El Loco: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox album |
{{Infobox album |
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| name = El Loco |
| name = El Loco |
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| artist = [[ZZ Top]] |
| artist = [[ZZ Top]] |
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| cover = ZZ Top - El Loco.jpg |
| cover = ZZ Top - El Loco.jpg |
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| released = July 15, 1981<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/FMQB-Album/1981/FMQB-1981-07-10.pdf|title=FMQB|page=35}}</ref> |
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| released = July 1981<ref name="umd">{{cite web |url=http://umdmusic.com/default.asp?Lang=English&Search=zz+top&Where=Bands |title=ZZ Top |publisher=Ultimate Music Database |access-date=August 21, 2011}}</ref><!--various sources may report that the release date was October 1, 1981, but this album made its Billboard chart debut on August 8, 1981, so it was definitely released well before October 1.---> |
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'''''El Loco''''' is the seventh studio album by the American [[Rock music|rock]] band [[ZZ Top]], released in 1981. It foreshadowed the band's extensive usage of synthesizers on ''[[Eliminator (album)|Eliminator]], [[Afterburner (ZZ Top album)|Afterburner]],'' and to a lesser extent, ''[[Recycler (ZZ Top album)|Recycler]],'' by way of employing a synthesizer on a couple tracks, played by an uncredited Linden Hudson.<ref name=Blayney/> |
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⚫ | |||
⚫ | ''El Loco'' was produced by [[Bill Ham]] and recorded and originally mixed by [[Terry Manning]]. The biographer David Blayney explains in his book ''Sharp Dressed Men'' that the recording engineer Linden Hudson was involved as a pre-producer on this album.<ref name=Blayney>Blayney, David (1994). ''Sharp Dressed Men''. New York: Hyperion. pp. 196–203. {{ISBN|0-7868-8005-8}}.</ref> Hudson did not receive credit for engineering the tracks on "Groovy Little Hippie Pad" which were used on the final album mix. In 1987, most of the band's back catalog received a controversial "digitally enhanced" remix treatment for CD release; however, ''El Loco'' did not receive this remix treatment and the original mix of the album has been available on CD since 1987. |
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⚫ | On June 3, 2013, Gibbons told Joe Bosso of MusicRadar.com that the album was "a really interesting turning point", explaining that the band had "befriended somebody who would become an influential associate, a guy named Linden Hudson. He was a gifted songwriter and had production skills that were leading the pack at times. He brought some elements to the forefront that helped reshape what ZZ Top were doing, starting in the studio and eventually to the live stage. [He] had no fear and was eager to experiment in ways that would frighten most bands. But we followed suit, and the synthesizers started to show up on record. Manufacturers were looking for ways to stimulate sales, and these instruments started appearing on the market. One of our favorite tracks was "Groovy Little Hippie Pad". Right at the very opening, there it is – the heavy sound of a synthesizer. For us, there was no turning back."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/billy-gibbons-talks-zz-top-the-complete-studio-albums-1970-1990-575728|title = Billy Gibbons talks ZZ Top: The Complete Studio Albums (1970-1990)|date = 3 June 2013}}</ref> Gibbons would later cite seeing a [[Devo]] soundcheck in Houston as inspiring the synthesizer line on "Groovy Little Hippie Pad."<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/billy-gibbons-my-life-in-15-songs-151784/groovy-little-hippie-pad-1981-143189/|title=Billy Gibbons: My Life in 15 Songs|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=10 November 2015}}</ref> However, Blayney described in his book how Hudson had composed and performed the synthesizer parts at the band's studio in Texas, a tape of which was taken to Memphis to be mixed into the final version of the song, without being credited.<ref name=Blayney/> The double entendres on "Tube Snake Boogie" and "Pearl Necklace" are barely disguised, while much of the record plays as flat-out goofy party rock.<ref name=":0" /> |
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==Critical reception== |
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{{Album ratings |
{{Album ratings |
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| rev1 = [[AllMusic]] |
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]] |
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| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}} |
| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r22735/review}}</ref> |
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| rev2 = [[Robert Christgau]] |
| rev2 = [[Robert Christgau]] |
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| rev2Score = B+ |
| rev2Score = B+<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=zz+top |title=ZZ Top |author=Robert Christgau |author-link=Robert Christgau |access-date=August 24, 2011}}</ref> |
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| rev3 = |
| rev3 = [[Tom Hull (critic)|Tom Hull]] |
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| rev3score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="Cross">{{cite book|last=Cross|first=Charles R.|author-link=Charles R. Cross|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|chapter=ZZ Top|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/907 907-8]}}</ref> |
| rev3score = B+<ref>{{cite web |title=Tom Hull: Grade List: ZZ Top |url=http://tomhull.com/ocston/nm/get_gl.php?n=zz+top| publisher=[[Tom Hull (critic)|Tom Hull]] |accessdate=7 December 2020}}</ref> |
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| rev4 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'' |
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| rev4score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="Cross">{{cite book|last=Cross|first=Charles R.|author-link=Charles R. Cross|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide]]|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|chapter=ZZ Top|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/907 907-8]}}</ref> |
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}} |
}} |
