Obviously, their boogie-rich signature “La Grange” is a ZZ evergreen, but less well-known tracks including “Precious And Grace” and “Master Of Sparks” are still performed to appreciative audiences regularly. A significant percentage of the songs they launched with the album back in ‘73 are still components of their 21-century in-concert set lists. The Tres Hombres repertoire is the most resonant of any ZZ TOP album ever released. The album went on to spend a phenomenal 81 weeks on the charts and opened the door to national and international tours that continue to this day. ZZ TOP had come into its own the die was forever cast with Tres Hombres. The sound was thicker, richer, more in-the-pocket than it had been before. It was the beginning of many studio sorties in the city of Sun and Stax. The band’s two previous albums were recorded in Tyler, Texas, but Tres Hombres brought them to Memphis, where they worked at the famous Ardent Studios. Tres Hombres was the band’s first major success, their first Billboard Top 100 album, their first Top 10 album, their first gold album, the album that included their first not-quite-Top 40 single (“La Grange” peaked at #41), and the album that put them in a league of their own. The Southern Rock juggernaut notwithstanding, ZZ was something else, and the release of Tres Hombres that year made the rest of the universe sit up and take notice. Its spawn, ZZ TOP, was a power trio founded in Houston at the very end of ‘69, playing music that was, to borrow one of their titles, “Hot, Blue And Righteous.” They came on the scene liked crazed cowboys funky from a two-month cattle drive, with music that was equal parts blues-based and English-rock inflected with a Western narrative edge. Sure, Texas is in the South, but it’s more than a state it’s also a state of mind. Those ‘Bama boys, Lynyrd Skynyrd, were coming on strong, as was another band pigeonholed as “Southern Rockers.” Just a funky little trio, ZZ TOP were Southerners all right, but more importantly, they were Texans. The Allman Brothers Band, hailing from Florida by way of Macon, Georgia, topped the album charts with “Brothers And Sisters” just as Spartanburg, South Carolina, yielded the first release from The Marshall Tucker Band. Nineteen seventy-three was also the year that “Southern Rock” became a catchphrase among the cognoscenti. Elton John, Alice Cooper, War, Carly Simon, Led Zeppelin and Grand Funk Railroad were making new strides as Marvin Gaye implored, “Let’s Get It On.” The Rolling Stones had served up some tasty Goat’s Head Soup, and Elvis was still alive and kicking with his Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite TV special and album. The Beatles had officially disbanded three years earlier, but Paul McCartney & Wings and George Harrison were still chart contenders. John’s “Right Place, Wrong Time” and Edgar Winter’s “Frankenstein” kept things interesting. The Top 40 charts were all over the map: bouncy ditties certainly found favor – Tony O & Dawn had the biggest single of the year – while odd anomalies such as Dr. Speaking of the music world, things were somewhat unsettled in the wake of the psychedelic explosion of the late 1960s. It was the year that gene-splicing was invented and also saw the debut of the Bic disposable lighter – rock concerts would never be the same. Project Assistance: James O’Toole, Ginger Dettman & Steve Woolardīy any litmus, 1973 was an unusual year. Remastering: Bob Ludwig Gateway Mastering & DVD in Portland, MEĪrt Direction & Design: Greg Allen for GAPD Reissue Supervision: Bill Ham, Bob Small & James Austin Thanks to Robin Brian/Brian Studio and Terry Manning/Ardent Studios “La Grange (Live)” Licensed exclusively by Reelin’ In The Years Productions LLC, on behalf of VARA. To buy this album from, click here: Tres HombresĪll Selections Published by Hamstein Music Co. To download this album via iTunes, click here:
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |