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Rating: I have always been fascinated by American rock-blues. Despite being a firm believer that the best rock music was played by the British (The Who, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, etc.), I have always thought that the Americans were capable of composing genuine and straightforward music. Especially during the late '60s and '70s, the period of student revolutions, the Woodstock and Isle of Wight festivals, the famous "Peace, Love and Music" atmosphere. In short, for me, Rock Made in the USA has always been the emblem of the On The Road life described by Jack Kerouac. In these few words, I can't express the joy and at the same time the nostalgia I feel when listening to Canned Heat, George Thorogood, or the Creedence Clearwater Revival. Joy in experiencing the emotions of a generation that changed an era and nostalgia for not having lived those moments.
On this sweltering August day, I stumbled upon a great album from one of the quintessential Hard-Blues bands: ZZ Top. The album in question is their debut "ZZ Top's First Album", released in 1971. The lineup, formed two years earlier, features Bill Gibbons on guitar and vocals, Frank Beard on drums, and Dusty Hill on bass and vocals. A power-trio that cut their teeth playing in various Texas venues before being able to release their first LP. It's an album marked by simplicity. Let me explain: the typical constructions of Prog Rock or British Hard Rock are far removed. "ZZ Top's First Album" appears as a jam session of the three Texans.
Here's the tracklist:
1. (Somebody Else Been) Shaking Your Tree - 2:28
2. Brown Sugar - 5:22
3. Squank - 2:48
4. Goin' Down To Mexico - 3:22
5. Old Man - 3:32
6. Neighbor, Neighbor - 2:18
7. Certified Blues - 3:28
8. Bedroom Thang - 3:52
9. Just Got Back From Baby's - 4:14
10. Back Door Love Affair - 2:42
Even though there are no real chart-topping hits, ZZ Top's work is genuine and remarkably technical. Despite the rhythms being syncopated and completely lacking in accelerations (except for "Goin' Down To Mexico" and "Back Door Love Affair"), the album still lends itself to easy listening. The music almost naturally evokes the sunny Texas highways, with the listener in a car ready to travel aimlessly, accompanied by the soundtrack provided by the three blues-men. The themes are not refined and the lofty allusions are nearly nonexistent. They are the classic road songs, the kind that accompany you at every moment. It is always useful to highlight the technical mastery of the trio, especially of the leader Gibbons, a true driving force with his gritty and aggressive guitar when needed ("Brown Sugar", "Goin' Down To Mexico", "Back Door Love Affair"...), but also soft at the right moments ("Old Man" and "Just Got Back From Baby's").
Undoubtedly, it's not the group's best work, but in moments of boredom or hanging out with friends, it proves to be very effective!
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Squank (02:49)
Words and music by Billy Gibbons, Bill Ham, Dusty Hill.
Woman, grab your children, run and hide.
Don't let it catch up with you.
You gotta fight it to stay alive,
and if it gets you, man, you're through.
It smells so rotten and rank.
Well, everybody calls it the squank.
It's sick, depressin, gettin' bigger all the time.
Don't help it any way you can.
It's grey and brown and sometimes lime
and it's spreadin' all over the land.
And soon we'll be all breathin' out of tanks
if somethin' ain't done about the squank.
The meanest thing the world's ever bred
by me and you and my kinfold too.
A monster can't live unless it's fed,
and it's being fed by me and you.
And soon it's gonna leave the world blank,
and we'll all be erased by the squank.
06 Neighbor, Neighbor (02:19)
Words and music by Billy Gibbons.
Neighbor, neighbor, why you messin' in my life?
Neighbor, neighbor, you've been talkin' to my wife,
tellin' her you seen me
runnin' wild the other night,
runnin' wild the other night.
A neighbor, neighbor, theres's always one in every crowd.
A neighbor, neighbor, tellin' lies and talkin' loud.
You better watch your step now.
You might fall off your cloud.
you might fall off your cloud.
Now I was walking down a dusty road
when along came a neighbor of mine.
He saw me walkin' with my head hung down,
he just had to stop and pass the time.
Neighbor, neighbor, floatin' in the salty brine.
floatin' in the salty brine.
08 Bedroom Thang (03:53)
I know you wanna be my bedroom thang,
but you're much too young.
You're the finest thing I've ever seen.
You just wanna have fun.
I need someone who can scratch my back.
I need someone who can carry my pack.
I need someone to be with me at night.
You're gonna make me feel alright.
Don't you bother me with petty lines,
I know you ran away from home.
This might come to you as some surprise,
I wish you'd leave me alone.
I need someone to scratch my back.
I need someone to carry my pack.
I need someone to be with me at night.
You're gonna make me feel alright.
09 Just Got Back From Baby's (04:14)
Words and music by Billy Gibbons, Bill Ham.
(Spoken: Douse that light...)
Now I just got back from baby's,
we been rollin' all night long.
I said I just got back from baby's,
we been rollin' all night long.
She comeon likes and loves me,
but I feel like somethin' wrong.
Now, sometimes I go see baby,
and sometimes she come see me.
I said, sometimes I go see baby,
and sometimes baby come see me.
I got a funny, funny feelin'
I'm not the only man she sees.
Now, I just got back from baby's,
big white house on the hill.
I said, I just got back from baby's,
big white house on the hill.
If her lovin' don't get me,
I know her husband will.
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