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''[[The Boston Globe]]'' wrote: "Instead of sticking to inventive boogie chops, producer Bill Ham has refined the material until only 'It's So Hard' with Billy Gibbon's scratchy guitar rises above the Ham's laundering process."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Conte |first1=Frank |title=ZZ Top, El Loco |work=The Boston Globe |date=3 Sep 1981 |department=Calendar |page=1}}</ref> ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' opined that "the rhythm section of Dusty Hill and Frank Beard is doubtless the most pervasive around."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Niester |first1=Alan |title=El Loco ZZ Top |work=The Globe and Mail |date=19 Sep 1981 |page=F6}}</ref> |
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'''''El Loco''''' is the seventh studio album by the American [[Rock music|rock]] band [[ZZ Top]], released in 1981. The title means "The Madman" in [[Spanish language|Spanish]]. The band's guitarist/singer [[Billy Gibbons]] has said that the recording of this album was the first time the three members of the band were isolated from one another in the studio, rather than recording simultaneously in the same room. It also foreshadowed ZZ Top's [[synthesizer]]-driven direction later in the decade, with early experimentations in synthesizer backing on certain tracks. |
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⚫ | |||
⚫ | ''El Loco'' was produced by [[Bill Ham]] and recorded and originally mixed by [[Terry Manning]]. The biographer |
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⚫ | On June 3, 2013, Gibbons told Joe Bosso of MusicRadar.com that the album was "a really interesting turning point", explaining that the band had "befriended somebody who would become an influential associate, a guy named Linden Hudson. He was a gifted songwriter and had production skills that were leading the pack at times. He brought some elements to the forefront that helped reshape what ZZ Top were doing, starting in the studio and eventually to the live stage. [He] had no fear and was eager to experiment in ways that would frighten most bands. But we followed suit, and the synthesizers started to show up on record. Manufacturers were looking for ways to stimulate sales, and these instruments started appearing on the market. One of our favorite tracks was "Groovy Little Hippie Pad". Right at the very opening, there it is – the heavy sound of a synthesizer. For us, there was no turning back."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/billy-gibbons-talks-zz-top-the-complete-studio-albums-1970-1990-575728|title = Billy Gibbons talks ZZ Top: The Complete Studio Albums (1970-1990)|date = 3 June 2013}}</ref> Gibbons would later cite seeing a [[Devo]] soundcheck in Houston as inspiring the synthesizer line on "Groovy Little Hippie Pad."<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/billy-gibbons-my-life-in-15-songs-151784/groovy-little-hippie-pad-1981-143189/|title=Billy Gibbons: My Life in 15 Songs|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=10 November 2015}}</ref> However, Blayney described in his book how Hudson had composed and performed the synthesizer parts at the band's studio in Texas, a tape of which was taken to Memphis to be mixed into the final version of the song, without being credited.<ref name=Blayney/> |
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==Track listing== |
==Track listing== |
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All |
All lead vocals by [[Billy Gibbons]], except where noted. |
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{{Track listing |
{{Track listing |
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|all_writing = Gibbons, [[Dusty Hill]], and [[Frank Beard (musician)|Frank Beard]]. |
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|headline = Side one |
|headline = Side one |
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|extra_column = Lead vocals |
|extra_column = Lead vocals |
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|title1 = [[Tube Snake Boogie]] |
|title1 = [[Tube Snake Boogie]] |
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⚫ | |||
|writer1 = Gibbons, Hill, Beard |
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⚫ | |||
|length1 = 3:02 |
|length1 = 3:02 |
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|title2 = I Wanna Drive You Home |
|title2 = I Wanna Drive You Home |
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⚫ | |||
|writer2 = Gibbons, Hill, Beard |
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⚫ | |||
|length2 = 4:44 |
|length2 = 4:44 |
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|title3 = Ten Foot Pole |
|title3 = Ten Foot Pole |
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⚫ | |||
|writer3 = Gibbons, Hill, Beard |
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⚫ | |||
|length3 = 4:19 |
|length3 = 4:19 |
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|title4 = [[Leila (song)|Leila]] |
|title4 = [[Leila (song)|Leila]] |
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⚫ | |||
|writer4 = Gibbons, Hill, Beard |
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⚫ | |||
|length4 = 3:13 |
|length4 = 3:13 |
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|title5 = Don't Tease Me |
|title5 = Don't Tease Me |
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|writer5 = Gibbons, Hill, Beard |
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|extra5 = Gibbons, Hill |
|extra5 = Gibbons, Hill |
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|length5 = 4:19 |
|length5 = 4:19 |
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|extra_column = Lead vocals |
|extra_column = Lead vocals |
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|title1 = It's So Hard |
|title1 = It's So Hard |
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⚫ | |||
|writer1 = Gibbons, Hill, Beard |
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⚫ | |||
|length1 = 5:12 |
|length1 = 5:12 |
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|title2 = [[Pearl Necklace (song)|Pearl Necklace]] |
|title2 = [[Pearl Necklace (song)|Pearl Necklace]] |
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⚫ | |||
|writer2 = Gibbons, Hill, Beard |
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⚫ | |||
|length2 = 4:01 |
|length2 = 4:01 |
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|title3 = Groovy Little Hippie Pad |
|title3 = Groovy Little Hippie Pad |
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⚫ | |||
|writer3 = Gibbons, Hill, Beard |
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⚫ | |||
|length3 = 2:40 |
|length3 = 2:40 |
