ZZ Top Live Pensacola, FL 1971 Earliest Known Live Recording
1. Thunderbird
2. Somebody Else Been Shaking Your Tree/Gonna Ride Away
3. Neighbor Neighbor
4. Just Got Back From Baby's
5. Goin' Down To Mexico
6. Down Brownie
7. Rattlesnake Shake
9. Little Red Rooster (Incomplete)
I was 19 in 1971. My band was 1 of 2 bands chosen to warm up for them in Roswell NM. I never heard of ZZ Top. We had cheap kustom amps. While we were setting up Billy or Dusty, not sure, asked if we wanted to play through their amps. Marshall stacks! Wow! Then he offered their light show. These guys were way cool. We played about an hour. Four songs from a band called Bloodrock, some Chicogo, James Gang and others. All 3 guys complimented us. That was my 1st and last concert performance. I was 10 feet away as they played. I've been to countless concerts since then but the one I got to perform on the same stage as ZZ TOP is still #1.
What Bloodrock songs did you play? Their bassist, Ed Grundy is my best friend.
@@jimburgess9205 Been a very long time ago. One was DOA and sable and pearl. Don't remember the other ones. My voice was close to sounding like Jim Rutledge's. Wow, can't believe I can recall that. It was a really fun night. They invited me to party with them. I did for a minute but it was more than I could handle. I was just a kid. Their manager gave me his card and asked me to stay in touch and he would help with my career. I remained in ENMU-R. I played an old black and white Danelectro guitar. Billy and Dusty really liked it. You're the only person I've ever known to know about Bloodrock.
@@wayneharris795 - I remember Bloodrock.
Me 2. In dawg years we are almost 500 years old.
Cool story! I have heard from lots of people that the Lil Ol' Band Form Texas was three very classy guys, besides being very talented. I remember Bloodrock, or the only song of theirs that have heard. DOA got some airplay on the radio way back then, but other than that, I know nothing about them.
I'm a manly man, 67. And I was brought to tears today. Dusty brother, you go rest high up on that mountain.
real men cry
@@jimmrockford9407says you
In the Aerosmith Biography Steven Tyler talks of the time that Aerosmith is scheduled to play at The Texas Jam. He says they go to this huge concert thinking they're the headlining act. The promotor tells him "No, ZZ Top is headlining". Steven Tyler says he's never heard of ZZ Top then reminds the guy that Aerosmith is the biggest is the biggest band in America. The promotor tells him, "You may be the biggest band in America, but ZZ Top is the biggest band in Texas!" : )
I am not saying ZZ Top is not the biggest band in Texas but ZZ Top did not play at Texas Jam. Maybe he was confused with Ted Neugent, the other headliner at the show. I was there.
So bottom line is Steven Tyler did a lot of drugs and mis-remembered everything.
@Lloyd Bonafide That ain't true at all man. We did an entire tour with Aerosmith in 09.
That's bad ass, loved how the promoter put him in his place, that was epic..
@Mr. Diaz That's Dusty. Billy on the right in the baseball cap, Frank on the left.
Today is one of the saddest days in rock and beyond. We lost a musician, a singer, one tough hombre, a legend and a hero. Thank you for all that you have given us all these decades. RIP Dusty Hill May 19, 1949 - Jul 28, 2021 We love you and you will be sorely missed.
He gave us all he had for 50+ years. Thank you, Joseph Michael "Dusty" Hill
Indeed. Thanks man. We all love oneanother.
Legendary bass player from that legendary little ol' band from Texas. R.I.P. Dusty Hill
My condolences to Top, Top fans, Texas , Hill family, and everyone like me, that spent the past 46 years of my life trying to play with 25% of the magic, boogie, the swing, of Dusty Billy and Frank, Texas homewreckers and heartbreakers.
LOL, 99.9% of the world is only hearing his name for the first time. What overdramatic BS... and Im actually a fan of ZZ
I was 14 years old and I was there, my first concert ever. Had no idea it was recorded until tonight. What an honor to have been there.Dad drove me and some friends and dropped us off. He had no idea what he had just done:) After many years off rock and still playing drums at 62, I still love it.
Your Dad was cool
As a fellow drummer (retired) of many years myself, what a great story! Just simply thanks man.
