Fandango!

by ZZ Top

Overview

Blessed with their first full-fledged hit album, ZZ Top followed it up with Fandango!, a record split between a side of live tracks and a side of new studio cuts. In a way, this might have made sense, since they were a kick-ass live band, and they do sound good here, but it's hard not to see this as a bit of a wasted opportunity in retrospect. Why? Because the studio side is a worthy successor to the all-fine Tres Hombres, driven by "Tush" and "Heard It on the X," two of their greatest songs that build on that album by consolidating their sound and amplifying their humor. If they had sustained this energy and quality throughout a full studio album, it would have been their greatest, but instead the mood is broken by the live cuts. Now, these are really good live cuts -- and "Backdoor Medley" and "Jailhouse Rock" were fine interpretations, making familiar songs sound utterly comfortable in their signature sound -- and Fandango! remains one of their better albums, but it's hard not to think that it could have been even better. [The 2006 reissue of the album adds three live tracks: "Jailhouse Rock," "Tush," and "Heard It on the X."] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	02/28/2006
Label:	Warner Bros.
UPC:	0081227896522
Rank:	3885

Tracks

1. Thunderbird
2. Jailhouse Rock
3. Backdoor Medley: Backdoor Love Affair/Mellow Down Easy/Backdoor ...
4. Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings
5. Blue Jean Blues
6. Balinese
7. Mexican Blackbird
8. Heard It on the X
9. Tush
10. Heard It on the X
11. Jailhouse Rock
12. Tush

Album Credits

Performance Credits

ZZ Top   Primary Artist
Dusty Hill   Vocals,Bass,Double Bass
Billy Gibbons   Guitar,Vocals,Harmonica,Slide Guitar
Frank Beard   Drums

Technical Credits

Sherman Marshall   Composer
William Hill   Composer
Tom Moore   Musician
Terry Kane   Engineer
Jim Reeves   Engineer
John Dekalb   Photography
Bill Narum   Design
Willie Dixon   Composer
Philip T. Pugh   Composer
Robin Brian   Engineer
Terry Manning   Engineer
Billy Gibbons   Composer
Bob Ludwig   Engineer
Bill Ham   Composer,Producer,Album Concept
Dusty Hill   Composer
Joe M. Hill   Composer
Frank Beard   Composer
Jerry Leiber   Composer
Mike Stoller   Composer