Legendary Rocker Saw a Dark Synth Band LIVE in the 80s--It TRANSFORMED His Sound | Professor Of Rock

Up next ZZ TOP was doing well in the 70s but when they entered the 80s they wanted to up their game after hearing the modern sound of several New Wave and Synth pop acts of the 80s like Depeche Mode and Duran Duran so they updated their sound adding keyboards to their guitar attack along with some high tech music videos for MTV and instantly blew up as one of the most recognizable bands in history with the hit Sharp Dressed Man as well as Legs and Gimme All your Loving taking their 1983 blockbuster Eliminator into he stratosphere The thing is they didn’t really change at all, outside of a little synth.. They already had the most iconic look and sound in music, they just needed more exposure and it could’t have happened to a nicer bunch.. They were always focused on the music, not the money. ZZ Top was offered millions to shave off their beards by Gillette back in the day but they declined. Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard and the late Dusty Hill were one of a kind.
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It’s time for another edition of Number one in our hearts where we celebrate a song that should’ve been A #1 hit in it’s hedyday. We honor them here and celebrate them so many years later. After the release & subsequent cycle of their 5th studio album Tejas in ’76, that lil ol’ band from Texas, ZZ Top, took a much needed 2 year hiatus. During the break, the group’s manager, Bill Ham, secured a new record deal with Warner Brothers, and the tres hombres that make up ZZ Top returned to action recharged, with renewed vigor, a new label, long beards, and an adventurous spirit.
The music scene was changing, as well, with exciting new sounds, like Punk, with its rebellious spirit, and the experimental wonder of New Wave. ZZ Top were the purveyors of Texas boogie. A formidable trio of musicians that have stayed together since the origin of the band in Houston, Texas in ’69.
with the late Dusty Hill- on bass The beardless Frank Beard on drums And... the group’s founder- blues rock guitarist extraordinaire Billy GibbonsIn the 70’s, Gibbons created some of the most indelible riffs of the Rock Era, such as:“Waitin For the Bus” and "La Grange" in ’73 “Tush” in ’75- that reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 And.. “Arrested for Driving While Blind” in ’76 to name a few. The rock community was enthralled by the upstart player- Billy Gibbons. Hell, even Jimi Hendrix called Gibbons “America’s best young guitar player” during an appearance on the The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, with Flip Wilson as the guest host. Billy met Jimi when his pre-ZZ psychedelic blues band Moving Sidewalks opened 4 shows for the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1968.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Poll: What is your pick for the greatest rock album of 1983?

[@stephenbrown4211]

The Wild Hesrt Stevie Nicks Script for a Jesters Tear Marillion

[@pmcgee78]

Pyromania

[@killrmillr]

Big Country - The Crossing

[@RBS_]

......ba-BOOOM! .....didn't Def Lep put out "Pyromania" in '83!??

[@thebunter]

So many great choices. I will qualify my choice by saying that I picked a Rock album and not Metal (Metallica Kill 'em All) or R&B (Michael Jackson's Thriller). My personal choice(s) would be a tie between Pyromania and Eliminator with Let's Dance and Metal Health a close second.and third. There are so many more excellent choices but these are my picks. I mean you have Dio with Holy Diver, Bryan Adams with Cuts like a Knife and so on. Too many to list and each one would be a great choice as everyone's taste is different.

[@jamesstevens9394]

Those boys from Texas also have the distinction of being the ONLY band to endure 50 years without losing or changing any members!!! RIP Dusty, you sure are missed.....

[@sibitsabat]

U2 right behind them with 44 years together same members!

[@Serreski]

@@sibitsabat Technically the Edge’s brother was a founder member of U2 so they have lost someone

[@bobdavis4848]

To be really literal, that should have added the words "famous" or "with chart success." Texas and elsewhere has various bands of family and friends together fifty years or more with always the same members, who just played locally or just for themselves; they're still bands; we just have not heard of them. Yes, R.I.P. Dusty Hill.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I know, right? Other than The Four Tops of Motown, I don’t know of any other band with that kind of longevity.

[@bobdavis4848]

@@edwardhumphries5566 Can you name an example that disproves what James said, regarding famous bands of three or more members?

[@fairdose]

For Depeche Mode fans, we heard about these stories way back but it’s good to know that musicians from widely divergent genres can respect and appreciate the work of fellow artists. BTW, Depeche Mode just announced an upcoming album and world tour this morning in Berlin for Spring 2023!

[@littlecatfeet9064]

Wow, that’s exciting! Depeche Mode was one of those great UK bands that unexpectedly sold out US stadiums. I love them 😍.

[@davidl570]

Side note: Axl Rose is also a big DM fan.

[@ronbo11]

This will be their first tour since 2017-18 (I think) which was in support of their "Spirit" album. Bassist/keyboardist Andy Fletcher passed away in May, 2022. Just like ZZ Top, they're pushing ahead after the loss of a beloved member.

