ZZ Top Will Go On Following Dusty Hill’s Death
ZZ Top will press on following the death of bassist Dusty Hill, at the request of Hill, himself.
In a statement from Billy Gibbons, he said, “As Dusty said upon his departure, ‘Let the show go on!’ And … with respect, we’ll do well to get beyond this and honor his wishes…Dusty emphatically grabbed my arm and said, ‘Give Elwood the bottom end and take it to the Top.’ He meant it, amigo. He really did.”
The Elwood mentioned in the statement is Elwood Francis, ZZ Top’s veteran guitar tech. Francis filled in for Hill on some recent ZZ Top gigs after Hill exited the tour. On July 23, the band said in a statement that Hill was “…on a short detour back to Texas, to address a hip issue.”
Hill died yesterday (July 28) in his sleep in his Houston, Texas home at the age of 72. An exact cause of death is not currently known.
ZZ Top: Their 40 Best Songs, Ranked
40. âThugâ from âEliminatorâ (1983)
ShareâEliminatorâ was one of the few albums where a band said to their audience âWe hope you like our new direction,â and they actually *did* like their new direction. ZZ Top incorporated electronics into their sound and it actually worked. âEliminatorâ is no longer really thought of as a âcomebackâ album. Itâs really just a classic. âThug,â understandably, was buried under all of the albumâs singles, but itâs one of the groupâs funkist jams.
39. âOver Youâ from âLa Futuraâ (2012)
ShareA blues jam co-written by Billy F. Gibbons and Tom Hambridge, an unsung hero of modern blues, who has worked extensively with Buddy Guy, Susan Tedeschi and George Thorogood. If you think youâve heard every blues song there is to hear, but you donât know this one, check it out.
38. âMescaleroâ from âMescaleroâ (2003)
ShareCreatively, the 2000s werenât a great era for ZZ; while they toured a lot, they only released one album, and âMescaleroâ was far from a classic. But this song, which kicked off the album, combined Tejano elements, with modern production technology, was a highlight.
37. âEl Diabloâ from âTejasâ (1976)
ShareAs Billy F. Gibbons has said in interviews, ZZ was transitioning a bit on âTejas.â But as he said, âI'm not really sure what we were transitioning from and what we were becoming.â The band were using new studio technology and some of their songs - including this one - were a bit smooth. But this one still had such a cool vibe.
36. âHeartache In Blueâ from âLa Futuraâ (2012)
ShareâLa Futuraâ was produced by Rick Rubin, one of the few guys whose beard compares to Billy F. Gibbonsâ and Dusty Hillâs. Seriously, though, heâs great at working with legendary artists and getting them back in touch with what people love about them (see his work with Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, Mick Jagger, Black Sabbath and Metallica). This song wasnât a single, but it has the swagger, the crunchy blues stomp, and the back-and-forth vocals of Gibbons and Hill that makes a ZZ Top classic.
35. âBeer Drinkers and Hell Raisersâ from âTres Hombresâ (1973)
ShareSpeaking of back-and-forth vocals between Billy F. Gibbons and Dusty Hill, this is a great example of that. And itâs been an anthem for ZZ Top fans for decades.
34. âReverberation (Doubt)â from âWhere The Pyramid Meets The Eye: A Tribute To Roky Eriksonâ (1990)
ShareZZ Top rarely recorded songs for anything other than their own albums, but their contribution to the tribute album to the leader of the legendary Texas psychedelic band 13th Floor Elevators is the bandâs greatest obscure gem.
33. âPincushionâ from âAntennaâ (1994)
ShareOne of the hottest songs about an appointment with an acupuncturist. âShook my soul and stole my dough,â Gibbons growls. âLeft my condition down a deep, dark hole/I'm a pincushion, gotta face the facts/I'm just a pincushion, do anything she ask.â
32. âNasty Dogs and Funky Kingsâ from âFandango!â (1975)
ShareIt turns out that both nasty dogs and funky kings need love too. As Gibbons sings, all a nasty dog or a funky king wants to do âis get next to you.â Hmm, maybe itâs not love that theyâre afterâŠ
31. âFrancineâ from âRio Grande Mudâ (1971)
ShareAnother jam that features both Gibbons and Hill on vocals. Their beards may be similar but their voices couldnât be more different: Hill is a technically great singer, while Gibbonsâs growl is unmistakable. But when they sang together, they sounded incredible.
30. âArrested For Driving While Blindâ from âTejasâ (1976)
ShareA great blues rock jam, but we donât recommend that anyone drive after being âbittenâ by that Wild Turkey.
29. âTV Dinnersâ from âEliminatorâ (1983)
ShareOK, this song might be a bit dated at this point, but it still sounds so good! This is one of their more keyboardy/synthy jams on âEliminatorâ -- Dusty Hill plays keyboards instead of bass -- but it still has the bandâs signature bite.