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|title4 = Heaven, Hell or Houston |
|title4 = Heaven, Hell or Houston |
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⚫ | |||
|writer4 = Gibbons, Hill, Beard |
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⚫ | |||
|length4 = 2:31 |
|length4 = 2:31 |
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|title5 = Party on the Patio |
|title5 = Party on the Patio |
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|writer5 = Gibbons, Hill, Beard |
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|extra5 = Hill |
|extra5 = Hill |
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|length5 = 2:49 |
|length5 = 2:49 |
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*Producer – [[Bill Ham]] |
*Producer – [[Bill Ham]] |
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*Engineer – [[Terry Manning]] |
*Engineer – [[Terry Manning]] |
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*Pre-production engineer |
*Pre-production engineer – Linden Hudson |
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*Mastering – [[Bob Ludwig]] |
*Mastering – [[Bob Ludwig]] |
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*Design – Bob Alford |
*Design – Bob Alford |
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==Charts== |
==Charts== |
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{|class="wikitable" |
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |
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! Chart (1981) |
! Chart (1981) |
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!Peak<br/>position |
! Peak<br />position |
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|- |
|- |
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{{Album chart|Canada|19|artist=ZZ Top|album=El Loco|chartid=0407|rowheader=true|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |
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|United Kingdom ([[Official Charts Company]]) |
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|align="center"|88 |
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|- |
|- |
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{{Album chart|Germany4|52|artist=ZZ Top|album=El Loco|id=29725|rowheader=true|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |
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| United States ([[Billboard 200]]) |
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|- |
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|align="center"|17 |
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{{Album chart|Sweden|26|artist=ZZ Top|album=El Loco|rowheader=true|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |
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|- |
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{{Album chart|UK2|88|date=19810809|rowheader=true|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |
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|- |
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{{Album chart|Billboard200|17|artist=ZZ Top|rowheader=true|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |
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|} |
|} |
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==Certifications== |
==Certifications== |
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{{certification Table Top}} |
{{certification Table Top}} |
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{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Canada|artist=ZZ Top|title=El Loco|relyear=1981|certyear=1981|award=Gold|certref=<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.julienslive.com/lot-details/index/catalog/490/lot/214196|date=November 15, 2023|title=Dusty Hill El Loco In-House Canadian Record Award}}</ref>}} |
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{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United States|artist=ZZ Top|title=El Loco|award=Gold|certyear=1981|relyear=1981|access-date=December 9, 2019}} |
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United States|artist=ZZ Top|title=El Loco|award=Gold|certyear=1981|relyear=1981|access-date=December 9, 2019}} |
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{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}} |
{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}} |
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== |
==Notes== |
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{{ |
{{notelist}} |
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==References== |
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{{ZZ Top}} |
{{Reflist}}{{ZZ Top}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category:ZZ Top albums]] |
[[Category:ZZ Top albums]] |
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[[Category:1981 albums]] |
[[Category:1981 albums]] |
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[[Category:Terry Manning albums]] |
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[[Category:Albums produced by Bill Ham]] |
[[Category:Albums produced by Bill Ham]] |
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[[Category:Warner Records albums]] |
[[Category:Warner Records albums]] |
Latest revision as of 08:17, 7 September 2024
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2023) |
El Loco | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 15, 1981[1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 36:49 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer | Bill Ham | |||
ZZ Top chronology | ||||
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Singles from El Loco | ||||
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El Loco is the seventh studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1981. It foreshadowed the band's extensive usage of synthesizers on Eliminator, Afterburner, and to a lesser extent, Recycler, by way of employing a synthesizer on a couple tracks, played by an uncredited Linden Hudson.[2]
Background
[edit]El Loco was produced by Bill Ham and recorded and originally mixed by Terry Manning. The biographer David Blayney explains in his book Sharp Dressed Men that the recording engineer Linden Hudson was involved as a pre-producer on this album.[2] Hudson did not receive credit for engineering the tracks on "Groovy Little Hippie Pad" which were used on the final album mix. In 1987, most of the band's back catalog received a controversial "digitally enhanced" remix treatment for CD release; however, El Loco did not receive this remix treatment and the original mix of the album has been available on CD since 1987.