I'd be willing to bet that the band had no idea it was recorded either. A lot of venues did it without the band's permission. If it was good enough, it would sometimes show up for sale in the stores. Complete with the blessings of the record label.
Similar story happened to me for one of my earliest dates (1975)- 15 yrs old Mom dropped us off at the Fleetwood Mac concert.
I WAS THERE! Pensacola Municipal Auditorium. I was 14 years old, WBSR (our local radio station) was playing Francene every 5 minutes! Right after this I bought Rio Grande Mud on 8 Track and played it with a portable 8 track deck I bought at Cordova Toy & Hobby in Cordova Mall. (EDIT) Went and looked up release date on Rio Grande Mud and it was April 2, 1972, so it was a while after the concert that I bought that. Hell, it was 46 years ago. I have vivid memories of the concert, though, it really shook me up.
Cool i live in Mobile. Remember The Barrels Club ?
WOW !!! you had a car and an 8-track AND could go to concerts at 14. . . . cool !! (just like my grandad walked five miles barefoot through the snow to his one room shoolhouse each day
+YZB uphill...backwards
+YZB dusty's vocals always reminded me of west's back then. west's were more soulful, but dusty could outsing him. joe's vocals were quirky back then, only to become quirkier later, imo^^
ultrakool true It's kinda funny, i always thought that rod stewert shudda sang "have mercy," his early voice was dripping with blue eyed soul. Even when he blew the lyrics to "jailhouse rock," he sounded great. Bomber Joe quirky voice and expressions were part of the greatness of the "Gang." just listen again to their live album, their version of "Stop" sounds better than Jimi's and that's saying something, when you out songify the master.
Even with the limited quality of this recording, Billy's tone is massive. The first 4 albums he had the best tone EVER.
Ardent studios in Memphis...I was there a few nights....Just barely survived......
I agree... Pearly Gates + Billy's hands = THE Les Paul sound.
Billy as a young player was the hottest, You're right - his tone is almost supernatural it is so full - the only other guy with that sort of tonal depth is Lesley West.
You gat that right. Is there anybody nowadays even clos to this??
Good God, you can hear that tone from that Paul even on this recording. Some of the best Rock & Roll you're ever gonna hear.
Know Music Man Listen carefully. Billy is playing Pearly Gates, his '59 cherry sunburst Les Paul worth millions in tone and money. He bought it from an old farmer for $200.
@@knowmusicman157 300.00 bucks was a pretty penny back in 1959 I can understand why those models didn't quite catch on back then considering not as many guitarist back then as there are today. Space age design the Les Paul guitar is a monster guitar!
@@kennyblackbird5794 the '59 is the Stradivarius of Gibson Guitars. 500 year old Honduran Mahogany. they aren't making any new old wood my friend. Other features are involved to make the tone. I know the secrets. a few other luthiers do as well. check Derrig and Baronet copies. going for $50,000 and up.
I just said the same thing to a buddy! That LP is the loudest damn LP I’ve ever heard!
@@knowmusicman157 You know shit what guitar he was actually playing on any given number here. He used a lot of his Flying Vee those years.. yep, worth even more than Pearly these days ;)
MEXICAN BLACK BIRD WAS ONE OF THE BEST SONGS....my heart is broke because Dusty died....RIP
Dood..."her mom was mex-can her daddy was the ace of spades ♠️
To me this some of Billy's best playing and tones. Pearly Gates and a 100 watt Marshall or 3. His latter sound was much more pre amped/processed then though a power amped section. This is still organic and unadulterated.
The only guys who plays oldschool today like this is probably Angus Young. He motors through a stack of tubes every performance. It's too expensive.
You nailed it... some of their later shows like 1980 Rockpalast were doctored, with second guitar overdubbed in studio for the official release.. what a shame. THIS here is the real deal.
I first saw ZZ in 1984. The Eliminator tour. They took my head off. I was fortunate to have a small conversation with Dusty as he was waiting for his ride to the hotel. A nice man. I am saddened by his passing. More than anything else, we lost a great human being.
Having grown up in the Texas Hill Country I’ve been seeing and listening to The Top since they were fresh faced kids and there’s no better Band ever been nor will there be. Billy is THE ToneMeister.
Sweet
This was 1971. I saw them in Abilene in 1969 put on a benefit concert for MDA. AHS auditorium. Opening band was local group called Floodtide. We thought they were ZZ as we had never heard of them. After that night I saw them 6 different times over the years on the way to the TOP. LONG LIVE TEXAS!!
