Tres Hombres is the record that brought ZZ Top their first Top Ten record, making them stars in the process.
It couldn't have happened to a better record.
ZZ Top finally got their low-down, cheerfully sleazy blooze-n-boogie right on this, their third album.
As their sound gelled, producer Bill Ham discovered how to record the trio so simply that they sound indestructible, and the group brought the best set of songs they'd ever have to the table.
On the surface, there's nothing really special about the record, since it's just a driving blues-rock album from a Texas bar band, but that's what's special about it.
It has a filthy groove and an infectious feel, thanks to Billy Gibbons' growling guitars and the steady propulsion of Dusty Hill and Frank Beard's rhythm section.
They get the blend of bluesy shuffles, gut-bucket rocking, and off-beat humor just right.
ZZ Top's very identity comes from this earthy sound and songs as utterly infectious as "Waitin' for the Bus," "Jesus Just Left Chicago," "Move Me on Down the Line," and the John Lee Hooker boogie "La Grange." In a sense, they kept trying to remake this record from this point on -- what is Eliminator if not Tres Hombres with sequencers and synthesizers? -- but they never got it better than they did here.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jesus Just Left ChicagoRube Beard, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill | ZZ Top | Play | 03:30 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 2 | Waitin' for the BusBilly Gibbons, Dusty Hill | ZZ Top | Play | 02:53 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 3 | Beer Drinkers & Hell RaisersFrank Beard, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill | ZZ Top | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 4 | Hot, Blue and RighteousBilly Gibbons | ZZ Top | Play | 03:17 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 5 | Move Me on Down the LineBilly Gibbons, Dusty Hill | ZZ Top | Play | 02:31 | 5 MB | 17 MB |
| 6 | Precious and GraceRube Beard, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill | ZZ Top | Play | 03:09 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 7 | Master of SparksBilly Gibbons | ZZ Top | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 8 | La GrangeFrank Beard, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill | ZZ Top | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 9 | Shiek | ZZ Top | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 10 | Have You Heard | ZZ Top | Play | 03:14 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 11 | Waitin' For The Bus (Live) (Previously unissued) (Bonus track) | ZZ Top | Play | 02:42 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 12 | Jesus Just Left Chicago (Live) (Previously unissued) (Bonus track) | ZZ Top | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 13 | La Grange (Live) (Previously unissued) (Bonus track) | ZZ Top | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 45 mins | 103 MB | |||||
| 45 mins | 287 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Beard | Composer, Drums |
| 2 | Rube Beard | Composer |
| 3 | Billy Gibbons | Composer, Guitar, Vocals |
| 4 | Bill Ham | Producer |
| 5 | Dusty Hill | Bass, Composer, Vocals |
| 6 | ZZ Top | Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |