We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
One of the things about popular music of the 70’s was the vast array of styles…and the fact that you knew who you were listening to within a few notes of almost any song. Case in point…that “lil ole band from Texas”, ZZ Top.
Their second LP, “Rio Grande Mud”, released in 1972, was also their last before hitting the big time. And it’s a much more confident effort than their debut disc the year before.
All of the things that made ZZ Top good are here. The solid drumming of Frank Beard…the crunch of Dusty Hill’s bass…and those fantastic blues-rock licks and power chords from the guitar of Billy Gibbons.
The LP is full of good tunes….”Just Got Paid”, “Ko-Ko Blue” and “Whiskey Mama” standout for me…plus Gibbons adds in some blues harp on “Mushmouth Shoutin”.
But the centerpiece is “Sure Got Cold After The Rain Fell”. A Gibbons original…it sounds like one of those ole blues tunes from years before. Just an excellent example of 70’s blues.
There is no “La Grange” or “Tush” here…but they are working on it.
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