The Weakest Link: ZZ Top, Tres Hombre- ROUND THREE

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Zoot Marimba, May 17, 2018.

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  1. DonnyMe

    DonnyMe Forum Resident

    Location:
    SC
    I don't think what you're hearing is a keyboard. I think what you might be hearing is a slide guitar. I don't understand the lack of love for Master of Sparks. One of my favorite ZZ Top songs. Oh well.

    Found this on Wikipedia: The song tells the apparently true story (according to an interview in Soundsmagazine, in June 1976, with guitarist Billy Gibbons) of several "rednecks" who weldtogether a spherical steel cage (inside of which is a VW-Bug seatfitted with a seatbelt), place the cage into the bed of their truck and at night, after reaching a speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h), on Highway 6 near Houston (also known as Jack Rabbit Road), propel the cage from the back with the hapless narrator taking a ride inside. If he lives, the passenger is granted the title "Master of Sparks". Gibbons holds that title.[1][2]
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2018
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  2. Sane Man

    Sane Man Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bethlehem, PA
    I actually love Master of Sparks. I guess I just love it 6th most on this album. :D
     
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  3. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Precious and Grace

    DQ: Never seen ZZ Top Live.
     
  4. 99thfloor

    99thfloor Senior Member

    Location:
    Sweden
    There is no keyboard, you must mean the slide guitar, right? Billy has his guitar retuned to achieve those minor voicing with a slide. It's a really nice touch, there are plenty of "ambient" guitar parts like this that spice up the arrangements of ZZ songs.

    It's a cool story, but since it comes from Billy I wouldn't necessarily call it "apparently true". Billy lives to tell tales like this (especially to journalists).
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2018
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  5. Tim S

    Tim S Senior Member

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    Saw them in April 75 - my memory is they played most of the record. I don't think they played "Sheik," or "Have you heard." I'm about 50/50 on whether they played "Hot, blue . . " It was an absolutely thrilling show. Believe it or not the opening act was Status Quo - not sure how that happened, but they were decent.
     
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  6. Tim S

    Tim S Senior Member

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    I think so too. It's played on the neck pickup with the tone control set to omit a lot of the treble. I think there may be more going on here, but it's really hard to tell. I may have to pull out my high res London needle drop and headphones and see if I can hear a bit more of what's going on. Whatever it is, it's brilliant - I can't think of another guitarist that would think to do this or be able to do it with such taste and finesse.
     
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  7. Tim S

    Tim S Senior Member

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    I agree - he likes a good tale. True or not, it makes for some of the best lyrics on the album.
     
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  8. I voted Master of Sparks off (again). It has some cool riffs, but I’ve never connected with the melody or the subject matter on this one.
     
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  9. 99thfloor

    99thfloor Senior Member

    Location:
    Sweden
    I can't be sure since there isn't that much evidence in existance, but I have heard several recorded shows from that era and read other set lists and I don't think they ever played any of those songs live.

    I'm not sure what more there is to it, he is using a slide playing minor triads, voiced with the fifth on the bottom and the third on the top, sliding into the low fifth from below and then picking the root and third. So the only thing unusual going on is that the guitar has to be tuned to accomodate this voicing, easiest way would be be to tune down the B string a half step, then you get that chord on the D, G and B (now tuned to Bb) strings.
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2018
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  10. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
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