Fandango! (Expanded Edition) [Remastered]

After the surprise, hard-won success of their previous studio album (1973’s Tres Hombres), Texas powerblues trio ZZ Top took an odd approach and returned with 1975’s Fandango!, a half-studio / half-live set that further displayed the band’s penchant for monstrously over-amplified blues. “Jailhouse Rock” sounds less like a ‘50s Elvis Presley single than a militant call to revolution. The “Backdoor Medley” is pure ‘70s guitar sludge, one long boogie-number with audience cheers and singer Billy Gibbons egging on the crowd with sassy spoken word and flashy guitar licks. But while the band has always been a formidable live presence, it’s the acute tightness of their studio productions that made their legend and established them as FM radio survivors. It’s what made Tres Hombres such a revelation and this album’s finest moments remain the two definitive studio cuts: “Tush” and “Heard It On the X.” In addition, the solid “Blue Jeans Blues” with its striking guitar tone goes a long way towards explaining why these guys continue to grace the cover of guitar magazines worldwide. The deluxe edition contains previously unreleased live versions of “Tush,” “Heard It on the X” and another take on “Jailhouse Rock.”