Members Weekly Music Recommendations-August 7

[grog]

Members Weekly Music Recommendations-August 7

Thebes is on hiatus from the forum today!

Format's simple: Name of artist or group, name of album, type of music as best you can (rock, blues etc.), and recording format (cd, lp etc.)

So what do you have to share this week?

Here is my recommendation for this week:

Chrome Smoke & BBQ - The Zz Top Box [bOX SET] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

01 You Make Me Shake

02 Joe Blues

03 Crimson Witch

04 Miller's Farm

05 Salt Lick

06 Brown Sugar

07 Goin' Down to Mexico

08 Just Got Back from Baby's

09 Francine

10 Just Got Paid

11 Ko Ko Blue

12 Chevrolet

13 Bar-B-Q

14 Sure Got Cold After the Rain Fell

15 Whiskey'n Mama

16 La Grange

17 Waitin' for the Bus

18 Jesus Just Left Chicago

19 Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers

20 Master of Sparks

21 Precious and Grace

22 Shiek

23 Thunderbird [Live]

24 Jailhouse Rock [Live]

25 Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings

26 Heard It on the X

27 Blue Jean Blues

28 Mexican Blackbird

29 Tush

30 It's Only Love

31 Arrested for Driving While Blind

32 Diablo

33 Enjoy and Get It On

34 She's a Heartbreaker

35 Asleep in the Desert

36 I Thank You

37 Cheap Sunglasses

38 I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide

39 Fool for Your Stockings

40 Degüello Album Radio Spot

41 Manic Mechanic

42 She Loves My Automobile

43 Leila

44 Tube Snake Boogie

45 I Wanna Drive You Home

46 It's So Hard

47 Pearl Necklace

48 Heaven, Hell or Houston

49 Gimme All Your Lovin

50 Got Me Under Pressure

51 TV Dinners

52 Sharp Dressed Man

53 Legs

54 I Got the Six

55 Dirty Dog

56 If I Could Only Flag Her Down

57 Sleeping Bag

58 Stages

59 Woke Up With Wood

60 Rough Boy

61 Can't Stop Rockin'

62 Planet of Women

63 Velcro Fly

64 Delirious

65 Concrete and Steel

66 Lovething

67 Penthouse Eyes

68 My Head's in Mississippi

69 Give It Up

70 Doubleback

71 2000 Blues

72 Reverberation (Doubt)

73 Viva Las Vegas

74 Gun Love

75 Francine [spanish]

76 Cheap Sunglasses [Live]

77 Legs [Dance Mix]

78 Viva Las Vegas [12' Remix]

79 Give It Up [2,800 Mile Remix]

80 Velcro Fly [12' Remix]

Great collection for any ZZ TOP fan. With four full CD's we are talking about a lot of great ZZ TOP music here to enjoy!

Greg's pick: Manic Mechanic

Here is what the official ZZ TOP website has to say about this collection:

http://www.zztop.com

CHROME, SMOKE & BBQ: THE ZZ TOP BOX, the most comprehensive collection of ZZ TOP music ever assembled. This explosive four-disc collection celebrates the 30-plus-year career of the legendary Texas trio guitarist Billy F Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard by serving up 80 of their hottest hits, album tracks and some sizzling rare cuts.

An extensive research effort has yielded the original, first-generation analog masters that are the source of the tracks included in CHROME, SMOKE & BBQ: THE ZZ TOP BOX. The collection reaches back to the earliest recordings of the band, including their breakthrough hits "La Grange" and "Tush," and chronicles ZZ TOP's rise to the top of rock's pantheon through outstanding tracks from ZZ TOP's First Album, Rio Grande Mud, Tres Hombres, Fandango!, Tejas, Deguello, El Loco, and their RIAA diamond-certified (more than 10 million sold, and a Billboard album chart component for 183 weeks) Eliminator and multi-platinum Afterburner. The ZZ TOP catalog is one of rock's most enduring bodies of work thanks to continuing radio airplay for key tracks and the fact that the band highlights the breadth of its repertoire in live performances.

