ZZ Top: Raw

fretmeister

This is brilliant.

It's a live album without an audience - was recorded while filming for their Netflix doc. The legend is that they were setting up for photos and wanted them to look real, but as all the kit was there they decided to play, and then when it was clearly working well, decided to record some classics.

The mix is ace. Dusty can be heard properly for a change.

digitalkettle

Had a listen yesterday...certainly 'raw'...enjoyed it

mikeyrob73

Cheers thats my listening sorted for the next hour :-) 

CaseOfAce

thanks for posting this fretmeister.
I love hearing live stuff that's not been messed around with post-production.
Even with the thousands of hours this band's been playing these songs over the decades you can still hear the push and pull and dynamics going on in each track. Love it.

stratman3142

Sounds great. Reminiscent of the raw energy of Tres Hombres.

Thanks for posting.

stickyfiddle

It's late here so I won't listen in full, but the first 5 minutes sound *great*

fretmeister

It's just wonderful.

It's like the very early days playing in a shitty bar, but just happens to be with roughly 300 years experience between them!

And somewhat nicer instruments / amps than I bet they started with!

fretmeister

CaseOfAce said:

thanks for posting this fretmeister.
I love hearing live stuff that's not been messed around with post-production.
Even with the thousands of hours this band's been playing these songs over the decades you can still hear the push and pull and dynamics going on in each track. Love it.

That's why I love live albums the most. The mistakes, the dodgy tempo, all of it.

Music is a living thing. Quantising to a grid can fuck right off.

Danny1969

This is great, Love this band and seen them twice and this is what they sounded like 

Springywheel

Love it...first album vibes with that stripped back sound 

jimkehoe

Superb.

Jonathangus

That was excellent.  RIP Dusty, 1 year ago today.

boogieman

Cheers for posting, that’s really great stuff. Interesting that Billy doesn’t seem to do the pinch harmonics that were his trademark at one time? His voice still sounds excellent though…. nobody does a how, how, how, how like BG. 

barnstorm

The sound when Dusty and Frank get rolling on Just Got Paid is utter filth.

mikeyrob73

Superb, just a proper band doing proper band things 

dindude

That’s fantastic! 

fretmeister

I haven’t repeat listened to an album for years.

Billy’s tone is amazingly saturated. It’s not remotely the ‘just breaking up’ type tone so many blues guys use. It’s actually filthy. There’s more gain than on many Metallica albums.

If anyone else pitched up to a blues gig with that tone they’d get shown the door.

It confirms my long held view… less isn’t more. More is more!

Makes me want to buy a telecaster like that and the 400 stacked overdrive pedals that are clearly hiding somewhere!

breezytele

Cheers . Quick listen, CD ordered

Octahedron

fretmeister said:

I haven’t repeat listened to an album for years.

Billy’s tone is amazingly saturated. It’s not remotely the ‘just breaking up’ type tone so many blues guys use. It’s actually filthy. There’s more gain than on many Metallica albums.

If anyone else pitched up to a blues gig with that tone they’d get shown the door.

It confirms my long held view… less isn’t more. More is more!

Makes me want to buy a telecaster like that and the 400 stacked overdrive pedals that are clearly hiding somewhere!

The filth that man can produce from a Telecaster beggars belief doesn't it??

but you just can't beat the Pearly Gates...

kossofffan

Brought the CD yesterday and it's proper good, loud in the car!

mikeyrob73

just ordered this on Vinyl. listened to it a few times whilst on holiday, its bloody brilliant