My 1st ZZ Top concert. Lubbock, Texas. 1972 (I was 17), Rio Grande Mud just hit and I think there were about 600 people in the Lubbock Coliseum (now the City Bank Coliseum). ZZ Top blew it up and brought it down for a good 2 hours and we were able to crowd around the stage and get a one on one experience! It was unspeakable! No light show (just a single spotlight that changed gels about every other song), no smoke, (except for the "other" kind), and my life changed. I bought my first guitar the next week and have played since. And their style has dominated my playing for 45 years. Thank you for posting this!
I saw them in 75 at the Lubbock coliseum I thought Rio Grand Mud had just been released, had never heard of them before. I was sold after that.
I was there too brother. 1972, 16 y.o., had to pull a lot of strings to get back to my hometown of Lamesa and drive with two buddies to the show. Lots of smoking and great music that night.
Love the story, thanks for sharing it!
I have seen Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, and many other guitar legends. But Billy Gibbons and Stevie Ray were my favorites, bar none. Billy is a national treasure.
I've seen Jimmy Page and Zepplin and Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton and BB. AND ZZ TOP. BUT THE BEST TO ME NOW AND FOREVER was STEVIE RAY VAUGHN...WHEN HE WAS KILLED IN THE CHOPPER CRASH I CRIED LIKE A BABY...Still haven't heard anyone that compares..BILLY GIBBONS would be next and then Jimmy Paige and BB....
@@GarrettDaAlien Your'e putting Clapton behind Page, Gibbons, and Stevie?
@@GarrettDaAlien Come on man, BB is on the back burner?
@@vonwagner8 Absolutely... Even Clapton does.
@@vonwagner8 I would too.
You hear that Billy Gibbons tone & style right off. There's no mistaking it. Saw them just a couple years after this for the first time. ZZ Top owned the stage. They had so much power and presence. You couldn't hardly look away. And Dusty was the anchor along with Frank. Thank you Dusty!
This sounds great! Their sound already fully developed. Billy's British Metal crunch with Marshall's and his Les Paul already the incredible tone we would all come to love. Dusty screamin blues into the stratosphere. Great time to be alive!
My dad took me to see then at The Balinese in Galveston when I was a kid. The whole end of the pier shook.
At the Balinese...wow. that's the place to have seen em if you were gonna. I seen em a few times, but would've liked to have seen them in Texas, or Louisiana.
I am from Galveston. What year did you see them at the Balinese Room?
The outro on Thunderbird is like Western Swing thru Marshalls. So damn slick!
First time I saw them was at Braves Stadium in Atlanta. The crowd sat or lay on the grass on blankets with coolers and joints..ZZTOP was dressed in Western Porter Waggoner looking flashy jeweled suits..I FELL IN LOVE WITH THEM THEN IN THE 70s...THEY ARE AND WILL ALWAYS BE MY FAVORITE GROUP.. and I've sern the Stones and Led Zepplin and AC DC and Bad Company etc....Dusty was always my favorite...RIP
I was at that concert too. June of 1976. The World Wide Texas Tour. 55,000 fans there!! Point Blank, Elvin Bishop and the Marshall Tucker Band was also on the bill that day. Great concert!!
They played the Municipal Auditorium in Atlanta, Tres Hombres tour, medium size venue, fantastic show.
LOL..... Porter Waggoner suits! I loved those too, Brother. Billy and the guys were awesome. BTW....l used to watch The Porter Waggoner Show every Saturday afternoon with my Dad. He always had an awesome guitarist. From Tom in 🇨🇱 Texas 🇨🇱
Incredible how accomplished they sound for so early in their career; tight, phrasing and tone... wow
Dusty and Frank came from American Blues and Billy from Moving Sidewalks: rival bands that tried to outdo each other. Then the best of both bands joined forces.
MBV fuckin rules
Early years in Texas we always got off on cowboy looking dudes who rocked..
That Shakin' Your Tree sounds incredible!
When Jimi Hendrix was alive and heard Billy Gibbons play, he had nothing but praise for this 22 year old guitarist 💽
Ahh Yeah!!! Same 3 guys...same 3 chords as Billy says. I got to see these boys in Eugene Oregon a couple years ago with Jeff Beck. It was indeed one of the best concerts I've been to. Absolute class act.