CHROME, SMOKE & BBQ: THE ZZ TOP BOX includes tracks from 1968's Flash (the debut album from Gibbons' first band, The Moving Sidewalks) and the first release issued under the ZZ TOP name: "Salt Lick" b/w "Miller's Farm." All of the band's best- known tracks (such as "Gimme All Your Lovin" "Sharp Dressed Man," "Legs" and "Rough Boy") are included, plus a plethora of meaty musical surprises. Among the rare items found on CHROME, SMOKE & BBQ is a live rendition of the 1980 hit "Cheap Sunglasses," a Spanish-language version of 1972's "Francene," a dance mix of the 1984 Top 10 single "Legs," as well as remixes of "Velcro Fly" (1986), "Give It Up" (1991) and "Viva Las Vegas" (1992). The set is complemented by a track-by-track breakdown in which the band reviews their finest musical moments. Also included are tributes from Kid Rock, Farrah Fawcett, Dwight Yoakam, Billy Bob Thornton and former Texas Governor Ann Richards as well as rare photographs that underscore the band's sense of fun and funk.

Since its formation in 1969, ZZ TOP has been recognized as a group with world-class status and as the most iconic American band of all time and, to many around the world, a living symbol of Texas music. Consistency is a hallmark of ZZ TOP with the Gibbons-Hill-Beard troika unchanged since the band's founding almost 35 years ago still going strong today.

ZZ TOP have carved a sizeable niche for themselves in popular American culture with their hell-raisin' blues rock and instantly recognizable chest-length beards. Their droll sense of absurdist humor has added to the band's cache over the years. Drawing from R&B, blues, country, boogie, and even hip-hop, the trio has forged a style and sound as big and as badass as their home state. Beyond the successes of their albums, singles and tours, they have been named Official Heroes of The State of Texas and have been the subject of numerous references in films, TV, cartoons, political campaigns and the popular vernacular in general.

CHROME, SMOKE & BBQ: THE ZZ TOP BOX documents the basis for ZZ TOP's almost mythic status: their singular music approach, enigmatic lyrics and larger-than-life personae. Packaged to go.

[Steve_L]

Hey Grog, that is one fine ZZ Top recommendation you put out there.

Here's another one, some great early 70s Rock & Roll from the Who.

This is probably one of the most sophisticated and technical but powerful albums the Who ever did. It captures Pete Townshend at his creative peak. He was obsessed with Synthesizers at this time and he powers this album with them and of course massive guitar chords.

Gonna' take a train and an aeroplane, when she catches up with me won't be no time to explain, she thinks I been with another woman and thats enough to drive her half insane!

Just great stuff! Give it a play and CRANK IT UP

[synthfreek]

Ash Ra Tempel-New Age Of Earth CD-Spalax Music 1976. I've been wanting

an Ash Ra Tempel album for a while but I just wasn't sure where to

start. I'm LOVING this one and I want more in this vein. I guess you

can call this Kraut-rock but it's very chilled-out. Manuel Gottsching

is an awesome guitarist but there's not too much on here at all. Kinda

like Steve Reich meets Neu! meets Tangerine Dream. His album E2-E4 is

also highly recommended. WAY ahead of its time.

Cluster-71 CD-Water 1971. Pretty crazy stuff here. Overdriven organs,

delays, tone generators and other assorted noise-makers make for one

disorienting listen. Experimental electronic music with an emphasis on

experimental. I'd start with another album before their debut 71. Brian

Eno did an album with them that may be a little "easier" to get into.

Marsen Jules-Les Fleurs CD-City Centre Offices 2006. I've been waiting

for this one for a while. His last album was one of my favorite albums

of the last few years. Very lush and relaxing stuff. I'd place him in

the genre of new electronic classical composer. There's a small core of

producers using classical ideas and instrumentation but executing their

music with computer technology. Marsen uses a mixture of synths and

real instruments to great effect. My girlfriend and I listened to it

for the first time down at Barton Springs with headphones on Saturday

and we were snoozing by the third track. That's a good thing. The

dynamics and sound quality is crazy-good.

Rhythm & Sound-See Mi Yah CD. Basic Channel 2005. Yet another Basic

Channel release I'm recommending. You'd think I work for those guys.

Another incredibly DEEP new-school dub album with a different vocalist

on each "version". Once again the production is impossibly clean with

MAMMOTH bass-lines and trippy instrumentation that stays true to

traditional dub.

