|
LOS ANGELES—Rhino High Fidelity (Rhino Hi-Fi) returns with the latest addition to its acclaimed limited-edition, high-end vinyl reissues with the first-ever boxed set release. ZZ Top From The Top: 1971-1976 includes ZZ Top’s First Album (1971), Rio Grande Mud(1972), Tres Hombres (1973), Fandango! (1975), and Tejas (1976). This Hi-Fi release celebrates their musical excellence and includes detailed liner notes by James Austin in conversation with frontman Billy Gibbons. Limited and numbered to 2,000 copies, the collection is available today exclusively at Rhino.com and internationally at select WMG stores.
Rhino High Fidelity has set the industry standard for sound quality and packaging, demonstrating Rhino's 45-year legacy of award-winning audio releases. To ensure an unmatched listening experience, Kevin Gray expertly cuts lacquers and Optimal handles the 180-gram vinyl pressing. The attention to detail extends to the aesthetic experience, with glossy covers and "tip-on" jackets reminiscent of vinyl’s golden age.
ZZ Top formed in Houston, Texas, with vocalist/guitarist Billy Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and rhythmist Frank Beard. The band has become known for their colorful, creative sound that leverages the legacy of the electric blues. The trio released their 1971 debut, ZZ Top’s First Album, produced by Bill Ham. The record established the band's roots in blues, boogie, hard rock and southern rock. Gibbon shares, “As trios go, the rhythm section, bass and drum backing the guitar, was getting solid. That and the band’s playing style ignited a surreal kind of automatic cerebral contact communication.”
Rio Grande Mud, released in 1972, maintains the blues flavor and saw ZZ Top dive deeper into the songwriting process. It was their first album to chart, reaching No.104 on the Billboard 200. Their single “Francene” became an instant fan favorite becoming the band’s first charting record, hitting No.69 on the Billboard Hot 100. ZZ Top reached a commercial breakthrough with their third studio album, Tres Hombres. The certified gold album peaked at No.8 on the Billboard 200, and the single “La Grange” charted at No.41. Their first time working with producer Terry Manning at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Gibbons attests the collaboration to the band’s success, “[t]he jump from Texas to Tennessee reinforced that pure rock n roll spirit lingering large from both ends.”
Their 1975 release, Fandango! is a gold-certified collection of both live and studio tracks and is home to the popular classic rock radio hit “Heard it on the X '' and their first Top 40 single, “Tush '', which peaked at No.20 on the Billboard Hot 100. The fifth and final album in this collection, Tejas, meaning “friends” in Caddo and a reference to the band's home state, was released in 1976. The gold-certified record peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard200 and is seen as a transitional record, incorporating modern equipment. The opening single, “It’s Only Love’ is a strident Texas shuffle and reached No.44 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Rhino High Fidelity will continue to tap into Warner Music’s extensive music catalog, bringing music enthusiasts and audiophiles superlative versions of landmark albums from diverse genres, including jazz, blues, rock, pop, and beyond. The series will introduce two classic albums quarterly, maintaining the same exceptional audio and packaging quality that has quickly defined Rhino High Fidelity.
|