28. âDust My Broomâ from âDeguelloâ (1979)
ShareZZ Top put their modern spin on the blues with nearly every song in their catalog, but they also were good at doing their own interpretation on blues classics, as they demonstrated on this Robert Johnson classic, which was later popularized by Elmore James.
27. âItâs Too Easy Mananaâ from âLa Futuraâ (2012)
ShareBilly Gibbons and ZZ Top were always being influenced by unexpected places; that was true with this psychedelic bluesy cover of Americana duo David Rawlings and Gillian Welchâs bluegrass jam âItâs Too Easyâ (which Gibbons added some lyrics to, and added the âmananaâ to the title)
26. âSleeping Bagâ from âAfterburnerâ (1985)
ShareâEliminatorâ was a huge hit, but following it up surely had to be a bitch. âAfterburnerâ as a whole doesnât match the heights of its predecessor, but this synth driven jam does.
25. âShe Loves My Automobileâ from âDeguelloâ (1979)
ShareâWell she don't care if I'm stoned or sloppy drunk, long as she got the keys and there's a spare wheel in her trunk.â A great blues lyric if there ever was one.
24. âHeard It On The Xâ from âFandango!â (1985)
ShareIn which Gibbons and Hill trade stories about how they were influenced by what they heard on Mexican radio stations when they were growing up. At the time, all of those stationsâ call letters started with âx.â Fun fact: they eventually performed this song on one of those stations so they actually heard âHeard It On The Xâ on the X.
23. âSure Got Cold After The Rain Fellâ from âRio Grande Mudâ (1972)
ShareItâs not a song about the weather: âIt sure got cold after the rain fell/Not from the sky, from my eye/Somebody, can you tell me/Just what make a man feel this way?â They answered the question earlier in the song. The narrator explains that his âbabyâ ran off with another man. Ouch!
22. âJust Got Back From Babyâsâ from âZZ Topâs First Albumâ (1971)
ShareTrust your first instinct! In this blues jam, Gibbons sings about a woman who he ârolls all night long with.â But he knows somethingâs up and he later figures it out. âI just got back from baby's, big white house on the hill/If her loving don't get me...I know her husband will.â
21. âIf I Could Only Flag Her Downâ from âEliminatorâ (1983)
ShareThis was a throwback to the classic ZZ Top sound on the modern, tech-savvy âEliminator.â Was Billy F. Gibbons singing about a woman or a car here?
20. âBrown Sugarâ from âZZ Topâs First Albumâ (1971)
ShareReleased in the same year as the Rolling Stonesâ song of the same name, but the songs sound nothing alike. While the Stones lyrics are pretty self-explanatory, youâre not quite sure if ZZ Top is singing about a woman or a drug.
19. âFlyinâ Highâ from âLa Futuraâ (2012)
ShareIf you havenât spent time with âLa Futura,â do yourself a favor and check it out. Youâll be singing along with this jam before the songâs 4 minutes 18 seconds run out. This jam is almost AC/DC- like, as itâs all about riffs, girls and good times (and itâs no surprise that producer Rick Rubin has cited AC/DC as his favorite band, and heâs produced them as well).
18. âGoinâ Down To Mexicoâ from âZZ Topâs First Albumâ (1971)
ShareThe lyrics are almost Dylan-esque, describing encounters in Mexico while âthere was trouble on the rise.â Thereâs the âfine and fancyâ man who did good things for the poor; they parted ways while âsinging the same old song.â Then, the narrator meets a âNineteen Forty movie star with a long forgotten name...She was a sexy mess in her pleated dress, still hanging on to fame.â That encounter had a better conclusion: âhand in hand we walked along, Each of us singing the same old song.â ZZ Top: fighting ageism since â71!
16. âSalt Lick,â single only release (1970) available on ‘Chrome, Smoke & BBQ: The ZZ Top Box’ (2003)
ShareItâs reminiscent of Billy Gibbonsâ pre-ZZ band, the Moving Sidewalks, especially thanks to the organ which is pretty loud in the mix. Even when the band were finding their way, they had incredible swagger.
15. âChartreuseâ from âLa Futuraâ (2012)
ShareA classically cheeky ZZ jam. Is he talking about the color or the liquor? Letâs check the lyrics: âChartreuse: don't you know I like big caboose!â Clearly, it could be about a few different things.
14. âMy Headâs In Mississippiâ from âRecyclerâ (1990)
ShareLike âAfterburner,â âRecyclerâ attempted to reproduce the magic of ZZ Topâs huge reboot/comeback album, âEliminator.â It didnât quite work across the whole album, but it definitely worked here: âMy Headâs In Mississippiâ sounded like a forgotten blues jam that was souped up and polished for a new decade.
13. âGot Me Under Pressure (live)â from âLive From Texasâ (2008)
ShareEven as the band wasnât very prolific with new music in the millennium, they always seemed to be on the road and they were always an incredible live act. This take on the âEliminatorâ classic takes off a bit of the studio polish and is a better version.