Various Artists-Wackies Sampler Vol. 1 CD-Basic Channel 2002. A great

sampler of tracks from the Bronx-based Wackies label. Most of this

stuff is about 20 years old. Traditional roots-dub with fantastic

production from label-boss Lloyd "Bullwackie" Barnes. Although most of

these tracks are unknown to almost everyone(even hardcore reggae guys)

there are some surprisingly big names on board...Horace Andy, Sugar

Minott and Wayne Jarrett. The "Wackie" sound influenced many techno

producers most notably the Basic Channel crew who now pay respect by

reissuing this as well as releasing new tracks with a bunch of the

original vocalists.

[nicholtl]

Depeche Mode "Songs of Faith and Devotion" CD.

An older album, I know, but one that I only recently rediscovered in my collection. This showcases the legendary synth-rock group's departure from their norm, mostly in part due to their heavy alcohol and drug-infused period. And it shows. The songs are heavy, somber, depressing, but ultimately retain the gorgeous, goth-pop sound of Depeche Mode.

[oldbuckster]

Let's try something different, Southern Rock, if you will, Classic of course............

Street Survivors ; Lynyrd Skynyrd...................CD..................1977

Well, what can I tell you about this disc............For starters, I had seen Skynyrd right after Eddie King quit the tour, and stayed in Canada, so the band toured without the third guitarist, and to be honest, on that night they sucked, awful, never going to listen to these guys again.................Well fast forward a few years, at a friends house in Maine, and across the street they were blaring What's Your Name, sounded pretty good, that was the first time I heard this disc, Sounded great, Who is that on lead guitar? Had to go across the street and find out Who that group was, Boy, it's Lynyrd Skynryd's new disc.........Next day go buy that album, check out guitars, Steve Gaines, new guy, damn this kid can play, and a Fender at that........You guys know the Band members, so I don't need to cover that, just let me carry on about Mr. Gaines........He was the Finest Guitarist to play with that band, please Allen Collins was excellent, in his own right, Gary Rossington is good, but not on the same level as the other two, just my thoughts...........Steve Gaines was a Fender Bender, there are few as good as the Okie was with that fender sound, the guy was talented....................what a waste, we have been cheated..............Skynyrd was taking a new direction because of Steve, listen to the songs, and the music of this album, something was going on, for the better, what could have been.................Eight songs, every one top notch............a fun disc to listen to..............Great Band........Vocals..............To me, this is the Best Lynyrd Skynrd Album, it is also a "Must Have" album..........................I'm tired of "Free Bird"..........Steve is also on the live album,"One more for the Road".............this is his only studio work with them.................

[Big Piney]

Buckster, I'll stick with Southern rock on this one and recommend a great band that never got the recognition or breaks. As an opening act for the Allmans and Marshall Tucker's they more than held their own. More of a Mayall blues influence. And they were mentioned in the lyrics of a Charlie Daniel song if ya think about it for a bit!

[RichardP]

Tonight on my local PBS station was a documentary on the Blue Man Group. In it were interviews with the members, sans makeup, as well as much footage of their stage show. It was highly entertaining. I think the footage of the concert was from their DVD "The Complex Rock Tour," which can be purchased or rented. The stage show/concert is highly engaging and energetic, great for subwoofers, and in addition to the music is audience participation, visual effects, bizarre tubular instruments, and some clever comedy. Coincidentally, they performed one cover, Teenage Wastland, from the Who's Next album mentioned above, with a female singer, Tracy(?) Bonham. BMG's music on their "Audio" and "The Complex" albums is great for bass nuts, and the DVD of the concert is also very entertaining.

[oldbuckster]

Buckster, I'll stick with Southern rock on this one and recommend a great band that never got the recognition or breaks. As an opening act for the Allmans and Marshall Tucker's they more than held their own. More of a Mayall blues influence. And they were mentioned in the lyrics of a Charlie Daniel song if ya think about it for a bit!

Weren't these guys a bunch of Studio Musicians who grouped together to form a band, "the train to Grinderswitch is running right on time" that's the Charlie qoute, alot of good bands were forgotten when the Southern Rock scene died..................much like the Hair Bands, some got lost, many fine musicians overlooked..........Ah yes, Rock n' Roll is a loser's game..................................Lotta great Guitar in Southern Rock............It really is about the Electric Guitar...................double drummer's...............

[Big Piney]

I'll take two drum's anyday and no limit to the guitars. Three or four at least. Ah yeah.

[oldtimer]

Big departure for me, I will recommend Melissa Etheridge--Yes I Am, on cd. She really rocks on this one.