Garage Sale Vinyl: ZZ Top
Fandango! / London Records / April 1975
by Christopher Long
One cool thing about being a little old man in 2023 is that I can still remember rock and roll, before it became extinct — or at least before it became relegated primarily to “classic” radio outlets, nostalgia package tours, theme-related cruise ship experiences, and local rib fests. Don’t miss it, Des Moines! It’s STARSHIP, featuring the original Mickey Thomas, LIVE in concert, TONIGHT on the BBQ, Blues & Brews Mainstreet stage! But even more beautiful, I remember first discovering rock and roll as a little kid during the late ’60s and early ’70s.
Driven by iconic riffs, the list of records that, at the time, defined rock and roll and forced me to skate, FAST, was seemingly endless — “Taking Care of Business,” “Frankenstein,” “We’re An American Band,” and so many others. But there also were certain records that owned certain sounds, particularly certain guitar sounds that SCREAMED “rock and roll” INSTANTLY to my pre-pube senses — the crisp first two or three Rickenbacker twinks of “Ticket to Ride,” the posthaste psychedelic punch of “Purple Haze,” and the opening gunk of “Smoke on the Water,” to name just a few. However, very few records informed my wide-eyed rock and roll awareness like the very first note of “Tush,” the chartbusting, record-closing banger on the 1975 ZZ Top LP, Fandango!
As they say, less IS more — especially when it comes to rock and roll. In 1970, “That Little Ol’ Band from Texas” high-tailed outta Houston, cranking out a wall of sonic blues-based boogie woogie clatter that would have required a larger collective of mere mortals to create.
Although their 1971 debut and 1972 sophomore effort each landed with a resounding thud, guitarist / vocalist Billy Gibbons, bassist / vocalist Dusty Hill, and drummer Frank Beard were in it for the long haul. Fueled by their breakout radio single, “La Grange,” ZZ Top’s third record Tres Hombres blasted onto the Billboard Top Ten in 1973 and, in the process, transformed the unlikely trio into world-class contenders.
With longtime manager / producer Bill Ham at the helm, ZZ Top recreated the Top Ten success of Tres Hombres with the follow-up slab, Fandango! At the time when such up-and-comers as KISS, Peter Frampton and Bob Seger were revving up with full-length double-live records, ZZ Top once again proved the “less is more” theory by releasing half of a single live album. Side One of Fandango! featured three blistering live tracks recorded at New Orleans’ renowned Warehouse, while Side Two offered six blazing new studio tracks.
The band cut to the chase in short order, with a simple battle cry: “Get high everybody, get high” on the record’s opener, “Thunderbird.” Oozing pure, raw, nitty gritty energy, this one combined Hill and Gibbons’ early signature blown-speaker sound with their skin-tight blended vocals — all wrapped up in one bangin’ little package. Clocking in at under two minutes (yes, less is more), the raucous remake of “Jailhouse Rock” was leaner, and (so much) meaner than the beloved Elvis version. Yeah, I just said that. The nine-minute, barn-burning “Backdoor Medley” served as a massive and effective showcase. In fact, it was “badder than Shaft, Super Fly, James Bond and Kung Fu all put together.” Hmm, better, let them boys boogie woogie!
Side Two featured arguably the band’s all-time best work. Each clocking in at just two minutes and change, “Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings” and “Balinese” both were get-to-the-hook, dirty little nut-busters. “Mexican Blackbird” introduced us to a gal they call Puta, ‘cuz no one really knows her name. However, we do know that she “works” at the cantina — her mama was Mez’can and her daddy was a ace of spades. “Heard it on the X” is THE definitive ZZ Top track — EVER. Yeah, I just said that, too. Beard unleashed his tastiest chops, and the shared lead vocals between Gibbons and Hill were just spectacular. Fandango! came to a break-neck conclusion with the aforementioned, time-tested Top 20 treasure, “Tush.”
A couple of installments back, I revealed how I discovered an old box of musty LPs recently out in my home garage. This was one of those forgotten records in that box. Despite being scratched and scuffed-up as can be, it actually still plays great — just crackly enough to feel legit. Once again, it only goes to show that I don’t have to go to other people’s garages to discover vinyl treasure. ◼
(5/5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fandango! Track List
SIDE ONE
- Thunderbird (Gibbons, Hill, Beard) – 4:10
- Jailhouse Rock (Leiber, Stoller) – 2:01
- Backdoor Medley: Backdoor Love Affair (Gibbons, Ham) / Mellow Down Easy (Dixon) / Backdoor Love Affair No. 2 (Gibbons) / Long Distance Boogie (Hooker) – 9:45
SIDE TWO
- Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings (Gibbons, Hill, Beard) – 2:37
- Blue Jean Blues (Gibbons, Hill, Beard) – 4:42
- Balinese (Gibbons, Hill, Beard) – 2:37
- Mexican Blackbird (Gibbons, Hill, Beard) – 3:04
- Heard It on the X (Gibbons, Hill, Beard) – 2:23
- Tush (Gibbons, Hill, Beard) – 2:14
