Pyromania had some great songs, but only ZZ Top had that guitar sound.
Legend has it that Mark Knopfler ran into Billy Gibbons and said, "Hey, I love your playing. How do you get that sound?" Billy said, "Well, heh, I'd tell you, but I'd have to kill you."
Knopfler: "Haha! No, really, how do you get that sound?"
Gibbons: "No. Really. I would have to kill you."
Knopfler: (backs away slowly, but tried to approximate it on "Money for Nothing")
Nobody in Def Leppard ever threatened to kill anyone over their guitar sound.
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Saturday, 26 May 2012 04:18 (eleven years ago) link
I think ZZ Top is the better band -- I completely love them, have every album up through 'Afterburner'. 'Eliminator' was a huge album for me, listened to late at night on cassette on the walkman after my parents assumed I asleep for school next morning. I've seen em three times, and I'm trying to figure out where I want to see them this summer -- it'll either be @ Naperville Rib Fest or Milwaukee Summerfest. still figuring our my schedule and logistics -- lots of other stuff on that pre-4th of July weekend..
But 'Pyromania' was a complete mindfuck. a gateway drug to heavy metal. I loved the singles like 'Photograph' and 'Rock of Ages', and my sitter at the time (I was 9) mentioned that she had the 'Pyromania' cassette, so I asked if I could borrow it. "Rock Rock Til You Drop" completely blew my mind, it almost scared me it was so heavy, I'd never heard music that sounded like that (especially with that awesome dramatic intro bit.)
'Pyromania' wins it. What a great four album run the Lep had
― Stormy Davis, Saturday, 26 May 2012 05:01 (eleven years ago) link
I saw ZZ Top a few years ago and it blew my mind how awesome they were. It was just the three guys, locked in tight, blasting through these songs to a huge stadium full of people. What total and utter badasses.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 26 May 2012 19:45 (eleven years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Thursday, 31 May 2012 00:01 (eleven years ago) link
http://mlkshk.com/r/CNPJ
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Thursday, 31 May 2012 01:54 (eleven years ago) link
HOLY CRAP
― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 31 May 2012 01:57 (eleven years ago) link
wow
― spextor vs bextor (contenderizer), Thursday, 31 May 2012 01:59 (eleven years ago) link
This thread got me to check out all of Eliminator for the first time. It's totally great!: some really nice guitar interplay and such a classic guitar tone.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Thursday, 31 May 2012 02:31 (eleven years ago) link
Eliminator, not even close. but I have never really been a fan of Def Leppard who just come across as stupid beyond belief to my ears.
― Roger Barfing (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 31 May 2012 03:19 (eleven years ago) link
really dig Pyromania but have to go with Eliminator
I can't think of any 70s rock act that ever embraced New Wave better than ZZ Top (and Bill Ham) did with Eliminator. It's really unique.
yeah, it's pretty unexpected just how perfectly their biker-rock mixes with synthpop/protodance to create this perfect, dirty, Mad Max-y techrock. that's something that hasn't really been explored that much beyond the mid 80s - dystopian desert turbo-blues (well okay Industrial Metal did a bit)
Judas Priest totally went into that Mad Max-y territory for a minute on Turbo as well with Turbo Lover and Locked In
I mean...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhY9GOhFwN4&ob=av3e
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr6rChjsWgs
― Chris S, Thursday, 31 May 2012 04:06 (eleven years ago) link
love how songs can so perfectly project a theme sometimes. didn't see those videos for years, but I could always tell Priest were on a big Road Warrior trip with those songs
― Chris S, Thursday, 31 May 2012 04:19 (eleven years ago) link
I don't think of either of these as hard rock
― buzza, Thursday, 31 May 2012 04:24 (eleven years ago) link
i started a thread on this, though centered on 1981 as the year that 70s rockers tried out new wave. there are quite a few parallel examples, though perhaps none so commercial successful and seamless in their synthesis as zz top.
1981 = year of 70s dino rockers w modren/wavo comeback LPs
― spextor vs bextor (contenderizer), Thursday, 31 May 2012 04:25 (eleven years ago) link
^excellent, was just about to ask if there were any good threads on that stuff. might have to start one on dystopian future (blues) rock/metal as well eventually
― Chris S, Thursday, 31 May 2012 04:29 (eleven years ago) link
I'm not sure what would count as hard rock if not early-80s Def Leppard!
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Thursday, 31 May 2012 06:10 (eleven years ago) link
pre-pyromania stuff is for sure, iirc
― buzza, Thursday, 31 May 2012 06:19 (eleven years ago) link
Def Leppard sounded like hard rock at the time. It's pure hard rock candy in retrospect.
Voted for ZZT, for the WTFness of that album when it came out.
― Matt M., Thursday, 31 May 2012 14:02 (eleven years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Friday, 1 June 2012 00:01 (eleven years ago) link
http://gifsoup.com/webroot/animatedgifs2/1195570_o.gif
― mookieproof, Friday, 1 June 2012 00:07 (eleven years ago) link
^^^that's fuckin right
― Roger Barfing (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 1 June 2012 15:41 (eleven years ago) link
what about: Afterburner vs Hysteria
― go down on you in a thyatrr (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 1 June 2012 17:52 (eleven years ago) link
Hysteria by an infinite distance.
― Johnny Fever, Friday, 1 June 2012 17:57 (eleven years ago) link
imo, Pyromania was a practice run at Hysteria, but Afterburner was the residue from Eliminator.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h_OZ1F1BjQ
― MaresNest, Monday, 20 February 2017 18:33 (seven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoP1Q93Ja1g
― MaresNest, Monday, 20 February 2017 18:35 (seven years ago) link