[@tamuman93]

@@littlecatfeet9064 - they love you too

[@mneugent7658]

@@littlecatfeet9064 Yeah, I remember my brother was really into them in the 80's while I wasn't. I'd heard a few of their songs but I was a dumb kid still doing that "those aren't real instruments" thing. I was sitting on my bed one day watching MTV and saw this HUGE crowd at The Rose Bowl. I was shocked. "Depeche F&#KING Mode is playing The Rose Bowl"?!? It occurred to me that I might be missing something here. Amazing band. Also, I met a girl in San Diego once who was a DM nut. LOVED them. She went to see Martin Gore and through all kinds of pleading got to meet him. Btw she's also a trained pianist. They got to talking and he invited her to come hang at his house after the show. A bunch of people were there, not just them. They sat at his piano and played together into the wee hours. Aside from that her favorite memory of the night was as it got later he kept saying "we have to keep it down or The Oprah will get angry". Yep, the house behind his was Oprah's and she didn't care for his parties.

[@marrrtin]

ZZ Top were loved across the rock and roll genre spectrum for their great sense of humour and no-bullshit demeanor.

[@charleshayman4083]

I graduated High School in 1984. ZZ Top will forever be a big part of the soundtrack of my youth with Billy Gibbons being one of my favorite Guitarists of all time. I was going to take my youngest son to his first concert in Evansville, IN to see ZZ TOP when the gig was cancelled without explanation only to find out a few days later it was due to Dusty’s passing. Heaven must’ve needed a bass player.

[@mizginavale22]

As a devout and passionate fan of Depeche Mode, I can see why anyone, including another band, would be fascinated and inspired by their unique sound. Good for you ZZ Top !!!

[@dhh488]

I'm more of an electric blues guy, but Depeche Mode is very cool. They're so unique, there's no other band like them.

[@mizginavale22]

@@dhh488 agreed! They’ve captivated me for several decades. Their live concerts are like entering another realm. You won’t ever forget that you saw a live Depeche Mode performance.

[@nathalie_desrosiers]

The best thing about Depeche Mode, is that they evolved so much through the years. Each of their album is different from the previous. Saw them 4 times in show.

[@Dungeon_of_Regret]

Depeche increasingly laced blues riffs into their music. Maybe violator was a nod to eliminator?

[@unperson5713]

That was the same era which saw Neil Young and DEVO collaborate.

[@billywilson4908]

As a Houston native, I've always been proud of this band. Having Eliminator drop when I was a teenager was a special gift. I've seen them in many different sized venues from club to the Houston Rodeo which is in the Texans' stadium seating over 70K. Always in awe as to how 3 guys could put out so much sound. Very much miss Dusty. That one hurt. Great job Professor!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

My aunt was a senior when Eliminator was released! The music videos wowed her a lot!

[@walterrobinson1988]

Yeah, same experience here, I remember the local rock station always referred to ZZ as "The Home Team". Loved the old classics, and loved it when they broke out with Eliminator, they deserved every bit of success they got. If you aren't familiar with it look into their "World Wide Texas Tour" from their early days, nobody worked harder.

[@johnathansaegal3156]

I am a HUGE Depeche Mode fan (since their early days) ... and when you said ZZ Top went to a DP concert, my mind was blown. I never would have thought the cool, bluesy guys would be a fan of such a style of music.

[@rmhartman]

That's what I like about Prof's interviews. Hearing the artists mention the artists that they like and are inspired by. That's the kind of thing that fascinates me.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I had no idea. I am super surprised at this!

[@billkeithchannel]

Afterburner is a great mix of that signature 80's electronica sound and they also have on that album traditional sounding songs like Can't Stop Rockin' and Planet of Women.

[@dreamweaver1603]

I’m from Houston. ZZ Top band members were always out and about in Houston, going to clubs and concerts of all different genres of music. They even remade a song by a Houston rapper (25 Lighters). That they liked and were inspired by Depeche Mode doesn’t surprise me at all. They were open minded.

[@austintrousdale2397]

Game recognized game

[@justinkey4895]

ZZ Top is pure greatness. We cover two ZZ Top songs in my band (Fool for Your Stockings and Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers) and every crowd we play for loves them still. And as a bassist, it's hard to describe just how great Hill was. He's the GOAT of overdrive tone on bass and never fails to provide a perfect groove.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Sounds like so much fun! Dusty was an ace musician.

[@baneverything5580]

I had to sing the Dusty Hill part in our band while playing drums. Fun song to jam on! Keep on Rockin!

[@baneverything5580]

Dusty Hill and Lynyrd Skynyrd`s bassist Leon Wilkeson were a LOT more talented than a lot of folks understand.

[@justinkey4895]

@@baneverything5580 So true

[@SuperCHstudios]

Fool for your stockings is such a hidden gem. I love it.

[@matthewarredondo9583]

A little late to this party, but fun fact, there’s mutual appreciation there. There’s a show on Axis TV where musicians go to a record store and pick out 5 favorite albums. Billy did an episode, picked up Violator I believe and dropped that he played on a couple of songs on Ultra I believe. My jaw dropped when I heard that. Damn!