Been a fan of ZZ/Gibbons since the beginning. Took my 10 year old daughter to see them at the San Francisco Cow Palace around 1979, her first concert. We have a date to see them any time they are in the bay area. When my granddaughter is 10 I plan to take her to her first ZZ concert. Then my great granddaughter.. and then her daughter and.. !!
I worked for a band out of Chicago. We did a gig in Houston in '74. The band if memory serves me correctly we were the second band to go on stage. We had a lot of equipment, lugging it up to this high riser stage was a back breaker, these three guys from the headliner act gave us a hand (really good guys). To make it short, we decided to stick around and see what band they were, we'd never heard of them but this hall was packed to the rafters with fans, Within a few minutes of them playing we were absolutely blown away, and the place was going crazy. Been a fan ever since. Peace...
I was there too. From what I can remember it was just them and no front band. I remember them coming back out at least 4-5 times. It was an awesome concert.
I was also in that crowd at Pensacola Municipal Auditorium. You're right - more encores than any other concert I've ever attended. My memory is that they wrapped up around 1:00 am and only after the police said they had to close the place up. So great that this audio exists!
This is the finest humbucker guitar tone man has ever created.
Saw them since 1969 when they formed...they played at a club called the Towne House near Beaumont TX and Port Arthur TX ...birthplaces of Johnny and Edgar Winter and Janis Joplin...just went to a 50th Anniversary concert in Houston...great artists!!
Im a fender guy but hearing this almost makes me want a gibbson
I just bought a Slash gold top Victoria. I've played Teles all my life. I wanted the sound without forking 10 grand on a known original. Now I need a Marshall.
Dusty is up there with all the great rockers that left some great rockin music for us to remember them
No doubt this was put out by the band. Thanks, guys, for a lifetime of enjoyment. Hope you guys are well and have a long, healthy life.
I knew ZzTopp from MTV as a kid. Then I left home and a roommate played the most ripping dirty guitar lick I ever heard came out of the stereo. I was like "That's ZZTOPP?" Rio Grande Mud. That album hasn't left my life for more than a week. It was an epiphany of what a band they are. Gibbons just killing it here. One of the best players ever. The rythym section as tight as it gets. Great post.
Just got paid one of the best riffs ever!
In 1971, I was just a one-year-old baby. When I was in junior high school, I came across the album "Afterburner" and started playing the guitar. ZZ TOP has been a special band to me ever since.
👍 Time keeps on ticking... Going through a box of old ticket stubs the other day. My first rock concert May 19, 1973 East Tennessee State University Rory Gallagher ZZ Top $4 Blues rock, slide guitar nut ever since. (RIP Rory, Lou, Rod. thanks)
May 19 Dustys birthday ....RIP
This is the kind of playing that made Hendrix cite Billy as one of his favorites
R.I.P. Dusty. And thanks for the musicianship and the memories.
Man Gibbons was just so good, even by the time he was 22 he was a full blown master.
Amarillo...Tres Hombres pre-release 1972. Every cut & then some.
punk rocker 1977 seen zz quite a few times aMAZING HOW THEY SOUND 3 IN BAND SOMETIMES SOUNDS LIKE TEN ON STAGE HA love em
Billy kicks major ass here.
I agree,, and Dusty and Frank kick major b ass...
Ya think?? Holy shit am I drunk or stoned? Maybe
THAT tone!
Right? Amazing!!!
Saw them my freshman year in college, Kingsville, Texas @ the pink palace. 🙂
Darn this is great historical recording 👏
I remember this concert. I was living in Albany Ga. Couple of my running buddies went. I couldn't go. I had started a job that at the time was great money. Was afraid if I didn't show up I'd lose the job. Back in those days there weren't many good paying jobs in a southern Georgia. But sure wore out Rio Grande Mud when it came out. Especially... Just Got Paid and Sure Got Cold After the rain.... Another fun fact about ZZ Top. Keith Richards did their induction speech into Hall of Fame.
And I always thought it was a lousy speech. Thought he was drunk. Pissed me off. Disrespectful.
@@tcm6756 Hopefully Keith doesn't read KZhead comments. He'd be devastated to know of your displeasure.
@@tcm6756 Their own speeches when they inducted Cream into the Hall were far, far better.
