From the Archive: ZZ TOP's Degüello

The band's 1979 album is an inflection point, and preview of what was to come.

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Good morning!

Today, we’re dusting of ZZ Top’s Degüello and giving it a spin.

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1979: The punk movement was in full swing. New Wave wasn't too far behind. AOR was doing, well, whatever it is that AOR does. And a little 'ol band from Texas was returning from a 3-year walk in the wilderness. Soon enough, the band’s Eliminator record would introduce an entire generation of fans (including this writer) to a world of cool cars, hot girls, and a Mesquite-flavored brand of rock/blues. But that was still a few years away yet. 

Degüello was the last ZZ Top record of the 70s (and their 6th overall). It was also the first to feature synthesizers and the first appearance of the band's trademark long beards, which they'd spent their hiatus growing. 

The record also musically represents a period of growth for the band, marking the start of the pivot from gritty boogie & blues to a more polished MTV-ready sound--a trajectory lasting until the late 90s return to their original sound. 

"This album marked our leap from London Records to Warner Bros. We attempted to maintain the cornerstone of 12-bar blues, or just blues music, period. Of course, we were bombarded at the time by the punk rock movement.

On Degüello, you find the band starting to stretch out a little bit. 'Cheap Sunglasses' was the first time we used synthesizers. I think Degüello was the first record we completed after the punk scene was ushered in, and we can gladly tip our hats to the doors they opened. There was a kick-ass brand of music that was making a statement: 'To hell with the FM playlist, we're gonna do it like we wanna do it!' I think it allowed us to relax to the point where we could use it."

~Billy Gibbons¹

The record kicks off with yet another first for them: a cover track. "I Thank You" was initially co-written by Isaac Hayes for Sam & Dave. Playing through an amp with a blown tube gives the song its unique sound. Sometimes experiments pay off. 

Not all experiments have a positive outcome, though. After watching an episode of the Phil Donahue show, where a pitch shifter was used to disguise a guest's voice, Gibbons was inspired to play with one. The result is the god-awful “Manic Mechanic,” which feels like ayahuasca-fueled to take on Frank Zappa.

I'm all for pushing boundaries, but some things are best left on the studio floor. ZZ Top is a band that rarely uses anything more than the bare minimum necessary to get the desired sound. Things like “Mechanic” are what can happen when they don't take their own advice. 

A much better result is "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide." a tribute to Texas bluesman Joey Long. The track features what Gibbons describes as "a multi-stringed mandolin-like instrument from Parral, Mexico," gifted to him by Long, and a slinky drum shuffle from Frank Beard. It's rough around the edges and is all the better for it. 

Ditto the classic “Cheap Sunglasses,” which is still a staple on classic rock stations today. It's a fan favorite, and it only takes a few notes to see why. 

"This song was actually written during a trip from the Gulf Coast up to Austin, Texas," Gibbons told Guitar World in 2009. "A bright spot of creativity flared as we were passing the hamlet of La Grange, and I recited all three verses of "Cheap Sunglasses" within the space of 20 miles. And that's the way they stayed."

That's on-brand. “Cheap Sunglasses” (and ZZ Top) sound best in a car with the windows rolled down- ideally, something older & with a V-8. Their kind of music is not something you play to get over a breakup- it's the soundtrack to adventure.

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Degüello isn't the most consistent record the band ever put out. But it is an album that can feel timeless in a way that, say, Afterburner doesn't. Much of that is down to blending the old sounds of the band while slowly adding new elements like the keyboards. It appeals to those who first fell in love with the smokier sounds of the band's early work and those whose on-ramp to the trio were the sleeker sounds of Eliminator.

Perhaps most importantly, as much as Gibbons & co. liked to push their own boundaries, they never frame this as anything other than a good-time rock n roll record.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the record! Where would you rank it among their other releases?

Thanks for being here,

Kevin—

1. https://www.guitarworld.com/features/zz-top-zz