[@tehfiredog]

ZZ Top was the first rock concert I ever went to, back in their XXX tour. I'd grown up listening to them but wasn't sure what to expect live. What I got were 3 close friends that had spent 30 years honing their craft... to say that they moved, grooved, and rocked out would be putting it mildly! Got to see them again 12 years back, and they still were phenomenal. They were opening for Tom Petty, another legend we lost far too soon.

[@LeatherRebel75]

I've been lucky enough to see ZZ Top many times in concert, starting with the 1992 Antenna tour, and they never failed to put on a fantastic show every time. A ZZ Top concert is a guaranteed good time.

[@randomjasmicisrandom]

I’ve seen Depeche Mode three times, once at the Messehalle in Hannover, Germany, in ‘87, at the Music for the Masses tour, then twice in London in the 90s. The Songs of Faith and Devotion tour remains my favourite ever gig, the energy and incredible mix of music and visuals was never better. The strange, enormous backdrop of Walking in my Shoes blew me away.

[@RoxieMarquez_marroxeli]

Never Let Me Down live is some of the closest you can get to the holy spirit with live music.

[@brettanderson7832]

Yeah. The Devotional tour was quite intense. I was hoping they would tour for Ultra. Great album.

[@Czechbound]

Man, those songs were *everywhere* back in the day. You could not turn on the radio in Ireland without hearing them. And the videos are some of the standouts of the era. I always loved that they didn't take themselves too seriously. And Billy's solos always fit the songs just perfectly (which happens less often than you think). I believe it took Billy nearly 10 years to turn the 33 Ford into the Eliminator (I term I think reserved for the ultimate car that "eliminates" the other cars at drag strip meet). RIP Dusty

[@Fiona2254]

RIP Dusty! Saw them in concert here in Texas, including their 50th anniversary tour and they were alway a fun band to go see live. I can’t believe I’ve been a fan for over 40 years. My daughter regrets going to the restroom because she missed the spinning guitars lol it’s been over a decade and she always talks about that missed opportunity (she’s 29)

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Amazing! I wouldn’t go to the restroom during a concert like that either!

[@robertcronin6603]

Rough Boy is one of my favs...such a great tune... I remember when the video came out on MTV but I was too young to appreciate it...now, at 50, it sure hits different...what an amazing and iconic band 🔥

[@bigdaddydave3341]

Rough Boy is a criminally underappreciated tune. Billy's solos in that song are beautiful.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Great song for sure. The video for Sleeping Bag is also rad too!

[@davidl570]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Easily one of their funniest!

[@davidl570]

Love the Rough Boy video--it was way ahead of its time (it did creep me out as a 14 year old but I still liked it, just the same!). There was a big feminist backlash over the leggy faceless woman in the video, but I doubt the Lil' Ol' Trio From Texas meant any harm!

[@ronbo11]

They are on tour with Jeff Beck and Ann Wilson. Beck joins them on stage to play "Rough Boy" (a song he really admires) and Tennessee Ernie Ford's "16 Tons". Gibbons and Beck are car lovers and Jeff has quite a collection of Ford Model A hot rod coupes similar to The Eliminator that he restored starting back in the 1960s.

[@tomblack7765]

Lying in the sun lightly baked and soakig up the pure genius that only these three guys could produce. 18 years old. Monsters of rock. Donnington 1983.

[@mikesmith-knutsen4028]

Eliminator was the gateway album for so many to the band's previous albums and singles - Going from Sharp Dressed Man or Legs back to La Grange, Tush, Jesus Just Left Chicago, Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers and so many more. Those 70s albums were thick with that blues, swampy goodness that should have made them way more famous than they already are, but I'm so glad we have those albums to go back to for sure. What's your favourite 'Top album?

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Their 70s stuff is amazing, but I love Eliminator even more because you feel that electricity!

[@JW...-oj5iw]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 ... Video music really added to the experience. Definitely an eighties achievement.

[@rrdream2400]

Fandango, one side blistering live, side two full of great songs that all sounded different from each other

[@dukecraig2402]

@@rrdream2400 Balinese

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

@@JW...-oj5iw It killed the radio star…for better.

[@hopegreer3357]

I wiil always remember my aunt Mary when I hear any ZZ Top song or see one of their videos. She introduced me to them. She loved their beards!!

[@thebunter]

I have always loved ZZTop. As a teen in 1983 I listened to Eliminator a lot. I was able to catch them in concert for the Afterburner tour. Was such a great concert and when they played the Eliminator songs the place erupted. Attending the concert with my girlfriend at the time who looked a lot like the video ladies was fun with the looks of respect I got from all the black leather crowd. I wish the band had struck it bigger and continued the Eliminator sound but artists feel the need to change and I completely respect them for it. Such a great band. Nice video and tribute Professor. Thank you.

[@jeffery7685]

Sharp dressed man may have only reach #56 on the hot 100 but it is remembered far more than some #1 hits. A lot of chart toppers have been forgotten, but SDM keeps making new fans with every passing generation.