12. âI Thank Youâ from âDeguelloâ (1979)
ShareA cover of the soul classic by Sam and Dave. The original is one of those songs that is so perfect, you donât think it needs to be covered by anyone.. Until you hear ZZâs take on it, transforming it into a blues shuffle.
11. âI Gotsta Get Paidâ from âLa Futuraâ (2012)
ShareâLa Futuraâ producer Rick Rubin got his start in hip-hop, working with Run-D.M.C. LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys. And while heâs rarely worked in the genre since the â90s, he still has an extensive knowledge of hip-hop and how to produce it. So that might be why this reworking of a somewhat obscure song by Lil Keke and Fat Pat sounded so good in the hands of ZZ Top.
10. âI Need You Tonightâ from âEliminatorâ (1983)
ShareHow good of a blues jam is this? So good that Buddy Guy covered it on his (very underrated) 1998 album, âHeavy Love.â Thatâs pretty much the ultimate seal of approval for any modern blues group.
9. âIâm Bad, Iâm Nationwideâ from âDeguelloâ (1979)
ShareAs we mentioned, ZZ reworked a hip-hop jam into their own song on âI Gotsta Get Paid,â and it wouldnât surprise us if a hip-hop act did the same for this jam, which sees ZZ Top bragging about their sweet rides, their cool clothes and the âfoxesâ who ride with them.
8. âWaitinâ For The Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicagoâ from âTres Hombresâ (1973)
ShareYes, you can consider âWaitinâ For The Busâ and âJesus Just Left Chicagoâ to be two different songs, but one doesnât quite sound right without the other. Sure they were written separately -- drummer Frank Beard co-wrote the second song with Gibbons and Hill, while they wrote the first one together. But when Gibbons heard how the album was sequenced, he loved them put together with no gap in between. Rightfully so.
7. âLegsâ from âEliminatorâ (1983)
ShareThe band went pretty far into electronic territory here: supposedly, only Gibbons appears on this song (the synths and drums are all programmed). But the images that weâll always have in our minds are the guys driving around in their ZZ Top car. And yeah, we usually consider band members not playing on their own record to be foul play, but weâll let it slide here⊠âLegsâ is just too good to deny.
6. âJust Got Paidâ from âRio Grande Mudâ (1972)
ShareOne of the greatest working class anthems of all time: âJust got paid today/Got me a pocket full of change/If you believe like workin' hard all day/Just step in my shoes and take my pay.â And the chugging blues jam actually makes you feel as if you just got that check and youâre looking to spend it.
5. âSharp Dressed Manâ from âEliminatorâ (1983)
ShareThe song somehow made straight up blues rock (albeit with a commercial sheen) sound perfect on MTV among the new wave idols dominating the playlist. And it sported one of Billy Gibbonsâ best guitar solos. The video was a sequel to the unforgettable clip for âGimme All Your Lovinââ and no one was complaining about seeing the ZZ car for a second time, not to mention its passengers.
4. âCheap Sunglassesâ from âDeguelloâ (1979)
ShareâWhen you wake up in the morning and the light is hurtin' your head/The first thing you do when you get up out of bed is hit that streets a-runnin' and try to beat the masses/And go get yourself some cheap sunglasses!â Weâve all been there. Although after an optometrists' convention sported a huge poster saying, âDon't wear cheap sunglasses,â Gibbons had to acquiesce the point: âI suppose I'll have to agree. There is a cutoff point where optical considerations must be taken into account.â But hey, when youâre hungover, sometimes you gotta go with what you can afford.
3. âGimme All Your Lovinââ from âEliminatorâ (1983)
ShareThe first single from âEliminator,â âGimme All Your Lovinââ changed everything for the band. Not only did it introduce a new sound that made them a legit current band in the â80s (something many of their peers were unable to do), it also introduced a new, powerful visual identity. The ZZ Top Eliminator car, the ZZ Top keychain, the ZZ Top girls all debuted here.
2. âTushâ from âFandango!â (1975)
ShareDusty Hillâs finest moment as a singer, he said that the song was written in about ten minutes. Sometimes thereâs beauty in simplicity.
âLa Grangeâ from âTres Hombresâ (1973)
ShareOwing more than a little to John Lee Hookerâs âBoogie Chillinââ and âBoom Boom,â but hey rock and roll and the blues are all about borrowing and recycling. (ZZ Top were sued - unsuccessfully - by the copyright holder of âBoom Boomâ). The song is about⊠well a whorehouse in La Grange, Texas known as âThe Chicken Ranch.â Seriously: the place they wrote about was the basis of the Broadway show âThe Best Little Whorehouse In Texas!â And while the guys may have spent some time there, the band never played there. But, four decades later, they did their first concert in La Grange, in 2015.