I saw Z Z in 1972 in my Junior High school, in Amarillo Tx. They said their first album was set to come out soon. I was blown away by them. I was a drummer at the time but switched to guitar soon after. I am beyond sad to hear of Dustys passing. RIP Dusty.
did they open for rare earth in Texas?
I haven't thought about that night in decades. I'm so saddened by the loss of Dusty Hill. It just seemed like he and so many others would be around forever. He left his mark on this planet-that's for sure. To his family: Thanks for sharing him with us.
A friend of mine saw them at Soaring Eagle casino in Mount Pleasant, Michigan about 3 days before he died. He said Dusty played but sat on a stool for the entire show & you could tell he didn't feel good. Another icon gone. We've lost so much talent in the last 3-4 years.
Raised In Pensacola in high school in 73 we wore out a many ZZ Top 8 tracks , even saw Ted Nugget play with the Amboy Dukes at the barrels , good ole days
I worked the door at the Barrels back then. Escambia class of '72.
@@chuckstermcdaddy4170 penny beer night !!! I hate to say this but back then driver’s license didn’t have photos on them and legal drinking age was 18 , Fake ID was a breeze , I bet you remember machine gun Kelly’s on scenic highway and the raisin band , those guys could rock , Monday night quarter beer and Wednesday nights at 2001 25 cent well drinks , glad we survived
@@vincentgrippi9524 Man, no mention of Franco's Lounge ?
Listen carefully. Billy is playing Pearly Gates, his '59 cherry sunburst Les Paul worth millions in tone and money. He bought it from an old farmer for $200.
No Allan Will Bought the guitar at a horse stable his parents kept horses at and sold it to Billy but Allan bought it to begin with for 250 dollars...
@@ronfrey6639 In 21st Century dollars that would amount to $25,000.
@@LaptopLarry330 no I think it's what they retail for now for a 2020 model which is about $2,500.00 .
@@ronfrey6639 ok a rancher with a middle man. thanks.
@@kennyblackbird5794 If the original owner bought the guitar in 1959, it had $25,000 in equivalent value, because the Federal Government and the international currency markets have devalued the US currency by about 90 percent since 1959.
I saw them many times back in the day and am seeing them in Little Rock this May. ZZ Top, Skynyrd & Sabbath were the bands that made me go buy a guitar and learn to bend them strings.
Whatta a band Whatta sound Whatta a loss in the Dust….
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN. That was awesome. 3 piece bands are magic.
Rush agrees with you.
Man, talk about rock n roll.
I saw them in 71. It was the first time I saw a loud Marshall powered three piece band blowing like hell. I was never the same. I bought the first album the next day. I didn’t own a stereo but I did play guitar. I took the record to every party blowing peoples minds.
became a fan in 1975 when I was 13. my 1st zz top show was august of 1980 with humble pie opening the show at the allentown fairgrounds in PA. it was about 105 when pie took the stage, and about 103 after the sun went down and zz tore the fairgrounds down. still remember the show like it was yesterday.
Billy and the boys getting down to Fleetwood Mac's "Rattlesnake Shake" is a revelation. To me, Peter Green is THE white blues master, but Billy is right up there, too. Smokin'!
They were such nice young, talented boys!
Love Neighbor Neighbor,....I bought the 1st ZZ album when it first came out...Love it
Such awesome voices, why I drove around my 68 Black "Chevrolet" Chevelle SS 4spd dragging and picking up the girls, hooked on these guys. Nothing like the old day voices. So Clear and sweet!
Jimi Hendrix, Van Halen, Aerosmith, BB King, ZZ Top, Prince among many others are exceptional artist who many aspire and look up to.
God Bless ZZ Top & Bless Dusty Hill. I seen'em for the first time in '73 in Denver, (Tres Hombres), & 6 times through the years. Last time was '92. Wish that '73 show was filmed. It was pretty cool. (The boys didn't have their long beards back in '73). (First time I seen them beards was on MTV & I thought they were fake). I almost bought a Aerosmith record once.
Thanks for sharing.
rip Dust
This is totally interesting to listen to, especially when compared to the studio recordings. Although I'm too young to have witnessed them back in those days, I've been a student of blues rock guitar for over 40 years and learned so much from listening to Billy. It is also funny to notice how he looked different in almost every picture, sometimes you hardly think it is the same person.
