“Tres Hombres” is the third studio release from American blues rock band ZZ Top released on July 26, 1973. While critics of the time were less than impressed, “Tres Hombres” became a commercial success, launching the trio into superstardom. The primary difference between “Tres Hombres” and the trio’s prior release “Rio Grande Mud” was the groovy song procession, often times cutting right into the next track without so much as a breath in between songs such as the notable transition from “Waitin’ for the Bus” and “Jesus Just Left Chicago” which sounds more like a continuation than anything else. With this dynamic jam band arrangement jolting listeners right off the top, “Tres Hombres” had done something few major label releases had been able to accomplish. ZZ Top had managed to not only capture the progressive live show feel and experience of a jam band performance but because the melding of traditional southern rock with blues boogie came across on record so seamlessly, the band had masterfully delivered both genres the long overdue exposure the field had been waiting to achieve up until their breakout record which member Billy Gibbons boasts made them “honorary citizens of Memphis.” The album has had unparalleled influence with bands like Motorhead covering and titling their 1977 EP “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers” with fellow jam band Phish adopting a cover of “Jesus Just Left Chicago” as a staple to their live shows since the late ‘80s. Check out this gold certified trailblazer by streaming tracks like “Master of Sparks,” “Hot, Blue and Righteous,” and their Billboard top 40 hit “La Grange” by streaming the album now on Spotify!
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