Published on Sep 12, 1999
1973 was a banner year for Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank
Beard – better known to the world as ZZ Top. After two mildly
successful albums and brief flirtations with the charts, they
proved the old saying “the third time’s the charm” with
Tres Hombres. To this day, you’ll hear tracks from this one
played on the radio, and for good reason: the album, for the most
part, was their most solid effort to that point.
One note, before I continue: Back in 1987, this album – along
with most of the ZZ Top discography – was remastered for CD… and
I think their original sound was terribly butchered. Every time I
hear those familiar opening chords for “La Grange” on the radio, I
sincerely hope that the next sound I hear isn’t a drum with echo on
it. If that’s the case, I know I’m in for a long, painful ride. I
sincerely hope that Bill Ham fixes this, if he hasn’t done so
already, ’cause the original mix smokes the ’87 versions.
Now then.
Tres Hombres is best known for “La Grange,” a down-and-dirty
blues riff that hooks you from moment one and refuses to let go.
Gibbons’s guitar work on this one is simply incredible, and his
riffs on this song are ones which are permanently etched in my
brain.
If you’re lucky, you’ll hear a few other tracks from
Tres Hombres on the airwaves. The tandeming of “Waitin’ For
The Bus” and “Jesus Just Left Chicago” (and didn’t take the White
Sox with him… no, no, forget I said anything) is enough to make
anyone who doesn’t particularly like the blues want to run down to
Best Buy and get a quick schooling. Hill’s bass work is the anchor
that holds this together, and deserves to be singled out.
But one shining moment on this disc is one that doesn’t nearly
get as much attention as it should: “Move Me On Down The Line”. If
there ever was a track that screamed for attention in ZZ Top’s
history, this is the one. A killer riff and harmony vocals from
Gibbons and Hill make everything on this track scream “winner”.
Tres Hombres is made up of many tracks such as these. “Beer
Drinkers & Hell Raisers,” another track that occasionally
sneaks its way onto the air, is a decent enough number, but I’ll
admit it pales in comparison to the others mentioned here. “Master
Of Sparks” is one that challenges the listener with a different
rhythm pattern from Beard, as well as an A-minor structure. It’s
not one that easily fits with ZZ Top’s previous work – but it
stands out on its own.
There are some minor flaws on this one. “Hot, Blue And
Righteous” is a little too slow for my tastes, while “Precious And
Grace” seems to go back too much to the mistakes of their past. I
listen to this track, and I can’t help but compare it to “Neighbor,
Neighbor” off of
ZZ Top’s First Album. Hearing this almost makes me question
how much the group had grown musically since their debut.
Of course, the magnitude of strong tracks on
Tres Hombres quickly cancels out the few minor slips, and ZZ
Top proves without a doubt that they had the power and talent to
make it into the superstar level. Of course, hitting that plateau
was still a decade off – and a strange career move was just ahead
of them… but that’s another story for another review.