Interestingly, while always priding themselves on being a kick-ass live band,
ZZ Top
never got around to issuing a full-length live album during their 1970s/1980s peak. But as they say, it's better late than never, and 2011 finally saw the arrival of an archival live
recording,
Live in Germany 1980
. Featuring half of the audio portion of their 2009
Double Down Live
DVD,
does a fantastic job of displaying all of the group's pre-
Eliminator
classics in a concert setting. And as expected, the tunes take on a life all their own throughout -- "Jesus Just Left Chicago," "Precious and Grace," and "Cheap Sunglasses" sound even more muscular and strut-heavy on a concert stage. The word "explosive" springs to mind upon coming in close contact with "Heard It on the X" and "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers," and the hits that made
synonymous with classic rock radio are included as well -- "La Grange," "Tush," etc. Shortly after this concert was recorded,
got a bit handcuffed by gimmicks (long beards, wacky-looking guitars) and electronics. But in 1980,
were one of the (if not the) most powerful trios in all of rock, and
helps confirm this claim once and for all. ~ Greg Prato