[@Hedron-Design]

I cannot stop head bobbing in the car when their songs come on. Cool, smooth and just the right attitude pervades the atmosphere while listening. It's just great rock.

[@RC32Smiths01]

As a Texan, you just gotta love ZZ Top! The ways in which they adapted their sound is monumental, especially while also retaining their signature sound.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Anyone with a beard living in Texas has ZZ Top as their favorite band. It’s undeniable. - Me, a year or two ago

[@jack8box]

My wife and I saw ZZ Top in concert at our local fair a few days before Dusty died. He wasn't there that night but it still was a great show. RIP Dusty.

[@user-xh4gw1hr4b]

LOVE ZZ ...I crank the radio ALL the way when I hear that guitar

[@kaptaink1959]

i remember listening to ZZ in '77 high school was great for music

[@ProfessorofRock]

Rock on!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Awesome!

[@mindthependulum6245]

I am so glad that I grew up in the dfw area with all my teenage years in the 80’s. It’s not my fault that modern radio music could never compare to that era. I love the way zztop made expert use of artificial harmonics (letting a picking finger barely touch the string that the pick just plucked). It made high notes of a new dimension happen all over the place. I’m pretty sure my Toshiba boom box ran mostly zztop and the fix but a LOT of other stuff. In those days, I would slide on a pair of my favorite cans and run a mix tape of zztop, the fix, Peter Gabriel, Robert Plant, but also the oak ridge boys, Alabama, George Straight and rosanne cash. The diversity of sonic options in those days is completely unmatched now. I don’t miss people smoking all over the place, but the mental freedom we had both outer and inner, is such an underground and suppressed thing now.

[@doaver2.125]

ZZ Top, one of only few bands, that has no bad songs in their catalog. My favorites song is "Blue Jeans Bllues" and "Rough Boy", yeah love that band. Rest in peace Dusty, without question your base was the heart of the band.

[@andrewmize823]

I grew up in the 80's and 90's, so I was fairly familiar with ZZ Top's MTV presence. It's only been in the last couple of years that I really took a listen to their early stuff, but I instantly fell in love with the band's sense of groove as well as their suggestive song titles and lyrics. I bought my first Les Paul out of reverence for Jimmy Page, but nowadays I catch myself riffing on ZZ Top as often as Zep.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I’ve been showing one of my former teachers and her next door neighbor classic MTV videos from 1983, and she knew Sharp Dressed Man right away! I pointed out to both teachers that the allure of these videos was that the girls were hot. We had so much fun watching that vintage 1983 MTV footage!

[@davidl570]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Couldn't go wrong with Playboy models back then!

[@stinkypinkeee5085]

"Jesus Just Left Chicago" is one if the baddest jams ever written...pool shooting music if ever any existed...

[@joshuagibson2520]

Fuckin A right.

[@jeremyellismusic]

Of all of the stories that you have covered, this one is the most surprising. Most ZZ Top fans in the 80s would have NEVER gone to a Depeche Mode concert and yet Billy Gibbons himself went, was blown away, and incorporated their style into his own. Wow.

[@MustangWriter]

It was 1972 and I was 15 and while a major British rock fan; WHO, Beatles, Led Zep, King Crimson, Jeff Beck, Tull, Bowie.... Someone at a 'gathering' put on Rio Grande Mud and I remember being totally blown away! I never heard blues like that. I picked up the album cover and just took in everything about this little ol' band from Tejas. I've been a fan ever since... I plan that Rough Boy be played at my funeral. OT: Excellent Video and VERY INFORMATIVE. Thank you so much. (P.S. I couldn't help notice your Bye Bye Birdie soundtrack LP in the background. In 1962 a 5 year year old me would fall in love with Ann Margaret after watching that movie at the US Base theater in Oslo, Norway.)

[@SpiderSkot]

Dude, I just discovered your channel a couple of months ago, and I have to say I really enjoy your stories and delivery. You're right up there with Casey Kasem in my book. Keep up the great work!

[@davidteams4326]

I would agree, completely!

[@UnderTheMillkyWay]

This was one of my dad's favorite bands. He loved ZZ Top, Kool & The Gang, The Beach Boys and The Beatles. He loved Elvis, Stevie Wonder and Leslie Gore. He managed to see all his favorites and I got to see two of them with him and that was the best seeing my dad see his favorite bands. My dad took me to see concerts throughout my life dragging my best friends with me as well for a few of them. It was my thing with my dad and I'll never forget those times with him. My dad played in a band growing up and he was the piano player and organ. I would watch the videos with no sound and then added the sound later for his birthday one year because it was recorded separately at that time. He also taught me how to play the piano starting out when I was two years old. I fell in love with the drums and trumpet and I took trumpet in school and got drum lessons on the side. I had to start working as a child at 5 to help pay for those music lessons on the farm and worked on the farm until 16 then I added another job to help out. I will say my younger years were hard but I wouldn't change a thing because it taught me how to work for what I wanted. I never had children so now I help my brother with his children by trying to be the cool aunt buying them ukuleles, teaching them about Duran Duran, the cars etc because my brother is more of a 70's guy and I'm totally an 80's baby!

