ZZ Top
El Loco

"El Loco" is a record by the three legendary Texans from July 1981, now almost entirely forgotten.

A work definitely hidden within the folds of their now extensive discography. An album that might seem unassuming but, in my personal opinion, ends up being quite enjoyable to listen to.

Paradoxically, EL LOCO can be considered the most creative album (in the true sense of the word) of the trio, thanks to the variety of approaches and solutions within the individual tracks. In short, it's an irregular work that necessarily lacks the compactness and appears frayed compared to their "granite" sonic standards.

Gibbons at the time was fascinated by the advent of punk, New Wave, and synth-pop movements, and said in a recent 2013 interview that he was influenced by listening to DEVO's first album (which reached high levels of electronic-Dadaistic eccentricity and madness), adding that following this new injection of "modernism" they increasingly enjoyed experimenting with synthesizers. Around the same period, ZZ Top became fans of the B-52, particularly captivated by the track "Party Out of Bounds" from Wild Planet in 1980, "Our song 'Party on the Patio' was an extension of that", said Gibbons.

Inspired by the new music surrounding him, Gibbons was eager to update ZZ Top's sound. He said in another 2012 interview with the Guardian, "I knew it would be fine anyway because there was no way ZZ Top would lose their blues."

Going into detail, the tracks that mostly reflect the traditional southern-rock sounds are the "orthodox" vigorous opener "Tube Snake Boogie," the initially lackluster "I Wanna Drive You Home" that gains momentum only towards the end, and "Don’t Tease," along with the equally classic "Party On The Patio" which closes the album in a conventional but at least lively manner, just as it opened. All the tracks give me the impression of having a slightly more subdued and less explosive air compared to the past.

The most unusual tracks are, in my opinion, not necessarily the most successful but at least those that bring a certain robustness and originality to the work: the murky and underground "Ten Foot Pole." Then comes what I consider the gem of the album: "It’s So Hard," another refined and melancholic ballad, thanks to a melody that sticks in your head. Finally, the album winds down with two of the most ironic and eccentric tracks in their production: "Pearl Necklace," with a truly rare sexual-demential-surreal text for them, and the following quirky "Groovy Little Hippie Pad," with a completely electronic rhythm section that anticipates future sounds. Another oddity is "Heaven, Hell or Huston," a short "sick" blues with an almost dark atmosphere, with sonic references to Funkadelic and echoes of cold New Wave in that typically Yankee lugubrious male voice that seems filtered through a machine, warning "……Hello darling/Surprised?/ Yes, it's me again…." As if we were in a suspenseful Hitchcock film. Among all these sits the sweet ballad "Leila," an unusually delicate track for their standards.

In conclusion, not their best album, in fact, among their 14 official studio albums, I would definitely rank it beyond the tenth place. Nonetheless, it remains a curious and unusual chapter in their history, where they do "something" different, and in some cases, they get it right. For this reason, I feel like rounding up to three stars. Unfortunately, it lacks their characteristic "groove," and the sound production is less brilliant compared to their standards. Just listen to the difference in sound detail and refinement with the previous splendid "Deguello." Here, the impression of an "unfinished" work lingers in almost all the tracks. The true strength of "El Loco" in the end is its informal and laid-back atmosphere...almost relaxed, I would say.

Many have defined this LP as a dress rehearsal for the subsequent multimillion-dollar "Eliminator"... The result wasn't entirely successful, but in 1981 the world of American pop-rock was in a limbo between the last hard-blues-country flames of the seventies and the modernist sound driven by polyphonic keyboards that was forcefully making its way onto the rock scene. Many historic bands found themselves in no man's land, not knowing which direction to take. Within two years, our Texans would reframe and polish their sound with the synth-boogie turn of the "Eliminator" and constant presence on the emerging MTV. But that's another story.

It’s noteworthy that El Loco was not affected by the questionable remasterings that involved almost all the works from the seventies, with smoother and cleaner remixing and the addition of electronic drums replacing the original. This was to make them more similar to the synthesized sound of "Eliminator" and "Afterburner." Here, however, everything is original; this work was spared, perhaps because it already sounded quite 80s on its own.

Note on the legendary cover. The three are caught in the act by a border "gringo" (holding them at gunpoint) with sacks full of strange grass at their feet that from the look of it doesn't seem like salad. They smile mischievously at us from the shadow of their sombreros and spread their arms as if to say; well yes...you caught us! We fooled you for 37 minutes...that’s how it went, we're sorry but don't be mad!!!