ZZ Top/TX,USA 2003

ZZ TOP in 2003 showed a steady presence in the 21st century with “MESCALERO”. A new excavation live album is now available that allows you to experience the full show on-site. What is infused into this work is “Houston performance on November 22, 2003”. This is a vacuum-packed superb audience recording of one act of “BEER DRINKERS AND HELL RAISERS Tour 2003-2004”. Speaking of 2003, the transcendent professional shot “MESCALERO IN NEW JERSEY” discovered by our shop is also famous, so let’s take a look at the position from the panoramic view of the world tour. 2003 April 25th – June 21st: North America #1 (37 performances) ← *MESCALERO IN NEW JERSEY July 4th – August 11th: Europe (25 performances) August 20th – September 7th: North America #2a (12 performances) [“MESCALERO” released on September 8th] ・September 12-20: North America #2b (5 performances) ・November 5-22: North America #3 (8 Performances) ←★Here★ 2004, June 25th – September 25th: North America #4 (49 performances) This is ZZ TOP in 2003/2004. 2003 is remembered as the year of “MESCALERO”, but the tour started 4 months before the album was released, and it was an unusual schedule in which the album was released only after most of the shows had been played. The Houston performance of this work was the final performance to decorate the last of 2003. This work recorded at such a show is exactly the best audience with “super”. It is an original master brought through a unique route, but the core is extremely thick, there is no sense of distance, and the details are super clear. Not only are the guitars and drums easy to capture, but the bass is beautiful from the attack to the sound of each note, and the vocals are beautifully separated, even down to the chorus. Although it is clear that it is an audience recording because you can sometimes hear nearby cheers, the important performance sounds and vocals are completely sound board level. That is the best sound that makes you think it is an FM broadcast with the cheers of an ambient microphone. The more I look into the situation, the more mysterious this high sound quality becomes. The sound was so thick and direct that I thought it was an outdoor venue, but the venue, Compaq Center, was actually an indoor sports arena. Moreover, it has a capacity of 16,000 people, so it would not be strange to hear it buzzing. Was it very close to the PA, or was the person involved actually recording it…? In any case, it is a super tight sound that is impossible unless there are some special circumstances. What is depicted with such a mysterious sound is a full show that is the culmination of a glorious career. Speaking of ZZ TOP in the 2000s, the official live work “LIVE FROM TEXAS” is famous above all, so let’s organize the sets while comparing them. LONDON RECORDS era (7 songs) Rio Grande Mad: Just Got Paid Tres Hombres: Waitin’ for the Bus / Jesus Just Left Chicago / Precious and Grace (★) / Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers (★) / La Grange Fandango! : Tush WARNER RECORDS era (8 songs) ・Elegy for All Your Lovin’: Manic Mechanic (★)/Cheap Sunglasses/I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide ・El Loco: Tube Snake Boogie ・Iliminator: Gimme All Your Lovin’/Sharp Dressed Man/Legs・Afterburner: Rough Boy RCA RECORDS era (5 songs)・Antenna: Pincushion・Mescalero: Buck Nekkid (★)/Piece (★)・Others: Catfish Blues (★) *Note: “★” indicates “ A song that cannot be seen on “LIVE FROM TEXAS”. …and it looks like this. I thought there would be more new songs after the release of “MESCALERO”, but it is actually the same as “MESCALERO IN NEW JERSEY”. You can also enjoy the limited song “Piece” only available on this tour. Another feature of this day is that guests appear. Rick Perry appears in “Sharp Dressed Man” at the end of the song. I’ll be playing the drums together. This person is a well-known drummer in the south. . . Not the governor of Texas. He is a politician who then entered national politics and served as Secretary of Energy under the Trump administration. Anyway, how did you record such a great sound? And why weren’t recordings like this available? This is a masterpiece of a miraculous live album that defies all common sense of audience recording. This is a must-see for ZZ TOP fans, but it is also a must-see for those who are interested in the culture of audience recording. The best audience recording of “November 22, 2003 Houston Performance”. Anyway, the core is extremely thick, there is no sense of distance, and the details are super clear. Not only are the guitars and drums easy to capture, but the bass is beautiful from the attack to the sound of each note, and the vocals are neatly separated, even down to the chorus. Although it is clear that it is an audience recording because you can sometimes hear nearby cheers, the important performance sounds and vocals are completely sound board level. It’s such a superb sound that it makes you think it’s an FM broadcast with the cheers of an ambient microphone. From “RIO GRANDE MUD” to “MESCALERO,” you can experience a full show that covers a wide range of his career. Live at Compaq Center, Houston, TX, USA 22nd November 2003 ULTIMATE SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc 1(47:41) 1. Intro 2. Gimme All Your Lovin’ 3. Pincushion 4. Waitin’ for the Bus 5. Jesus Just Left Chicago 6. Precious and Grace 7. Manic Mechanic 8. Rough Boy 9. Cheap Sunglasses 10. Buck Nekkid Disc 2(59:02) 1. MC 2. Catfish Blues (Robert Petway cover) 3. I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide 4. Piece 5. Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers 6. Just Got Paid 7. Tube Snake Boogie 8. Legs 9. Sharp Dressed Man (with Texas Governor Rick Perry joining in on drums) 10. La Grange (with Sloppy Drunk Jam) 11. Tush 12. Outro Billy Gibbons – Guitar & Vocal Dusty Hill – Bass & Vocal Frank Beard – Drums