On June 3, 2013, Gibbons told Joe Bosso of MusicRadar.com that the album was "a really interesting turning point", explaining that the band had "befriended somebody who would become an influential associate, a guy named Linden Hudson. He was a gifted songwriter and had production skills that were leading the pack at times. He brought some elements to the forefront that helped reshape what ZZ Top were doing, starting in the studio and eventually to the live stage. [He] had no fear and was eager to experiment in ways that would frighten most bands. But we followed suit, and the synthesizers started to show up on record. Manufacturers were looking for ways to stimulate sales, and these instruments started appearing on the market. One of our favorite tracks was "Groovy Little Hippie Pad". Right at the very opening, there it is – the heavy sound of a synthesizer. For us, there was no turning back."[3] Gibbons would later cite seeing a Devo soundcheck in Houston as inspiring the synthesizer line on "Groovy Little Hippie Pad."[4] However, Blayney described in his book how Hudson had composed and performed the synthesizer parts at the band's studio in Texas, a tape of which was taken to Memphis to be mixed into the final version of the song, without being credited.[2] The double entendres on "Tube Snake Boogie" and "Pearl Necklace" are barely disguised, while much of the record plays as flat-out goofy party rock.[3]
Critical reception
[edit]Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [5] |
Robert Christgau | B+[6] |
Tom Hull | B+[7] |
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | [8] |
The Boston Globe wrote: "Instead of sticking to inventive boogie chops, producer Bill Ham has refined the material until only 'It's So Hard' with Billy Gibbon's scratchy guitar rises above the Ham's laundering process."[9] The Globe and Mail opined that "the rhythm section of Dusty Hill and Frank Beard is doubtless the most pervasive around."[10]
Track listing
[edit]All lead vocals by Billy Gibbons, except where noted.
All tracks are written by Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard.
No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Tube Snake Boogie" | 3:02 | |
2. | "I Wanna Drive You Home" | 4:44 | |
3. | "Ten Foot Pole" | 4:19 | |
4. | "Leila" | 3:13 | |
5. | "Don't Tease Me" | Gibbons, Hill | 4:19 |
No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "It's So Hard" | 5:12 | |
2. | "Pearl Necklace" | 4:01 | |
3. | "Groovy Little Hippie Pad" | 2:40 | |
4. | "Heaven, Hell or Houston" | 2:31 | |
5. | "Party on the Patio" | Hill | 2:49 |
Personnel
[edit]- Billy Gibbons – guitar, vocals
- Dusty Hill – bass, vocals
- Frank Beard – drums, percussion
- Linden Hudson – synthesizers (uncredited)[2]
Production
[edit]- Producer – Bill Ham
- Engineer – Terry Manning
- Pre-production engineer – Linden Hudson
- Mastering – Bob Ludwig
- Design – Bob Alford
- Photography – Bob Alford
Charts
[edit]Chart (1981) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[11] | 19 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] | 52 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[13] | 26 |
UK Albums (OCC)[14] | 88 |
US Billboard 200[15] | 17 |
Certifications
[edit]Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[16] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[17] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "FMQB" (PDF). p. 35.
- ^ a b c d Blayney, David (1994). Sharp Dressed Men. New York: Hyperion. pp. 196–203. ISBN 0-7868-8005-8.
- ^ a b "Billy Gibbons talks ZZ Top: The Complete Studio Albums (1970-1990)". 3 June 2013.
- ^ "Billy Gibbons: My Life in 15 Songs". Rolling Stone. 10 November 2015.
- ^ El Loco at AllMusic
- ^ Robert Christgau. "ZZ Top". Retrieved August 24, 2011.
- ^ "Tom Hull: Grade List: ZZ Top". Tom Hull. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- ^ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "ZZ Top". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 907-8. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Conte, Frank (3 Sep 1981). "ZZ Top, El Loco". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 1.
- ^ Niester, Alan (19 Sep 1981). "El Loco ZZ Top". The Globe and Mail. p. F6.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0407". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – ZZ Top – El Loco" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – ZZ Top – El Loco". Hung Medien. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
- ^ "ZZ Top Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
- ^ "Dusty Hill El Loco In-House Canadian Record Award". November 15, 2023.
- ^ "American album certifications – ZZ Top – El Loco". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 9, 2019.