Rythemeen was killer.... I really don't think many bands at all wake up in the morning and say " Today I will write a song that girls will like". I think it may be more of a thing that's all about mass appeal and selling records and getting air play. THAT way you can maybe do a concert tour with just an opening act and not have to share the stage with 28 bands because they write songs that do not have mass apeal. It's whatever ballgame that works for the messed up music scene that we have these days. If ZZ needs a little boost they try and go for it. Hey- it's what pros do.
Now your John Mayers and all the poppy sissy sounding stuff bands-- That may not be on purpose. That might just be what they know and that's it. It doesn't hurt to have chicks love your music. Guys will like it too. (remember guys like stuff not love when you are on a forum HA!!! ) I think that one guy still looks like he needs to shower.

The scene is all over the place. My biggest problem is the instant gratification thing for 2 days and then off to the next thing. It's all kind of strange anyway. I don't like all the modern music. Some of the gut wrenching gutteral noise really blows. It's more for people with some kind of disorder going on- I think. But hey that's me, I'm a musician who has a ton of opinions-- just like the rest of youz guyz.

Every song takes on a life of it's own...

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

After twenty more spins, I have some new insights:

The poppy chorus is still a bit strange, but just because it suddenly comes out of left field. It isn't a deal breaker for me, though.

While reading the comments, I thought about how some bands (ZZ Top, the Stones) are kinda stuck by their own success. People say, "do something new and different--surprise me!" But if the band does change anything, those same people will say, "That isn't like the old stuff--you suck/you turned your back on your fans/you can't play good anymore, etc.

Nobody gave their last three albums a chance, although all of them have some nice gems nestled in there (and the entire Rhythmeen disc is awesome). But their last two compilations (rancho texicano and Chrome, Smoke & BBQ Box set) did fine.

They haven't lost it--check out "Live From Texas" and "Double Down"...they both rock. Bully's guest shots on other artists' discs have been uniformly good.

It's not just because I'm a fan, either; I didn't like most of Afterburner and their live shows from that era. But now that they're leaner and meaner onstage, they still rock.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Verses are awesome, but no matter how many times I listen that chorus just DOES NOT fit. It's a very generic sounding chorus, one you could just drop into any song and have it sound like part of the song. It also doesn't sound as beefy as the verses, nothing's happening during it except some meh, fake sounding harmonies, and the it sounds paper thin. Like I said, I love the verses, especially the intro, but the chorus just DOES NOT work IMO.

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Favorite bands:

Melvins
The Jesus Lizard
Cows
Big Business
R***man
Minutemen
Flight
Minor Threat
Big Black
Shellac
Karp
Scratch Acid
Wipers
Pixies

Yeh everyone likes what they like and that's great. There's all kinds of music out there. A band like ZZ Top is kind of rare these days. There aren't a whole lot of them. They've pretty much been on top since the seventies. They'll still be around for awhile. The Stones, Aerosmith, ACDC, Clapton,ZZ Top, and some others have proven time and again that they appeal to the masses. They definately know what they are doing fer sure. They know they can't please everyone. After all this time those guys probubly aren't too worried about it. Rock On!

Billy Gibbons still the King of Tone for me even if it's a bit meh in the chorus

Just finished catching some zzzzzzzzzzzzz They are still so cool. Now I'm working on "HAY JOE" zz stile. You know, to get the right feeling I need to be in costume
----Danny,

Not bad - Huge ZZ TOP fan here - saw them twice this month already - should get an award for sitting through Skynryd twice to do so!! lol - We did get a couple guitar picks from Billy, so that was cool!!

Not bad. Still like the older stuff better though. Who knows that may be the only track on the album like that.

Lucky you, seeing ZZ Top twice in a month!
I'm haven't been enamored with Skynyrd since Ed King left for the last time (back in the 90s, I think?).
Watching them is like going to see a tribute band (albeit a decent one) rather than a band that's changed and morphed over the years (like the Allman Brothers or the Fabulous Thunderbirds have evolved).
What's worse is the audience members who act like this is the real deal, circa 1975.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Awesome! I had no idea there was a new ZZ Top album on the horizon, best news I've had all week! My folks listened to them a lot when I was a kid so I really like them.

Billy Gibbons is also pretty awesome

Drew

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You can't win them all, if you did, where would you keep them?

2010 Fender MIM strat in candy apple red w/ rosewood board
2010 PRS SE Tremonti single cut, vintage cherry red
2009 Squier "tiredcaster" modded strat w/ big hairy wiring R.I.P

I like it. You can't go wrong with Billy and the boys

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I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk...

Just went to see ZZ top in Luzern last week. Amazing. The way the songs segue into each other, the showmanship, the musicianship, the sinkingship... and of course, the moment where the two ladies come on to bring him his blues hat...

Priceless...

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Sir. This thing sucks!
Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart, adressing the surrealist writer and novelist Alduous Huxley during a brief stint as a vacuum cleaner salesman

Hitchiker with a towel and proud of it. The towel, at least.

It's got a decent groove, but I'm not feeling it lyrically.

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like the intro and the verse, but the transition into the chorus is just woffle. it sounds like there going from a blues rock song to a pop song

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riley