El Loco
Studio album by
ZZ Top
ReleasedJune 26, 1981[1][lower-alpha 1]
Genre
Length36:49
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerBill Ham
ZZ Top chronology
Degüello
(1979)		 El Loco
(1981)		 Eliminator
(1983)
Singles from El Loco
  1. "Leila"
    Released: 1981
  2. "Tube Snake Boogie"
    Released: 1981

El Loco is the seventh studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1981. It foreshadowed the band's extensive usage of synthesizers on Eliminator, Afterburner, and to a lesser extent, Recycler, by way of employing a synthesizer on a couple tracks, played by an uncredited Linden Hudson.[2]

Background

El Loco was produced by Bill Ham and recorded and originally mixed by Terry Manning. The biographer David Blayney explains in his book Sharp Dressed Men that the recording engineer Linden Hudson was involved as a pre-producer on this album.[2] Hudson did not receive credit for engineering the tracks on "Groovy Little Hippie Pad" which were used on the final album mix. In 1987, most of the band's back catalog received a controversial "digitally enhanced" remix treatment for CD release; however, El Loco did not receive this remix treatment and the original mix of the album has been available on CD since 1987.

On June 3, 2013, Gibbons told Joe Bosso of MusicRadar.com that the album was "a really interesting turning point", explaining that the band had "befriended somebody who would become an influential associate, a guy named Linden Hudson. He was a gifted songwriter and had production skills that were leading the pack at times. He brought some elements to the forefront that helped reshape what ZZ Top were doing, starting in the studio and eventually to the live stage. [He] had no fear and was eager to experiment in ways that would frighten most bands. But we followed suit, and the synthesizers started to show up on record. Manufacturers were looking for ways to stimulate sales, and these instruments started appearing on the market. One of our favorite tracks was "Groovy Little Hippie Pad". Right at the very opening, there it is – the heavy sound of a synthesizer. For us, there was no turning back."[3] Gibbons would later cite seeing a Devo soundcheck in Houston as inspiring the synthesizer line on "Groovy Little Hippie Pad."[4] However, Blayney described in his book how Hudson had composed and performed the synthesizer parts at the band's studio in Texas, a tape of which was taken to Memphis to be mixed into the final version of the song, without being credited.[2] The double entendres on "Tube Snake Boogie" and "Pearl Necklace" are barely disguised, while much of the record plays as flat-out goofy party rock.[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Robert ChristgauB+[6]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

The Boston Globe wrote: "Instead of sticking to inventive boogie chops, producer Bill Ham has refined the material until only 'It's So Hard' with Billy Gibbon's scratchy guitar rises above the Ham's laundering process."[8] The Globe and Mail opined that "the rhythm section of Dusty Hill and Frank Beard is doubtless the most pervasive around."[9]

Track listing

All lead vocals by Billy Gibbons, except where noted.

All tracks are written by Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard.

Side one
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Tube Snake Boogie" 3:02
2."I Wanna Drive You Home" 4:44
3."Ten Foot Pole" 4:19
4."Leila" 3:13
5."Don't Tease Me"Gibbons, Hill4:19
Side two
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."It's So Hard" 5:12
2."Pearl Necklace" 4:01
3."Groovy Little Hippie Pad" 2:40
4."Heaven, Hell or Houston" 2:31
5."Party on the Patio"Hill2:49

Personnel

Production

  • Producer – Bill Ham
  • Engineer – Terry Manning
  • Pre-production engineer - Linden Hudson
  • Mastering – Bob Ludwig
  • Design – Bob Alford
  • Photography – Bob Alford

Charts

Chart (1981) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[10] 19
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] 52
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[12] 26
UK Albums (OCC)[13] 88
US Billboard 200[14] 17

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[15] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[16] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ↑ Various sources may report that the release date was October 1, 1981, however, this album made its Billboard chart debut on August 8, 1981, meaning it was definitely released well before October 1. World Radio History cites June 26th of 1981 as the release date, for instance.

References

  1. ↑ "New Releases" (PDF). FMQB. 12 June 1981. p. 33. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Blayney, David (1994). Sharp Dressed Men. New York: Hyperion. pp. 196–203. ISBN 0-7868-8005-8.
  3. 1 2 "Billy Gibbons talks ZZ Top: The Complete Studio Albums (1970-1990)". 3 June 2013.
  4. ↑ "Billy Gibbons: My Life in 15 Songs". Rolling Stone. 10 November 2015.
  5. ↑ El Loco at AllMusic
  6. ↑ Robert Christgau. "ZZ Top". Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  7. ↑ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "ZZ Top". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 907-8. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. ↑ Conte, Frank (3 Sep 1981). "ZZ Top, El Loco". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 1.
  9. ↑ Niester, Alan (19 Sep 1981). "El Loco ZZ Top". The Globe and Mail. p. F6.
  10. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0407". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
  11. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – ZZ Top – El Loco" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
  12. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – ZZ Top – El Loco". Hung Medien. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
  13. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
  14. ↑ "ZZ Top Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
  15. ↑ "Dusty Hill El Loco In-House Canadian Record Award". November 15, 2023.
  16. ↑ "American album certifications – ZZ Top – El Loco". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
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