Search - Zz Top :: Tejas

Garbage Remix With 80's Gimmickry

razzorjet2 | York, PA | 03/06/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"As part of an attempt to capitalize on the success of their Eliminator sound, ZZ Top decided to go back into the studio and remix and also re-record parts of their first 6 albums thinking it would make them more money and entice fans of their newer sound to go back and buy their earlier records. Well guess what, in the process their older fans who were used to the original versions on the old cassettes and albums were shocked when they listened to any of these first generation CD releases. They heard bogus reverbed drums, and entire sections of both music and vocals re-recorded. Talk about tarnishing the legacy of a great band's output. Well someone finally wised up and now at least Tres Hombres and Fandango are now available in original mix, remastered form. So stay away from this trash and wait for the entire back catalog to be released in it's original mix, remastered form on CD."

Rating is for the current remix, not for the music in its or

Farffleblex Plaffington | Parnybarnel, Mississippi | 08/15/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This is not going to be a regular review for me. I finally picked up a bunch of old ZZ Top on CD, and I wanted to join the chorus of moaners about the remixes.



Unlike some, I never hated ZZ Top's style and sound that began with 1981's El Loco. It was an interesting change for the band that helped them sell records and keep their career going in a very different climate for pop music. They still had plenty of good songs in that era.



However, I always much preferred their style and sound from ZZ Top's First Album through Deguello. And Tejas is probably my favorite of the bunch.



I'm a musician, and one of the instruments I play is drums. One thing that I did dislike about the band beginning with El Loco is that in conformity with pop of the time, drummer Frank Beard started simplifying his grooves so that after awhile, it seemed like all he could play any longer was a very basic "four on the floor beat".



One of the reasons I always loved Tejas was for its inspired drumming. Beard, incredible on all of the 70s albums, played some amazing, very subtle, unique, and relatively complex stuff on Tejas, all with a very soulful, kinda-funky-in-a-white-Texan-blues-rock-sort-a-way groove.



Well, the remix basically destroys all of Beard's beautiful work on this album. I know that people have said it was only a matter of effects being added, but I'd swear that some parts have been re-recorded, or at least parts of the drum track were used to trigger modern sounding samples to emphasize a "four on the floor" feel. This was one of my favorite drum records of all time. When I put the disc in the player and heard the opening of "It's Only Love", I quickly stopped it, took the disc out to check it, and figured that the record company must have made a mistake and put the wrong music on the disc. I only realized what happened after I gave it another listen and heard the rest of the band start.



And it's not just the drums. Guitar parts have been changed in various places, too. The original parts and sound of the album are fairly well burned into my brain--in the 1970s, this was one of the records I most frequently practiced drums with.



And it's not just this album. All of the 70s albums have been tampered with in this way.



ZZ Top, please restore this album, and your other 1970s albums, to their original recordings and mixes. Thousands of fans who have stuck with you for over 35 years now are eagerly waiting to buy the music they love and remember."

5 STARS REDUCED TO 1 FOR AN AWFUL REMIX

James D. Jones | DeFuniak Springs, FL USA | 08/27/2004

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This is ZZ Tops best album.I loved this on vinyl for over 20 years.When I finally got rid of my record collection I bought this on CD and the remix,particularly the drum parts make me ill.Another problem on my copy which I haven't heard anyone else mention is that the first two words of"arrested for driving while blind"are missing as if they were omitted.It has been so unpleasant not being able to listen to one of my all time favorite albums as much as I would like."