If I was granted a wish that I could be bestowed the gift of playing guitar and sounding like just one man: it would have to be the extraordinary Mr Billy Gibbons. RIP Dusty, a fabulous bass player driving Billy on. Frank Beard, a mesmeric drummer to complete the mind-blowing trio.
Right on brother!
I have to agree on the wish. Either the Rev or Leslie West.
Thanks for posting this - fantastic playing and singing all around. Billy is in top form, Beard is cooking on high fire and Dusty remains a criminally underrated rock singer.
I was there!
I miss the days when concerts came to my area Syracuse Ny every month. My first concert was Alice Cooper with ZZ supporting what a double bill and my buddy and I were hooked saw a few more times before they broke big. With them and Rush my buddy and I being both musicians were hooked on the three piece concept which I continue to this day oh the power of a trio!
Yep.. guess them days are gone... we had a buddy at ticketron in the early 80s, saw SOMEone every week.
45 or 50 years, and these guys stayed 100% true to their sound. They started out with the right stuff, and they stuck with it.
I was 15 years old in Alvin Texas, ZZTop was for real our hometown boys. I wish I could relive those concerts mostly can't because, of extenuating circumstances (Ha). And feel for you young ones. These days are SADLY gone. So watch YT and find the locals that look like they are in these ones footsteps. Take alot of care and Go back to old black blues where it starts. Thank You Zee Zee Top for posting!
And to think, these guys were rubbing elbows and touring with Jimi Hendrix back in the day. When asked what it felt like to be the best guitarist in the world Hendrix said, "I don't know, you should ask Billy Gibbons."
he actually said "I DON'T KNOW, YOU SHOULD ASK RORY GALLAGHER"!
he said the same thing about terry kath!
@@zoobly3 it's an urban legend, r&r variant.
Eric Clapton was asked the same question...he said 'ask Prince'!
Stop regurgitating bullshit.
Saw these guys about a year before this .......Socorro , N.M......tickets were like 2 bucks !!!lol THEY KICKED ASS !!!!
first time I saw them was 71 or 72 in a gymnasium in Laurel Ms really good but the next time was tres hombres in the sold out colliseum in Jackson and man that was incredible
i saw them in Starkville in 73 and several times in the coliseum... took my daughter to see them in 98 there.
Never got to see them but I have been listening to them since their first album. Had my chance in 2012 (or around that year) when they had 3 gigs in Sweden. 1 in Stockholm and one in Gothenburg, 2 big arenas. And then in a small pub in the south, were I happened to be. So I said to my wife, lets go there and get some ZZtop. But that last show got cancelled because as I later heard, Dusty had some problems with his ear. And now he is gone. Sad days indeed.
so, I gotta run ova herer to my bluesy cruisers, because I'm SAD man !!! I know we all gotta go down that road someday, bu it doesn't get any easier to take. Have mercy, you don't have to wait on the bus no more, Jesus is takin' ya with him.
Damd good recorden! Love Dusty Hill ! Damned im proud to be a Southerner !
Wow. I live in the Pensacola area. And Dusty lives in all of us now. We'll take part and sing along and if you're skilled enough, play bass while doing it! There's a legacy to carry on ⚡🤘
oh hell yes
So many treasures on KZhead!! Plus, I live in Pensacola... Sacramento is my hometown for 40yrs, but been in Pensacola for 15yrs...
Whoa, damn funky y'all.
Those vintage pics used are great!
Dusty Hill 1949-2021.
Amazing. Besides the obvious front man talent, Beard had a rock solid heavy feel on the drums. All three just playing their socks off. So many thanks for making this recording available!
They all got started some where in time. This is eerie but cool.
A buddy of mine in the Army (Fort Leavenworth, KS) first turned me on to ZZ Top in 1973. He played Tres Hombres for me. Of course, it didn't hurt that we were stoned out of our gourds at the time. I won't go as far as to say I instantly became their most hardcore #1 fan, but over the years I enjoyed many of their songs--Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers, Jesus Just Left Chicago, Under Pressure, Legs, TV Dinners, Concrete and Steel, Blue Jean Blues to name just a few. Billy in some of these pics looks like he ought to be sitting in a college classroom.
billy g. is so underrated!!