[@johnshields6852]

Brings me back to 1977 cruising in my 71 cuda with ZZ cranking on the stereo, beer between my legs, it was a different era, once the cops pulled me over and made me pour my beer out the window and send us on our way, obviously drinking and driving can be deadly, please don't be a fool as I was. Great content professor, it's amazing how a song can bring back specific moments in time. Thank you.

[@Denozo88]

My dad found an original copy of Eliminator at Piranna Records in Round Rock, Tx and we could put it on and just crank it up amd listen to the blues rock sounds of true Texan legends. These men built their fame in Texas with a Texas sound with them never forgetting where they came from. His death marked a piece of my childhood slipping away slowly and I hate knowing one more piece connecting my dad and me is gone. To Dusty Hill Ride Hard Live Free and Rock on in heaven you Texan legend.

[@matthewleonardball2925]

When I hear “sharp dressed man” the volume is always turned up 🔥🔥🔥❤️❤️❤️

[@scottmurphy3018]

like many children of the 80s this album was my intro to ZZTop. To this day whenever sharp dressed man comes on the radio i feel my hands drumming on the steering wheel to every beat Frank pounds out.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

It’s super cool to listen to! Perks my ears up every single time.

[@MsRmaclaren]

When I worked for the Forest Service back in the early 70s our dorm room in the middle of the forest rocked every evening to ZZ. We partook of some illicit substances and sat outside under the stars while the forest echoed to ZZ. Our other was Dark Side of the Moon. We had gianormous speakers spread out in a pattern of four around the parking lot and sat in the middle. We definitely scared the bears away. Very fond memories. Edit: I have that keychain somewhere in a box. Never used it.

[@andjulia9292]

Fun memories

[@jiveturkey9993]

Good times👍👍 Now if you guys didn't do that I would think you were strange.

[@MsRmaclaren]

@@jiveturkey9993 I should say that it was a converted house, a ranger station, there was workshops, maintainence buildings etc. The parking lot was a dirt drive and we used to build a big bonfire in the middle. If you didn't have really great flashlights at night you could get lost walking out the door. Black as pitch at night. No one around for miles except for us 30 guys, assorted wildlife and the bears :)

[@jiveturkey9993]

@@MsRmaclaren the bears were groovin too

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Both great records!

[@RFXLR]

This was my first concert, ZZ Top, Cheap Trick and Night Ranger. It was a hell of a show and a great time for music in general with the inception of MTV. There was a great mix of everything and radio wasn’t owned by a few companies. There were regional acts and a lot to be discovered and not just certain acts and genres shoved down our throats. Being from Texas, I already knew ZZ Top and this album was music for our generation. I admire these guys for evolving while staying true to their roots.

[@empoweryou1]

I always loved their "not so popular" tunes like party on the patio or waitin' on the bus....so many.

[@davidteams4326]

Growing up in Southwestern Ontario Canada listening to Rush, Led Zeppelin, The Who... I could go on. ZZTop was in that list without a doubt. These guys were and still are still in my top 100. I remember talking with a buddy about Tush, he said "they can't be saying Tush, they wouldn't allow that on the radio." I sure sounded like Tush to me. Anyway what a great group of guys and sounds. They are part of the soundtrack of my life. Long live ZZTop

[@oldmanb4]

I saw ZZTOP twice in concert at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock, Arkansas. They always put on a great show.

[@LadyGrace67]

ZZ Top takes me back to high school! You’re right, the music from the 1980’s was amazing.

[@nathanhosey1278]

ZZ Top will always be #1 in my heart. I can't pick just one song. I love all their music. Even the newer stuff. So much music, over so much time. Although Rough Boy from the Afterburner album has a special place in my heart. I was in a grocery store and heard the Coke guy singing "Just Got Paid"... I hit him back with "El Diablo".

[@Zippy-I-O]

SIMPLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE MASTERS OF GUITAR AND DIZZYING SOUNDS AND VIDEOS OF THE BEST IN THE LAST CENTURY. Will always be one of the most played among all the favorites in our 'Cruisin' Tunes'...Great when on the open road with dense wind flapping hair out of headbands and into the face...Just smiling with the shear joy of the faded painted lines of the road flying by in the steamy heat of muggy summers. Hope you were happy with your barter to get that car...Such great memories of little boy fantasies and dreams taken to the extreme of dressing as Gibbons. GREAT MEMORIES... Doubt there will ever be a time so musically prolific as the 80's. Favorite of ZZ Top in the movies was in 'Armageddon' when using 'La Grange' for Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) Teeing-Off on the Oil Rig to volley the Greenpeace Ship and Bear played by Michael Duncan speeding on his Harley across the plains with the cops creating a barrier to stop him. DUSTY HILL LIVES FOREVER ON THE VINYL. LOVE ZZ TOP.

