''ZZ Top's First Album'' is the debut studio album by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band ZZ Top. It was produced by

Bill Ham Billy Mack Ham (February 4, 1937 – June 20, 2016) was an American music impresario, best known as the manager, producer, and image-maker for the blues-rock band ZZ Top. Ham also gained prominence in the country music world by discovering and man ...

, and released on January 16, 1971, on

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

. Establishing ZZ Top's attitude and humor, the album incorporates styles such as

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

, boogie,

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

, and Southern rock influences. Thematically, the album is lively, playful and at times brash, filled with the band's personal experiences and sexual innuendos that became central to the group's image. "(Somebody Else Been) Shakin' Your Tree" was the only single released from the album.

Background, recording and release

The album was recorded at Robin Hood Studios in Tyler, Texas. ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons said:

We had been together for about six months and were knocking around the bar scene, playing all the usual funky joints. We took the studio on as an extension of the stage show. The basics were all of us playing together in one room, but we didn't want to turn our backs on contemporary recording techniques. To give our sound as much presence and support as possible, we became a little more than a three piece with the advantages of overdubbing. It was the natural kind of support – some rhythm guitar parts, a little bit of texture. That was about it. We called the record ''ZZ Top's First Album'' because we wanted everyone to know that there would be more. We weren't certain if we'd get another chance in the studio, but we had high hopes.

The only single released from the album was "(Somebody Else Been) Shakin' Your Tree" (backed with "Neighbor, Neighbor") on London Records (release number 45-138). It failed to appear on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' charts. In 1987, the album was remixed for CD release. In 2013, the original vinyl mix was released on HD Tracks in high-resolution digital download formats. The original mix of the album was released on CD in June 2013 as part of the box set ''The Complete Studio Albums (1970–1990)''. In October 2017 a 180 gram vinyl edition of the album was released, using the original mix.

Reception

AllMusic retrospectively gave it 3 stars, stating: "''ZZ Top's First Album'' may not be perfectly polished, but it does establish their sound, attitude, and quirks."

Track listing

Personnel

ZZ Top * Billy Gibbons – guitar, vocals * Dusty Hill – bass, backing vocals, lead vocal on "Goin' Down to Mexico", co-lead vocal on "Squank" * Frank Beard – drums, percussion (credited as "Rube Beard") Production *Producer –

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zz Top's First Album London Records albums ZZ Top albums 1971 debut albums Albums produced by Bill Ham