I don’t think we’ve had a “power trio” band for quite a while; ZZ Top really make it their own thing. Billy Gibbons on guitar, Dusty Hill on bass, and Frank Beard (the one without the beard) on drums, with Gibbons and Hill doing the lion’s share of songwriting duties.
This is their third album, and the distinctive hats, sunglasses, beards, spinning guitars schtick is still in development. A whole ten years before the release of Eliminator, their sound, although definitely blues-rock based, is lighter than they become, with some songs almost ballads (Hot, Blue and Righteous), others slow and funky (Sheik).
Most indicative of where they will go is probably La Grange, with its driving boogie-blues beat, perfect for driving along a desert (or deserted) highway at irresponsible speed – the perfect film soundtrack placement to show that the main character(s) are on a mission to do no good. Gibbons’ rarely does an extended guitar break, instead blending with the other two to give a pleasingly complete sound, rather than showing off at the front. The classic ZZ Top stage arrangement, with him and Hill next to each other in the front, underlies this lack of the guitarist ego in his playing – it's three or none with them, I think.
Compared to some of the more recent albums on the list, this isn’t tremendously innovative or novel, instead choosing to do an existing style of music in a more up-to-date fashion, but do it well. It’s like a really good omelette – simple ingredients, but you know when they’ve been put together well because there's nowhere to hide.
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