[@scottpool4777]

I was into ZZ Top 40 years ago unreal we went and saw two of the shows and mind blowing for an hour and a half nobody sat down Jess it opened up her heart and that’s where it was ZZ Top love you man😎😎😎

[@G3ntle1]

One of my lifelong memories was seeing ZZ Top with my father at the Capital Center for the Afterburner tour (just weeks before Heavy Metal Parking Lot would be captured on video). I am proud to say I am a fan of both ZZ Top and Depeche Mode, and this article demonstrates why.

[@supersportimpalass]

I remember going to the World of Wheels car show in 1983 with my dad and brother and seeing the Eliminator in person. What a memory seeing the most iconic car of the 80’s when ZZ Top was my favorite band.

[@BlackMarketIII]

It came full circle on the Mescalero album with the track "Buck Nekkid", where the "Personal Jesus" riff was given the Texas boogie treatment. Another great video Professor!

[@aleeshagarcia6798]

Thanks for honoring Zzz Top. A soundtrack of my youth. Manic Mechanic is my favorite song I never heard on the radio.

[@troye43]

ZZ Top was actually my first concert that my friends and I went to when we were old enough to drive.

[@steveowens398]

I love the way ZZ Top has moved on - with Dusty's replacement pick Elwood on bass, and Dusty's mike stand out front as always. Fitting tribute - fallen, but never forgotten. As to favorites, I'm partial to TV Dinners.

[@kp905]

I saw zz top when I was in third grade. It was my first concert. Some old dude spilled beer all over me. It was awesome.

[@brockn7878]

Sharp dressed long haired weirdo has been my steez since forever .

[@CUtigerz97]

I was in 6th grade when eliminator came out. I got the tape for a Christmas present from a girlfriend. Played that 100s of times. They're still one of my favorite bands. Eleminator opened my eyes to the world of ZZ and she opened my eyes to a whole new world...

[@nascarfan824]

ZZ Top was my first concert ever. The Recycler Tour in 1991 in Toledo OH. I was just shy of 14 years old. The day of the show my dad and I were driving through downtown Toledo and we saw ZZ Top's tour bus at a downtown hotel. My dad decided to pull into the hotel parking lot thinking maybe, just maybe, we might see the band. Well, we didn't see ZZ Top but I did see the bassist for The Black Crowes ( ZZ Top's opening act) in the lobby. I walked up to him and said, "You're the bassist for The Black Crowes! Can I have your autograph?" He responded, "No. I'm not the bassist." I said, "Yes you are. I've seen the 'Hard To Handle' music video enough to know. He again denied he was the bassist. About 2 seconds later hotel security walked up and told my dad and I if we didn't have a room we had to leave. I yelled to the bassist, "I'll see you at the show tonight!" The Black Crowes played a good set, but ZZ Top brought the house down! To my 14 year old self I thought these guys in their 40's might be old and not to good, but wow was I wrong! I'm 45 now so I know ZZ Top was actually in their musical prime and not old. I'm also glad my dad had the foresight to make my first concert an act of legends. To Billy, Dusty, and Frank, thank you for the memories, and the music, Gentlemen. To the bassist of The Black Crowes, I hope you're doing well good sir. Cheers!

[@NCTrevor3D]

Recycler Tour '91 Blew my mind. 3 dudes on stage - Dean Smith stadium in a RAGE. Unbelievable live show!

[@lanedelker9161]

Loved ZZ Top for many years. I first heard them when I was in High School in the 70's with LaGrange and Tush. I thought they just kept getting better. It's amazing to me that Depeche Mode played a part of that. I love it when musicians love other musician's work. Even in different genres. My favorites are LeGrange, Tube snake boogie, and Under Pressure. I took my wife to the Afterburner tour, and she became a believer. I was heart sick when Dusty passed away. Still, some of the best rock and roll ever made.

[@billkeithchannel]

I loved Afterburner. So many phenomenal songs on it. I was so hooked on Stages but it was too short so I made my own extended version. Sleeping Bag, Velcro Fly, Rough Boys, Delirious... all classics that incorporated that "modern" 80's sound complete with those synth "hits".

[@jenniferditman3788]

I worked at The Peabody Hotel in Memphis when I was 18 around 1990. These guys came into the restaurant that I worked in, often. They were all perfect gentlemen. The waiters fought over who would get their table, & they even tipped me, the lowly hostess. It gives me hope that money & fame doesn't tarnish everyone who succeeds.

[@richeaton7436]

👍 Time keeps on ticking... Going through a box of old ticket stubs not long ago, My first rock concert May 19, 1973 (Dusty Hill's 24th birthday, I've come to find out) East Tennessee State University Rory Gallagher ZZ Top $4 It was about six months before Tres Hombres came out. Rory Gallagher was pure fire right out of the gate, and I think he had as much fun as anyone. (& someone you should check out) Then, BG and the boys came out. Back when they were the most badass blues rock band that ever was. Straw hats, jeans, no beards (but Frank. lol), and BG in a white tshirt w/ pack of Marlboros rolled up in the sleeve(lol). Needless to say, Rory and BG made a big impression on a 16 yr old. Blues rock, slide guitar nut ever since. RIP Dusty, Rory, Lou, Rod. Thank You!