Loved "JUST GOT PAID' and "NEIGHBOR, NEIGHBOR". Billy made blues sound so soulful and easy. RIP DUST HILL. A HS friend of mine in a band called 'ROADWORK' opened for ZZ AT THE SALT PALACE in Salt Lake City in about '75. What an honor .🤩🙏
He’s not underrated, Jimi Hendrix is one of his biggest fans.
holy shit!..Gibbons is terrifyingly good here.....now this is what legends are made of
I agree... but he (and they) only got better and better!!! Amazing ain't it? ;)
He didn't get any better - the early stuff is where he most active. Eliminator was the beginning of the end.
Were do you get off sayin that? Are you kidding me???
yrulooknatme..Are you a guitarist/musician? He's gotten progressively worse and worse, from a musical stand point..Not from a technical/physical/speed stand point, but from a melodic/creative stand point..He used to use such a palette of notes and color, (think; "Wait'n for the Bus" solo) ..When you here him solo now (whether on record or live) he uses around 5 notes for solos, and no out of the box notes ..If you're a fan and if you like the repetition of his playing now then, (each to his own)
Jeez... and I said was that I agreed that they were great then and got even better! Dissenters, so far, have mentioned songs/albums from 2-12 years later to try to dispute that this was not the tippy-top of ZZ Tops efforts. Huh? (each to his own)
sweet tone as always King Billy.
It's hard to get bad tone from a '59 LP... especially when it's in the hands of one the best guitar players in history.
Really cool stuff, barely recognise them without their signature looks in the photos.
They used to play at a little bar downtown Houston called "The Old Quarter" They would jam with members of a band named "Rat Creek" It was a time when people knew how to have a good time. I miss it.
Great to hear the early years live stuff. Saw them in 74 in San Bernardino with Kiss as they’re opening band. Zz did there set and encores with La Grange, holy crap!!! You would have thought someone set off a bomb in the “auditorium “ (really and old aircraft hanger) the crowd just erupted with with cheers and noise! They were tight as as drum, the only band that was as tight was-the fab tbirds in 1981 in a small nightclub.
I was at that show ....good times
Saw em in 75 in the Summit in Houston...1st concert there...now it's a big church
So Good! What a band!!!
For an early performance, they sound mighty polished here. Of course, they'd been at it awhile already. I saw them in '74 in Fayetteville, N.C., on a ticket my older brother gave me as a Christmas present. Printed price: $5. Excellent show, and as much as anything else, I remember that they had Freddie King open for them--a nod of respect, Texas blues in the finest tradition.
This is great. I have always loved listening to zz top. My dad's favorite band so growing up it was always on. This is my favorite listening experience with the band to date. Because this is what sold my dad to this being his favorite band. He saw them play a bunch in the early days. So listening to this I'm hearing what he was hearing. Thanks for posting.
Thank you for sharing that. Ironically, you posted this the day Dusty passed.
I know I can't believe it. The whole reason I found it is because of the news of him going home from tour. I shared this video with my dad and the next time I checked he had passed. Such sad news.
Mine too and I’ve liked them 40 years. Ain’t you tube cool?
Billy F Gibbons is one special cat! Even to this day.
Even on this crappy recording (no offence) Billy's tone is amazing. Such a great player..
His guitar tone does shine through.
ZZ is all of age 22 here! 22 Top!
Yes and that’s when he was using regular gauge strings(10,s)way better tone then those horrible 7,s that his using now.
@@peteyoung7665 kzhead.info/sun/estyk7J_f55jlZ8/bejne.html he's using 7's here. Nothing wrong with his tone. Rick Beato did a video about string gauge, it's not that important for your tone.
@@simonvanderheijden432 It IS important for controlled string bends, though. Sometimes you here Townshend fighting his heavy strings and doing flat-sounding bends that don't dure enough.
The good old times! No Tube Snake Boogie. No Legs. Neither La Grange nor Tush. Does anybody miss something in here? I do not...
This is how bands did it back then. Went on the road in a van, opened for anybody, anywhere. Paid their fucking dues. If you had talent you got a record deal, but, still had to go out and PLAY! All week long, live music everywhere! I miss those days!
saw them at the Kellogg Auditorium in Battle Creek Michigan in '73 or '74 . They just killed it .
outstanding!!
Wow the tone on that les Paul. That is pure overdriven marshal no effects .
Thanks for the great post!