A Beautician At The Wheel

ZZ Top : I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide

[Purchase]

After a two year break in which guitarist Billy Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill grew their chest-length beards, the band released the platinum album, Degüello. It's my favorite of their albums and some top notch critics agree with me. Robert Christgau gave the album a grade of A-, writing:

These guys got off the road for real--sounds as if they spent all three years playing the blues on their front porch. The strident arena technique is gone, every song gives back a verbal phrase or two to make up for the musical ones it appropriates, and to vary the trio format they not only learned how to play horns but figured out where to put them. I've heard a shitload of white blues albums in the wake of Belushi + Aykroyd. This is the best by miles.

Another fan was Lester Bangs whose review contains the following wildly written statement:

“Punks used to wear razor blades, but these guys play ’em, lividly. It’s fun, like eating tequila backward. They’re bound and determined to suck you into their cliché–but, hey, everybody has to search for roots, remember? Alex ‘n’ Newsweek said so. ZZ Top just laid off awhile to dig up more of theirs. Yet listening to Degüello really is as painful as trying to swallow tympanic jalapeños, so proceed with caution (and eat your “high energy” hearts out, mush-grooved power poppers). If you lose control, you can always douche with guacamole.”

This is serious pick up truck driving and beer drinking music, ten times better and smarter than it probably needs to be. Also includes "I Thank You" and "Fool For Your Automobile".