[@kdm28]

Saw them on 9/24 in Dallas...... nothing rocks like Sharp Dressed Man when the band stops and points to the crowd and every lady sings the line, Every girl crazy..... Fathers, tell your young men to not fear being classy💪🏻

[@MrGrimsmith]

Wasn't radio for me but the fact that my eldest brother used to blast ZZ Top, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin all the time and I missed hearing it as he moved out when I was 9. He's still the member of my family I get on with best so it was a way for me to have a familiar presence around. They're still one of the bands I always seem to go back to and are as great as the first time I heard them.

[@Angela-co6oj]

That great, mighty, little 'ol band from Texas! Love this band from my home state, no one else like them! That King of the Hill episode is absolutely my favorite. RIP Dusty, we love you!

[@AnimeJSaysBah]

Almost everyone I knew had a copy of Eliminator. ZZTops sound is just simply infectious.

[@floatthecreek]

My wife, our daughter, her husband and I went to the ZZ Top concert in Tuscaloosa, AL two days after Dusty Hills passing. I didn't know what to expect. Elwood Francis totally rocked that night. Fantastic show. RIP Dusty Hill. Rock on to that Little O' Band from Tejas.

[@antoniocarrillo7253]

Eliminator, along with MANY other GREAT albums, was out as I began junior high school. I start learning how to play guitar at that time and my teacher taught me how to play “Tush!” As time went on I realized through that song how rifts are recycled. However, Billy Gibbons always put his own stamp on such rifts AND cakes up with more than plenty of his own which went on to be recycled by other musicians. The music of ZZ TOP is SOOOO much fun to play! Thank you ZZ Top for sharing your talent with the world! 💙👍🏽

[@TC-yx2ss]

I've got a ZZ Top keyring I bought when Eliminator was released.It still hangs on my keys to this day.

[@AmaxMr]

Eliminator released spring of my sophomore year. That fall & into the winter we played "Sharp Dressed Man" for football & basketball games. The Prof can't say enough how wonderful the music was at that time. My buds had already been followers of ZZ Top. We were quite often heard quoting: You want to race If you insist At that price I can't resist....

[@chopkong]

I was introduced to ZZ Top by my older brother of 5 years. He was tasked with driving me and my other brother to middle school. He would be blasting ZZ Top on his 8-track player blowing out our ear drums....LOLOLOL. We thought we were such bad azzes... Jesus Left Chicago, Just Got Paid, La Grange, Tush, I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide...good times!

[@robis40]

I moved to Houston in 1965 when I was 5 and was a ZZ Top fan as soon as I discovered them, finding out they were from Houston was the icing on the cake. Billy was often seen at Astros games with his friend and fellow Texan Farrah Fawcett. It's probably Urban Legend but supposedly ZZ Top used to come to football games in the 70s at my high school because Dusty was allegedly dating the quarterback's older sister but since I rarely went to games I wouldn't really know.

[@decoy80070]

"I HEARD IT, I HEARD IT, I HEARD IT ON THE X!" Of course me being a Texican I can appreciate this little ol band from Texas. Monumental for those of us in the Lone Star State and iconic as well! Love this channel!

[@thekcsugethe_kc_suge7930]

Gimme All Your Lovin’ & Sharp Dressed Man are 2 of the best videos of all time. Up there with Thriller & Freedom ‘90.

[@PippisMom]

It's been my experience that most every Musician appreciates, even loves many other genres. It's just a fact; Musicians love Music!🎶🎵🎵

[@oldschoolsurfer]

"From the bottom to the Top" brilliant!

[@peterflynn2111]

Went close here in Australia Legs peaked at 6 in dec 84

[@tasam1981]

I got to see them live at the Rock Superbowl 9 in Orlando FL, in 1981 what an amazing show!!

[@naughtysmurf64]

The Idea to create an Image for ZZ Top was genius. The MTV era killed out a lot of 70's bands.

[@Balderwulf]

I remember seeing Legs on MTV and feel in love with ZZ Top, Loved the videos and the car was amazing. Never stopped listing to them through out the years as they remain one of my favorite bands of all time

[@larrymelroy5687]

Zz top was always blasting in our cars while cruising I remember when the eliminator came out It kind of changed everything for ZZ top fans . Now it's kinda funny how things have come full circle my 23 year old daughter is my concert buddy and we went to see zz top last month as a fan for so many years the first time I got to see them was with my daughter witch made it even more special. And seeing all the younger kids there dressed up as Billy and Dusty was so amazing 80s music will never die it seems to only be getting stronger and I'm so blessed to be a 80s kid .

[@lincbond442]

1982 must have been the "Broken Frame" tour. Vince Clarke had just left the year before and Alan Wilder joined DM some time in 1982. I was into both bands in the 80's so it is really interesting to know that Depeche Mode influenced ZZ Top's Eliminator album.

