Thursday, October 27, 2016

October 27 - Hi Fi Mama

Some legends are better left unexplored... Playing around with alter egos and solo concepts, Arve and I kept on returning to an idea where I would dress up in drag and call myself Hi Fi Mama after today's song. The opportunities seemed endless for how that could become quite the show - except I didn't have quite the guts to pull it all off. Who knows, with my hair out long again, it might not be out of the question, but I am thinking my beard may be just a tad disqualifying...

The lil' ol' band from Texas, ZZ Top, released their album Degüello in 1979. It was the first album on a major label (Warner Brothers), and it eventually sold to platinum. They had been together with the same line up as they still have since 1970, with Billy Gibbons on guitar and main lead vocals, Dusty Hill on bass and sometimes lead vocals, and Frank Beard on drums (and yes, he is the only one without a significant beard).

Degüello is just one in the line of seven albums that eventually would lead up to the massive success they enjoyed in the 80s with the release of Eliminator and Afterburner and massive MTV success with songs like Legs, Sharp Dressed Man, and Sleeping Bag (to name but a few). To me, their build up to the success is much more interesting - you can hear the evolution from a straight forward blues band on ZZ Top's first album to a much more technically experimenting band on both Degüello and El Loco (just listen to Manic Mechanic on Degüello and Groovy Little Hippy Pad on El Loco to hear how they are moving away from the straight up blues and boogie rock).

Today's song is a straight ahead rocker, with a horn section starring Gibbons on baritone sax, Hill on tenor sax, and Beard on alto sax - Hi Fi Mama remains one of my favorites - and also one of my favorite "what if..." moments. Also, please enjoy the plethora of double entendres...


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