Tres Hombres by ZZ Top (London 1973)
In the fine Texas tradition
Tracklist:
Side One, Vinyl
1. Waitin' for the Bus (Gibbons, Hill) 2:59
2. Jesus Just Left Chicago (Gibbons, Hill, Beard) 3:30
3. Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers (Gibbons, Hill, Beard) 3:23
4. Master of Sparks (Gibbons) 3:33
5. Hot, Blue and Righteous (Gibbons) 3:14
Side Two, Vinyl
1. Move Me on Down the Line (Gibbons, Hill) 2:32
2. Precious and Grace (Gibbons, Hill, Beard) 3:09
3. La Grange (Gibbons, Hill, Beard) 3:52
4. Shiek (Gibbons, Hill) 4:05
5. Have You Heard? Gibbons, Hill 3:15
Bonus Tracks, Remaster 2006
11. Waitin' for the Bus" (Live) (Gibbons, Hill) 2:42
12. Jesus Just Left Chicago" (Live) (Gibbons, Hill, Beard) 4:03
13. La Grange (Live) (Gibbons, Hill, Beard) 4:44
Lineup:
Billy Gibbons - Electric Guitar, Vocals
Dusty Hill - Bass Guitar, Vocals
Frank Beard - Drums, Percussion
Produced by Bill Ham ~ Engineered and Mixed by Terry Manning
Tres Hombres (London 1973) is as close to a perfect blues rock album as it is possible to find, but sadly you had to own the original vinyl in order to get the effect, as the CD version was remixed with a different drum sound in order to cash in on ZZ Top's commercial success with Eliminator (Warner Bros 1983). Thankfully, in 2006 a remastered version was released with engineer Terry Manning's original mix. Tres Hobres is ZZ Top's best album, with no bad tracks, and there are a couple of aspects of the record which remain constant. First is the sheer variety of ideas, not just from the band switching between time signatures at the rate of about one a minute, but in Billy Gibbons' guitar solos. One on a track is not enough for him, he prefers two or three and changes the sound between them. Second, Gibbons usually uses an authentic blues voice, similar to John Lee Hooker, but encompassing many others. Both of these elements combine to produce a special work.
Waitin' for the Bus begins with a funky slow blues feel which lasts for around a minute before it changes into a hard rock riff with harmonica. Then it reverts back again. Jesus Just left Chicago begins with a straight blues riff which is maintained throughout the track, but is cranked up a notch by the power of the rhythm section and, at the mid-point, by the freneticism of Billy Gibbons' guitar soloing. The band's best known track before the synth-augmented material of the eighties, was Beerdrinkers and Hellraisers with its no-messing boogie and dual lead vocals. It always surprised me that the two voices were not separated by the stereo channels and the remaster has done nothing to disavow me of this. Gibbons plays a great guitar solo, adds an even better one and closes with another.
Master of Sparks has one of the best intros you will ever hear, alternating between bass and drum phrases, until the guitar appears. Dusty Hill then plays short bursts of notes as if his bass was a lead instrument. There is a strange sound at 2;07, which for years I thought was a glitch on my vinyl. Despite the lightness of the playing, the track has a grinding fuzzy feel and could be a prototype for the sludge bands thirty years on. In the latter part of the track, the dominant bass reappears and Hill adds another solid solo. According to an interview with Gibbons in the Sounds music paper, it is about fastening a man into a spherical steel cage on the back of a truck and kicking it out when the vehicle achieves 60mph. If he lives, he is granted the title Master of Sparks.
The only slow track on Tres Hombres is Hot, Blue and Righteous, which closed the first side of the vinyl. On CD, it is immediately followed by the fast rock 'n' roll of Move Me On Down the Line. For my money, Precious and Grace is ZZ Top's best ever track, as it encompasses everything that makes Tres Hombres a fantastic album. It has a funky bluesy opening for about a minute, with Gibbon's growling vocals, before a time signature change with Hill's heavy bass and slide guitar. This is one of the most memorable guitar solos ever; not for the speed, although it is fast, but for sheer feel and Gibbon's ability to blend with his rhythm section. At one point it sounds as if he is playing the strings between the bridge and saddle of his Fender Stratocaster.
Almost as good as the preceding track is the toe-tapping La Grange, referring to the Chicken Shack, a brothel outside La Grange, Texas, 'They gotta lotta nice girls.' It begins with slow blues guitar chords, drum sticks on the rim of the tom tom and Hooker-type vocals, before being joined by the bass and developing into a full-on boogie. Gibbons uses his voice as almost as an instrument with his little 'how-how's and his guitar playing is amazing as always. Sheik completes a trio of titanic blues-rock tracks, with its swirling wah-wah guitar, heavy bass and maracas. The nonsensical lyrics demonstrate the band's sense of humour, 'I met a sheik from Mozambique who led me to the Congo. He dreamed to go to Mexico and sample a burrito.'
Have You Heard is fairly generic blues, with harmonies from Gibbons and Hill, but is rescued by the slide guitar. The song closed side two of the vinyl, but the 2006 remaster has three live tracks as bonuses: Waitin' for the Bus, Jesus Just Left Chicago and La Grange. All are heavy, the bass guitar is high in the mix and the guitar playing, especially on La Grange, nearly took the paint off my door.
At first glance, the album cover design is simple with a dark green background and three separate photographs of each member of ZZ Top. However, each picture is very atmospheric, as is Tres Hombres. I have never been to Texas, but every time I play this album I can feel the glare of the sun, taste the desert grit and smell refried beans. It may all be cliche, but I can dream.