[@georgemathie8123]

ZZ top in my younger years was that fun band with the iconic MTV videos but as an adult and rediscovering their 70s albums they are truly one of the most amazing power trios albums such as tres hombres, rio grande mud and deguello are powerhouse albums and show off all of the talents of this legendary band

[@stubeast4031]

Their first five albums are my favorites.

[@joeyday1252]

I saw an interview with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's Adam McClusky where he claimed OMD was the original synth influence on ZZ Top from when they both on the same episode of The Old Grey Whistle Test.

[@demented_cycles]

As a Houstonian who grew up with ZZ Top on the radio and a soft spot for Depeche Mode I really enjoyed this video. Thanks!

[@KC1RT-RickT67]

June 1986 - My first concert - Portland Maine - I was in high school, brought my girlfriend… pretty cool experience. The stage was set up like a dashboard of a car… Laser show (impressive back then) projecting images on the wall… Had a great time! Side note (didn’t find this out until Dusty passed)…Back in ‘93 my dad and my brother were headed to Texas to check out Texas A&M. They were on the same flight as Dusty - got chattin’ and my dad said that he was just a good ‘ole boy from Texas - really nice to talk with. He didn’t project any celebrity status. I thought that was pretty cool. The more that I’ve learned about ZZ Top, I’ve come to appreciate all that they’ve done over the years. 👍🏻

[@markchip1]

The track that got me hooked on ZZTop was Mellow Down, from Fandango. UNFORGETTABLE!!!

[@TheDarkKnight350]

Me and my dad LOVE ZZ Top. Really awesome band I love all the music they made. My dad gave me his Eliminator album he had as a kid and his ZZ keychain he got at the Eliminator tour. I bidded on a 32 Eliminator Coupe from Hot Wheels. Looks just like the car in the videos. This year i suprised my dad with tickets to the Raw tour. We had a blast seeing the rock. Definitely my all time favorite band.

[@timg185]

Love ZZ Top ! That entire eliminator album was awesome ! It got a ton on play on MTV .

[@edryba4867]

It’s hard to beat Billy Gibbons as a blues man. No question there, with so many GREAT songs! And the “Eliminator” Hot Rod is one gorgeous piece of machinery. AND I GOT TO PLAY THOSE GREAT SONGS ON THE RADIO! But when the TV show “Bones” came around, Gibbons surprised everyone with his prowess as an actor! And “Pearly Gates” is the middle name of his “Daughter” on the show! R.I.P., Dusty Hill

[@sidneyrobinson9186]

absolutely Iconic legends, Huge part of my Teen Years.

[@TheRealSlowhand]

Glad to say I'm from near where they live and got to meet the brothers and speak with them many times...

[@dlphntat]

They come from the same town as me, and a local Mexican restaurant had what was basically a room dedicated to them. One of my favorite bands. Thank you for this look at them.

[@heatherwhelan1376]

" Man, the Heavy-ness". WOW. Thanks for the great video.

[@Brirend]

I remember in 1984 Mid-south wrestling filmed in the Sam Houston Coliseum. One of the tag teams "The Fantastics" used "Sharp Dressed Man" as their walk up music. One night Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers (The Fantastics) got a message that they were invited to a bar by Dusty Hill. They were pretty sure it was a prank but went just in case. When he actually showed up, they were sure he was going to tell them to stop using the song but, it turns out he was a fan and didn't mind them using it.

[@austintrousdale2397]

I remember Mid-South Wrestling and The Fantastics, even “Sharp dressed man” being their ring intro theme. But, I’d never heard that story about them meeting Dusty Hill 👍 HOWEVER… The wrestler with whom “Sharp dressed man” will always be associated with in my mind was “The Nature Boy” (sorry, Buddy Rogers), Ric Flair. Yes, Flair was using “Also Sprach Zarathustra” often as his theme in the mid-80s, but I believe that ZZ Top’s song was Flair’s intro when he wrestled in “the territories” outside of Jim Crockett’s turf. Not sure - I was only a kid 😅

[@RobKimbro1966]

I remember when Eliminator dropped; it was everywhere. I was a sophomore in high school and it seemed like the eliminator t shirt was everywhere you looked. My personal favorite off this monumental album will always be "TV Dinners". That slow methodical musical rhythm is almost hypnotic.

[@ofb7212]

Just saw them in concert in Houston(the Woodlands) Great concert with Ann Wilson and Jeff Beck prior to ZZ. They were fantabulous. Elwood stepped in for Dusty very well on the bass. This boomer was in rock heaven for the evening. We need to enjoy These legends now as they, along with ourselves, will not be around much longer.

[@richardlovett4958]

love ZZTOP! Crazy as it may seem... TV Dinners is my all-time favorite song from the guys. Any ZZ TOPP song is awesome

[@scottburton9701]

Saw ZZ Top four years ago in Connecticut-They are awesome!