there limitations to how popular they could have ever been?

I recommend checking out that "I Got The Six" demo I linked to: it's from Hudson's own account and he includes some text screens explaining the behind the scenes work that went into Eliminator (plus his bitterness about getting fucked over). Wish there were (any) more of these tapes out there.

just catching up and also created a playlist to listen along with this.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5TPUD7qltIYU86wQhcZtMY?si=339355471d444fe6
i think only one of my picks has shown up so far.

Thinking about Afterburner, what if it hadn't wound up being a New Jersey? Could ZZ Top ever have remained truly giant stars, or were there limitations to how popular they could have ever been?

I think the only way they could have pulled that off they would have to had 'pulled an Aerosmith' and brought in song doctors/outside producers etc. They were so hermetically sealed off by Bill Ham, and God help anybody coming in with their own outlook (just ask Lindon Hudson!).

Of course, five years between Afterburner and Recycler (and Recycler being what it is) didn't help.

XP Thanks Spottie for doing the Spotify!

https://www.ghostofthedoll.co.uk/retromusings/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Hanes-1954-LIFE-11-Jan-1954.jpg

25. “A Fool For Your Stockings”
Degüello, 1979
83 Points (4 Votes)

The Track
Live In Germany 1980 with bonus "Funky Dogs and Nasty Kings", which...

http://assets.rootsvinylguide.com/pictures/funky-kings-funky-kings-1976-usa-stereo-arista-lp-al-4078-n-m-only-album_14443602

24. “Nasty Dogs And Funky Kings”
Fandango!, 1975
85 Points (4 Points)

The Track
Six Pack Version
Live On Jools Holland 1996

I ranked "Stockings" much higher, but that's okay. I don't actually think it's a particularly great song, just a groove I like a lot.

Fun Trivia: "A Fool..." is other Classic Rock tune featured in the original version of SNL's "Schmidt's Gay" ad parody.

As seen here: https://vimeo.com/169759649

nasty dogs has a killer groove. love how its a short song that fades out for the last 30 seconds like its some epic

http://www.kitfoster.com/images/2009-12-9_58Peugeot403SeatsWeb-Large.jpg

23. “I Wanna Drive You Home”
El Loco, 1981
88 Points (4 Votes)

The Track

love "fool for your stockings," probably the slinkiest groove on an album where "listen to this slinky groove" is the name of the game

https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-35e2b3f7b2e54060f8f1b74b56c1a0b3

22. “Pearl Necklace”
El Loco, 1981
95 Points (5 Votes)

The Track

^The Day I Finally Learned What That Song Was Really About...That Was A DAY

now THAT'S my idea of a ZZ Top groove

more zz stones, except this one is "shattered"

https://images.thestar.com/Oahu-WAqKvEftZbb9eyKhdXcJos=/650x460/smart/filters:cb(2700061000)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/life/travel/2016/05/21/hitchhiking-has-become-a-lonely-activity-since-the-1970s/main-rita-and-barb.jpg

21. “Precious and Grace”
Tres Hombres, 1973
114 Points (5 Votes)

The Track
Six Pack Version
Live In Germany 1980
QOTSA & Mark Lanegan Live In Germany 2001

...and that's it for today. Please enjoy this video of Billy Gibbons making Pumpkin Tamales

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_aarHHSXl0

Rhythm of “Pearl Necklace” is where I really hear the nod to Devo.

Nice graphics, Grisso!

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02365/dominatrix_2365548b.jpg

20. “Got Me Under Pressure”
Eliminator, 1983
119 Points (5 Votes, 1 #1)

The Track
Live On The Tube 1983
Live In Texas 2008

Too low! Maybe my favorite off Eliminator

Great song. Another where the intro sounds sorta Devo to me. Seems like I don't hear this one on classic rock radio, or at least not as often as "Legs" or "Sharp Dressed Man."

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/9e7d832cf7e216815af75813d041f686db371033/c=0-124-3768-2253/local/-/media/2018/06/16/USATODAY/USATODAY/636647414488533771-GTY-462470628-70418044.JPG?width=660&height=373&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

19. “Tube Snake Boogie”
El Loco, 1981
122 Points (7 Votes)

The Track
Live In Germany 1980
Live On The Tube 1983

Even though the songwriting basically just paraphrases Fats Domino/Dave Bartholomew's "All By Myself", with a bit more added sexual innuendo, simply the sound of this makes me happy. One of my favorites. "Blow your top, blow your top!"

loving this rollout and these images <3

https://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000416344851-90yjau-t500x500.jpg

17 (Tie). “I Gotsta Get Paid”
La Futura, 2012
132 Points (7 Votes)

The Track
Live In Montreaux 2013
"25 Lighters" By DJ DMD Feat. Lil' Keke & Fat Pat Music Video

fuck yeah

nice to get a late career track on here

they should've covered more texas rap tracks. would die to hear billy gibbons croak out "ridin dirty"

...or "Wanna Be A Baller"!

BTW, DJ DMD eventually went Born-Again, and this happened...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4X4NtcIzoA

yeah the idea was just sitting right there.

he should do an album with devin the dude

I probably would have voted for this if I had a few more slots, it shows how much their latter-day songs could benefit from actual memorable hooks.

https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/hbz-the-list-cowboy-boots-gettyimages-3241883-1502116131.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=480:*

17 (Tie). “It’s Only Love”
Tejas, 1976
132 Points (7 Votes)

The Track
Six Pack Version

driiives me craaaaaazayy

https://www.totalwine.com/dynamic/490x/media/sys_master/twmmedia/hcf/h79/13995640389662.png

16. “Brown Sugar”
ZZ Top’s First Album, 1971
142 Points (6 Votes, 1 #1)

The Track
Six Pack Version
Live 1997
Live From Gruene Hall 2019

I wonder why "It's Only Love" didn't appear on their 1977 Best of; it was actually their third highest-charting single up to that point. Possibly they already felt that Tejas was an outlier record?

brown sugar my #1

a perfect intro and drop

it's funny that "it's only love" (their "tumbling dice") places just ahead of "brown sugar" (which is not their "brown sugar")

*just behind

Love this song, the toughest removal from my ballot

https://medias.spotern.com/spots/w640/76/76106-1532336916.jpg

15. “Rough Boy”
Afterburner, 1985
155 Votes (7 Votes)

The Track
Live 1994
Billy W/Jeff Beck Live

155 Points, that is

this is the only afterburner song i return to. still didn't vote for it tho

I'm still disappointed that Billy never does tell us why he's a rough boy (unless the guitar solo is his explanation).